Researchers from Guangdong University of Technology have discovered that the soil bacterium F. terrae SG127 can pull electrons from an electrode and use them to turn carbon dioxide into acetate. This electroautotrophic process relies on a Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and could offer a new biological route for converting CO₂ into useful chemicals without fossil fuel inputs. The strain showed bidirectional electron transfer, meaning it can both donate and accept electrons from electrodes while forming dense biofilms. In lab tests, it produced up to 11.05 mM of acetate from CO₂ using cathode-derived electrons. This expands the known capabilities of sulfate-reducing bacteria and points toward scalable bioelectrochemical systems for carbon capture and utilization. While still at the research stage, the work highlights a microbial strategy that directly links electrical energy to carbon fixation. Future applications could include power-to-chemicals systems that use renewable electricity to drive CO₂ conversion, though questions remain about efficiency, scale-up, and long-term stability outside the lab.
