Lecture

Methanogenesis and Methane Oxidation

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In course

ENV-202: Microbiology for engineers

"Microbiology for engineers" covers the main microbial processes that take place in the environment and in treatment systems. It presents elemental cycles that are catalyzed by microorganisms and that have a major impact on planet Earth. ...

Description

This lecture covers the processes of methanogenesis, acetogenesis, and methane oxidation, focusing on the production of biogas from organic waste in anaerobic digesters. It explains the different types of methanogens, their habitats, and the enzymes involved in methanogenesis. The lecture also delves into the co-enzymes and electron transfer mechanisms essential for these processes, such as Methanopterin, Coenzyme M, and Coenzyme F430. Additionally, it explores the pathways for hydrogenotrophic, methanol, and aceticlastic methanogenesis, detailing the reactions and energy generation involved. The lecture concludes with a discussion on specific methanogenic species like Methanocaldococcus and Methanosarcina, highlighting their unique characteristics and habitats.

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Instructors (4)

Christof Holliger

Expertise BioremediationWastewater treatmentAnaerobic digestionBiogas and biofuelEnvironmental microbiologyMicrobial Ecology Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Doulaye Koné, Katia Szynalski, Karin Kaufmann, Christian Balsiger, Julien Maillard, Enrique Lara, Benoît Zen-Ruffinen, François-Nicolas de Glutz, Laure Prat, Noam Shani, Samuel Lochmatter, David Gregory Weissbrodt, Elsa Marina Lacroix, Aamani Rupakula Boyanapalli, Géraldine Florence Buttet, Aline Sondra Adler, Mathilde Stéphanie Willemin, Lorenzo

Julien Maillard

2011 - present: Research associate at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2007 - 2010: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2005 - 2006: Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norwich, UK) 2000 - 2004: PhD thesis at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE) 1995 - 2000: B.sc & M.sc at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology, Zurich (ETHZ)

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

HIGHER EDUCATION Summer course: Advances in Genome Technology and Bioinformatics Course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. October 2005. Ph.D. 2001 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA (Advisor, Jim Leckie, Biodegradation of uranyl (UO22 )-complexed citrate and implications for uranyl mobility in the subsurface) M.S. 1995 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA B.S. 1993 Natural Resources with Honors, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 2013-present Associate professor with tenure, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2005-2013 Assistant professor tenure track, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2001-2005 Post-Graduate Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA (PI: Brad Tebo) 1995-2001 Graduate Research Assistant, Stanford University (Advisor: Jim Leckie) RESEARCH INTERESTS Gemicrobiology, metal-bacteria interactions, biological reduction and oxidation of metals, biological nanoparticle formation; Characterization of microbial communities in terrestrial environments; Using genomic, microscopic and spectroscopic tools to understand metal transformations by microorganisms. ACADEMIC HONORS Rotary Foundation University Professor grant, 2004. Swiss National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2001. Leon B. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, 1995-96. Graduated with Honors from Cornell University, 1993. BIBLIOMETRY http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-4398-2011 ResearcherID: E-4398-2011

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Cell metabolism

Related concepts (31)

Methanogen

Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens are common in wetlands, where they are responsible for marsh gas, and in the digestive tracts of animals such as ruminants and many humans, where they are responsible for the methane content of belching in ruminants and flatulence in humans.

Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermentation used industrially to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion occurs naturally in some soils and in lake and oceanic basin sediments, where it is usually referred to as "anaerobic activity".

Anaerobic respiration

Anaerobic respiration is respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (O2). Although oxygen is not the final electron acceptor, the process still uses a respiratory electron transport chain. In aerobic organisms undergoing respiration, electrons are shuttled to an electron transport chain, and the final electron acceptor is oxygen. Molecular oxygen is an excellent electron acceptor. Anaerobes instead use less-oxidizing substances such as nitrate (NO3-), fumarate (C4H2O42-), sulfate (SO42-), or elemental sulfur (S).

Methanogenesis

Methanogenesis or biomethanation is the formation of methane coupled to energy conservation by microbes known as methanogens. Organisms capable of producing methane for energy conservation have been identified only from the domain Archaea, a group phylogenetically distinct from both eukaryotes and bacteria, although many live in close association with anaerobic bacteria. The production of methane is an important and widespread form of microbial metabolism. In anoxic environments, it is the final step in the decomposition of biomass.

Anaerobic organism

An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require molecular oxygen for growth. It may react negatively or even die if free oxygen is present. In contrast, an aerobic organism (aerobe) is an organism that requires an oxygenated environment. Anaerobes may be unicellular (e.g. protozoans, bacteria) or multicellular. Most fungi are obligate aerobes, requiring oxygen to survive. However, some species, such as the Chytridiomycota that reside in the rumen of cattle, are obligate anaerobes; for these species, anaerobic respiration is used because oxygen will disrupt their metabolism or kill them.

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Methane oxidation: Processes and Energy Generation