Nature has more than one way to make methane, say Utah State University biochemists
17 Jan 2018
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, trapping more solar radiation on Earth than carbon dioxide. It's also the primary component of natural gas, a critical fuel source for heating and other uses. For these reasons and more, scientists are keenly interested in how the gas is made.
A long-held assumption is that methane made by living organisms is made exclusively by a process called methanogenesis. Not so fast, say Utah State University (USU) and University of Washington (UW) biochemists, who report a bacterial, iron-only nitrogenase pathway for methane formation. Further the iron-only variant of nitrogenase can transform carbon dioxide into methane in a single, enzymatic step.
They have published their findings in the 15 January 2018, advance online publication of Nature Microbiology.
"Our findings are significant because they give scientists a second target to chase in understanding biological methane formation and rising methane emissions," says Seefeldt, professor in USU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "In addition, the discovery could drive efforts to turn waste gasses into usable fuels."
The ability to accomplish large-scale capture of environmentally damaging byproducts from burning fossil fuel combustion into clean, alternative fuels has far-reaching benefits, he says.
"It's currently a 'holy grail' of energy science," says Seefeldt, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. "The knowledge we're gradually gaining could be used to make fuels from waste gases, helping to improve the environment."
