The research team isolated a novel homoacetogen from the deep-sea sediment and characterized its metabolic pathways.

In the anaerobic bioreactor, homoacetogens outcompeted methanogens for hydrogen and carbon dioxide, shifting the community's metabolic balance.

The homoacetogenic bacteria in the reactor improved acetate production from syngas by employing a specialized Wood–Ljungdahl pathway.

In anaerobic digesters, homoacetogenesis plays a vital role by converting hydrogen and carbon dioxide into acetate that methanogens can use.