In China, starch was made from carbon dioxide. It turned out 8.5 times faster than usual

A group of Chinese chemists led by Ma Yanhe, President of the Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the CAS

Tianjin, decided to use the previous onesdevelopments of scientists, for example, a solar battery, which, based on light energy, splits CO2 and produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen. They wanted to use this system for their system for converting carbon dioxide into starch.

For this, the authors investigated how they passreactions of the synthesis of this carbohydrate in the cells of higher plants, then they determined the key enzymes involved in the conversion of CO2 molecules into simple carbohydrates, as well as how they are combined into polymer starch threads.

As a result, the researchers assembled a set of enzymes and conditions to quickly convert large volumes of CO2 into pure starch in just four hours. 

We managed to turn a mixture of carbon dioxideand hydrogen into pure starch using an inorganic catalyst based on zinc and zirconium, as well as a set of several enzymes. The spatial and temporal differentiation of their work allowed us to achieve a record high efficiency of starch production, which is 8.5 times higher than typical indicators of this kind for corn and other plants.

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The authors note that their new development has a low cost of components and enzymes that are needed for the reaction. Also, in their opinion, the development will make starch production cheaper. 

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