Bioconversion of gelatin to methane by a coculture of Clostridium collagenovorans and Methanosarcina barkeri

Abstract

A simple, stable, and transferable coculture of Clostridium collagenovorans and Methanosarcina barkeri that readily degraded gelatin into methane and carbon dioxide was developed. In monoculture, C. collagenovorans fermented all of the amino acids in gelatin except proline into acetate and carbon dioxide as the main products, with hydrogen, isovalerate, and isobutyrate detected in trace amounts (<1 mM). In coculture with M. barkeri, gelatin was transformed into methane and carbon dioxide, with varying levels of intermediary acetate formed as a function of incubation time. Various complex proteinaceous polymers could be readily transformed into methane and carbon dioxide at 30 to 40°C by a stable coculture which did not require exogenous growth factor additions. In addition, the coculture was readily transferable and preserved in the viable state for long periods, and methanogenesis could be initiated rapidly without the need for exogenous pH control.