Construction of alginate beads for efficient conversion of CO2 into vaterite CaCO3 particles

CO2 is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming. Efficient conversion of CO2 into high value-added food materials represents a promising strategy to decrease CO2 concentration. In this study, we reported that Ca(2+-)crosslinked alginate beads loaded with carbonic anhydrase (CA) can efficiently catalyze conversion of CO2 into porous vaterite CaCO3 particles via a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) inducing process. CA encapsulated within the Ca2+-crosslinked alginate beads maintained around 100% activity of its original activity after 10 assay cycles. Functionally, the CA-loaded alginate beads facilitated conversion of CO2 into porous vaterite CaCO3 particles with high CO2 removal efficiency in the presence of carboxymethyl cellulose. Notably, such vaterite CaCO3 particles can be explored for adsorption of astaxanthin with higher loading capacity (2.0 wt %), conse-quently improving the photo-and thermal-stability of this pigment.

Automated summary

This study presents a method for efficiently converting CO2 into high value-added food materials using Ca(2+-)crosslinked alginate beads loaded with carbonic anhydrase. The encapsulated enzyme maintained its activity over multiple assay cycles and facilitated the conversion of CO2 into porous vaterite CaCO3 particles. These particles showed high CO2 removal efficiency and could adsorb astaxanthin, enhancing its photo and thermal stability.