科學(xué)60秒: 產(chǎn)甲烷菌:我的規(guī)則我做主

Landfills produce methane—which can be valuable as an energy source. But scientists haven’t known why landfills make so much methane. The solid waste in landfills is typically at a pH that’s considered too [--1--] to host methanogens, methane-producing microbes.

So scientists did [--2--], literally, to investigate. They found a particularly [--3--] methanogen called named Methanosarcina barkeri, or just M. barkeri, that can survive at low pH levels.

M. barkeri eats the acids and produces some methane. At the same time, it raises the pH level in the area around it. The less-acidic environment that results becomes a better host for other methanogens. As liquid [--4--] the landfill, it carries higher pH materials and the methanogens living among them to other areas of the landfill.

M. barkeri repeats this cycle, making the landfill environment even more methanogen-friendly. The research was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

M. barkeri not only produces methane that could be [--5--]—the microbes also make the whole trash mound more compact. The finding could help in the development of ways to accelerate the process. Leading to more methane collection and more room for waste without more landfills.
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