A Review of the Recent Advancement of Bioconversion of Carbon Dioxide to Added Value Products: A State of the Art

Abstract

Excessive dependence on fossil fuels increases GHG emissions and carbon levels in the atmosphere, leading to climatic changes. This phenomenon can be reversed by capturing the carbon via “carbon capture and storage” (CCS) or “carbon capture and utilize” (CCU) technologies. In CCS methods, the captured carbon is stored in natural sinks (e.g., oceans), whereas, in CCU methods, the carbon is converted into useful products. Among CCU methods, the biological conversion of CO2 (BioConCO2) into value-added chemicals has gained great attention. This review focuses on providing an overview of the recent advances in CO2 utilization technology with a focus on the BioConCO2. The theoretical background and technical drivers, challenges, and setbacks of upscaling and commercialization of BioConCO2 are critically discussed with implications for future improvements. The BioConCO2 is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers and industrialists for its capacity to operate under low CO2 concentrations and in the presence of impurities (common conditions in industrial flue gases)—among other numerous advantages. While upscaling algae-based BioConCO2 has operational and financial challenges, bioconversion via bacteria and genetically engineered cyanobacterial seems promising due to their efficiency and flexibility.