The present disclosure provides methods of activating an enzyme, such as error prone or template independent polymerase, using electricity to alter pH of a reaction zone and reaction site from an inactivating pH at which the enzyme is inactive to an activating pH at which the enzyme is active to add a nucleotide to an initiator or growing polymer chain. The activating pH can then be changed back to an inactivating pH and the process repeated as many times as desired to produce a target nucleic acid sequence.

An electrochemical separator includes an electrochemical reactor that has an anode and a cathode. An aqueous working liquid circulates through the electrochemical reactor. The aqueous working liquid contains water and electrochemically active organic molecules dissolved in the water. The electrochemically active organic molecules are quinones functionalized with one or more ionic groups.

Systems and methods for fixing carbon using bacteria are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a reactor chamber with a solution contained therein. The solution may include hydrogen (H.sub.2), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), bioavailable nitrogen, and a chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. The system may also include a pair of electrodes that split water contained within the solution to form the hydrogen. Additionally, the system may be operated so that a concentration of the bioavailable nitrogen in the solution is below a threshold nitrogen concentration to cause the chemolithoautotrophic bacteria to produce a product.

A carbon dioxide reduction reaction electrocatalyst comprises a pyrolyzed copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) that produces isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. A process for producing isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide comprises applying a potential in an electrochemical cell in the range of about 2V to about 3V versus a silver chloride electrode.

A process and apparatus useful for continuously contacting an alkane feed at a temperature within a range from 300 C. to 600 C. and a pressure within the range from 50 psig to 500 psig with one or more reactive ceramic membrane to form an alkene with some remaining alkane and hydrogen, the hydrogen in physical isolation from the alkane and alkene, separating the alkene from the remaining alkane, and recycling the alkane to contact the reactive ceramic membrane.

A method of producing a fuel from carbon dioxide comprising performing a carbon dioxide electroreduction using a cathode comprising carbon powder, the carbon powder composed of carbon particles with metallic particles deposited on the carbon particles, wherein a product of the carbon dioxide electroreduction is the fuel.

The disclosure relates to an electrolyzer reactor suitable for the reduction of organic compounds. The reactor includes a membrane electrode assembly with freestanding metallic meshes which serve both as metallic electrode structures for electron transport as well as catalytic surfaces for electron generation and organic compound reduction. Suitable organic compounds for reduction include oxygenated and/or unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds, in particular those characteristic of bio-oil (e.g., alone or a multicomponent mixtures). The reactor and related methods provide a resource- and energy-efficient approach to organic compound reduction, in particular for bio-oil mixtures which can be conveniently upgraded at or near their point of production with minimal or no transportation.

Disclosed are membrane electrode assemblies having a cathode layer comprising a carbon oxide reduction catalyst that promotes reduction of a carbon oxide; an anode layer comprising a catalyst that promotes oxidation of a water; a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) layer disposed between, and in contact with, the cathode layer and the anode layer; and a salt having a concentration of at least about 10 uM in at least a portion of the MEA.

There is disclosed an electrochemical deblocking solution for use on an electrode microarray. There is further disclosed a method for electrochemical synthesis on an electrode array using the electrochemical deblocking solution. The solution and method are for removing acid-labile protecting groups for synthesis of oligonucleotides, peptides, small molecules, or polymers on a microarray of electrodes while substantially improving isolation of deblocking to active electrodes. The method comprises applying a voltage or a current to at least one electrode of an array of electrodes. The array of electrodes is covered by the electrochemical deblocking solution.

A carbon dioxide electrolytic device of an embodiment includes: an anode part including an anode which oxidizes water or hydroxide ions to produce oxygen; a cathode part including a cathode which reduces carbon dioxide to produce a carbon compound, a cathode solution flow path which supplies a cathode solution to the cathode, and a gas flow path which supplies carbon dioxide to the cathode; a separator which separates the anode part and the cathode part; and a differential pressure control unit which controls a differential pressure between a pressure of the cathode solution and a pressure of the carbon dioxide so as to adjust a production amount of the carbon dioxide produced by a reduction reaction in the cathode part.