{
  "abstract": "The value of rhodopsin proton pumps as light harvesters in electro-microbial CO2-to-biomass conversion depends on molecular photophysics, pathway energetics and reactor light delivery. We couple these scales for Cupriavidus necator, comparing Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) and reductive glycine (rGlyP) assimilation. The model predicts a 17.9% dark rGlyP yield advantage, close to 16.5% measured in chemostats. At 568 nm, 100 PPFD and 45% membrane occupancy, light-derived ATP raises yield by 17% for rGlyP and 14% for CBB. Charging CO2 capture and formate electrosynthesis, a retinal-only reactor reaches 3.29% efficiency versus 2.56% in the dark. A carotenoid antenna raises this to 3.52% at the model-derived 70% transfer estimate and helps in 93.2% of uncertainty samples, but lowers efficiency at the thermodynamic limit by diverting photons from photovoltaics. Point-source CO2 cuts the relative light benefit from 38% to 8%. Rhodopsin is therefore most useful when upstream formate is energy-intensive, not as a general efficiency boost.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Oxford"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "H. Saeed"
    },
    {
      "name": "W. Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "A. Yang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtnym9j89pr2y.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.09.758023",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758023v1.full",
  "id": "dtnym9j89pr2y",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758023v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "systems biology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221540644",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758023v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-09",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtnym9j89pr2y.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.09.758023",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.758023v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:systems biology",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A conditional upper-bound design map for rhodopsin-augmented electro microbial CO2-to-biomass conversion",
  "title_text": "A conditional upper-bound design map for rhodopsin-augmented electro microbial CO2-to-biomass conversion",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dtnym9j89pr2y",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}