Converting Carbon Dioxide into Biodiesel Fuel
Outcome/Accomplishment
A research team led by Drs. Kainan Chen and Peng Zhang of Texas A&M University, a partner institution of the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Carbon Utilization Redesign for Biomanufacturing (NSF CURB) headquartered at Washington University in St. Louis, has introduced a novel method of manufacturing biodiesel fuel from carbon dioxide (CO2) by integrating the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction.
Impact/Benefits
Long-range heavy-duty vehicles and industries such as mining, shipping, and construction rely heavily on energy-dense diesel fuels, which cannot be pragmatically de-fossilized by electric vehicles. Biofuels can fill the gap, yet biodiesel productivity is limited by low photosynthesis efficiency, land use, and natural resources availability. CURB’s novel process recycles CO2 into intermediate compounds for use in biodiesel feedstock with high efficiency and drastically reduced land usage.
Explanation/Background
The CURB research team systemically addressed the challenges in electro-biomanufacturing by identifying the metabolic and biochemical limits of CO2 utilization and overcame these limits by balancing the reducing equivalent and enhancing adenosine diphosphate (ATP) production. Furthermore, they have revealed co-substrate effects for ethanol and acetate and designed catalysts to produce an optimal ratio of acetate and ethanol to achieve higher bioconversion efficiency.
The synergistic microbial and catalyst design empowered CURB’s electro-biodiesel process to achieve 4.5% solar-to-molecule efficiency for converting CO2 into lipid, which is much more efficient than biodiesel and other competing platforms. Economic analysis of this technology revealed competitive minimal selling prices, substantial reduction in carbon emissions, and significantly less land use compared with current biodiesels.
This research has been published in over a dozen leading journals and the groundbreaking technology has been patented as part of CURB’s Hybrid Electro-Bio Carbon Utilization Systems (HEBCUS) thrust that seeks engineered solutions to convert CO2 to a broad range of products. The electro-bioconversion of CO2 could alleviate the biodiesel feedstock shortage and transform the renewable fuel industry. This new concept can be broadly applied to chemical, material, and fuel manufacturing to create a circular carbon economy for mitigating global climate change.
Location
St. Louis, Missouriwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
A research team led by Drs. Kainan Chen and Peng Zhang of Texas A&M University, a partner institution of the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Carbon Utilization Redesign for Biomanufacturing (NSF CURB) headquartered at Washington University in St. Louis, has introduced a novel method of manufacturing biodiesel fuel from carbon dioxide (CO2) by integrating the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction.
Location
St. Louis, Missouriwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
Long-range heavy-duty vehicles and industries such as mining, shipping, and construction rely heavily on energy-dense diesel fuels, which cannot be pragmatically de-fossilized by electric vehicles. Biofuels can fill the gap, yet biodiesel productivity is limited by low photosynthesis efficiency, land use, and natural resources availability. CURB’s novel process recycles CO2 into intermediate compounds for use in biodiesel feedstock with high efficiency and drastically reduced land usage.
Explanation/Background
The CURB research team systemically addressed the challenges in electro-biomanufacturing by identifying the metabolic and biochemical limits of CO2 utilization and overcame these limits by balancing the reducing equivalent and enhancing adenosine diphosphate (ATP) production. Furthermore, they have revealed co-substrate effects for ethanol and acetate and designed catalysts to produce an optimal ratio of acetate and ethanol to achieve higher bioconversion efficiency.
The synergistic microbial and catalyst design empowered CURB’s electro-biodiesel process to achieve 4.5% solar-to-molecule efficiency for converting CO2 into lipid, which is much more efficient than biodiesel and other competing platforms. Economic analysis of this technology revealed competitive minimal selling prices, substantial reduction in carbon emissions, and significantly less land use compared with current biodiesels.
This research has been published in over a dozen leading journals and the groundbreaking technology has been patented as part of CURB’s Hybrid Electro-Bio Carbon Utilization Systems (HEBCUS) thrust that seeks engineered solutions to convert CO2 to a broad range of products. The electro-bioconversion of CO2 could alleviate the biodiesel feedstock shortage and transform the renewable fuel industry. This new concept can be broadly applied to chemical, material, and fuel manufacturing to create a circular carbon economy for mitigating global climate change.