Biological conversion of methane to chemicals and fuels: technical challenges and issues

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 102; no. 7; pp. 3071 - 3080
• Main Authors: Hwang, In Yeub, Nguyen, Anh Duc, Nguyen, Thu Thi, Nguyen, Linh Thanh, Lee, Ok Kyung, Lee, Eun Yeol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bioconversion; Biofuels; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Biotransformation; Chemical properties; Chemicals; Climate change; Fuels; Global warming; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Industrial Microbiology - standards; Industrial Microbiology - trends; Life Sciences; Liquid fuels; Metabolic Engineering; Methane; Methane - chemistry; Methane - metabolism; Methanotrophic bacteria; Methods; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Mini-Review; Physiological aspects; Raw materials; Metabolic engineering; Methane bioconversion; Methanotrophs; Synthetic methanotrophy
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8842-7

Methane is a promising next-generation carbon feedstock for industrial biotechnology due to its low price and huge availability. Biological conversion of methane to valuable products can mitigate methane-induced global warming as greenhouse gas. There have been challenges for the conversion of methane into various chemicals and fuels using engineered non-native hosts with synthetic methanotrophy or methanotrophs with the reconstruction of synthetic pathways for target products. Herein, we analyze the technical challenges and issues of potent methane bioconversion technology. Pros and cons of metabolic engineering of methanotrophs for methane bioconversion, and perspectives on the bioconversion of methane to chemicals and liquid fuels are discussed.