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Turning microbes into green energy makers!

A groundbreaking study reveals that certain tiny microbes could help turn CO₂—a major greenhouse gas—into fuel.

Photo of Florin Musat
Photo: Lars Kruse

Led by Associate Professor Florin Musat, a new study shows how specific microorganisms could contribute to a greener future. The study, which was published in Nature Communications, focuses on Candidatus Syntrophoarchaeum, a type of archaea known for breaking down butane and converting it into CO₂ in oxygen-free environments.

Using metabolic modeling, isotope labeling, and advanced analytics, the researchers demonstrated that these microbes could carry out the process in reverse - transforming CO₂ into small amounts of butane, a valuable fuel for various applications.

This surprising ability may explain why lighter natural gases are found in underground rock layers and suggests that archaea play a larger role in the natural gas cycle than previously thought.

Although the research is in its early stages, it opens new possibilities for using microbes to convert CO₂ into clean, renewable energy.

"While the study didn’t confirm that these microbes produce more butane than they consume, it opens the door to further research on whether such organisms exist in nature and could be leveraged for energy production. We are excited by this discovery, which deepens our understanding of microbial processes in natural gas cycles and offers new opportunities for green energy innovation," says Florin Musat.

The study, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation through the Young Investigator Research Award Refuel, also found that similar archaea are widespread in hydrocarbon-rich environments, emphasizing their global significance in biogeochemical cycles and potential green energy solutions.

🔗 Read the full article here: Nature Communications https://lnkd.in/dxGRZpZJ