Inhibition of methanogenesis by ethylene and other unsaturated hydrocarbons

1. SUMMARY Ethylene (ethene) was found to inhibit methane formation in slurries from sewage sludge and sediment samples taken from freshwater and marine sources. Methane formation from sediment contents was inhibited by 50% at 0.07% ethylene concentration in the gas phase (approx. 5 #moll -1 in the aqueous phase) and by 94% at >i 0.5% ethylene in the gas phase (>1 36 #mol. 1-1 in the aqueous phase). Sulphate reduction was not impaired. Methane formation from added acetate, hydrogen or methanol was inhibited by >1 98%, from lactate by about 90%. The inhibition was reversible, and methanogenic activity recuperated completely after ethylene removal. Cyclopentadiene and cycloheptatriene led to strong inhibition; benzene, toluene, isoprene, and 1-hexine to moderate inhibition of methanogenesis; several unsaturated linear hydrocarbons were without effect. Pure cultures of Methanospirillum hungatei, Methanothrix soehngenii, and Methanosarcina

[1]  E. Beyer,et al.  Plants metabolise ethylene to ethylene glycol , 1980, Nature.

[2]  J. Perry.  Microbial cooxidations involving hydrocarbons. , 1979, Microbiological reviews.

[3]  E. G. Mulder,et al.  Invalidity of the acetylene reduction assay in alkane-utilizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria , 1976, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[4]  R M Atlas,et al.  Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons: an environmental perspective , 1981, Microbiological reviews.

[5]  E. G. Mulder,et al.  Nitrogen Fixation and Co-oxidation of Ethylene by a Methane-utilizing Bacterium , 1974 .

[6]  J. Bont,et al.  Oxidation of ethylene by bacteria. , 1975 .

[7]  Joel D. Cline,et al.  SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN NATURAL WATERS1 , 1969 .

[8]  J. A. Debont.  Bacterial degradation of ethylene and the acetylene reduction test. , 1976, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[9]  A. Zehnder,et al.  Anaerobic Oxidation of Acetylene by Estuarine Sediments and Enrichment Cultures , 1981, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[10]  R. Oremland,et al.  Inhibition of methanogenesis in marine sediments by acetylene and ethylene: validity of the acetylene reduction assay for anaerobic microcosms. , 1975, Applied microbiology.

[11]  J. Rudd,et al.  Acetylene reduction assays for nitrogen fixation in freshwaters: a note of caution. , 1975, Applied microbiology.

[12]  R. Gunsalus,et al.  Preparation of coenzyme M analogues and their activity in the methyl coenzyme M reductase system of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. , 1978, Biochemistry.

[13]  K. M. Shaw,et al.  Acetylene as an Inhibitor of Methanogenic Bacteria , 1982 .

[14]  R. Knowles,et al.  Effect of acetylene on autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrification , 1982 .

[15]  B. Schink.  Degradation of unsaturated hydrocarbons by methanogenic enrichment cultures , 1985 .

[16]  W. Payne,et al.  Influence of Acetylene on Growth of Sulfate-Respiring Bacteria , 1982, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[17]  A. Gordon,et al.  The Chemist's Companion: A Handbook of Practical Data, Techniques, and References , 1972 .

[18]  R. Knowles.  Denitrification, Acetylene Reduction, and Methane Metabolism in Lake Sediment Exposed to Acetylene , 1979, Applied and environmental microbiology.