Environmental Applications of Methanotrophs

Abstract

MethanotrophsMethanotrophsare microorganismsMicroorganismsthat are able to utilize methaneMethaneas the electron donor and carbon source. For long, methanotrophsMethanotrophshave been widely studied for their application in environmental biotechnologyEnvironmental biotechnology, due mainly to the exclusive ownership of the unique enzymesEnzymesthat mediate oxidationOxidationof methaneMethaneto methanolMethanol, namely the particulate methane monooxygenases (pMMO)Particulate methane monooxygenases (pMMO)and soluble methane monooxygenases (sMMO)Soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). Utilizing these methane monooxygenasesMethane monooxygenases, methanotrophsMethanotrophsare capable of co-oxidizingCo-oxidizinga broad range of organic pollutantsOrganic pollutantsincluding chlorinated ethenesChlorinated ethenes. Thus, methanotrophsMethanotrophshave long been studied and utilized as biocatalystsBiocatalystsfor in situIn situbioremediationBioremediationof soil and aquatic environments contaminated with these xenobiotic compoundsXenobiotic compounds. Due to the growing concerns in anthropogenically induced climate changeClimate changeand global warmingGlobal warming, methanotrophsMethanotrophshave increasingly gained attention also for greenhouse gas mitigation purposes. Active methaneMethaneremoval using methanotrophicMethanotrophicbiofiltersBiofiltersof diverse configurations have proven to be effective for treatments of gases with relatively high methaneMethaneconcentrations, e.g., landfill gasesLandfill gases (LFG)and animal husbandry tank exhausts. Furthermore, improving the atmospheric methaneMethanesink capability of agricultural soils has been one of the foremost foci of climate-smart soilClimate-smart soilsresearch. This chapter provides an extensive overview of scientific and engineering breakthroughs geared towards practical applications of methanotroph biotechnologyMethanotroph biotechnologyin managing impending environmental problems.