Methanolate microorganism inhabiting in the sea at great depths, able to degrade crude oil to carbon dioxide and methane. To such conclusion the German scientists. Now researchers are using this discovery, we want to start the reverse process — the processing of methane in the oil.

  • Submersible apparatus for sampling at oil filters in the Gulf of Mexico
  • © MARUM / Center for Marine Environmental Sciences

Scientists from the Institute of marine Microbiology, the Society for scientific studies of the max Planck (Germany) found that living in the sea at great depths microorganism methanolate (Methanoliparia) is able without the participation of bacteria to degrade crude oil to methane and carbon dioxide. This writes the journal mBio.

Methanolate one of the most primitive single-celled organisms known as archaea. That archaea involved in decomposition of complex organic compounds, scientists knew before, but until now it was thought that these processes involve bacteria.

Experts have collected samples of bottom sediments from the Gulf of Mexico from a depth of 3 km where there is a natural seepage of oil and natural gas in sea water. Then they studied detected in these samples microorganisms, including methanolate. The analysis showed that methanolate releases enzymes which decompose crude oil, and then using other enzymes converts the simple hydrocarbons to methane.

  • Attached to the drop of oil cells Methanoliparia
  • © Max Planck / Institute for Marine Microbiology

Study author Gunter Wegener describes methanolate as a “composite creature.” The fact that some close relatives of this microorganism is able to degrade complex hydrocarbons to more simple, processed other simple hydrocarbons to methane. And methanolate, as it turned out, to cope with both tasks and decompose the oil, and synthesizes methane.

“Observation under a microscope showed that the cells of meteliai attached to the drops of oil. We didn’t find any sign that they require the assistance of other archaea and bacteria,” says Wegener.

The researchers found that methanolate found on offshore oil fields worldwide. It was also found that outside the oil deposits of the microorganism is not living. Therefore, scientists suggest that methanolate plays a key role in the conversion of oil into methane. Methane is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, scientists estimate that the effect of its release into the atmosphere is 25 times stronger than the emission of the same amount of carbon dioxide.

Now researchers are working to obtain a strain of methanolate in an artificial environment. If this project proves successful, will begin a deeper study of the microorganism, and potential ways of its application. The most promising may be the opening of the reverse process of synthesis — processing methane in the oil.