Continuous acetate production through microbial electrosynthesis from CO2 with microbial mixed culture

Our paper entitled "Continuous acetate production through microbial electrosynthesis from CO2 with microbial mixed culture" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology

The study was carried out by Pau Batlle-Vilanova, Sebastià Puig, Rafael Gonzalez-Olmos, M. Dolors Balaguer, and Jesús Colprim

ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Microbial electrosynthesis represents a promising approach for renewable energy storage in which chemically stable compounds are produced using CO2 as feedstock. This report aims the continuous production of acetate through microbial electrosynthesis from CO2 and assesses how the production rates could be increased. 
RESULTS: A continuous acetate production rate of 0.98 mmol C·LNCC -1·d-1 was obtained using CO2 as feedstock and with a pH control around 5.8. This conditions increased substrate availability and favoured microbial electrosynthesis. Cyclic voltammograms demonstrated the electroautotrophic activity on the biocathode surface, which increased due to the pH control and caused current demand and acetate production rate to exponentially rise up. 
CONCLUSION: The pH decrease was shown as an effective strategy to increase substrate availability and enhance microbial electrosynthesis. By making microbial electrosynthesis a feasible technology, CO2 could become an alternative feedstock for the carboxylate platform.

If you are interested on the full paper, its doi code is 10.1002/jctb.4657