Scientists have used microorganisms to make plastics and polymers from carbon dioxide!

 

Climate change is the biggest threat to all living things on earth, including humans. Although many activists and researchers have been vocal about ways to prevent rapid environmental degradation, little has been done. And one of the biggest contributors to the climate problem is the production of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, which is reducing the balance in our atmosphere. CO2 is produced on Earth every time a fossil-based raw material is burned. Our dependence on fossil fuels has now become the biggest threatening problem.

The concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere increased from 280 ppm in the mid-19th century to 440 parts per million. In this case, the Franhofer Society of Germany scientists have found possible ways to reduce CO2 emissions. According to a study published on Azom.com, scientists have come up with a way to convert CO2 into plastic using microorganisms.

The two-stage process involves the conversion of carbon dioxide gas into plastic. In the first stage, CO2 is used to make formic acid and methanol. It is then converted into construction blocks for polymers in the second stage.

Commenting on the new study, Dr. Jonathan Faberius, a senior scientist and biologist at the Franhofer IGP, said that two approaches were used in the process. The first approach is multidisciplinary chemical reaction. They thereby convert CO2 into methanol using a catalyst. The second approach is electrochemistry. In this way they produce formic acid from CO2.

This process is then said to depend on a combination of biotechnology tools. These especially stimulated the fermentation microbiota. Simply put, CO2 is first used to form formic acid and methanol. This product is then injected into the microbiota. In response, the compound is converted into additional products such as polymers.