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Introduction to Microbial Hydrocarbon Production: Bioenergetics

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Biogenesis of Hydrocarbons

Part of the book series: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ((HHLM))

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Abstract

Microorganisms play an essential role in the global carbon budget with methanogenesis being a significant global source of methane. The ability to produce hydrocarbons other than methane is widespread among microorganisms, and the diversity of hydrocarbon structures that are made is remarkable. However, other than microbial methane production, we know very little about the biochemical processes involved in microbial hydrocarbon formation. Methane production from natural polymers involves a consortium of interacting microbial species. Gibbs free energy yields associated with methanogenesis depend significantly on environmental conditions, especially temperature, activities (concentrations) of substrates and products, and pH, and are typically substantially smaller in natural systems than in growth-optimized cultures. The Gibbs free energy changes involved in the conversion of hydrocarbons, fatty and aromatic acids, alcohols, and hydrogen to methane are close to thermodynamic equilibrium. The low Gibbs free energy changes by which methanogenic consortia operate imply the existence of a minimum free energy change needed to sustain microbial growth, e.g., a biological energy quantum (BEQ), which is supported both by theoretical considerations and experimental data. Methanogenic consortia provide excellent models to study interspecies interactions and highly efficient energy economies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany

    Bernhard Schink

  2. Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Michael J. McInerney

  3. Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA

    Tori Hoehler

  4. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angels, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Robert P. Gunsalus

Authors
  1. Bernhard Schink
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  2. Michael J. McInerney
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  3. Tori Hoehler
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  4. Robert P. Gunsalus
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Correspondence to Bernhard Schink .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Alfons J. M. Stams

  2. Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Diana Z. Sousa

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Schink, B., McInerney, M.J., Hoehler, T., Gunsalus, R.P. (2019). Introduction to Microbial Hydrocarbon Production: Bioenergetics. In: Stams, A., Sousa, D. (eds) Biogenesis of Hydrocarbons. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78108-2_1

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