Carbon-negative synthetic biology: challenges and emerging trends of cyanobacterial technology

Global warming and climate instability have spurred interest in using renewable carbon resources for the sustainable production of chemicals. Cyanobacteria are ideal cellular factories for carbon-negative production of chemicals owing to their great potentials for directly utilizing light and CO2 as sole energy and carbon sources, respectively. However, several challenges in adapting cyanobacterial technology to industry, such as low productivity, poor tolerance, and product harvesting difficulty, remain. Synthetic biology may finally address these challenges. Here, we summarize recent advances in the production of value-added chemicals using cyanobacterial cell factories, particularly in carbon-negative synthetic biology and emerging trends in cyanobacterial applications. We also propose several perspectives on the future development of cyanobacterial technology for commercialization.

Automated summary

Global warming and climate instability have sparked interest in using renewable carbon resources for sustainable chemical production. Cyanobacteria, with their ability to directly use light and CO2 as energy and carbon sources, respectively, are ideal cellular factories for carbon-negative production of chemicals. However, adapting cyanobacterial technology to industry still faces challenges such as low productivity, poor tolerance, and difficulties in product harvesting, which may be addressed by synthetic biology.