Technological progress and readiness level of microbial electrosynthesis and electrofermentation for carbon dioxide and organic wastes valorization

Abstract

In order to achieve a carbon-efficient circular economy, a paradigm shift is required to valorize carbon dioxide (CO2) and organic wastes into value-added products. Among others, microbial electrosynthesis (MES) and electrofermentation (EF) technologies have shown the potential to contribute to the circular carbon economy. Besides carbon conversion, both technologies can be applied to store excess green energy in the form of valuable transportable chemicals. This article sheds light on the current status of MES and EF technologies by covering the most important literature from the last two years. Recent progress on reactor design and process optimization, scale-up attempts, and a summary of ongoing or completed technology-oriented research projects over the recent years are presented. Furthermore, the key challenges and future research perspectives desired to enable the implementation of the MES technology are also discussed.