C1 biotechnology—bioprocesses that valorize one-carbon feedstocks such as CO₂, CO-rich gases (blast furnace gas or synthesis gas), CH₄ and CH₃OH—has evolved from laboratory curiosity to industrial reality. In the quest to de-fossilize the chemical industry, the circular bioeconomy is widely seen as a solution. However, today it is still mostly based on primary agricultural feedstocks. Compared to thermochemical and catalytic processes, bioprocesses (fermentations) are carried out at ambient conditions, achieve high selectivities and good productivities. By decoupling fermentation from sugar-based substrates, gas fermentation of C1 substrates offers a scalable technology platform for producing biofuels, bioplastics, bio-based building blocks and alternative proteins, to name a few large-volume products. C1 platforms enable a circular, resource-efficient and virtually feedstock-independent bioeconomy that directly supports multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we analyze the current technological landscape and discuss the (potential) impact of C1 routes on key SDGs using recent research advances and commercial case studies.
Lackner et al. (Thu,) studied this question.