Production of chemicals has significant influence on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in particular carbon dioxide (CO₂), thereby contributing to the climate changes of our planet. There is a general acceptance that we need to reduce the emission of GHG on a global level to cope with these changes. Production of chemicals utilization of CO₂ as feedstock represents a sustainable alternative to many fossil derived products, which are non-renewable and have a strong negative impact on the environment.

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is an emerging technique utilizing electrical energy for reduction of CO₂. In a MES reactor, microbial catalysts are acquiring electrons from an externally powered cathode to transform CO₂ into multi-carbon chemical commodities. The direct acquisition of electrons enables the use of multiple renewable electricity-sources including solar, wind, biochemical oxidation processes, or surpluses electricity from the power grid. Although MES is a promising approach, it is restricted by a low electron transfer rate from the cathode to a microbe as well as the CO₂ reduction rate is insufficient for scaling up.

The main objective of the present study was to increase the overall productivity of MES by identifying more efficient electroautotrophic microbial catalysts and developing better cathode materials.....