The use of autotrophic microorganisms to fabricate biochemical products has attracted much attention in both academia and industry. Unlike heterotrophic microorganisms that require carbohydrates and amino acids for growth, autotrophic microorganisms have evolved to utilize either light (photoautotrophs) or chemical compounds (chemolithotrophs) to fix carbon dioxide (CO₂) and drive metabolic processes. Several biotechnological approaches, including synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, have been proposed to harness autotrophic microorganisms as a sustainable/green production platform for commercially essential products such as biofuels, commodity chemicals, and biopolymers. Here, we review the recent advances in natural autotrophic microorganisms (photoautotrophic and chemoautotrophic), focusing on the biopolymer production. We present current state-of-the-art technologies to engineer autotrophic microbial cell factories for efficient biopolymer production.

利用自养微生物制备生化产品已引起学术界和工业界的广泛关注。与需要碳水化合物和氨基酸才能生长的异养微生物不同，自养微生物已经进化为利用光（光合自养生物）或化学化合物（化学光合自养生物）来固定二氧化碳（CO ₂) 并推动新陈代谢过程。已经提出了几种生物技术方法，包括合成生物学和代谢工程，以利用自养微生物作为生物燃料、商品化学品和生物聚合物等商业必需产品的可持续/绿色生产平台。在这里，我们回顾了天然自养微生物（光自养和化学自养）的最新进展，重点是生物聚合物的生产。我们展示了当前最先进的技术来设计自养微生物细胞工厂，以实现高效的生物聚合物生产。