Yeast and electricity team up to turn CO₂ into itaconic acid

Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), working with colleagues at BOKU University in Vienna, have demonstrated a hybrid process that captures carbon dioxide and converts it into itaconic acid, a bio-based organic acid used in industry. The system, described in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, integrates electrochemical CO₂ reduction with microbial biosynthesis of a valuable chemical in a single reactor, eliminating the need to move intermediate products between separate facilities.

Itaconic acid is considered a promising sustainable alternative to petroleum-based chemicals and is used to manufacture biodegradable plastics, textiles, adhesives, and resins. Around 70,000 tonnes are produced worldwide each year, and production is increasing. On an industrial scale, itaconic acid is currently produced biotechnologically from sugar using a fungus. “We have now developed a process that uses CO₂ instead of sugar as a starting material so that we can put emissions to productive use”, explains Prof. Falk Harnisch, an electrobiotechnologist at the UFZ and last author of the study.

The route to CO₂ as a feedstock emerged from earlier work at BOKU University, which showed that itaconic acid can be produced biotechnologically from methanol. Because microorganisms can metabolise a wide range of substances, the UFZ-led team tested a chemically similar substance that can be produced relatively easily from CO₂. “Electricity, ideally from renewable sources, can be used to convert CO₂ into formate, which is chemically related to methanol because both contain just one carbon atom. We therefore wanted to investigate whether the yeast could also use formate as an energy source for itaconic acid production”, says Dr Paniz Izadi, a researcher in Harnisch’s team and first author of the study.

Designing the electrobioreactor, in which electrochemical and microbial processes take place simultaneously, posed considerable challenges. The electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into formate works best at elevated temperatures and an alkaline pH, in the presence of as few other chemical substances as possible. The genetically engineered yeast strain Komagataella phaffii used in the bioreactor requires entirely different conditions: temperatures of around 30°C, a neutral pH, and a nutrient-rich medium. “In order to ensure that both the electrochemical and microbial processes took place and operated as efficiently as possible, we had to find a compromise between their different requirements in the electrobioreactor”, explains Dr Simone Bachleitner, Senior Scientist at the Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology at BOKU University.

The experiment succeeded: the yeast produced itaconic acid from CO₂, using electrochemically produced formate as its energy source. “We successfully combined electrochemical and microbial processes in our bioreactor. A self-contained process chain offers major practical advantages because it eliminates the need to transport intermediate products between separate facilities. Although the yield of itaconic acid was lower than when sugar or methanol was used, our study clearly demonstrates that CO₂ can be converted into complex and valuable biochemicals”, says Harnisch.

The team now plans to optimise the processes within the electrobioreactor and to investigate whether the approach is suitable for other microorganisms and other bio-based products, which could widen the range of valuable chemicals that can be made from CO₂. The researchers hope the new process will provide a model for practical applications and contribute to the development of industrial-scale facilities.

The study, titled “Integrated electromicrobial production of itaconic acid from CO2 at liter-scale using Komagataella phaffii”, was published in Angewandte Chemie on 12 October 2026. As an experimental study, it demonstrates feasibility at liter scale rather than established industrial performance, and the reported yields remain below those of conventional sugar- or methanol-based routes.

Subject of Research: Integrated electromicrobial production of itaconic acid from CO₂ using an engineered yeast in a single bioreactor

Article Title: Yeast and electricity convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals

Article References: Yeast and electricity convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: CO₂ conversion, electrobioreactor, itaconic acid, formate, Komagataella phaffii, microbial biosynthesis, electrochemistry, biotechnology, sustainable chemicals, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, BOKU University, Angewandte Chemie