Carbon Dioxide Utilisation—The
Formate Route
Luisa B. Maia, Isabel Moura, and José J. G. Moura
Abstract
The relentless rise of atmospheric CO 2 is causing large and unpredictable
impacts on the Earth climate, due to the CO 2 significant greenhouse effect,
besides being responsible for the ocean acidification, with consequent huge
impacts in our daily lives and in all forms of life. To stop spiral of destruction,
we must actively reduce the CO 2 emissions and develop new and more efficient
“CO 2 sinks”. We should be focused on the opportunities provided by exploiting
this novel and huge carbon feedstock to produce de novo fuels and added-value
compounds. The conversion of CO 2 into formate offers key advantages for
carbon recycling, and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) enzymes are at the centre
of intense research, due to the “green” advantages the bioconversion can offer,
namely substrate and product selectivity and specificity, in reactions run at
ambient temperature and pressure and neutral pH. In this chapter, we describe
the remarkable recent progress towards efficient and selective FDH-catalysed
CO 2 reduction to formate. We focus on the enzymes, discussing their structure
and mechanism of action. Selected promising studies and successful proof of
concepts of FDH-dependent CO 2 reduction to formate and beyond are discussed,
to highlight the power of FDHs and the challenges this CO 2 bioconversion still
faces.
Keywords
Carbon dioxide utilisation Á Formic acid Á Formate dehydrogenase Á
Molybdenum Á Tungsten Á Hydride transfer Á Biocatalyst Á Green chemistry Á
Energy Á Biotechnology
L. B. Maia (&) Á I. Moura Á J. J. G. Moura
LAQV, REQUIMTE, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, Caparica,
Portugal
e-mail: luisa.maia@fct.unl.pt
© The Author(s) 2021
J. J. G. Moura et al. (eds.), Enzymes for Solving Humankind's Problems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58315-6_2
29
Formate Route
Luisa B. Maia, Isabel Moura, and José J. G. Moura
Abstract
The relentless rise of atmospheric CO 2 is causing large and unpredictable
impacts on the Earth climate, due to the CO 2 significant greenhouse effect,
besides being responsible for the ocean acidification, with consequent huge
impacts in our daily lives and in all forms of life. To stop spiral of destruction,
we must actively reduce the CO 2 emissions and develop new and more efficient
“CO 2 sinks”. We should be focused on the opportunities provided by exploiting
this novel and huge carbon feedstock to produce de novo fuels and added-value
compounds. The conversion of CO 2 into formate offers key advantages for
carbon recycling, and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) enzymes are at the centre
of intense research, due to the “green” advantages the bioconversion can offer,
namely substrate and product selectivity and specificity, in reactions run at
ambient temperature and pressure and neutral pH. In this chapter, we describe
the remarkable recent progress towards efficient and selective FDH-catalysed
CO 2 reduction to formate. We focus on the enzymes, discussing their structure
and mechanism of action. Selected promising studies and successful proof of
concepts of FDH-dependent CO 2 reduction to formate and beyond are discussed,
to highlight the power of FDHs and the challenges this CO 2 bioconversion still
faces.
Keywords
Carbon dioxide utilisation Á Formic acid Á Formate dehydrogenase Á
Molybdenum Á Tungsten Á Hydride transfer Á Biocatalyst Á Green chemistry Á
Energy Á Biotechnology
L. B. Maia (&) Á I. Moura Á J. J. G. Moura
LAQV, REQUIMTE, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, Caparica,
Portugal
e-mail: luisa.maia@fct.unl.pt
© The Author(s) 2021
J. J. G. Moura et al. (eds.), Enzymes for Solving Humankind's Problems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58315-6_2
29