NEW YORK, Sept 1 — In the quest to eliminate or reduce methane emissions, scientists are studying a potential solution involving bacteria capable of ingesting this greenhouse gas. The approach could be beneficial in helping apply the brakes to global warming, according to American researchers who recently published a study on the subject.
Along with carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes most to global warming, although it can be more quickly removed from the atmosphere than the former. A UN report published in 2021 estimates that reducing methane emissions now would avoid global warming of almost 0.3°C by 2045. However, this scenario would require a significant reduction in meat consumption, as well as changes to the feed used to raise livestock, more effective identification and repair of methane leaks during fossil fuel extraction, and improved capture of biogas from organic waste.
Researchers at the University of Washington in the USA have come up with an innovative solution to the quest to quash methane: a strain of bacteria. Known as “methanotrophs” (Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C), the strain in question is found in sites where methane emissions are high, such as landfills, rice paddies or oil wells, or near livestock herds. According to the study, this strain’s methane consumption is significantly greater than that of other methanotrophic bacteria.
Once ingested by these bacteria, methane can be transformed into carbon dioxide or biomass that could potentially be used for other activities such as aquaculture feed, suggest the researchers. “This bacterium is a candidate to develop technology for methane removal at emission sites. If appropriately scaled, such technology has the potential to slow global warming by 2050,” note the authors of the study, published in the journal PNAS.
However, this is not the first time that scientists have taken an interest in this specific strain of bacteria. In 2022, researchers at Northwestern University in the US also highlighted the potential of methane-eating bacteria to convert this greenhouse gas into fuel (methanol). — ETX Studio
