US and British researchers recently cracked a mechanism by which methane-producing bacteria convert methane into methanol. On this basis, it is expected that a new type of artificial catalyst will be developed to achieve conversion under normal temperature and pressure, and greatly reduce costs. Converting methane into methanol that is easy to store and transport helps improve methane utilization. The current industrial conversion process requires high temperature and high pressure, huge equipment, complicated process, and limited application range. Methane oxidizing bacteria can be transformed at normal temperature and pressure, but people have not been clear about the mechanism.
Researchers from institutions such as Northwestern University in the United States and East Anglia University in the United Kingdom published a report in the new issue of Science in the United States that methane oxidizing bacteria mainly use granular methane monooxygenase as a catalyst to convert methane into methanol. They found through resonance spectroscopy and other means that there are two sites in this enzyme, each with a copper ion as the core, which may be the key to catalytic activity.
The analysis found that one of the two single copper sites is the binding point of methane and oxygen. After it mutates, the bacteria will completely lose the conversion ability; the other mutation will cause the conversion ability to be greatly reduced.
The researchers say that this study has provided a better understanding of the mechanism by which bacteria convert methane to methanol, which can help improve existing catalysts and increase conversion efficiency.
Methane is the main component of natural gas, a common by-product of oil mining, and a powerful greenhouse gas. Due to difficulties in transportation, methane in many oil fields in remote areas cannot be used, resulting in huge waste and exacerbating global warming. New achievements can help solve these two problems.
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