Carbon fixation refers to the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to organic materials, as commonly performed in nature through photosynthesis by plants and other autotrophic organisms. The creation of artificial carbon fixation processes is one of the greatest challenges for chemistry to solve the critical environmental issue concerning the reduction of CO2 emissions. We have developed an elect...

We determined the abundance and distribution of chemolithoautotrophic prokaryotes in the redoxcline in two basins (Gotland Deep, Landsort Deep) of the central Baltic Sea by combining dark CO2 fixation measurements with flow cytometric cell sorting. Maximum CO2 fixation rates were recorded in sulfidic waters about 20 m below the chemocline. Flow cytometric analyses of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)...

Recently, evidence suggests that dark CO2 fixation in the pelagic realm of the ocean does not only occur in the suboxic and anoxic water bodies but also in the oxygenated meso- and bathypelagic waters of the North Atlantic. To elucidate the significance and phylogeny of the key organisms mediating dark CO2 fixation in the tropical Atlantic, we quantified functional genes indicative for CO2 fixa...

The net impact of human nitrogen (N) fixation on climate (ignoring short-lived components) mainly depends on the magnitude of the warming effect of (direct and indirect) nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and the cooling effect of N-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake. N-induced CO2 uptake is caused by anthropogenic N deposition which increases net primary production (NPP) in N-limited ecosystems an...

CO2 fixation by photoautotrophic algal cultures has the potential to diminish the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, helping alleviate the trend toward global warming. To realize workable biological CO2 fixation systems, selection of optimal microalgae species is vital. The selection of optimal microalgae species depends on specific strategies employed for CO2 sequestration. In this paper, the...

Nodule CO2 fixation is of pivotal importance for N2 fixation. The process provides malate for bacteroids and oxaloacetate for nitrogen assimilation. The hypothesis of the present paper was that grain legume nodules would adapt to higher plant N demand and more restricted carbon availability at pod formation through increased nodule CO2 fixation and a more efficient N2 fixation. Growth, N2 fixat...

An economic and environmentally friendly approach of overcoming the problem of fossil CO2 emissions would be to reuse it through fixation into biomass. Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the basis for the formation of complex sugars by green plants and microalgae through photosynthesis, has been shown to significantly increase the growth rates of certain microalgal species. Microalgae possess a gre...

In view of the current increase in atmospheric pCO2 and concomitant changes in the marine environment, it is crucial to assess, understand, and predict future responses of ecologically relevant phytoplankton species. The diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum was found to respond strongly to elevated pCO2 by increasing growth, production rates, and N2 fixation. The magnitude of th...

The effects of elevated CO2 (750 ppm vs. 390 ppm) were evaluated on nitrogen (N) acquisition and assimilation by three Medicago truncatula genotypes, including two N-fixing-deficient mutants (dnf1-1 and dnf1-2) and their wild-type (Jemalong). The proportion of N acquisition from atmosphere and soil were quantified by (15)N stable isotope, and N transportation and assimilation-related genes and ...

Biological CO2 fixation is a crucial process carried out by plants and a number of microorganisms, which can be harnessed for both agriculture and sustainable, biobased production of fuels and chemicals. Fixation of CO2 by plants enables the production of food, feed, fuels and chemicals. Additionally, fixation of CO2 by autotrophic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria and microalgae can be empl...