Extreme Conditions, Extraordinary Enzymes (2026-2029)

Pioneering CO₂ Capture through Temperature and Pressure Activation

Project team: Io Antonopoulou (project leader)

Duration: 2026-2029

Budget: 4 800 000 SEK

Funded by VR (Starting grant within Natural and engineering sciences)

To meet Sweden’s ambitious climate targets, innovative and scalable solutions for industrial CO₂ capture are urgently needed. This project focuses on developing robust biocatalysts—extremophilic and extremostable carbonic anhydrases (CAs)—that can operate under the high temperatures and pressures. By mining metagenomic data from extreme environments and applying advanced enzyme engineering and AI tools, the project will deliver enzymes that remain active above 80°C for extended periods. These enzymes will significantly accelerate CO₂ absorption rates, enhance process efficiency beyond 95%, and reduce energy demand. The research fills a critical knowledge gap regarding enzyme activation and stability under combined thermal, pressure, and alkaline/salt stress. In particular, pressure may play an interesting role in CO₂ capture as it can improve substrate binding and catalytic efficiency but also alters the phase of CO₂ as substrate to supercritical conditions. Outcomes will include development of novel screening tools, improved enzyme variants, and validated integration of biocatalysts in high-efficiency capture systems (for CO₂ capture and CO₂ conversion). The project strengthens Sweden’s capacity for green innovation, supporting the transition to a fossil-free industrial sector.

Topics:

• Promoted absorption
• Accelerated weathering/mineralization
• Synthesis of cyclic carbonates