It's a well-known fact that carbon dioxide is one of the main culprits behind our planet's rising temperatures, but scientists from the University of Georgia have now created a microorganism that can make something useful out of the harmful gas in hopes of alleviating some of our planet's woes.
"Basically, what we have done is create a microorganism that does with carbon dioxide exactly what plants do-absorb it and generate something useful," said co-author of the study Michael Adams, a distinguished research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
To do so, the scientists altered the genetic code within the microorganism Pyrococcus furiosus, which feeds on carbon dioxide generated by the extreme heat from underwater geothermal vents. The scientists' genetic manipulation allows the creature to feed on carbon dioxide at much lower temperature levels, and produce useful byproducts.
"What this discovery means is that we can remove plants as the middleman," Adams explained. "We can take carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and turn it into useful products like fuels and chemicals without having to go through the inefficient process of growing plants and extracting sugars from biomass."
The Pyrococcus furiosus from the experiment was able to yield 3-hydroxypropionic acid, a useful industrial chemical, but the team is confident that with some further tinkering, the microorganism can be made to produce other byproducts such as fuel. The exciting part? During the process, the furiosus expels just as much carbon dioxide as it took in, making it, for a lack of a better term, carbon neutral.
"This is an important first step that has great promise as an efficient and cost-effective method of producing fuels," Adams went on. "In the future we will refine the process and begin testing it on larger scales."
You can read the full published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.