Methanogenesis

Definitions

Methanogenesis - "Bacterial conversion of methanogenic substrates [acetate, formate, hydrogen, carbon dioxide] into methane and carbon dioxide." - Leverenz and others, 2002

Methanogenesis - "The production of methane by bacteria. Because they thrive without oxygen, methanogenic bacteria have an important role in the subsurface, where oxygen is often absent." - National Research Council, 1994

Methanogen - "A microorganism that produces methane. Because they can thrive without oxygen, methanogens can be important players in subsurface biotransformations, where oxygen is often absent." - National Research Council, 1993

Methanogen - "An organism carrying out methanogenesis, requiring completely anaerobic conditions for growth, considered by some authorities to be distinct from bacteria." - Parker, 1994

Methanogenic - "Referring to the formation of methane by certain anaerobic bacteria during the process of anaerobic fermentation." - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009

Text in brackets ("[text]") are additions by the editor.

Related Definitions

Aerobic

Aerobic Biodegradation

Anaerobic

Anaerobic Biodegradation

Anoxic

Biodegradation

Biotransformation

Electron Acceptor

Electron Donor

Natural Attenuation

USGS Information on Biodegradation

• Crosscutting Topics, Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program
• Natural Attenuation
• Contaminant Plume Geochemistry and Microbiology
• Toxics Program Biodegradation Investigations
• Biodegradation of Emerging Contaminants
• Fate of Landfill Leachate, Norman Municipal Landfill, Norman, Oklahoma
• Sewage Contamination in Sand and Gravel Aquifers, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• Processes that Control the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents
• Microbial Degradation of Chloroethenes in Groundwater Systems
• Application of Molecular Methods in Microbial Ecology to Understand the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents
• Processes Affecting the Natural Attenuation of Fuels in Groundwater
• Crude Oil -- Bemidji, Minnesota
• Fuel Oxygenates -- Laurel Bay, South Carolina
• Gasoline -- Galloway Township, New Jersey [Completed]
• Produced Water -- Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research Project, Oklahoma [Completed]
• Creosote Waste in Ground Water, Pensacola, Florida [Completed]
• Toxics Program Remediation Related Activities
• Biodegradation of Charcoal Production Wastes, Kingsford, Mich.
• Quantifying Subsurface Biodegredation, Norman Municipal Landfill, Norman, Okla.
• Can Trees Clean Up Ground Water? Phytoremediation of Trichloroethene-Contaminated Ground Water at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Tex.
• Natural Attenuation of Wood Preservatives in Ground Water, Pensacola, Fla.
• Natural Aquifer Restoration, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Mass.
• RDX Biodegradation Assessment, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Wash.
• Oxygen-Release Compound Remediation Tests, Laurel Bay, S.C.
• Quantifying Natural Attenuation at the Plume Scale, Galloway Township, N.J. and Laurel Bay, S.C.
• USGS National Research Program Biodegradation Related Projects
• Biogeochemistry of Carbon and Nitrogen in Aquatic Environments
• Chemical Transformations in Water Reclamation and Reuse
• Microbial Biogeochemistry of Aquatic Environments
• Multiphase Contaminant Transport, Reaction and Biodegradation
• Organic Compounds in Near-Surface Environments: Understanding Fate in a Changing Biogeochemical Landscape
• Partitioning of Solutes between Solid and Aqueous Phases
• Subsurface Microbiology Research - Bacteria, Contaminant Interactions
• Bioremediation Activities, USGS Microbiology Research
• Geochemical and Microbial Evidence of Fuel Biodegradation in a Contaminated Karst Aquifer in Southern Kentucky, June 1999

Related Headlines

• Hormones Degrade in the Environment!
• Detergents in Streams May Just Disappear
• Hydrogen Measured in a New Test for Determining Subsurface Microbiological Activity at Contamination Sites
• New Report Presents a Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Monitored Natural Attenuation
• RDX Biodegradation Under Metal-Reducing Conditions
• New Information on the Long-Term Fate of Ammonium in Ground Water
• Microorganisms Degrade MTBE Even at Winter Ground-Water Temperatures
• Does NDMA Biodegrade at Ground-Water Recharge Facilities?
• Ground-Water Recharge Affects Fate of Petroleum Contaminant Plumes
• History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation--A Review
• Using Oxygen to Enhance Biodegradation of Contaminants -- Lessons Learned
• USGS Scientists Contribute to the Landmark "Treatise on Geochemistry"
• A Unique Approach to Evaluating Natural Attenuation is Applied Worldwide
• Landmark Book Published on the Fate of Contaminants in the Environment: Partition and Adsorption of Organic Contaminants in Environmental Systems
• Using Oxygen to Clean Up Ground-Water Contamination
• MTBE Can Degrade Naturally Without Oxygen
• How Do You Clean Up Gasoline Spills Naturally?
• Relying on Nature to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water
• MTBE Biodegrades Naturally in Stream Sediments
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
• Can a Sewage-Contaminated Aquifer Naturally Clean Itself?
• Natural Attenuation of MTBE at Laurel Bay, South Carolina

Other Information on Biodegradation

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Natural Attenuation, CLU-IN, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation
  • Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA), Office of Research and Development
  • Commonly Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Natural Attenuation for Petroleum Contaminated Sites at Federal Facilities
  • Commonly Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Natural Attenuation for Chlorinated Solvent Spills at Federal Facilities
• National Research Council Reports
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
• In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?
• Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup
• Environmental Inquiry - Biodegradation, Cornell University and Penn State University
• Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database, University of Minnesota

References

Leverenz, H., Tchobanoglous, G., and Darby, J.L., 2002, Review of technologies for the onsite treatment of wastewater in California: University of California Davis, Center for Environmental and Water Resources Engineering 02-2. 

National Research Council, 1993, In situ bioremediation--When does it work?: Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 224 p.

National Research Council, 1994, Alternatives for ground water cleanup: Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 315 p. 

Parker, S.P., 1994, Dictionary of scientific and technical terms: McGraw-Hill, 2200 p.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009, Glossary of technical terms: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, access date June 7, 2011. 

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