Electro-autotrophic synthesis of higher alcohols

Title: Electro-autotrophic synthesis of higher alcohols

The disclosure provides a process that converts CO.sub.2 to higher alcohols (e.g. isobutanol) using electricity as the energy source. This process stores electricity (e.g. from solar energy, nuclear energy, and the like) in liquid fuels that can be used as high octane number gasoline substitutes. Instead of deriving reducing power from photosynthesis, this process derives reducing power from electrically generated mediators, either H.sub.2 or formate. H.sub.2 can be derived from electrolysis of water. Formate can be generated by electrochemical reduction of CO.sub.2. After delivering the reducing power in the cell, formate becomes CO.sub.2 and recycles back. Therefore, the biological CO.sub.2 fixation process can occur in the dark.

Inventors:: Liao, James C.; Cho, Kwang Myung

Issue Date:: 2015-10-06

OSTI Identifier:: 1222639

Assignee:: The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA) ARPA-E

Patent Number(s):: 9,150,889

Application Number:: 13/522,288

Contract Number:: AR0000085

Resource Relation:: Patent File Date: 2011 Jan 15

Research Org:: The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org:: USDOE

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

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