Microbes from terrestrial hot springs could help turn industrial CO2 into useful products creating a new route to cut emissions and build value from waste gases.
A University of Manchester study published in Environmental Microbiome ,found that these microbial communities are naturally suited to the kind of harsh conditions seen in heavy industry – including high temperatures, high CO2 levels and chemically difficult environments.
That makes them a serious candidate for use in sectors such as steel and cement where emissions are hard to tackle.
What makes this interesting is not just the capture angle.
These microbes can convert inorganic carbon into organic compounds including biomass biopolymers and vitamins – meaning CO2 could become a feedstock rather than just a problem to bury underground.
The researchers say that could open the door to biotechnologies that work under industrial conditions without needing light or energy intensive cooling. In other words the system could fit the environment instead of forcing the environment to fit the system.
Professor Sophie Nixon of The University of Manchester said: “Nature has already evolved solutions for converting CO2 under extreme conditions. We’re going beyond just storing carbon and transforming it into something useful.”
It is still at proof of concept stage but nature may already have built one of the tools heavy industry needs, to turn emissions into products.
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