Understanding Metabolic Pathways for Enhanced Microbial Electrosynthesis: A Sustainable Approach for Carbon Dioxide Reduction to High–value Products
Akash Srivastava, Pratyush Jain, Priyanka Gupta
Abstract
• Review emphasizes the potential of microbial electrosynthesis for CO 2 reduction. • MXenes boost microbial adhesion, biofilm formation, and electron transfer. • Genetic engineering may enhance microbial-electrode interactions and pathways. • Biofilm formation on electrodes improves CO 2 conversion efficiency in MES systems. • Innovations address product selectivity and electrode fouling challenges. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is a potential approach used for the reduction of CO 2 to value-added chemicals by utilizing microorganisms to interact with electrodes and regulate associated chemical processes. This review explores recent developments in MES focusing on cathode materials, electrogenic microorganisms, and the strategies to improve overall system efficiency. Some key developments including the use of electrogenic microorganisms such as Acetobacterium and Desulfovibrio utilize metabolic pathways like reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and Wood-Ljungdahl pathway to convert CO 2 to value-added products. Insights on interaction between microorganisms and electrodes necessary for efficient CO 2 conversion are presented. The potential of MXenes as electrode materials is also highlighted. Recent literature demonstrated that MXene coatings can enhance microbial adhesion, biofilm formation, and electron transfer efficiency, leading to significant improvements in the MES performance. Factors affecting the MES efficiency such as biofilm formation and genetic engineering are also explored. Biofilm formation on electrodes enhances electron transfer efficiency providing a physical interface for microbial electron exchange. Genetic modifications optimize electron transport and metabolic pathways by targeting key genes. However, MES still faces challenges like low product selectivity, electrode fouling, and high energy consumption. In this regard, understanding and optimizing microbial-electrode interactions through innovative materials like MXenes and advanced genetic engineering holds great promise for advancement of the MES technology.