Industrial chemicals made from yeast, molds, bacteria and plants that are "fed" with electricity may prove to be an economical alternative to synthetic, petroleum-based materials, say researchers in Germany and Australia.

Researchers at Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and University of Queensland (UQ) have found that bioelectrochemical processes also promise improved yields. In a recently published study in the scientific journal ChemSusChem, the researchers used the well-established bioprocess of lysine production and analyzed how the supply of electricity as a feed for the bacteria could change the economics of this process.

Scientists compared the saving in raw materials costs if electricity could serve as a source of redox power rather than sugar oxidation. In that way, all the sugar could potentially be used to build the lysine molecules. Assuming current market prices for sucrose as the main feedstock and bulk electricity charges, the electrically enhanced production could save between 8.4% and 18 % in the EU and the U.S. respectively.

Achieving a broader electrification of white biotechnology remains a challenge, due to the inherently different optimal conditions for electrochemical and microbial metabolic reactions. The current knowledge gaps still require a systematic research and development (R&D) effort before the technology can be introduced more broadly, the researchers say in their study.