Research Results

May 12, 2020

  • Press Release
  • Research Paper

A press release announcing the research findings of Prof. Yutaka Amao and graduate students has been issued

Our research has revealed that formate dehydrogenase directly catalyzes the reduction of carbon dioxide to formate.

Key points of this study

  • We have elucidated which species of carbon, among carbon dioxide, bicarbonate ion, and carbonate ion, is reduced to formate by formate dehydrogenase.
  • Our findings offer valuable insights into the development and engineering of catalysts for efficient carbon dioxide conversion into organic molecules, paving the way for practical artificial photosynthesis.

Summary

 Professor Yutaka Amao (Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Osaka City University) and Graduate Student Ryohei Sato, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Materials and Molecular Science at the Graduate School of Science, clarified that formate dehydrogenase catalyzes the direct reduction of carbon dioxide to formate.

 A key technological element for creating artificial photosynthesis systems that utilize solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic molecules is the development of efficient catalysts. This research group has been conducting extensive studies on formate dehydrogenase (FDH), a catalyst that facilitates the conversion of carbon dioxide into formate, a hydrogen energy storage medium. In artificial photosynthesis systems, FDH is employed in a dissolved form in aqueous media, while carbon dioxide is similarly introduced into the solution for the reaction.

 In aqueous solutions, carbon dioxide exists in three forms: its molecular form, bicarbonate ion, and carbonate ion. Previous studies have not definitively identified which of these forms FDH reduces to generate formate. In this study, we meticulously controlled and varied the relative abundance of these three species in solution and investigated their interactions with FDH, ultimately determining that carbon dioxide itself is directly reduced to formate.

 This research has been published in the New Journal of Chemistry, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Publication Information

Publications: New Journal of Chemistry (Royal Society of Chemistry)
Title of Paper: Can formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii catalytically reduce carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, or carbonate to formate?
Author: Ryohei Sato, Yutaka Amao
URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ01183E

⇒All Press Release (PDF:348KB)

Article source: Osaka City University website