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From 2014.igem.org

Background: Carbon Fixation

Methane is a multifunctional gas that is used as fuel and an important carbon source. It is also used to make bio-degradable plastic. We aim at converting carbon dioxide and carbonate, which are excessive to the ecosystem, into methane. An engineered nitrogenase (α-70Ala, α-195Gln) in Azotobacter vinelandii has been shown to have the ability of reducing carbon dioxide and carbonate into methane and other carbon compound. However, the carbon fixation process consumes a large numbers of protons and thus decreases the reaction rate. We propose to co-express hydrogenase III from Aquifex aeolicus to speed up the carbon fixation step in A. vinelandii.