Coupled Electrochemical and Microbial Catalysis for the Production of Polymer Bricks

Power‐to‐X technologies have the potential to pave the way towards a future resource‐secure bioeconomy as they enable the exploitation of renewable resources and CO(2). Herein, the coupled electrocatalytic and microbial catalysis of the C(5)‐polymer precursors mesaconate and 2S‐methylsuccinate from CO(2) and electric energy by in situ coupling electrochemical and microbial catalysis at 1 L‐scale was developed. In the first phase, 6.1±2.5 mm formate was produced by electrochemical CO(2) reduction. In the second phase, formate served as the substrate for microbial catalysis by an engineered strain of Methylobacterium extorquens AM‐1 producing 7±2 μm and 10±5 μm of mesaconate and 2S‐methylsuccinate, respectively. The proof of concept showed an overall conversion efficiency of 0.2 % being 0.4 % of the theoretical maximum.