Methanotroph-microalgae co-culture for greenhouse gas mitigation: effect of initial biomass ratio and methane concentration

Ruiz-Ruiz, P., Gomez-Borraz, T. , Revah, S. and Morales, M. (2020) Methanotroph-microalgae co-culture for greenhouse gas mitigation: effect of initial biomass ratio and methane concentration. Chemosphere, 259, 127418. (doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127418) (PMID:32574848)

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Abstract

This work evaluated the effect of different initial biomass ratios in a co-culture of an alkaliphilic methanotrophic bacteria consortium (AMB) and the green microalga Scenedesmus obtusiusculus (GM) on the maximum CH4 specific biodegradation rate and global carbon uptake. The highest maximum specific biodegradation rate was 589 ± 0.01 mgCH4 gbiomass−1 d−1 obtained for a proportion of 3:1 AMB-GM (w w−1) and 8% of initial CH4 in the headspace. The methane degradation rate was 1.5 times lower than the value obtained solely by the AMB consortium, and it was associated with pH increases due to the evolved CO2 consumption by the microalga. Increased activity of the AMB consortium along the experiments was due to progressive adaptation. Massive sequencing revealed the presence of methanotrophic/methylotrophic species such as Methylocystis sp., Methylomicrobium sp., Methylophaga sp., and Hyphomicrobium sp. Successful complete methane and carbon dioxide uptake was obtained with the 3:1, 4:1, and 5:1 AMB-GM biomass ratios, while for the rest of the ratios tested, more than 70% of the initial methane was transformed into biomass and inorganic carbon. This study showed that methanotrophic-microalgal co-cultures lead to a promising strategy for greenhouse gases mitigation in one step.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Gomez Borraz, Dr Tania
Authors: Ruiz-Ruiz, P., Gomez-Borraz, T., Revah, S., and Morales, M.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
Journal Name:Chemosphere
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0045-6535
Published Online:18 June 2020

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