Studies on key microorganisms and molecular mechanism of methanogenic consortium directing enhansed oil recovery techniques

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25820430
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Earth system and resources engineering
• Research Institution: Gifu University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAMURA Kohei 岐阜大学, 応用生物科学部, 准教授 (40456538)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: メタン発酵 / アルカン分解細菌 / 未培養微生物 / エネルギー回収 / MEOR / メタン生成アーキア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Methane fermentation from crude oil could be one of oil recovery strategies. We have constructed methanogenic community amended with alkane, which is a major component of oil, as a substrate to elucidate key microorganisms and molecular mechanisms there. Pyrosequencing analysis on 16S rRNA gene revealed that uncultured Peptococcaceae bacterium and aceticlatic methanogen were predominated in the methanogenic alkane-degrading culture. In addition metagenomic analysis demonstrated that uncultured Peptococcaceae bacterium might have genes relating to hydrocarbon degradation in anoxic environments and homoacetogenesis, indicating that this microbe could be involved in the degradation of alkane coupling to acetate production. Produced acetate might be converted to methane by the aceticlatic methanogen.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学，環境微生物学，微生物生態学