Microbial Electrochemical Technologies for CO2 and Its Derived Products Valorization

Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO2) valorization for the production of different commodity chemicals is a highly desired approach to moderate CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The versatility of microbial electrochemical technologies makes it possible to use them for carbon capture and utilization. This is mainly achieved through two novel processes, namely: microbial electrosynthesis and electro-fermentation. These processes allow CO2 conversion (and some of its organic derivatives) into a wide variety of valuable products such as carboxylic acids and alcohols by means of an external electrical input. This chapter focuses on different aspects of these bioelectrochemical CO2 valorization approaches and reviews their key challenges and future perspectives from a technological and economical point of view.

[1]  Hajime Kobayashi,et al.  Electromethanogenic CO2 Conversion by Subsurface-reservoir Microorganisms , 2013 .

[2]  K. Rabaey,et al.  Enhanced Product Recovery from Glycerol Fermentation into 3-Carbon Compounds in a Bioelectrochemical System Combined with In Situ Extraction , 2016, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol..

[3]  Valeria Mapelli,et al.  Enhancement of anaerobic lysine production in Corynebacterium glutamicum electrofermentations. , 2017, Bioelectrochemistry.

[4]  Alfonso Martínez Arranz.  Carbon capture and storage: Frames and blind spots , 2015 .

[5]  Huajiang Huang,et al.  A review of separation technologies in current and future biorefineries , 2008 .

[6]  Radhakrishnan Mahadevan,et al.  In silico characterization of microbial electrosynthesis for metabolic engineering of biochemicals , 2011, Microbial cell factories.

[7]  Jurg Keller,et al.  Biologically Induced Hydrogen Production Drives High Rate/High Efficiency Microbial Electrosynthesis of Acetate from Carbon Dioxide , 2016 .

[8]  J. Stephens.  Carbon Capture and Storage: A Controversial Climate Mitigation Approach , 2015 .

[9]  Ashley E. Franks,et al.  Microbial catalysis in bioelectrochemical technologies: status quo, challenges and perspectives , 2013, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[10]  Adrie J J Straathof,et al.  Recovery of carboxylic acids produced by fermentation. , 2014, Biotechnology advances.

[11]  I. S. Pretorius,et al.  Microbial Cellulose Utilization: Fundamentals and Biotechnology , 2002, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews.

[12]  B. Logan,et al.  Performance of a pilot-scale continuous flow microbial electrolysis cell fed winery wastewater , 2011, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[13]  H. May,et al.  Energy Efficiency and Productivity Enhancement of Microbial Electrosynthesis of Acetate , 2017, Front. Microbiol..

[14]  Nicolas Bernet,et al.  Electro-Fermentation: How To Drive Fermentation Using Electrochemical Systems. , 2016, Trends in biotechnology.

[15]  Adrián Escapa,et al.  Microbial electrolysis cells: An emerging technology for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. From laboratory to pilot plant and beyond , 2016 .

[16]  Pier-Luc Tremblay,et al.  Effect of tungstate on acetate and ethanol production by the electrosynthetic bacterium Sporomusa ovata , 2016, Biotechnology for Biofuels.

[17]  C. Buisman,et al.  Towards practical implementation of bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment. , 2008, Trends in biotechnology.

[18]  Kaijun Wang,et al.  Bioelectrochemical removal of carbon dioxide (CO2): an innovative method for biogas upgrading. , 2014, Bioresource technology.

[19]  Xiaohong He,et al.  A new upgraded biogas production process: Coupling microbial electrolysis cell and anaerobic digestion in single-chamber, barrel-shape stainless steel reactor , 2014 .

[20]  L. C. Martins das Neves,et al.  Biogas Production: New Trends for Alternative Energy Sources in Rural and Urban Zones , 2009 .

[21]  Kevin J. Myers,et al.  How to disperse gases in liquids , 1994 .

