REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Industrial Biotechnology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1545438
Autotrophic Bacterial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Using Carbon Dioxide as a Sustainable Carbon Source
Provisionally accepted
- University of South Wales, Treforest, United Kingdom
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The persistence of fossil fuel-based plastics poses significant environmental challenges, prompting increased research into biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers derived from cost-effective and sustainable resources. Different microorganisms can produce PHA amongst carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-assimilating autotrophic organisms, particularly noteworthy in carbon capture and utilization (CCU). Autotrophic bacteria have evolved to utilize either light (photoautotrophy) or inorganic chemicals (chemolithoautotrophy) to capture CO 2 , which powers their primary and secondary metabolic activities. This review explores the diversity of PHA-producing autotrophs, the metabolic pathways implicated in autotrophic PHA accumulation, and recent progress in photoautotrophs and chemolithoautotrophs regarding PHA synthesis using CO 2 . Additionally, microbial electrosynthesis for converting CO 2 to PHA is also discussed. Genetic engineering strategies are also emphasized for the autotrophic synthesis of PHA. This review also addresses the challenges and prospects for sustainable PHA production using CO 2 . 2022; Saravanan et al., 2022). Currently, more than 92 bacterial genera are known for PHA synthesis. Most of them were isolated and screened from diverse environmental niches such as soil, freshwater, marine water, polar environments, and hydrothermal vents (Liu et al., 2024).
Keywords: Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Carbon Dioxide, CO 2 fixation, Autotrophs, Cyanobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, Genetic Engineering Notable PHA-producing genera are Aeromonas
Received: 15 Dec 2024; Accepted: 14 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sathiyanarayanan and Esteves. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ganesan Sathiyanarayanan, University of South Wales, Treforest, United Kingdom
Prof. Sandra R R Esteves, University of South Wales, Treforest, United Kingdom
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