Acetogenesis is a process through which

acetate An acetate is a salt (chemistry), salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. Alkali metal, alkaline, Alkaline earth metal, earthy, Transition metal, metallic, nonmetallic or radical Radical (chemistry), base). "Acetate" als ...

is produced either by the reduction of CO₂ or by the reduction of

organic acid An organic acid is an organic compound with acidic properties. The most common organic acids are the carboxylic acids, whose acidity is associated with their carboxyl group –COOH. Sulfonic acids, containing the group –SO2OH, are rel ...

s, rather than by the oxidative breakdown of carbohydrates or ethanol, as with

acetic acid bacteria Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are a group of Gram-negative bacteria which oxidize sugars or ethanol and produce acetic acid during fermentation. The acetic acid bacteria consist of 10 genera in the family Acetobacteraceae. Several species of acetic ...

. The different bacterial species that are capable of acetogenesis are collectively termed acetogens. Reduction of CO₂ to acetate by

anaerobic bacteria An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require molecular oxygen for growth. It may react negatively or even die if free oxygen is present. In contrast, an aerobic organism (aerobe) is an organism that requires an oxygenate ...

occurs via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway and requires an electron source (e.g., H₂, CO, formate, etc.). Some acetogens can synthesize acetate

autotroph An autotroph or primary producer is an organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) using carbon from simple substances such as carbon dioxide,Morris, J. et al. (2019). "Biology: How Life Works", ...

ically from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas. Reduction of organic acids to acetate by

occurs via

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

Discovery

In 1932, organisms were discovered that could convert hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide into

acetic acid Acetic acid , systematically named ethanoic acid , is an acidic, colourless liquid and organic compound with the chemical formula (also written as , , or ). Vinegar is at least 4% acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main component ...

. The first acetogenic bacterium species, '' Clostridium aceticum'', was discovered in 1936 by Klaas Tammo Wieringa. A second species, '' Moorella thermoacetica'', attracted wide interest because of its ability, reported in 1942, to convert glucose into three moles of acetic acid.

Biochemistry

The precursor to acetic acid is the

thioester In organic chemistry, thioesters are organosulfur compounds with the functional group . They are analogous to carboxylate esters () with the sulfur in the thioester playing the role of the linking oxygen in the carboxylate ester, as implied by t ...

acetyl CoA Acetyl-CoA (acetyl coenzyme A) is a molecule that participates in many biochemical reactions in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Its main function is to deliver the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to be oxidized for ...

. The key aspects of the acetogenic pathway are several reactions that include the reduction of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

and the attachment of the carbon monoxide to a

methyl group In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...

. The first process is catalyzed by enzymes called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase. The coupling of the methyl group (provided by

methylcobalamin Methylcobalamin (mecobalamin, MeCbl, or MeB) is a cobalamin, a form of vitamin B. It differs from cyanocobalamin in that the cyano group at the cobalt is replaced with a methyl group. Methylcobalamin features an octahedral cobalt(III) centre and ...

) and the CO is catalyzed by acetyl CoA synthase. :2 CO₂ + 4 H₂ → CH₃COOH + 2H₂O

Applications

The unique metabolism of acetogens has significance in biotechnological uses. In carbohydrate fermentations, the

decarboxylation Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is t ...

reactions involved result in the loss of carbon into

. This loss is an issue with an increased requirement of minimization of CO₂ emissions, as well as successful competition for fossil fuels with

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

production being limited by monetary value. Acetogens can ferment glucose without any CO₂ emissions and convert it to 3 acetates, which can theoretically increase product yield by 50%. Acetogenesis does not replace

glycolysis Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose () into pyruvate (). The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy molecules adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH ...

with a different pathway, but is rather used by capturing CO₂ from glycolysis and placing it through acetogenesis.

References

{{reflist, 2 Anaerobic digestion Hydrogen biology