Open AccessAbout how to capture and exploit the CO 2 surplus that nature, per se, is not capable of fixing
Author(s) -
Godoy Manuel S.,
Mongili Beatrice,
Fino Debora,
Prieto M. Auxiliadora
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.12805
Subject(s) - bioplastic , exploit , context (archaeology) , greenhouse gas , biochemical engineering , fossil fuel , biofuel , global warming , renewable energy , environmental science , emerging technologies , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , climate change , waste management , ecology , biology , engineering , artificial intelligence , paleontology , computer security
Summary Human activity has been altering many ecological cycles for decades, disturbing the natural mechanisms which are responsible for re‐establishing the normal environmental balances. Probably, the most disrupted of these cycles is the cycle of carbon. In this context, many technologies have been developed for an efficient CO 2 removal from the atmosphere. Once captured, it could be stored in large geological formations and other reservoirs like oceans. This strategy could present some environmental and economic problems. Alternately, CO 2 can be transformed into carbonates or different added‐value products, such as biofuels and bioplastics, recycling CO 2 from fossil fuel. Currently different methods are being studied in this field. We classified them into biological, inorganic and hybrid systems for CO 2 transformation. To be environmentally compatible, they should be powered by renewable energy sources. Although hybrid systems are still incipient technologies, they have made great advances in the recent years. In this scenario, biotechnology is the spearhead of ambitious strategies to capture CO 2 and reduce global warming.