[22]  Seunghwan Lee,et al.  Electrode Build-Up of Reducible Metal Composites toward Achievable Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide. , 2016, ChemSusChem.

[23]  Chih-Hung Huang,et al.  A Review of CO2 Capture by Absorption and Adsorption , 2012 .

[24]  D. Pant,et al.  Biotransformation of carbon dioxide in bioelectrochemical systems: State of the art and future prospects , 2017 .

[25]  H. May,et al.  The bioelectrosynthesis of acetate. , 2016, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[26]  D. Pant,et al.  Electro-stimulated microbial factory for value added product synthesis. , 2016, Bioresource technology.

[27]  A. Morán,et al.  Domestic wastewater treatment in parallel with methane production in a microbial electrolysis cell , 2016 .

[28]  Gunda Mohanakrishna,et al.  Technological advances in CO2 conversion electro-biorefinery: A step toward commercialization. , 2016, Bioresource technology.

[29]  Kelly P. Nevin,et al.  Electrobiocommodities: powering microbial production of fuels and commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide with electricity. , 2013, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[30]  C. Buisman,et al.  Integrated Product Separation in Bioelectrochemical CO 2 Reduction for Improved Process Efficiency , 2016 .

[31]  Korneel Rabaey,et al.  Operational and technical considerations for microbial electrosynthesis. , 2012, Biochemical Society transactions.

[32]  K. Rabaey,et al.  Microbial electrosynthesis — revisiting the electrical route for microbial production , 2010, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[33]  C. Buisman,et al.  Long-term operation of microbial electrosynthesis cell reducing CO2 to multi-carbon chemicals with a mixed culture avoiding methanogenesis. , 2017, Bioelectrochemistry.

[34]  Aijie Wang,et al.  Source of methane and methods to control its formation in single chamber microbial electrolysis cells , 2009 .

[35]  Kelly P. Nevin,et al.  Electrosynthesis of Organic Compounds from Carbon Dioxide Is Catalyzed by a Diversity of Acetogenic Microorganisms , 2011, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[36]  Y. Rafrafi,et al.  Importance of the hydrogen route in up-scaling electrosynthesis for microbial CO2 reduction , 2015 .

[37]  Hajime Kobayashi,et al.  Bio-electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to methane in geological storage reservoirs , 2013 .

[38]  Integrating bioelectrochemical systems with anaerobic digestion , 2013 .

[39]  J. Zeikus,et al.  Microbial Utilization of Electrically Reduced Neutral Red as the Sole Electron Donor for Growth and Metabolite Production , 1999, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[40]  Uwe Schröder,et al.  Reactor concepts for bioelectrochemical syntheses and energy conversion. , 2014, Trends in biotechnology.

[41]  Min Gu Lee,et al.  Carbon capture and utilization using industrial wastewater under ambient conditions , 2017 .

[42]  S. Mohan,et al.  Bio-electrocatalytic reduction of CO2: Enrichment of homoacetogens and pH optimization towards enhancement of carboxylic acids biosynthesis , 2015 .

[43]  H. Wood,et al.  Life with CO or CO2 and H2 as a source of carbon and energy , 1991, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

[44]  Willy Verstraete,et al.  Methanogenesis in membraneless microbial electrolysis cells , 2009, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[45]  R. Allen,et al.  Integrated CO2 Capture and Utilization Using Non-Thermal Plasmolysis , 2017, Front. Energy Res..

[46]  Sylvia Gildemyn,et al.  Electrolytic membrane extraction enables production of fine chemicals from biorefinery sidestreams. , 2014, Environmental science & technology.

[47]  Jeffrey A. Gralnick,et al.  Enabling Unbalanced Fermentations by Using Engineered Electrode-Interfaced Bacteria , 2010, mBio.

[48]  P. Kenis,et al.  Prospects of CO2 Utilization via Direct Heterogeneous Electrochemical Reduction , 2010 .

