Photosynthetic biohybrid coculture for tandem and tunable CO2 and N2 fixation

Solar-driven bioelectrosynthesis represents a promising approach for converting abundant resources into value-added chemicals with renewable energy. Microorganisms powered by electrochemical reducing equivalents assimilate CO2, H2O, and N-2 building blocks. However, products from autotrophic whole-cell biocatalysts are limited. Furthermore, biocatalysts tasked with N-2 reduction are constrained by simultaneous energy-intensive autotrophy. To overcome these challenges, we designed a biohybrid coculture for tandem and tunable CO2 and N-2 fixation to value-added products, allowing the different species to distribute bioconversion steps and reduce the individual metabolic burden. This consortium involves acetogen Sporomusa ovata, which reduces CO2 to acetate, and diazotrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris, which uses the acetate both to fuel N2 fixation and for the generation of a biopolyester. We demonstrate that the coculture platform provides a robust ecosystem for continuous CO2 and N-2 fixation, and its outputs are directed by substrate gas composition. Moreover, we show the ability to support the coculture on a high-surface area silicon nanowire cathodic platform. The biohybrid coculture achieved peak faradaic efficiencies of 100, 19.1, and 6.3% for acetate, nitrogen in biomass, and ammonia, respectively, while maintaining product tunability. Finally, we established full solar to chemical conversion driven by a photovoltaic device, resulting in solar to chemical efficiencies of 1.78, 0.51, and 0.08% for acetate, nitrogenous biomass, and ammonia, correspondingly. Ultimately, our work demonstrates the ability to employ and electrochemically manipulate bacterial communities on demand to expand the suite of CO2 and N-2 bioelectrosynthesis products.

Automated summary

Solar-driven bioelectrosynthesis is a promising method for converting abundant resources into value-added chemicals using renewable energy. A biohybrid coculture involving acetogen Sporomusa ovata and diazotrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris has been designed for tandem and tunable CO2 and N-2 fixation. This coculture platform provides a robust ecosystem for continuous CO2 and N-2 fixation, and its outputs can be directed by substrate gas composition. The ability to electrochemically manipulate bacterial communities allows for the expansion of CO2 and N-2 bioelectrosynthesis products.