Carbon recycling with synthetic CO2 fixation pathways

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the node of alleviating global climate change and supporting living organisms on Earth. Currently, the warming climate and the growing population demand enhanced CO2 fixation for a sustainable future, which stimulates innovations in biotechnology to tackle these challenges. To this endeavor, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are enabling a promising approach to engineer synthetic carbon fixation in heterotrophic organisms combining the advantages of both autotrophs and heterotrophs. Here, we review the current advances in constructing synthetic CO2 fixation pathways and discuss the underlying design principles with confronting challenges. Moreover, we highlight the application scenarios of these designs at different concentrations of CO2, and how sustainable bioproduction can be improved. We also foresee the future of engineering synthetic carbon fixation pathways for carbon recycling.

Automated summary

Carbon dioxide plays a crucial role in mitigating global climate change and supporting life on Earth. Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering offer a promising approach to enhance CO2 fixation by combining the advantages of autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms. This article reviews the current progress in constructing synthetic CO2 fixation pathways, discusses the underlying design principles and challenges, and provides insights into the future of carbon recycling through engineered synthetic carbon fixation pathways.