We are living in an era of dual existential challenges. The climate crisis sounds an incessant alarm, with the global average temperature having risen by approximately 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, triggering frequent extreme weather events—all driven fundamentally by the relentless increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. At the same time, the shadow of an energy crisis looms large. Our deep dependence on dwindling fossil fuels not only intensifies geopolitical risks but also poses severe threats to global energy security.

All of this stems from a fractured, unidirectional carbon cycle. The traditional linear economic model of "fossil carbon"—extracting fossil fuels from underground, using them, and ultimately emitting them into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide—is an unsustainable one-way path. It not only depletes the planet's carbon reservoir accumulated over millions of years but also releases this reservoir excessively in the form of greenhouse gases, leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem.

In the quest for viable solutions, biological carbon sequestration technologies were once regarded with great promise. However, prevailing mainstream strategies exhibit significant limitations: heterotrophic fermentation relies on organic substrates, creating an ethical dilemma of "competing with humans for food," while suffering from low carbon fixation efficiency and metabolic conflicts. Meanwhile, photosynthetic autotrophy is constrained by inefficient light energy conversion, high cultivation costs, and demanding environmental adaptability. Evidently, closing the broken carbon cycle urgently requires a novel technological pathway that demonstrates greater efficiency and enhanced environmental compatibility.

Our project establishes a solar-powered synthetic biology platform that directly and substantially contributes to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDGs 4, 7, 9, 12, and 13.

By fundamentally moving away from fossil fuels and adopting solar energy as the sole initial power source, we ensure zero carbon emissions from the very beginning, embedding green principles into the entire cycle.

1. Energy Input: Harnessing the Sun as the Sole Source

We fundamentally abandon fossil fuels and opt for the most abundant clean energy source in the universe—solar power—as the sole initial driver of the entire system.

2. Core Technology: A Synthetic Biology Engine Innovating Through Continuity

Our technology is deeply rooted in continuous knowledge exchange and solid foundational work. After successfully overcoming cultivation challenges of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans last year, we have achieved a paradigm shift in our research approach this year: transitioning from chassis construction to utilizing electrical energy to drive this platform for efficient conversion of CO₂ into valuable chemicals. Through synthetic biology approaches, we have established three core modules:
CO₂ Fixation Module: Enhancing Microbial Carbon Capture Capacity.
Electron Transfer Module: Optimizing Extracellular Electron Utilization Efficiency
Glycerol Production Module: Efficiently Converting Fixed Carbon into Glycerol

3. Resource Transformation: Turning Waste into Wealth, Practicing Circular Philosophy

Our system fundamentally redefines the role of carbon emissions, transforming the primary greenhouse gas CO₂ from an ‘environmental liability’ into a ‘production feedstock.’ This shift embodies a paradigm transition from a linear economy to a circular economy, profoundly putting the philosophy of circular economy into practice.

The profound value of a foundational technological innovation lies in its capacity to drive societal structures toward greater equity and resilience. Through its inherent technical attributes, our project delivers concrete and nuanced contributions to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

(1)SDG 4: Quality Education

The core requirement of SDG 4 is to 'Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.' This goal specifically involves 11 monitoring indicators related to primary and secondary education, early childhood development, and preschool education.

The series of educational activities conducted by our project clearly demonstrate its substantial contribution to quality education and educational equity. We have established a precision-focused science outreach system that has directly engaged over 800 participants, covering the entire educational spectrum from preschool children to university students.

Our educational activity participants include not only high school students from the local area of the team but also students from other regions where our team members have traveled to conduct outreach activities. Additionally, our team has noticed that some areas still face challenges in reaching average education levels, often due to geographic limitations or underdeveloped economic conditions. We hope to assist students in these regions, so we are organizing outreach efforts to these educationally underserved areas to provide them with basic knowledge of synthetic biology.

