KAIST develops carbon-neutral artificial photosynthesis technology
Professor Byung-Kwan Cho’s team develops eco-friendly C1 gas conversion technology using microbes attached to optical nanoparticles
Reporter Song Hyun-soo [email protected]
Input: 2021-03-10 05:51:50Revision: 2021-03-10 05:55:08Published: 2021-03-10 05:55:33
Introducing an artificial photosynthesis system based on optical nanoparticles Constructed an artificial photosynthesis system in which chemically synthesized CdS optical nanoparticles are attached to the surface of acetogen microorganisms. The nano-bio hybrid system can be grown by fixing C1 gas under light treatment conditions. Provided by KAIST
Professor Byung-Kwan Cho of the Department of Life Sciences at KAIST. Provided by KAIST
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST, President Lee Kwang-hyung) revealed that the research team of Professor Byung-Kwan Cho of the Department of Life Sciences has developed a technology that converts C1 gas (a gas composed of one carbon such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide), which is the main factor of climate change, into high-value-added biochemicals.
Prof. Byung-Kwan Cho’s research team developed an artificial photosynthesis system for microbial-optical nanoparticles in which highly efficient optical nanoparticles are attached to the surface so that microbes can use electrons emitted when optical nanoparticles receive light as an energy source.
This technology is an eco-friendly C1 gas refinery technology in which microorganisms convert C1 gas into various biochemicals by using light as the only energy source, and presents various application possibilities for realization of 2050 carbon neutrality declared by the government.
This study, which was participated by a student of KAIST’s Life Sciences Dept. Sang-Rak Jin, as the first author, was published in the online edition on February 23 in the International Journal of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Acetogen microbes can convert C1 gas to acetic acid through the Wood-Yungdahl metabolic circuit. Accordingly, the possibility of using it as a biocatalyst for the production of biochemicals from C1 gas is high, and it is attracting much attention as a carbon capture and utilization technology.
Acetogen microorganisms obtain reducing energy for C1 gas metabolism by decomposing sugar or hydrogen. In order to replace sugar or hydrogen, C1 gas can be used without sugar or hydrogen by attaching optical nanoparticles that act as individual photoelectrodes of nanoparticle size to the surface of microorganisms and transferring light energy to the microorganisms.
The existing technology is a method of biosynthesizing optical nanoparticles and attaching them to the cell surface, and it is difficult to control the structure and size of optical nanoparticles, so there is a limitation in increasing the efficiency of C1 gas metabolism. This is due to the unique characteristics of optical nanoparticles that differ in the performance of the photoconductive effect depending on their structure and size.
To overcome these limitations, the research team synthesized high-efficiency optical nanoparticles that are uniform in structure and size and exhibit excellent photoconducting effects by chemical method, and the’Clostridium autoethanogenome, one of the acetogen microorganisms that can be used industrially (Clostridium autoethanogenum)’ was attached to the surface.
The research team established an eco-friendly artificial photosynthesis system using light by proving that microorganisms with optical nanoparticles attached thereto can produce acetic acid from C1 gas. Through technology to determine the presence or absence of expression), the electron acceptor for the transfer of electrons generated from optical nanoparticles into microorganisms was identified.
Professor Cho Byeong-gwan, who led the research, said, “It can replace sugar or hydrogen used in the C1 gas fixation process with eco-friendly light energy, and has overcome the limitations of the existing artificial photosynthesis system using microbial-based biosynthetic optical nanoparticles.” Using optical nanoparticles, the efficiency of artificial photosynthesis can be increased, and it has provided a clue to the research on the development of artificial microorganisms that can efficiently accept electrons generated from optical nanoparticles.”
Reporter Song Hyun-soo [email protected]