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Prospects for carbon-negative biomanufacturing
Summary
Researchers reviewed how biomanufacturing — using microbes or enzymes to make products instead of petroleum — could not only reduce carbon emissions but potentially pull more CO2 out of the atmosphere than it releases. The key insight is that products made into durable, non-compostable materials (like plastics) can lock away carbon long-term, while single-use or food-grade products eventually release it back as CO2.
Biomanufacturing has the potential to reduce demand for petrochemicals and mitigate climate change. Recent studies have also suggested that some of these products can be net carbon negative, effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it up in products. This review explores the magnitude of carbon removal achievable through biomanufacturing and discusses the likely fate of carbon in a range of target molecules. Solvents, cleaning agents, or food and pharmaceutical additives will likely re-release their carbon as CO2 at the end of their functional lives, while carbon incorporated into non-compostable polymers can result in long-term sequestration. Future research can maximize its impact by focusing on reducing emissions, achieving performance advantages, and enabling a more circular carbon economy.