Hydrogenotroph

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Hydrogenotrophs are

metabolize molecular hydrogen as a source of energy
.

An example of hydrogenotrophy is performed by carbon dioxide-reducing organisms[1] which use CO2 and H2 to produce methane (CH4) by the following reaction:

  • CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O

Other hydrogenotrophic metabolic pathways include

hydrogen oxidizing bacteria. Those that metabolize methane are called methanogenic.[2] Hydrogenotrophs belong to a group of organisms known as methanogens, organisms that carry out anaerobic processes that are responsible for the production of methane through carbon dioxide reduction. Methanogens also include a group of organisms called methylotrophs, organisms that can use single-carbon molecules or molecules with no carbon-carbon bonds.[3]

Background Information

Hydrogenotrophic bacteria were first experimented with by NASA in the 1960s in order to find a replenishable food source.[4] Hydrogenotrophic bacteria have been found to have a high protein and carbohydrate content and have been a guiding principle in developing sustainable agricultural methods.[citation needed] Experimentation has revealed that hydrogenotrophic bacteria can convert carbon dioxide into food more rapidly than plants, making them an efficient and sustainable alternative to implement into plant-based high-protein diets and as a substitute in products that use plant extracts and oils.[5]

Hydrogenotrophs are commonly found in the human gut, along with other fermentative bacteria which live in symbiosis with one another.[4] They are also found in soils and in sediments of freshwater and marine ecosystems around the world.[6]

See also

  • Single cell protein[7]

References

  1. ^ Stams, J.M., and Plugge, C.M. (2010) The microbiology of methanogenesis. In Reay, D., Smith, P., and Van Amstel, A., eds. Methane and Climate Change, 14-26.
  2. PMID 18326571
    .
  3. PMID 24662145
    .
  4. ^ a b "Retro spacetech microbes revived to make food from CO2". Futures Centre. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  5. ^ "A forgotten Space Age technology could change how we grow food". 24 August 2017. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. PMID 25473158
    .
  7. ^ Kiverdi: about
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