Table 3 Select EngBio climate mitigation applications
From: Engineering biology and climate change mitigation: Policy considerations
Application Type | Examples |
|---|---|
A: Replace fossil fuels in transport | Biofuel from agricultural biomass or atmospheric/oceanic CO2 Electricity storage/ rewired carbon fixation: Electromicrobial production (EMP) that combines engineered biological and electronic components might convert CO2 into high-density, non-volatile fuels or energy storage polymers55,56. Engineered E. coli directly uses carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce biofuels, bypassing photosynthesis in the production of biofuels. (e.g. Ginkgo Bioworks)57,58. Hydrogen Dark fermentation processes produce hydrogen from biomass using engineered microbial consortia59. |
B: Reduce emissions from production processes: industry, construction and agriculture | Industrial processes Absorb CO2 waste streams and sequestration or conversion to useful by-products e.g., ethanol or sequestration28. |
Construction/Materials Cement/concrete: Biomineralisation via application of bacteria during the preparation of mortar or concrete—leading to reduced carbon emissions and longer-lasting, self-repairing concrete60. | |
Agriculture N2OR and MMO-transformed plants capable of reducing emissions (or drawing down atmospheric) N2O and methane CH447,61. Low-methane rice. Rice varieties that do not require irrigation, with altered methane/carbon fluxes, or increased yield62. | |
C: Substitutes for emissions-intensive products | Animal proteins Biofermentation: Synthetic animal proteins (displacing CH4), meat and milk8,63. |
Fertilisers Cultivation or engineering of nitrogen-fixing microbes (or plants/biofertilisation) is already at early-stage commercialisation9. | |
Chemical manufacturing Building metabolic pathways in microbes for Hydrogen production which is not dependent on fossil fuel feedstock64. | |
D: Sequester or mitigate in environment | Sequester or mitigate carbon/GHGs in environment Engineering crop root systems for enhanced carbon sequestration Increased production of suberin—a lipophilic complex polyester biopolymer; Microbes transforming organic carbon into stable carbonates47. Direct air capture carbon/ non-carbon GHGs61. |
