Microbial Solutions
Abstract Microbes can help to reduce fossil fuel use, minimize the release of methane and nitrous oxide, and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Biomethane made by archaea is an important fuel source in many developing countries, while ethanol made by yeast makes up 10 percent or more of fuel...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University PressNew York
2024
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197688564.003.0009 https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/58157829/oso-9780197688564-chapter-9.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract Microbes can help to reduce fossil fuel use, minimize the release of methane and nitrous oxide, and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Biomethane made by archaea is an important fuel source in many developing countries, while ethanol made by yeast makes up 10 percent or more of fuel used in cars in the United States and elsewhere. Inhibiting methanogenesis could reduce methane emissions from cattle and rice cultivation. Environmental microbiome engineering may lower nitrogen fertilizer use and release of nitrous oxide. Several strategies for taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, known as negative emissions, rely on bacteria and fungi to form soil organic matter. One geoengineering scheme is to fertilize the Southern Ocean with iron to strengthen the biological pump and draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide. These possible solutions illustrate why understanding and solving today’s most important environmental problem, climate change, depends on microbes. |
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