Specifically, through educational enlightenment activities at Future City Kindergarten and targeted programs for diverse schools including Wuhan No. 3 Middle School, Hebei Xiong'an Bo'ao High School, and Hubei Yangxin County Shantian Elementary School, we have implemented equitable practices that transcend geographical and educational resource disparities. Furthermore, our original "Synthetic Biology Card Game" has been released as an open-source educational tool, allowing iGEM teams worldwide to directly download and utilize it. This further transforms our interactive experience into reusable public knowledge assets, breaking down the barriers to disseminating high-quality science education resources.

Before officially launching the science popularization activity, we designed a paper-based survey and conducted intercept interviews with a total of 86 high school students. By using paper questionnaires, we collected their impressions of synthetic biology, which were then compiled into pie charts to enhance the visualization of the results. Two closed-ended questions were set: 'Have you heard of synthetic biology?' and 'How interested are you in synthetic biology?' The surveys were filled out on-site and collected immediately, achieving a 100% effective response rate. The results of these two questions were then visualized into two-tone pie charts to quickly depict the baseline 'awareness' and 'interest' levels among high school students in this field.

Up to 75% of the students reported that they had 'never heard of' or 'only heard of but were not familiar with' synthetic biology. Only 13% self-identified as having 'some understanding,' while just 1% claimed to be 'very familiar' with the subject. This indicates that in the context of high school science education, 'synthetic biology' remains an unfamiliar term, with a significant conceptual gap. It also suggests that subsequent activities must start from 'zero' to build awareness and understanding.

In terms of interest level, 22% of students selected 'highly interested'; 24% chose 'moderately interested'; and half of the students indicated that they were 'somewhat interested.' Surprisingly, no students expressed complete disinterest. It is worth noting that there was no clear positive correlation between interest level and awareness—many students who had 'never heard of' synthetic biology still selected 'highly interested,' indicating that teenagers have an innate curiosity about cutting-edge scientific topics. With proper guidance, this curiosity can easily be transformed into active engagement.

The gap between low awareness and high interest provides a golden opportunity for science popularization: collecting their thoughts on synthetic biology through the survey, translating abstract terms, and progressively introducing the principles of synthetic biology can maximize the use of students' existing curiosity.

(2) SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

The core goal is to ‘Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.' Energy is a global issue of concern, at the heart of nearly every major challenge and opportunity. Whether it’s related to employment, security, climate change, food production, or increasing income, access to energy is essential for all. Sustainable energy presents an opportunity—transforming lives, economies, and the planet.

One of the goals to achieve SDG 7 is to increase the global share of renewable energy. This includes renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass, and ocean energy, which are considered part of the ultimate (non-primary) energy consumption. Our system utilizes clean energy sources like solar and wind power, aligning with this goal. It also addresses the current challenges of energy storage, which lead to wastage and reduced utilization rates of clean energy. The proposed solution is to convert clean energy, such as solar power, into chemical energy, which is easier to store.

Its value lies not only in the technology itself but also in its broader impact. During exchanges with experts from the Hubei Bode Nature Ecology Center, the concept that ‘truly sustainable technology must be clean from the energy source’ reinforced our commitment. We have made ‘decarbonization at the source’ a core message in our science outreach activities at No. 3 Middle School, Xiong'an Bo'ao High School, and other institutions. By comparing carbon footprints, we have enabled the younger generation to deeply understand the fundamental importance of clean energy input, thereby advancing the realization of SDG 7 at the cognitive level.

(3) SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

This goal aims to ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.’ It underscores that technological advancement is the cornerstone of achieving environmental objectives—for instance, by enhancing the efficiency of resource and energy utilization. Without scientific and technological innovation, sustainable industrialization would be unattainable; and without industrialization, meaningful development cannot be realized.

This project represents a concrete implementation of building a sustainable industrial system (SDG 9). Our innovation did not emerge overnight, but was developed through technical exchanges with iGEM teams fromHubei University and the University of Waterloo, as well as in-depth discussions with peers at the CCiC conference. These insights proved crucial to our breakthrough. More importantly, we have inherited our team's technical legacy in extremophile manipulation and successfully achieved a paradigm shift from chassis construction to electricity-driven conversion. All accumulated expertise, including specialized cultivation processes and modular engineering strategies, has been transformed into public knowledge assets directly accessible to subsequent teams, effectively serving as an innovative bridge connecting past achievements with future developments.

