Bringing carbon to life via one-carbon metabolism.

One-carbon (C1) compounds found in greenhouse gases and industrial waste streams are underutilized carbon and energy sources. While various biological and chemical means exist for converting C1 substrates into multicarbon products, major challenges of C1 conversion lie in creating net value. Here, we review metabolic strategies to utilize carbon across oxidation states. Complications arise in biochemical C1-utilization approaches because of the need for cellular energy currency ATP. ATP supports cell maintenance and proliferation and drives thermodynamically challenging reactions by coupling them with ATP hydrolysis. Powering metabolism through substrate cofeeding and energy transduction from light and electricity improves ATP availability, relieves metabolic bottlenecks, and upcycles carbon. We present a bioenergetic, engineering, and technoeconomic outlook for bringing elements to life.