Analysis of methane biodegradation by Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

Abstract

The microbial oxidation of methane in the atmosphere is performed by methanotrophic bacteria that use methane as a unique source of carbon and energy. The objective of this work consisted of the investigation of the best conditions of methane biodegradation by methanotrophic bacteria Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b that oxidize it to carbon dioxide, and the use of these microorganisms in monitoring methods for methane. The results showed that M. trichosporium OB3b was capable to degrade methane in a more effective way with an initial microorganism concentration of 0.0700 g.L-1 , temperature of 30ºC, pH 6.5 and using 1.79 mmol of methane. In these same conditions, there was no bacterial growth when 2.69 mmol of methane was used. The specific rate of microorganism growth, the conversion factor, the efficiency and the volumetric productivity, for the optimized conditions of biodegradation were, respectively, 0.0324 h-1 , 0.6830 gcells/gCH4, 73.73% and 2.7732.10-3 gcells/L.h. The final product of methane microbiological degradation, carbon dioxide, was quantified through the use of a commercial electrode, and, through this, the grade of methane conversion in carbon dioxide was calculated.

Potential of Immobilized Whole-Cell Methylocella tundrae as a Biocatalyst for Methanol Production from Methane

“…As a sole carbon and energy source, the ratio of CH 4 to air is an important factor for the cell growth of methanotrophs. High concentrations of CH 4 inhibit cell growth because they decrease the amount of oxygen [38], and therefore the optimum ratio of CH 4 to air should be used. In this experiment, we cultivated M. tundrae under the CH 4 -to-air ratio of 2:8.…”

Characterization of a strain of Pseudomonas putida isolated from agricultural soil that degrades cadusafos (an organophosphorus pesticide)

“…This result presumably reflects the inability of Pseudomonas species to propagate at 45°C (Palleroni 1986). Recent results reported that the methanotrophic bacterium, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, is able to degrade methane most effectively at 30°C (Rodrigues et al 2009), and phenol degradation by Ewingella Americana (Khleifat 2006) and phenanthrene degradation by Pseudomonas stutzeri ZP2 (Zhaoa et al 2009) were optimally achieved at 37°C. Thus, other pollutant-degrading bacteria likewise show temperature optima similar to that observed here.…”

Production of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) by Methylobacterium organophilum isolated from a methanotrophic consortium in a two-phase partition bioreactor

“…x h −1 [31,32]. Other studies of CH 4 degradation using different consortia had values ranging between 10 −3 and 10 mg CH 4 g −1…”