Hydraulic kinetic energy-powered microbial piezo-synthesis of formate from carbon dioxide

Microbial piezoelectric-synthesis of formate from CO 2 reduction was achieved. • Energy band theory mechanism dominates piezoelectric electron generation by MoSe 2 . • The system exhibited high efficiency of hydraulic kinetic energy conversion. • Good scalability and stable performance for formate production was demonstrated. Piezoelectric-driven microbial synthesis processes promise green production of valuable chemicals by directly utilizing the abundantly-available hydraulic kinetic energy in various water bodies. However, their practical application is currently hindered by the sluggish reaction kinetics and limited knowledge on the catalytic mechanisms. Additionally, the potential of such bio-hybrids for chemical synthesis by utilizing carbon dioxide as sole carbon source is largely unexploited. Here, we constructed an efficient microbial piezo-synthesis (MPS) system, consisting of molybdenum diselenide nanoflowers and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cell, for autotrophic formate synthesis. The piezoelectric catalysis mechanisms by which piezoelectric electrons are generated and transferred across the biohybrid interface were elucidated. Energy band theory mechanism dominates the piezoelectric electron generation in this system, enabling efficient uptake of piezoelectric electrons by S. oneidensis MR-1 to drive CO 2 reduction and metabolism. Powered by hydraulic kinetic energy, the MPS system achieved efficient formate synthesis (5.3 mg·L −1 ·h −1 ) with superior stability. Overall, our work lays an important scientific basis for optimized design of piezoelectric- bio-hybrid, and unveils a tremendous potential of the water body as a self-powered green factory for chemical production coupled with carbon reduction. Download: Download high-res image (247KB) Download: Download full-size image