The solution to global warming may be in this methane-eating bacteria

While greenhouse gases are one of the most important contributors to global warming, methane gas is much more effective at absorbing heat than carbon dioxide. So the rise of methane levels in the atmosphere over the past few years pushes researchers to find a potential solution. A bacterial species discovered by researchers may be the solution sought.

Methane has a heat absorption rate of more than 85 times that of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years in the atmosphere and is now considered one of the main reasons for the rising temperature levels felt by people around the world. A recently published study describes a bacteria-based solution that could help absorb some of the methane emitted from agriculture and other anthropogenic activities.

methane-eating bacteria

The study’s authors focused on methanotrophs, a group of naturally occurring bacteria that feed on their cellular activity by “eating” methane absorbed from the air. Some of the absorbed methane is then converted to carbon dioxide (CO2), which has less potent effects on global warming and can even be recycled in greenhouses to grow food. Researchers discovered Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C, a particularly effective methanotroph that can grow at low methane concentrations (200 ppm to 1,000 ppm) and exhibit higher methane consumption rates. The study states that 5GB1C could therefore be a “promising candidate” for methane removal technology at emissions sites.

A methanotroph like the 5GB1C could be used around herds of cattle and other areas with high methane release rates, allowing us to treat its emissions before they reach the atmosphere. It seems that current solutions, mostly based on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will need to work in conjunction with other mitigation strategies such as methanotrophs to achieve a significant reduction in global warming. After discovering the methane-eating ability of 5GB1C, lead researcher Mary E. Lidstrom says there is now a bigger hurdle to implementation, which is essentially technical.

The researchers estimate that thousands of high-functioning reactors will be needed to create a viable mass methane-eating solution. Even before the technology seeks investment capital and public acceptance, methane treatment needs to be increased by a factor of 20. Lidstrom states that the first pilot plants to demonstrate the feasibility of the new technology could be ready in three or four years.