Reginato (2025): Biotechnology in direct air capture, enhanced weathering, and methane removal: emerging opportunities and gaps
Paul L. Reginato IN: Frontiers in Climate 6, 1440833, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1440833
Due to the interdisciplinarity and novelty of greenhouse gas removal (GHGR) technologies, GHGR research faces challenges of adapting technical disciplines to new domains and broadly empowering researchers with the knowledge necessary to identify and solve key problems. This Perspective discusses the significant, but underexplored, role biotechnology could play in several GHGR technologies as well as the common research, community, and knowledge gaps that are limiting progress. The GHGR technologies of focus are (1) the potential for the enzyme carbonic anhydrase to catalyze CO2 exchange in direct air capture; (2) the potential utility of microbes for accelerating soil-based or reactor-based enhanced rock weathering; and (3) the potential for methanotrophic bacteria or methane monooxygenase enzymes to oxidize methane for atmospheric methane removal via enhanced methanotrophy or bioreactors.