Researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory said Tuesday they have developed a new method to use CO2 and seawater to produce ethylene, an important compound now derived from petroleum and widely used in the chemical industry.
The NREL innovation uses a hearty bacterium capable of photosynthesis to convert CO2 and water, with the help of nitrogen, phosphorous and sunlight, to ethylene, according to the Department of Energy national laboratory.
While other bacteria have been able to produce ethylene, they have perished after a short time. The new organism cultures can survive for months, allowing much more efficient production of ethylene.
In addition, the bacterium naturally excretes the ethylene it produces, allowing it to be easily captured.
Jim Brainard, director of NREL's Biosciences Center, said the method is much more efficient than standard separation technologies used in industry.
"Separations in biotechnology are complicated and costly," Brainard said. "The nice thing about this system is that it is a gas that just separates from the culture media and rises to the head space. That's a huge advantage over having to destroy the valuable culture that is taking carbon dioxide and light and water to make your product."
Ethylene is now derived from petroleum, such as natural gas or oil, and is used to make a range of important chemicals, including a wide variety of plastics.
A key advantage touted by the lab of the new bacterium is its consumption of CO2, setting it apart from the traditional petroleum-based production of ethylene, which produces CO2 at levels that make it a major emitter in the industry.
The lab is now making the technology available to companies interested in taking it to the commercial scale.
