Cyanobacteria engineered to accept external electricity turn carbon dioxide into fuel
Replacing photosystem II with an exogenous supply of electrons overcomes limitations of natural photosynthesis to fix carbon dioxide more efficiently
Scientists have created a photo-electrosynthetic system that allows cyanobacteria to use both light and electricity to convert carbon dioxide into acetate or ethylene.1 The system is more energy efficient than natural photosynthesis and opens new avenues for coupling renewable electricity to photosynthetic microorganisms to sustainably produce fuels.