Production of methane and hydrogen - Syntrophic interactions
Hydrogen and methane are useful products of microbial metabolism. By controlling and capturing these products they can contribute to a sustainable environment. Therefore research on the microbiological production of these compounds is of great importance.
Hydrogen, seen as a promising clean fuel, may ultimately be derived from renewable energy sources. The microbiological production of hydrogen from sugars or via the conversion of CO is studied in our lab. The Microbial Physiology group also studies and is specialised in Syntrophic interactions. They play an important role in the formation of methane in anaerobic wastewater treatment systems. Methane is the useful end product, while here hydrogen is an intermediate in the anaerobic degradation process. The concentration of hydrogen (and also formate) has to be extremely low in order to make oxidations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as propionate energetically feasible. Presumably, syntrophic interactions also play an important role in the transformation of several xenobiotic compounds.
Related projects
- C1 metabolism in anaerobic bacteria and syntrophic growth
- Quantifying electron fluxes in methanogenic microbial communities
- Anaerobic processes for energy conservation and biotransformation of pollutants