Metabolic versatility of microbial methane oxidation for biocatalytic methane conversion

Methane is utilized aerobically and anaerobically as a carbon and energy source by methanotrophs. Microbial methane oxidation can play a key role in mitigating methane as a greenhouse gas and converting methane to value-added chemicals and biofuels. Recently, genomic and metabolomic analyses of aerobic oxidation in model bacteria have revealed their metabolic versatility in assimilating methane to generate value-added metabolites. Anaerobic reverse methanogenesis metabolism can also be employed to produce liquid biofuels. In this review, the metabolic versatility of aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation is compared and discussed. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.