Deep Sea Bacteria Can Chomp Down On CO2, Reduce Global Warming

Could a deep sea bacterium be the elusive solution to carbon-dioxide induced global warming? Scientists, who have replicated some of the bacteria's function in the lab, think so.

According to UPI, researchers developed an enzyme in the lab that is naturally produced by T. crunogena, a bacterium that lives deep in the hydrothermal vents. The enzyme carbonic anhydrase turns CO­₂ and water to bicarbonate. Researchers at University of Florida's College of Medicine used E.coli to produce the bacteria in the lab, envisioning it could be used in industries to lower emissions.

"This little critter has evolved to deal with those extreme temperature and pressure problems. It has already adapted to some of the conditions it would face in an industrial setting," said Robert McKenna, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in a press release.

In the study, its authors proposed that the enzyme could be suspended in a solution to function as a filter in industrial vents. However, before the enzyme could become viable in industries, its efficiency has to be improved. Until now, researchers have produced several milligrams of the enzyme using E.coli.

"You want it to do the reaction faster and more efficiently. The fact that it has such a high thermal stability makes it a good candidate for further study," graduate research assistant Anvi Bhatt said.