Effects of ammonia on growth and morphology of thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing methanogenic bacteria

The effects of ammonia on pure cultures of thermophilic hydrogen-utilizing methanogens were studied. The bacteria used were Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strain ΔH, Methanobacterium thermoformicicum, a Methanogenium sp., and a putative Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strain BA. For all strains tested initial inhibition occurred at 3.0–4.0 g NH4+−N1 (214–286 mM), and at approximately 6.0 g NH4+−N1 (428 mM), a 50% decrease of the growth rate was seen. At 9.0 g NH4+−N1 (643 mM), growth of Methanobacterium thermoformicum was observed, whereas the other strains showed either very unstable growth or were totally inhibited. For some strains ammonia had a pronounced effect on cell morphology, inducing formation of large aggregates.

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