11
Enhancing Nature
Abstract
This Chapter provides an overview of possible solutions to convert carbon
dioxide into various bioproducts, such as biofuels, bioplastics and bio-sourced
chemicals, mimicking Nature, or even enhancing natural systems. Biotechnological techniques or hybrid systems, made by integrating chemical(electro)catalysis and biological systems, are discussed.
11.1 Introduction
The world leaders are committed to implementing global international agreements
on climate change that may limit global warming to below 2 °C with respect to
1990. Nature may help to find solutions, as it is full of clues for how we find
solutions to the climate change problems. Mimicking and enhancing Nature may
help to convert large volumes of CO 2 even at a rate higher than that of natural
system and with a better selectivity. Plants have not optimized the use of solar
energy, because there is no need, as it is plentiful; they build-up a variety of
compounds, either functional or structural or even energy-storage. Industrial processes optimize the use of energy toward a single product; by reading natural
systems we can get inspiration for new ideas that may enhance natural processes.
In Nature one can find very intriguing systems dealing with CO 2 conversion
either into chemicals or into renewable energy. For example, the Saguaro cactus
(Fig. 11.1) can capture CO 2 from the atmosphere to make compounds called
oxalates. Calcium oxalate (CaC 2 O 4 ) is reported to be present in different families of
plants, [1] and in such cases it represents more than 70% of their dry weight.
Interestingly, the metabolism of oxalate by oxalotrophic bacteria allows the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) in acidic tropical soils, which are, otherwise, free of primary carbonates. One mole of calcium oxalate is catabolized into
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Aresta and A. Dibenedetto, The Carbon Dioxide Revolution,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59061-1_11
193
Enhancing Nature
Abstract
This Chapter provides an overview of possible solutions to convert carbon
dioxide into various bioproducts, such as biofuels, bioplastics and bio-sourced
chemicals, mimicking Nature, or even enhancing natural systems. Biotechnological techniques or hybrid systems, made by integrating chemical(electro)catalysis and biological systems, are discussed.
11.1 Introduction
The world leaders are committed to implementing global international agreements
on climate change that may limit global warming to below 2 °C with respect to
1990. Nature may help to find solutions, as it is full of clues for how we find
solutions to the climate change problems. Mimicking and enhancing Nature may
help to convert large volumes of CO 2 even at a rate higher than that of natural
system and with a better selectivity. Plants have not optimized the use of solar
energy, because there is no need, as it is plentiful; they build-up a variety of
compounds, either functional or structural or even energy-storage. Industrial processes optimize the use of energy toward a single product; by reading natural
systems we can get inspiration for new ideas that may enhance natural processes.
In Nature one can find very intriguing systems dealing with CO 2 conversion
either into chemicals or into renewable energy. For example, the Saguaro cactus
(Fig. 11.1) can capture CO 2 from the atmosphere to make compounds called
oxalates. Calcium oxalate (CaC 2 O 4 ) is reported to be present in different families of
plants, [1] and in such cases it represents more than 70% of their dry weight.
Interestingly, the metabolism of oxalate by oxalotrophic bacteria allows the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) in acidic tropical soils, which are, otherwise, free of primary carbonates. One mole of calcium oxalate is catabolized into
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Aresta and A. Dibenedetto, The Carbon Dioxide Revolution,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59061-1_11
193