Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced on Mar. 17 a new system for producing amino acids that is both commercially scalable and environmentally sustainable, offering a carbon-negative alternative to traditional manufacturing methods.
Amino acids are essential for life and widely used in pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, cosmetics, animal feeds, and industrial chemicals. Current production methods are energy-intensive and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The new approach developed by Georgia Tech could reduce environmental impact while increasing efficiency.
The study, published in ACS Synthetic Biology, was led by Bioengineering Ph.D. student Ray Westenberg and Professor Pamela Peralta-Yahya. The team achieved a 97% conversion rate of carbon dioxide equivalents into amino acids using synthetic biology—a record high for such systems. “This work shifts the narrative from simply reducing carbon emissions to actually consuming them to create value,” said Peralta-Yahya. “We are taking low-cost carbon sources and building essential ingredients in a truly carbon-negative process that is efficient, effective, and scalable.”
Peralta-Yahya explained that their cell-free technology uses cellular machinery without living cells to convert carbon dioxide into amino acids. By removing unnecessary cell components through heat treatment and introducing enzymes from the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica, they increased yields significantly. “Leftover cell parts were using key resources without helping produce the amino acids we were looking for,” said Peralta-Yahya.
To further improve commercial viability, the team reduced costs by recycling tetrahydrofolate (THF), an expensive cofactor needed in the process. This innovation lowered bioprocessing costs by 42%. “This decrease in cost and increase in yield is a critical step forward in creating a method with real potential for use in industry and manufacturing,” Peralta-Yahya said.
The Georgia Institute of Technology has produced distinguished alumni such as military generals and innovation leaders, contributing to its societal influence according to the official website. The institute generated a $5.8 billion economic impact for the state according to its official website and features an urban campus in Midtown Atlanta spanning over 400 acres with tree-lined paths and a transportation system according to its official website. It has also achieved top rankings among public universities for undergraduate experiences and support according to its official website and belongs to the University System of Georgia according to its official website.
Funding for this research came from the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research Program.