[49]  Sebastià Puig,et al.  On the Edge of Research and Technological Application: A Critical Review of Electromethanogenesis , 2017, International journal of molecular sciences.

[50]  Jhuma Sadhukhan,et al.  A critical review of integration analysis of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems with waste biorefineries for the production of biofuel and chemical from reuse of CO2 , 2016 .

[51]  H. May,et al.  Production of fuels and chemicals from waste by microbiomes. , 2013, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[52]  Mauro Majone,et al.  Carbon and nitrogen removal and enhanced methane production in a microbial electrolysis cell. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[53]  Chih-Hung Huang,et al.  A Review: CO2 Utilization , 2014 .

[54]  Byung Hong Kim,et al.  The biocathode of microbial electrochemical systems and microbially-influenced corrosion. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[55]  Kazuhiro Nagahama,et al.  Construction and analysis of a recombinant cyanobacterium expressing a chromosomally inserted gene for an ethylene-forming enzyme at the psbAI locus. , 2003, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering.

[56]  Hubertus V. M. Hamelers,et al.  Microbial electrolysis cells for production of methane from CO2: long‐term performance and perspectives , 2012 .

[57]  K. Rabaey,et al.  Integrated Production, Extraction, and Concentration of Acetic Acid from CO2 through Microbial Electrosynthesis , 2015 .

[58]  Jens O Krömer,et al.  Electrifying white biotechnology: engineering and economic potential of electricity-driven bio-production. , 2015, ChemSusChem.

[59]  R. Tyagi,et al.  Microbial electrosynthesis of solvents and alcoholic biofuels from nutrient waste: A review , 2017 .

[60]  Frauke Kracke,et al.  Microbial electron transport and energy conservation – the foundation for optimizing bioelectrochemical systems , 2015, Front. Microbiol..

[61]  Aijie Wang,et al.  Energy recovery evaluation in an up flow microbial electrolysis coupled anaerobic digestion (ME-AD) reactor: Role of electrode positions and hydraulic retention times , 2017 .

[62]  M. Wilkins,et al.  Mixed culture syngas fermentation and conversion of carboxylic acids into alcohols. , 2014, Bioresource technology.

[63]  Kun Guo,et al.  Selective Enrichment Establishes a Stable Performing Community for Microbial Electrosynthesis of Acetate from CO₂. , 2015, Environmental science & technology.

[64]  Karsten Zengler,et al.  A logical data representation framework for electricity-driven bioproduction processes. , 2015, Biotechnology advances.

[65]  Hubertus V. M. Hamelers,et al.  Bioelectrochemical ethanol production through mediated acetate reduction by mixed cultures. , 2010, Environmental science & technology.

[66]  Jesús Colprim,et al.  Microbial electrosynthesis of butyrate from carbon dioxide: Production and extraction. , 2017, Bioelectrochemistry.

[67]  Tick Hui Oh,et al.  Carbon capture and storage potential in coal-fired plant in Malaysia—A review , 2010 .

[68]  Shuo Chen,et al.  Bioelectrochemical enhancement of anaerobic methanogenesis for high organic load rate wastewater treatment in a up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor , 2014, Scientific Reports.

[69]  Tian Zhang,et al.  Extracellular Electron Uptake: Among Autotrophs and Mediated by Surfaces. , 2017, Trends in biotechnology.

[70]  P. Saha,et al.  Competition between Methanogens and Acetogens in Biocathodes: A Comparison between Potentiostatic and Galvanostatic Control , 2017, International journal of molecular sciences.

[71]  J. C. Thrash,et al.  Review: Direct and indirect electrical stimulation of microbial metabolism. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[72]  Korneel Rabaey,et al.  In-line and selective phase separation of medium-chain carboxylic acids using membrane electrolysis. , 2015, Chemical communications.

[73]  K. Nagahama,et al.  Classification of ethylene-producing bacteria in terms of biosynthetic pathways to ethylene , 1992 .

