Cyanobacteria as a Biocatalyst for Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Chemicals

Abstract

The combustion of fossil fuels constitutes a significant catalyst for climate change, resulting in the annual release of about two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). The increase in CO2 emission is directly linked to a heightened occurrence of natural calamities and health-related issues. The substitution of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is a fundamental approach to reduce the negative impacts caused by consumption of these nonrenewable energy resources. The utilisation of biological methodologies to produce environmentally friendly energy from renewable sources holds significant potential for the sustainable production of fuel. However, the cultivation of first- and second-generation biofuel crops presents a challenge, since they compete for limited cropland, hence constraining their overall viability. In contrast, photosynthetic microorganisms such as algae and cyanobacteria exhibit significant potential as third-generation biofuel catalysts, devoid of the limitations associated with contemporary biofuels. Cyanobacteria, a type of photosynthetic prokaryotes, exhibit significant potential for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into biofuels, chemicals, and various other valuable compounds. There has been a growing interest in the concept of utilising biological processes to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals. The introduction of a limited number of heterologous genes has the potential to confer upon cyanobacteria the capability to convert particular central metabolites into a diverse range of end products. The progress in the field of synthetic biology and genetic manipulation has enabled the manipulation of cyanobacteria to synthesise compounds that are not generally produced by these organisms in their natural environment. This study focuses on recent papers that employ various methodologies to engineer cyanobacteria for the purpose of producing high-value compounds, such as biofuels.