{"id":171456,"date":"2025-12-11T07:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T06:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=171456"},"modified":"2025-12-11T10:10:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T09:10:54","slug":"solar-driven-phb-synthesis-from-wastewater-by-engineered-semiconductor-bacteria-biohybrids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/solar-driven-phb-synthesis-from-wastewater-by-engineered-semiconductor-bacteria-biohybrids\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar-driven PHB synthesis from wastewater by engineered semiconductor\u2013bacteria biohybrids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p>This engineered biohybrid platform represents a validated laboratory prototype [Technology readiness level (TRL) 4], demonstrating a paradigm shift in waste\u2013value conversion. The system moves beyond proof of concept by integrating multiple advanced functions (self-assembled semiconductor synthesis, photoelectron-driven metabolism, and high-yield bioproduction) into a single, coherent process. Its efficacy is rigorously proven in the treatment of authentic industrial wastewater, achieving simultaneous pollutant removal and synthesis of the bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) at industrially relevant yields (~15 g\/l). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This positions the technology not merely as a remediation tool, but as a foundational platform for solar-driven biochemical manufacturing. The critical path to pilot-scale validation and industrial deployment (TRL 6\u20137) hinges on overcoming system-level integration challenges. The immediate frontier involves engineering robust consortia and bioreactor designs that maintain stability and productivity in dynamic, nonsterile environments. Successfully scaling up this technology could disrupt traditional wastewater management by transforming treatment plants into net-positive biofactories, ultimately establishing a closed-loop model where waste streams become the primary feedstock for a sustainable chemical industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Engineered bacteria convert wastewater pollutants into light-capturing biohybrids by self-assembling biogenic sulfide and heavy metals into semiconductor nanoparticles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our recombinant sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) system simultaneously achieved &gt;95% organics removal and &gt;98% heavy metal recovery by combining enhanced sulfate reduction with photogenerated hole oxidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Solar-driven polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesis from wastewater reached a yield of 15.38 g\/l through photoelectron-enhanced carbon flux redirection, where light-generated electrons boost acetyl-CoA production and NADPH regeneration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photoelectron-driven CO<sub>2<\/sub>&nbsp;fixation via the Wood\u2013Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) achieved 99.75% efficiency, given that semiconductor-derived electrons power this pathway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biohybrids maintain long-term stability and high biocompatibility through extracellular polymeric substance (EPS)-mediated protection, which quenches reactive oxygen species, complexes toxic metals, and facilitates charge transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171461\" style=\"width:634px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2025\/12\/ga1_lrg.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abstract<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Semiconductor biohybrid systems leverage microbial enzymatic precision and semiconductor light harvesting for efficient solar-to-chemical conversion, offering sustainable alternatives to energy-intensive production. To overcome challenges associated with the synthesis of ecofriendly nanoparticles (NPs), we utilized wastewater pollutants to produce semiconductor biohybrids. We engineered sulfate-reducing bacteria [rSRB-polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)] for the self-assembly of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS)-complexed NPs through microbial S<sup>2-<\/sup>-metal bonding. These semiconductor biohybrids drive sulfate reduction using photogenerated electrons, while simultaneously degrading pollutants through hole-mediated oxidation, thus establishing a self-reinforcing cycle that enhances PHB synthesis. Photoelectrons fuel the acetogenic Wood\u2013Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) through c-type cytochromes, enabling solar-driven CO<sub>2<\/sub>&nbsp;fixation for acetyl-CoA and NADPH regeneration. Coupled photoredox reactions channel carbon flux into PHB biosynthesis, achieving a yield of 15.38 g\/l. In addition, photoelectrons upregulate sulfate metabolism genes, stabilizing metal sulfide production. Thus, this system achieves solar-driven CO<sub>2<\/sub>&nbsp;reduction coupled with organic conversion into chemicals in wastewater bioreactors, providing a sustainable route for pollutant removal and carbon mitigation, advancing low-carbon wastewater treatment and a circular bioeconomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This engineered biohybrid platform represents a validated laboratory prototype [Technology readiness level (TRL) 4], demonstrating a paradigm shift in waste\u2013value conversion. The system moves beyond proof of concept by integrating multiple advanced functions (self-assembled semiconductor synthesis, photoelectron-driven metabolism, and high-yield bioproduction) into a single, coherent process. Its efficacy is rigorously proven in the treatment of [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":171461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Successfully scaling up this technology could disrupt traditional wastewater management by transforming treatment plants into net-positive biofactories","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[13383,6843,22614,10416,16934,26825],"supplier":[27339],"class_list":["post-171456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bacteria","tag-biochemicals","tag-biofeedstocks","tag-circulareconomy","tag-sunlight","tag-wastewatermanagement","supplier-harbin-normal-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171456"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=171456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}