Abiotic-biotic hybrid for CO2 biomethanation: From electrochemical to photochemical process

Converting CO2 into sustainable fuels (e.g., CH4) has great significance to solve carbon emission and energy crisis. Generally, CO2 methanation needs abundant of energy input to overcome the eight-electron-transfer barrier. Abiotic-biotic hybrid system represents one of the cutting-edge technologies that use renewable electric/solar energy to realize eight-electron-transfer CO2 biomethanation. However, the incompatible abiotic-biotic hybrid can result in low efficiency of electron transfer and CO2 biomethanation. Herein, we present the comprehensive reviewto highlight how to design abiotic-biotic hybrid for electric/solar-driven CO2 biomethanation. We primarily introduce the CO2 biomethanation mechanism, and further summarize state-of-the-art electrochemical and photochemical CO2 biomethanation in hybrid systems. We also propose excellent synthetic biology strategies, which are useful to design tunable methanogenic microorganisms or enzymes when cooperating with electrode/semiconductor in hybrid systems. This review provides theoretical guidance of abiotic-biotic hybrid and also shows the bright future of sustainable fuel production in the form of CO2 biomethanation. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The conversion of CO2 into sustainable fuels, such as CH4, is significant in addressing carbon emissions and the energy crisis. The use of abiotic-biotic hybrid systems for CO2 biomethanation with renewable electric/solar energy shows promise, but efficiency may be limited. This review highlights the design of abiotic-biotic hybrids and synthetic biology strategies for tunable methanogenic microorganisms or enzymes, pointing towards a bright future for sustainable fuel production through CO2 biomethanation.