Published July 22, 2026
Summary: An integrated platform and engineered microbial strains efficiently convert carbon dioxide into formate, which the microbes then rapidly metabolize to produce valuable biochemicals, bioplastics, and sustainable fuels.
Applications:
- Sustainable aviation fuel production
- Biodegradable bioplastic manufacturing
- Carbon capture and utilization
- Carbon-neutral biochemical production
Advantages/Benefits:
- Modular and flexible process optimization
- Accelerated microbial growth rates
- High formate tolerance
- Cost-effective minimal media cultivation
Background:
Bioconverting carbon dioxide into multicarbon products via formate intermediates is critical for advancing carbon-neutral biorefineries. However, current direct CO2 conversion methods suffer from narrow product spectrums and slow mass transfer. Furthermore, standard microbial hosts exhibit slow growth rates, low formate tolerance, limited genetic tractability, and require expensive nutrient supplements.
Technology Overview:
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a modular abiotic-biotic platform coupling electrochemical CO2 reduction with microbial biosynthesis. A tin oxide electrode converts CO2 into a concentrated formate solution. After pH standardization, this formate fuels engineered bacterial strains, including Vibrio natriegens DABS1 and Cupriavidus oxalaticus DABS2, to synthesize biochemicals, bioplastics, and aviation fuel precursors.
This technology is differentiated by decoupling electrochemical and biological processes, enabling independent optimization and overcoming direct CO2 bioconversion limitations. Additionally, the engineered strains eliminate costly yeast extract requirements and exhibit unprecedented formate tolerance, vastly outperforming conventional hosts. The system achieves 84% Faradaic efficiency for formate production, while DABS1 and DABS2 thrive in >120 mM and >150 mM formate with doubling times under 30 minutes and 10 hours, respectively.
Development Stage: TRL 1
Inventors:
Jihoon Choi
Cole Grandel
Status: Patent pending
Opportunities: Available for licensing and / or collaborative research
