MADONNA · Project

Engineering Bacteria to Capture CO2 and Turn Industrial Waste Into Valuable Products

manufacturingPrototypeTRL 3Thin data (2/5)

Imagine teaching bacteria to do chemistry that nature never intended — like capturing CO2 from the air or working with silicon, things only factories can do today. This project rewired the genetic code of common lab bacteria so they can run industrial chemical reactions inside living cells, using automated robots to speed up the process. The end goal is a future where factories use engineered microbes instead of heavy chemistry, turning pollution and waste into useful raw materials. Think of it as giving bacteria a chemistry degree they never had.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries in consortium

total project deliverables

types of global-scale chemical processing targeted (Geochemical, Biological, Industrial)

engineered bacterial species (E. coli and P. putida)

The business problem

What needed solving

Industries spend enormous energy on chemical processes like CO2 capture and silicon compound synthesis using conventional chemistry. Meanwhile, biological manufacturing (using microbes) is cheaper and greener — but bacteria simply cannot perform most industrial chemical reactions because evolution never gave them those abilities. There is no off-the-shelf way to make microorganisms run the chemistry that factories need.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered genome-edited strains of E. coli and Pseudomonas putida engineered to host non-natural chemical reactions, a microdroplet-based environmental simulator for testing how engineered organisms behave, a robotic platform that can reverse-read chemical reactions into DNA sequences, and a genetic kill switch that destroys bacterial DNA on command for biosafety. In total, 19 deliverables were produced across the 4.5-year project.

Audience

Who needs this

Industrial biotechnology companies developing microbial production strainsCarbon capture startups seeking biological CO2 fixation alternativesSpecialty chemical manufacturers producing organosilicon compoundsSynthetic biology platform companies building engineered chassis organismsWaste-to-value companies looking for biological conversion routes

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Industrial Biotechnology

mid-size

Target: Biotech companies developing microbial production platforms

If you are an industrial biotech company struggling to make your microbial production strains perform non-standard chemical reactions — this project developed genome-edited E. coli and Pseudomonas putida strains specifically 'cyborgized' to host new-to-nature reactions. These engineered chassis organisms, tested across 8 partner labs in 5 countries, could serve as starting platforms for your own bio-manufacturing processes.

Carbon Capture & Utilization

any

Target: Companies developing biological CO2 capture solutions

If you are a carbon capture company looking for biological alternatives to energy-intensive chemical scrubbing — this project demonstrated CO2 fixation as one of its core new-to-nature reactions inside engineered bacteria. The consortium built environmental simulators to model how these biological reactions would perform at scale, giving you validated data before committing to pilot investments.

Semiconductor & Electronics Materials

enterprise

Target: Specialty chemical companies producing organosilicon compounds

If you are a specialty chemicals manufacturer producing silicon-based compounds through conventional synthesis — this project explored recruiting elemental silicon into biological metabolism to create organo-silicon metabolites. While still at research stage, this could eventually replace energy-intensive chemical synthesis routes with room-temperature biological production using engineered bacteria.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

Based on available project data, no licensing costs or commercialization pricing are published. This is a FET Open (Future and Emerging Technologies) research project, meaning the technology is at a very early stage. Any licensing would need to be negotiated directly with the coordinator (CSIC in Spain) and relevant consortium partners holding specific IP.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The project modeled the impact of these biotransformations on 'the overall functioning of the Biosphere' if adopted at large scale by the industrial sector — meaning they considered scale-up scenarios. However, the actual demonstrations remained at lab scale with genome-edited bacterial strains and microdroplet-based simulators. Significant scale-up engineering would still be needed.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP from this RIA project is shared among the 8 consortium partners across 5 countries (Spain, Austria, Switzerland, France, UK). The coordinator CSIC (Spain) would be the first point of contact. With 2 industrial partners and 2 SMEs in the consortium, some IP may already be allocated for commercial exploitation under consortium agreements.

How far is this from a working product?

This is fundamental research. The project delivered genome-edited bacterial strains, a microdroplet-based environmental simulator, and a robotic platform for reverse-reading chemical reactions into DNA. These are research prototypes demonstrating proof of concept, not industrial products. Realistically, several more years of development would be needed before any commercial application.

Is this safe to deploy? What about biosafety?

The project built in safety measures, including a genetic switch that destroys the bacterium's own DNA upon exposure to a chemical inducer — essentially a kill switch. The consortium also addressed ethical, security, safety, economic, governance, and public perception aspects. Any commercial deployment would still require full regulatory approval for engineered organisms.

Can this integrate with our existing bioprocessing equipment?

The project used standard model organisms (E. coli and Pseudomonas putida) which are widely used in industrial bioprocessing. This means the engineered strains could potentially be grown in existing fermentation infrastructure. However, the new-to-nature reactions may require specialized conditions not covered by standard bioprocess setups.

Consortium

Who built it

The MADONNA consortium brings together 8 partners from 5 countries (Austria, Switzerland, Spain, France, UK), led by CSIC — Spain's largest public research institution. The mix includes 5 universities, 1 research organization, and 2 industry partners (both SMEs), giving a 25% industry ratio. While the academic weight is heavy (typical for FET Open fundamental research), the presence of 2 SMEs suggests some commercial interest was built in from the start. For a business looking to access this technology, the coordinator CSIC and the 2 SME partners would be the most relevant contacts for licensing or collaboration discussions.

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICASCoordinator · ES
UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRAparticipant · ES
BIOFACTION KGparticipant · AT
UNIVERSITAT BASELparticipant · CH
EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICHparticipant · CH
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
SORBONNE UNIVERSITEparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

CSIC (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas), Spain — contact through CORDIS or project website

Order a report on this consortium See AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how engineered microbial platforms from EU research could fit your bio-manufacturing or CO2 capture roadmap? SciTransfer can connect you with the right research team and prepare a technology brief tailored to your needs.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0