Ultrafast Conversion of CO <sub>2</sub> into C <sub>3</sub> –C <sub>4</sub> Diols in a Synergistic Electrochemical and AI-Assisted Biosynthesis System
Yin Li, Bing Zhang, Yizhou Wu, Tang Tang, Aocong Guan, Qianqing Xu, Linqin Wang, Jianming Liu, Licheng Sun, An‐Ping Zeng
Abstract
Using CO 2 as a feedstock to produce high-value chemicals is attractive but remains far from effective in terms of technical application. In particular, efficient conversion of CO 2 into industrially important C 3+ diols is still challenging. Here, we present a carbon-negative electrochemical-biosynthesis cascade system for synthesizing C 3 –C 4 diols (1,3-propanediol, 1,3-PDO, and 1,3-butanediol, 1,3-BDO) directly from CO 2 at exceptionally high productivities. This integrated platform combines a CuZn-catalyzed electrochemical CO 2 reduction reactor operating at Ampere-level current densities (−1,100 mA cm –2 ) to produce ethanol (close to 1,200 μmol h –1 cm –2 ) with a biocatalytic module for C–C bond extension. A custom-designed J-T membrane prevents ethanol crossover, enabling accumulation to 4.6 g L –1 h –1, while engineered Thermotoga maritima DERA variants (S233D/F43T) exhibit enhanced catalytic efficiency through a synergistic approach combining AI and rational design, achieving a 1,3-PDO production rate of 1.8 g L –1 h –1 . In situ spectroscopic studies reveal that the presence of key intermediates *CO and *OH, along with the formation of a hydrogen-bonding network, significantly enhances the electrochemical synthesis of ethanol, while molecular dynamics simulations clarify mutation-induced conformational changes in DERA that improve substrate affinity. The system’s versatility is further demonstrated by extending ethanol to 1,3-BDO at 1.0 g L –1 h –1 . This work establishes a scalable paradigm for synthesizing multi-carbon diols from CO 2, bridging the gap between electrocatalysis and synthetic biology for sustainable manufacturing.