Coupled Electrochemical and Microbial Catalysis for the Production of Polymer Bricks

Power-to-X technologies have the potential to pave the way towards a future resource-secure bioeconomy as they enable the exploitation of renewable resources and CO2. Herein, the coupled electrocatalytic and microbial catalysis of the C-5-polymer precursors mesaconate and 2S-methylsuccinate from CO(2)and electric energy by in situ coupling electrochemical and microbial catalysis at 1 L-scale was developed. In the first phase, 6.1 +/- 2.5 mmformate was produced by electrochemical CO(2)reduction. In the second phase, formate served as the substrate for microbial catalysis by an engineered strain ofMethylobacterium extorquensAM-1 producing 7 +/- 2 mu mand 10 +/- 5 mu mof mesaconate and 2S-methylsuccinate, respectively. The proof of concept showed an overall conversion efficiency of 0.2 % being 0.4 % of the theoretical maximum.