Biochemical production with microbial bioelectrochemical systems

Abstract

Microbial bioelectrochemical systems (BES) represent a promising platform for sustainable biochemical production by leveraging microbial electrocatalysis. These systems utilize electrical energy to drive microbial metabolic processes, enabling the recovery of CO₂ into valuable organic molecules such as methane, acetate, ethanol, and other biochemicals. This approach aligns with global efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and create circular carbon economies. The advancement of BES technology requires both scale-down and scale-up strategies to ensure feasibility and scalability. Scale-down approaches focus on optimizing operational parameters, enhancing electron transfer efficiencies, and understanding microbial community dynamics under controlled conditions. Scale-up efforts address the challenges of maintaining system stability, energy efficiency, and economic viability in larger, industrial-scale operations. Together, these strategies bridge the gap between fundamental laboratory research and real-world applications, positioning microbial BES as a key technology for sustainable biochemical production and captured carbon utilization.

Key findings

• ▸Microbial bioelectrochemical systems can produce biochemicals with high yields and selectivity.
• ▸The use of microbial bioelectrochemical systems can reduce production costs and environmental impact compared to traditional methods.
• ▸Further research is needed to optimize system design and scalability for large-scale biochemical production.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.1016/j.copbio.2025.103291

PubMed

40086015

Journal

Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Year

2025