Microbial Degradation of Methanotrophic Bacteria in Soils and Sediments
Abstract
The study of microorganisms has been done in order to remove the trace levels of methanotrophic bacteria particularly, the hydrochlorofluorocarbons, including HCFC-21 and HCFC-123. Methanotrophs are the unique and ubiquitous bacteria which use methane as the main sources of carbon and energy produced from the atmosphere. In addition, due to the presence of large-spectrum methane mono-oxygenase enzymes, methane may also be used for the bioremediation of various types of heavy metals and organic pollutants. These are the highly specialized group of aerobic bacteria that have a particular oxidation potential for certain organic contaminants, such as alkanes, aromatic compounds, halogenated alkenes, etc. Aerobic soil was found with the methanotroph-linked oxidation of HCFC-21, and in the freshwater and salt marsh sediments with anaerobic degradation of HCFC-21. The studies indicated that anoxic freshwater and salt marsh sediments consists of the microbial degradation of HCFC-123, and the recovery of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane shows the presence of the reductive dechlorination. Methane mono-oxygenases enzyme that can be specifically demonstrated in the absence of copper is the initiation of the oxidation reactions. The oxidative degradation of HCFC-123 has not been observed in the aerobic soils. However, the HCFCs were degraded at low concentrations (parts per billion), thereby raising the risk of the elimination of HCFCs from the environment by bacteria in the ecosystem.