[74]  Bruce E Logan,et al.  Direct biological conversion of electrical current into methane by electromethanogenesis. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[75]  Korneel Rabaey,et al.  Dynamics of Cathode-Associated Microbial Communities and Metabolite Profiles in a Glycerol-Fed Bioelectrochemical System , 2013, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[76]  Hubertus V. M. Hamelers,et al.  Biological formation of caproate and caprylate from acetate: fuel and chemical production from low grade biomass , 2011 .

[77]  M. V. van Loosdrecht,et al.  Mixed culture biotechnology for bioenergy production. , 2007, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[78]  Jiujun Zhang,et al.  A review of catalysts for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide to produce low-carbon fuels. , 2014, Chemical Society reviews.

[79]  Ramon Gonzalez,et al.  Anaerobic fermentation of glycerol: a platform for renewable fuels and chemicals. , 2013, Trends in biotechnology.

[80]  Wan Ramli Wan Daud,et al.  Biocathode in microbial electrolysis cell; Present status and future prospects , 2015 .

[81]  Roberto Schaeffer,et al.  Carbon capture potential and costs in Brazil , 2016 .

[82]  Byoung-In Sang,et al.  Extracellular electron transfer from cathode to microbes: application for biofuel production , 2016, Biotechnology for Biofuels.

[83]  A. Stams,et al.  Microbial Community Analysis of a Methane-Producing Biocathode in a Bioelectrochemical System , 2013, Archaea.

[84]  S. Takeno,et al.  Anaerobic growth and potential for amino acid production by nitrate respiration in Corynebacterium glutamicum , 2007, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[85]  Andrea Schievano,et al.  Electro-Fermentation - Merging Electrochemistry with Fermentation in Industrial Applications. , 2016, Trends in biotechnology.

[86]  Korneel Rabaey,et al.  Carbon and electron fluxes during the electricity driven 1,3-propanediol biosynthesis from glycerol. , 2013, Environmental science & technology.

[87]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: novel biotechnology for energy generation. , 2005, Trends in biotechnology.

[88]  C. Buisman,et al.  In situ acetate separation in microbial electrosynthesis from CO2 using ion-exchange resin , 2017 .

[89]  K. Rabaey,et al.  Continuous long-term electricity-driven bioproduction of carboxylates and isopropanol from CO2 with a mixed microbial community , 2017 .

[90]  Hajime Kobayashi,et al.  Bioelectrochemical analyses of the development of a thermophilic biocathode catalyzing electromethanogenesis. , 2015, Environmental science & technology.

[91]  Largus T. Angenent,et al.  Microbial electrocatalysis to guide biofuel and biochemical bioprocessing , 2013 .

[92]  Deepak Pant,et al.  Carbon dioxide reduction by mixed and pure cultures in microbial electrosynthesis using an assembly of graphite felt and stainless steel as a cathode. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[93]  Largus T Angenent,et al.  Cathodes as electron donors for microbial metabolism: which extracellular electron transfer mechanisms are involved? , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[94]  Wei Chen,et al.  A novel anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR) with conductive hollow-fiber membrane for treatment of low-organic strength solutions. , 2014, Environmental science & technology.

[95]  Caitlyn S. Butler,et al.  Simplifying microbial electrosynthesis reactor design , 2015, Front. Microbiol..

[96]  Valeria Mapelli,et al.  Electrochemical startup increases 1,3-propanediol titers in mixed-culture glycerol fermentations , 2015 .

[97]  G. Reguera,et al.  Stimulation of electro-fermentation in single-chamber microbial electrolysis cells driven by genetically engineered anode biofilms , 2017 .

[98]  Cees Buisman,et al.  Bioelectrochemical Power-to-Gas: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. , 2016, Trends in biotechnology.

[99]  S. Velasquez-Orta,et al.  Microbial Electrosynthesis and Anaerobic Fermentation: An Economic Evaluation for Acetic Acid Production from CO2 and CO. , 2016, Environmental science & technology.