Biotechnology for the acceleration of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration

The potential for enzymatic acceleration of carbon dioxide capture from combustion products of fossil fuels has been demonstrated. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) accelerates post combustion CO2 capture, but available CAs are woefully inadequate for the harsh conditions employed in most of these processes. In this review, we summarize recent approaches to improve CA, and processes employing this enzyme, to maximize the benefit from this extremely fast biocatalyst. Approaches to overcoming limitations include sourcing CAs from thermophilic organisms, using protein engineering to evolve thermo-tolerant enzymes, immobilizing the enzyme for stabilization and confinement to cooler regions and process modifications that minimize the (thermo-, solvent) stress on the enzyme.