Conversion of Carbon Monoxide to Chemicals Using Microbial Consortia

Abstract

Syngas, a gaseous mixture of CO, H2 and CO2, can be produced by gasification of carbon-containing materials, including organic waste materials or lignocellulosic biomass. The conversion of bio-based syngas to chemicals is foreseen as an important process in circular bioeconomy. Carbon monoxide is also produced as a waste gas in many industrial sectors (e.g., chemical, energy, steel). Often, the purity level of bio-based syngas and waste gases is low and/or the ratios of syngas components are not adequate for chemical conversion (e.g., by Fischer-Tropsch). Microbes are robust catalysts to transform impure syngas into a broad spectrum of products. Fermentation of CO-rich waste gases to ethanol has reached commercial scale (by axenic cultures of Clostridium species), but production of other chemical building blocks is underexplored. Currently, genetic engineering of carboxydotrophic acetogens is applied to increase the portfolio of products from syngas/CO, but the limited energy metabolism of these microbes limits product yields and applications (for example, only products requiring low levels of ATP for synthesis can be produced). An alternative approach is to explore microbial consortia, including open mixed cultures and synthetic co-cultures, to create a metabolic network based on CO conversion that can yield products such as medium-chain carboxylic acids, higher alcohols and other added-value chemicals.