The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning/McGill University

Published purpose

Atmospheric CO2 levels are at a record high. Further increases are predicted to produce large and uncontrollable impacts on the world climate and ocean acidity levels. Meanwhile, the global energy demand is expected to boom by 2040, with a growth of more than 25%. To meet this demand, while addressing our CO2 challenge, a solution (photosynthetic biohybrid systems (PBSs)) that can efficiently capture and store CO2 and solar energy in a CO2-negative or CO2-neutral manner is being explored. PBSs are still in their infancy, with less than a handful of microbes incorporated as their biocatalysts. The technical breakthrough of PBSs relies on enhancement of bacterial attachment, biofilm development, and electron-transfer rates at the microbe-electrode interfaces, all of which will benefit immensely from a deeper understanding of the ecological strategies and environmental drivers of the solar absorber compatible CO2 fixing microbes in their natural habitats. Fe- and Mn-mineral coated mining sites with ample solar exposure will be the ideal ecosystem to find these microbes. This project will thus fill the knowledge gap of CO2 fixing photoelectrotroph communities associated with Fe- and Mn-mineral coatings on Earth’s surface.