(4) SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

This goal aims to ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.’ Sustainable consumption and production seek to “reduce consumption, increase output, and improve quality”—that is, while enhancing quality of life, they aim to increase the net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource consumption, environmental degradation, and pollution throughout the entire life cycle. This process requires the participation of multiple stakeholders, including businesses, consumers, policymakers, researchers, scientists, retailers, the media, and development cooperation agencies. We interviewed multiple stakeholders, including Shui Zhi Guo Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., professors in relevant fields, and future consumers such as students, to gather their thoughts and opinions.

Sustainable consumption and production also require systematic engagement and collaboration among all actors across the supply chain—from production to final consumption—including educating consumers to adopt sustainable consumption habits and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labeling, and implementing sustainable public procurement.

Our technology itself serves as a textbook example for the circular economy (SDG 12). The system redefines the primary greenhouse gas CO₂ as a core production feedstock, enabling carbon elements to complete their transformation from ‘waste’ to ‘resource.’ This achieves a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ closed-loop cycle, fundamentally diverging from the end-of-life disposal model of the linear economy. The project complies with the current international restrictions on carbon emissions. We achieve this by capturing CO2 and reducing the total carbon content during the production process. The conversion of captured CO₂ into glycerol materializes this circular philosophy, demonstrating how responsible production can fundamentally transform resource utilization patterns.

This goal encourages all companies, especially large ones and multinational corporations, to adopt sustainable practices and incorporate sustainability information into their respective reporting cycles. In response to this expectation, we have prepared a sustainability report, which is attached at the end of this page.

(5) SDG 13: Climate Action

The core of this goal is to “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.” Currently, greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities are at their highest levels in history. Climate change driven by economic and population growth is extensively affecting human and natural systems across continents and countries. Rising temperatures in the atmosphere and oceans, along with melting ice and snow, are causing sea levels to rise. Surface temperatures are projected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century; without action, the global temperature rise this century could exceed 3°C.

Our project represents a direct technological response to SDG 13 (Climate Action). Unlike conventional strategies focused solely on ‘reducing future emissions,’ our solar-driven microbial electrosynthesis system serves as an active carbon-negative technology designed to directly capture and convert existing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

By enhancing the carbon fixation capacity of A. ferrooxidans, we have constructed an efficient and scalable CO₂ conversion platform. The system utilizes clean energy sources such as solar and wind power, achieving zero carbon emissions from the source. Captured CO₂ is directed into synthetically designed metabolic pathways and converted into industrially valuable chemicals. We have successfully realized a closed-loop transformation from ‘climate liability’ to ‘resource utilization.’

Our technology demonstrates a scalable carbon-negative solution: the system utilizes the inherent carbon fixation pathways of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms to capture atmospheric CO₂, providing a prototype for distributed carbon neutrality technology that enables ‘immediate emission–immediate sequestration.’ This offers an innovative approach characterized by low energy consumption and compatibility with existing industrial processes, particularly suitable for resource-constrained regions. All protocols related to strain construction, system operation, and carbon flux analysis have been meticulously documented and made open-source, aiming to provide a solid foundation for global iGEM teams and industrial partners to collaboratively iterate and optimize.

Our project represents far more than just laboratory-scale technological validation. Through its core innovation—the integration of a solar-driven microbial electrosynthesis system with advanced synthetic biology—it presents a compelling vision of a hopeful future: a future where carbon cycles are restored to completeness, and energy supply becomes both clean and abundant. This journey—from confronting crises to developing breakthroughs and generating ripple effects—demonstrates that through continuous dialogue with stakeholders and courageous iteration based on feedback, , we can collectively build a world that is more resilient, circular, and inclusive. It provides a practical and promising pathway toward achieving the comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals.