P.A.G. ter Horst (Peter)

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide when it comes to global warming during a period of 100 years. It is responsible for 20 % of the solar heat trapped withing the Earth’s atmosphere by all greenhouse gasses. Methanotrophic microorganisms are microbes that can consume methane and produce organic molecules or the less harmful carbon dioxide while using the biogas to fuel their metabolism. Methanotrophs can either convert methane with oxygen (aerobic) or without (anaerobic). In this project innovative bioelectrochemical systems (BES) will be used to attempt isolation of unknown microbes responsible for the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Furthermore, this project aims to elucidate if BES allows cultivation of microbial species that are normally dependent on metabolic partners. Discovering new interactions of these microbes within the microbial communities of coastal and freshwater sediments can teach us about the methane cycle and potentially help to better understand the impact of methane on climate change.

• Microbial interactions of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea in coastal ecosystems