Engineered nanomaterials for carbon capture and bioenergy production in microbial electrochemical technologies: A review

Santosh Kumar; Akash Tripathi; Indrajit Chakraborty; Makarand M Ghangrekar

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129809

Engineered nanomaterials for carbon capture and bioenergy production in microbial electrochemical technologies: A review

Bioresour Technol. 2023 Dec:389:129809. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129809. Epub 2023 Oct 4.

Authors

Santosh Kumar¹, Akash Tripathi², Indrajit Chakraborty², Makarand M Ghangrekar³

Affiliations

¹ P. K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India.
² Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India.
³ P. K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India; Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India. Electronic address: ghangrekar@civil.iitkgp.ac.in.

PMID: 37797801
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129809

Abstract

The mounting threat of global warming, fuelled by industrialization and anthropogenic activities, is undeniable. In 2017, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), the primary greenhouse gas, exceeded 410 ppm for the first time. Shockingly, on April 28, 2023, this figure surged even higher, reaching an alarming 425 ppm. Even though extensive research has been conducted on developing efficient carbon capture and storage technologies, most suffer from high costs, short lifespans, and significant environmental impacts. Recently, the use of engineered nanomaterials (ENM), particularly in microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), has gained momentum owing to their appropriate physicochemical properties and catalytic activity. By implementing ENM, the MET variants like microbial electrosynthesis (MES) and photosynthetic microbial fuel cells (pMFC) can enhance carbon capture efficiency with simultaneous bioenergy production and wastewater treatment. This review provides an overview of ENMs' role in carbon capture within MES and pMFC, highlighting advancements and charting future research directions.

Keywords: Carbon capture; Engineered nanomaterials; Microbial electrochemical technologies; Microbial electrosynthesis; Photosynthetic microbial fuel cells.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bioelectric Energy Sources*
Carbon Dioxide / chemistry
Greenhouse Gases*
Nanostructures*
Technology

Substances

Greenhouse Gases
Carbon Dioxide