Boto and three co-authors reported in 2023 that bacteria use electrons from hydrogen, rather than absorbing them directly from the supplied electric current.
In the field of microbial electrosynthesis, microbes utilize CO2 and electricity to generate substances like alcohol. The precise biological mechanisms underpinning this process have, until recently, been largely theoretical. Now, scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) have managed to experimentally verify for the first time that these bacteria utilize electrons derived from hydrogen, and are capable of producing a broader spectrum of chemical compounds than initially thought.
Seen as a viable solution to mitigate the effects of climate change and support the transition towards renewable energy, microbial electrosynthesis has the potential to bind carbon dioxide, produce ethanol and other organic compounds that can be utilized as fuel, and therefore, store surplus electricity. Despite being in existence for over ten years, this technology has yet to make significant strides toward commercialization.
According to Miriam Rosenbaum, head of the Bio Pilot Plant at Leibniz-HKI, this is mainly because “the biology behind the process has so far been regarded as a kind of black box.” The biochemist, who holds the Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, has long been dedicated to the question of what exactly happens during microbial electrosynthesis (MES).
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