The gas conversion mechanism of C. autoethanogenum: from poisoinous gases to biofuels (IMAGE)
Caption
The bacterium C. autoethanogenum (middle, top) is used in industrial conversion plants to detoxify waste gases rich in CO2 and CO while producing various compounds, including the biofuel ethanol. This work proved the reaction mechanism of one of the most challenging steps in the process: the conversation of acetate to acetaldehyde, further converted to ethanol. The responsible enzyme AFOR (purple) orchestrates this key reaction thanks to a specific tungsten (W)-based catalytic cofactor. The required low-potential electrons are provided by ferredoxins (Fd, Fdox in their oxidized form and Fdred- in their reduced form) through CO oxidation by another metalloenzyme, the CODH (in orange). The stoichiometry of the reactions is not respected in the figure.
Credit
Olivier Lemaire / Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
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