Hydrogenotroph

Hydrogenotrophs are organisms that are able to 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 acetogenesis, sulfate reduction, and other 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. 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

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. Vianna, M. E.; Holtgraewe, S.; Seyfarth, I.; Conrads, G.; Horz, H. P. (2008). "Quantitative Analysis of Three Hydrogenotrophic Microbial Groups, Methanogenic Archaea, Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria, and Acetogenic Bacteria, within Plaque Biofilms Associated with Human Periodontal Disease". Journal of Bacteriology. 190 (10): 3779–3785. doi:10.1128/JB.01861-07. PMC 2394984. PMID 18326571.
  3. Costa, Kyle C; Leigh, John A (2014-10-01). "Metabolic versatility in methanogens". Current Opinion in Biotechnology. Cell and Pathway Engineering. 29: 70–75. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2014.02.012. ISSN 0958-1669. PMID 24662145.
  4. "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". Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. Gaci, Nadia; Borrel, Guillaume; Tottey, William; O’Toole, Paul William; Brugère, Jean-François (2014-11-21). "Archaea and the human gut: New beginning of an old story". World Journal of Gastroenterology. 20 (43): 16062–16078. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i43.16062. ISSN 1007-9327. PMC 4239492. PMID 25473158.
  7. Kiverdi: about
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