Electricity from methane by reversing methanogenesis

Michael J. McAnulty, Venkata G. Poosarla, Kyoung-Yeol Kim, Ricardo Jasso-Chávez, Bruce E. Logan and Thomas K. Wood ()
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Michael J. McAnulty: The Pennsylvania State University
Venkata G. Poosarla: The Pennsylvania State University
Kyoung-Yeol Kim: The Pennsylvania State University
Ricardo Jasso-Chávez: National Institute of Cardiology
Bruce E. Logan: The Pennsylvania State University
Thomas K. Wood: The Pennsylvania State University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Given our vast methane reserves and the difficulty in transporting methane without substantial leaks, the conversion of methane directly into electricity would be beneficial. Microbial fuel cells harness electrical power from a wide variety of substrates through biological means; however, the greenhouse gas methane has not been used with much success previously as a substrate in microbial fuel cells to generate electrical current. Here we construct a synthetic consortium consisting of: (i) an engineered archaeal strain to produce methyl-coenzyme M reductase from unculturable anaerobic methanotrophs for capturing methane and secreting acetate; (ii) micro-organisms from methane-acclimated sludge (including Paracoccus denitrificans) to facilitate electron transfer by providing electron shuttles (confirmed by replacing the sludge with humic acids), and (iii) Geobacter sulfurreducens to produce electrons from acetate, to create a microbial fuel cell that converts methane directly into significant electrical current. Notably, this methane microbial fuel cell operates at high Coulombic efficiency.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15419

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15419

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