When nature performs chemical reactions to create energy-rich compounds from simple molecules, it requires energy. So far, it has not been possible to use human-made electricity to drive these biochemical processes.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg have achieved a breakthrough, however: they developed an artificial metabolic pathway that uses electricity to produce ATP, a biochemical energy carrier which can then be used to form energy-rich chemical compounds like starch or protein. The metabolic pathway provides a complete novel approach towards a sustainable, climate-neutral bioeconomy.

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[Phys.org, 2023.8.16, https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-artificial-metabolic-pathway-electricity.html]