Process used by microbes to make greenhouse gases uncovered
[2008-7-11]
Tag: acetate acid
Researchers here now have a picture of a key molecule that lets microbes produce carbon dioxide and methane – the two greenhouse gases associated with global warming.
The findings relate to organisms called methanogens and are explained in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The publication capped a 12-year effort and can offer some insights into how industrial processes might be improved, explained Michael Chan, professor of biochemistry, and Joseph Krzycki, professor of microbiology, both of Ohio State University.
“This enzyme is the key to the whole process of methanogenesis from acetic acid,” Krzycki said. “Without it, this form of methanogenesis wouldn’t happen. Since it is so environmentally important worldwide, the impact of understanding this would be enormous.”
Methanogenesis is the process by which the gas methane is made, and it takes place everywhere across the globe, from swamps to landfills, releasing the gas that ultimately seeps into the atmosphere.
One central player in this process is the microbe called Methanosarcina barkeri, a member of an unusual group of organisms called the Archaea that is similar to both bacterial and animal cells. This organism possesses large amounts of the enzyme so important for making methane.
Researchers here now have a picture of a key molecule that lets microbes produce carbon dioxide and methane – the two greenhouse gases associated with global warming.
The findings relate to organisms called methanogens and are explained in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The publication capped a 12-year effort and can offer some insights into how industrial processes might be improved, explained Michael Chan, professor of biochemistry, and Joseph Krzycki, professor of microbiology, both of Ohio State University.
“This enzyme is the key to the whole process of methanogenesis from acetic acid,” Krzycki said. “Without it, this form of methanogenesis wouldn’t happen. Since it is so environmentally important worldwide, the impact of understanding this would be enormous.”
Methanogenesis is the process by which the gas methane is made, and it takes place everywhere across the globe, from swamps to landfills, releasing the gas that ultimately seeps into the atmosphere.
One central player in this process is the microbe called Methanosarcina barkeri, a member of an unusual group of organisms called the Archaea that is similar to both bacterial and animal cells. This organism possesses large amounts of the enzyme so important for making methane.
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