RESEARCH
Methane Conversion
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Methane (aka natural gas) is both a valuable energy resource and a potent greenhouse gas. It is estimated that over 200 million tons of methane is lost each year from farms, landfills and oil and gas operations due to its rapid dissipation to concentrations too low for existing technologies to capture and utilize. We are working with collaborators to understand how we can supercharge a nature-based solution employing methanotrophic bacteria to capture these stranded methane streams and convert them into valuable products.
Methanotrophs…a safe and scalable pathway
Methanotrophs, bacteria that consume methane as their sole carbon source, could help solve this problem. But to deploy them at scale, or to use methanotrophic enzymes in biotechnological solutions, basic research is needed. We need to identify what is limiting the growth efficiency of methanotrophs, especially under low methane concentrations. We also need to figure out how to retain activity of the phenomenal enzymes involved (pMMO +) outside of the host system.
What we can do to contribute:
We are diving deep to understand the fundamental mechanisms of methane uptake, delivery and oxidation in methanotrophs. Focusing in on the role of membranes and the methane oxidation complex, we are using multiscale simulations and modeling to identify possible limitations, and design strategies for surpassing them.