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.

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