Researchers discover a type of deep-sea bacteria that can neutralize high quantities of carbon dioxide in atmosphere

The University of Florida researchers have found a type of deep-sea bacteria that can neutralize large quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In a statement released by the University of Florida, researchers have said that the bacterium called Thiomicrospira crunogena yields an enzyme carbonic anhydrase that is helpful in removing carbon dioxide from organisms.

As per the Environmental Protection Agency, carbon dioxide is main greenhouse gas that is emitted as a result of human activities. Carbonic anhydrase can work to break down the carbon dioxide only in extreme temperatures and pressures.

A professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the UF College of Medicine, Robert McKenna, said the bacterium is present near hydrothermal vents on ocean floor, due to which it is quite accustomed to high temperatures required in neutralizing carbon dioxide.

The small organism has evolved for handling those extreme temperature and pressure problems. He said it is already used for some of the conditions it may face in an industrial setting. The aim of the researchers is to neutralize the carbon dioxide into a harmless compound via sequestration.

Researchers said sequestering takes place when carbonic anhydrase catalyzes a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and water and creates a situation wherein carbon dioxide has to interact with the enzyme for the creation of bicarbonate.

Then the bicarbonate is processed into products such as baking soda or chalk. Once the sequestering is done in an industrial setting, much more of the enzyme is required. For the prevention of over-harvesting of the ocean bacterium, McKenna and his team of researchers have discovered that the enzyme can be created in a lab with the help of a genetically engineered version of E. coli bacteria.