MESSAI.iO

Electrotroph · Acetogen · Homoacetogen

Moorella thermoacetica

Also known as Clostridium thermoaceticum

Bacillota · Clostridia · Thermoanaerobacteraceae

ElectroactiveEET inwardBSL-1Partial record
  • Acetogen
  • Thermophile
  • Wood ljungdahl
  • Tier 2
Inward
Electron transfer
electroactive
55°C
Optimal temperature
grows 45–65 °C
6.8
Optimal pH
grows pH 6–7.5

01 · Identity

Identity

Where this organism sits in the tree of life, how to obtain it, and what a cell looks like.

Lineage

  1. domainBacteria
  2. ›phylumBacillota
  3. ›classClostridia
  4. ›orderThermoanaerobacterales
  5. ›familyThermoanaerobacteraceae
  6. ›genusMoorella
  7. ›speciesMoorella thermoacetica

Culture collections & accessions

DSMZ
DSM 521
ATCC
ATCC 39073
NCBI taxon
1525

Cell morphology

Rod, Gram-positive (monoderm)

  • Motile: no
  • Spore-forming: yes

02 · Electron transfer

Electron transfer

How electrons cross the cell envelope — the property that makes a microbe useful in an electrochemical system.

ElectroactiveEET inward

No extracellular electron-transfer route is curated for this organism yet.

Mechanisms

Other

Cathode electron uptake mechanism
Contested

03 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

The conditions this organism tolerates and what it eats and breathes — the operating window for a reactor.

ThermophileObligate anaerobeMixotroph
Temperature55 (45–65) °C
0100 °C
pH6.8 (6–7.5)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • H2
  • CO
  • Cathode
  • Glucose

Electron acceptors

  • CO2
  • Nitrate

Carbon sources

  • CO2
  • H2
  • CO
  • Glucose
  • Fructose
  • Methanol

Metabolism — detail

ATP synthase type
Proton dependent
Carbon fixation pathway
Wood ljungdahl

04 · Performance

Performance

Reported electrochemical output, the role it plays in a reactor, and what it produces.

Products (2)

ProductMax titer (g/L)Max rateCoulombic efficiency
acetate—0.3 g/L/d—
formate———

Substrate → product (2)

  • CO2 + cathode (immobilized)yields
    • Acetate
    • Formate

    55°C, immobilized on carbon nanoparticles · 23.2× and 2.8× faster acetate/formate production at 55°C vs 25°C (Yu et al. 2017).

  • CO2 + cathode (immobilized)yields
    • Acetate
    • Formate

    55°C, immobilized on carbon nanoparticles · 23.2× and 2.8× faster acetate/formate production at 55°C vs 25°C (Yu et al. 2017).

05 · Ecology & biofilm

Ecology & biofilm

How it lives on an electrode, who it partners with, and where it is found in nature.

Ecosystems

  • Soil
  • Engineered MES

Isolation sources

  • horse manure

06 · Applications, engineering & safety

Applications, engineering & safety

Where it has been put to work, how tractable it is to engineer, and what handling it requires.

Applications (2)

  • Microbial electrosynthesis acetate
    TRL 3/9
  • Carbon capture
    TRL 3/9

Engineering

Engineered strains publishedIndustrial relevance 4/5

Reactor compatibility

  • MES cathode

Biosafety

BSL-1
  • Pathogen: no

Modeling assets

Linked GEM: iMT

07 · Sources & data quality

Sources & data quality

Every value above traces to a citation. This is how complete and how confident the record is.

Record quality

PartialMedium confidenceNeeds reviewCurated: manual

Literature reviewed 2026-04-26 · schema v1.2.0 · updated 2026-04-28 · imported 2026-04-28

References (4)

  1. Fontaine FE, et al. (1942). A new type of glucose fermentation by Clostridium thermoaceticum n. sp. J Bacteriol 43:701-715.
  2. Fontaine FE, et al. (1942). A new type of glucose fermentation by Clostridium thermoaceticum n. sp. J Bacteriol 43:701-715.
  3. Yu L, et al. (2017). Microbial electrosynthesis at 55°C with Moorella thermoautotrophica. Appl Environ Microbiol.
  4. Yu L, et al. (2017). Microbial electrosynthesis at 55°C with Moorella thermoautotrophica. Appl Environ Microbiol.