A significant breakthrough has been made with the discovery of a super-stable enzyme, CA-KR1, sourced from the metagenome of the resilient microorganisms in a hot spring in Japan’s Kirishima region. This enzyme, with a patent already filed, shows exceptional potential for biomimetic CO₂ capture from industrial emissions, paving the way toward carbon neutrality.

Researchers led by Dr. Georgios Skretas, utilized high-throughput metagenomic analysis to identify CA-KR1, a carbonic anhydrase that enhances CO₂ dissolution in water while maintaining stability at high temperatures and extreme pH levels.

Under Hot Potassium Carbonate (HPC) conditions, CA-KR1 improves CO₂ capture productivity by an impressive 90% at temperatures over 90 °C compared to traditional methods. “This enzyme may represent the most robust biocatalyst for efficient CO₂ capture to date” notes the doctoral candidate, Konstantinos Rigkos.

The pending patent for CA-KR1 underscores its potential to revolutionize industrial CO₂ capture processes, marking a critical step toward sustainable carbon sequestration and industrial decarbonization. Dr. Skretas emphasizes that the transition from laboratory to industrial bioreactors could significantly enhance our ability to address climate change.

This work has been recently published in the scientific journal of ACS: Environmental Science & Technology.