Prof. Cha (CE) and his research team developed the tech- nology that converts carbon dioxide into carbonic acid com- pound using bacteria, which has a carbonic anhydrase.
In nature, carbon dioxide is captured and stored into carbonic acid compound through bio-mineralization, as clam make its shell. Existing technology had the limitation that it comes expensive and time-consuming to produce bacterial enzyme. The research team reorganized the gene of carbonic anhydrase. As a result, enzyme reacts from seven-fold to 27-fold more than previous one. This technology can be utilized in medical material, such as bone and calcium supplement.
Prof. Cha emphasized, “this developed bacterial catalysis is the most effective system which converts carbon dioxide into a high value material. If it is commercialized, more economical carbon dioxide conversion process could be developed.”
This result was introduced in Applied and Environmental Microbiology and selected in ASM Journal Tipsheets in which Americian Society for Microbiology introduces the excellent thesis.