Methanogenic degradation of branched alkanes in enrichment cultures of production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir

Jing Chen; Yi Fan Liu; Lei Zhou; Serge Maurice Mbadinga; Tao Yang; Jing Zhou; Jin Feng Liu; Shi Zhong Yang; Ji Dong Gu; Bo Zhong Mu

doi:10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1

Methanogenic degradation of branched alkanes in enrichment cultures of production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir

Jing Chen, Yi Fan Liu, Lei Zhou, Serge Maurice Mbadinga, Tao Yang, Jing Zhou, Jin Feng Liu, Shi Zhong Yang, Ji Dong Gu, Bo Zhong Mu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Branched alkanes are important constituents of crude oil and are usually regarded as resistant to microbial degradation, resulting in little knowledge of biochemical processes involved in anaerobic branched alkanes biodegradation. Here, we initiated an incubation study by amendment of iso-C9 (2-methyl, 3-methyl, and 4-methyloctane) as substrates for methanogenic degradation in production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir. Over an incubation period of 367 days, significant methanogenesis was observed in samples amended with these branched alkanes. The strong methanogenic activity only observed in iso-C9 amendments suggested the presence of microbial transformation from iso-alkanes into methane. GC-MS-based examination of the original production water identified an intermediate tentatively to be iso-C9-like alkylsuccinate, but was not detected in the enrichment cultures, combined with the successful amplification of assA functional gene in inoculating samples, revealing the ability of anaerobic biodegradation of iso-C9 via fumarate addition pathway. Microorganisms affiliated with members of the Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and methanogens of genus Methanothermobacter spp. were highly enriched in samples amended with iso-C9. The co-occurrence of known syntrophic acetate oxidizers Thermoacetogenium spp. and Methanothermobacter spp. (known hydrogenotrophic methanogens) indicates a potential syntrophic acetate oxidation associated with the methanogenic biodegradation of iso-C9. These results provide some useful information on the potential biodegradation of branched alkanes via methanogenesis and also suggest that branched alkanes are likely activated via fumarate addition in high-temperature petroleum reservoirs.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2391-2401
Number of pages	11
Journal	Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Volume	103
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1
State	Published - 1 Mar 2019
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Alkylsuccinate
High-temperature petroleum reservoir
Methanogenic degradation
assA gene
iso-Alkanes or branched alkanes

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10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1

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title = "Methanogenic degradation of branched alkanes in enrichment cultures of production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir",

abstract = "Branched alkanes are important constituents of crude oil and are usually regarded as resistant to microbial degradation, resulting in little knowledge of biochemical processes involved in anaerobic branched alkanes biodegradation. Here, we initiated an incubation study by amendment of iso-C9 (2-methyl, 3-methyl, and 4-methyloctane) as substrates for methanogenic degradation in production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir. Over an incubation period of 367 days, significant methanogenesis was observed in samples amended with these branched alkanes. The strong methanogenic activity only observed in iso-C9 amendments suggested the presence of microbial transformation from iso-alkanes into methane. GC-MS-based examination of the original production water identified an intermediate tentatively to be iso-C9-like alkylsuccinate, but was not detected in the enrichment cultures, combined with the successful amplification of assA functional gene in inoculating samples, revealing the ability of anaerobic biodegradation of iso-C9 via fumarate addition pathway. Microorganisms affiliated with members of the Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and methanogens of genus Methanothermobacter spp. were highly enriched in samples amended with iso-C9. The co-occurrence of known syntrophic acetate oxidizers Thermoacetogenium spp. and Methanothermobacter spp. (known hydrogenotrophic methanogens) indicates a potential syntrophic acetate oxidation associated with the methanogenic biodegradation of iso-C9. These results provide some useful information on the potential biodegradation of branched alkanes via methanogenesis and also suggest that branched alkanes are likely activated via fumarate addition in high-temperature petroleum reservoirs.",

keywords = "Alkylsuccinate, High-temperature petroleum reservoir, Methanogenic degradation, assA gene, iso-Alkanes or branched alkanes",

author = "Jing Chen and Liu, {Yi Fan} and Lei Zhou and Mbadinga, {Serge Maurice} and Tao Yang and Jing Zhou and Liu, {Jin Feng} and Yang, {Shi Zhong} and Gu, {Ji Dong} and Mu, {Bo Zhong}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.",

year = "2019",

month = mar,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1",

language = "英语",

volume = "103",

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T1 - Methanogenic degradation of branched alkanes in enrichment cultures of production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir

AU - Chen, Jing

AU - Liu, Yi Fan

AU - Zhou, Lei

AU - Mbadinga, Serge Maurice

AU - Yang, Tao

AU - Zhou, Jing

AU - Liu, Jin Feng

AU - Yang, Shi Zhong

AU - Gu, Ji Dong

AU - Mu, Bo Zhong

PY - 2019/3/1

Y1 - 2019/3/1

N2 - Branched alkanes are important constituents of crude oil and are usually regarded as resistant to microbial degradation, resulting in little knowledge of biochemical processes involved in anaerobic branched alkanes biodegradation. Here, we initiated an incubation study by amendment of iso-C9 (2-methyl, 3-methyl, and 4-methyloctane) as substrates for methanogenic degradation in production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir. Over an incubation period of 367 days, significant methanogenesis was observed in samples amended with these branched alkanes. The strong methanogenic activity only observed in iso-C9 amendments suggested the presence of microbial transformation from iso-alkanes into methane. GC-MS-based examination of the original production water identified an intermediate tentatively to be iso-C9-like alkylsuccinate, but was not detected in the enrichment cultures, combined with the successful amplification of assA functional gene in inoculating samples, revealing the ability of anaerobic biodegradation of iso-C9 via fumarate addition pathway. Microorganisms affiliated with members of the Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and methanogens of genus Methanothermobacter spp. were highly enriched in samples amended with iso-C9. The co-occurrence of known syntrophic acetate oxidizers Thermoacetogenium spp. and Methanothermobacter spp. (known hydrogenotrophic methanogens) indicates a potential syntrophic acetate oxidation associated with the methanogenic biodegradation of iso-C9. These results provide some useful information on the potential biodegradation of branched alkanes via methanogenesis and also suggest that branched alkanes are likely activated via fumarate addition in high-temperature petroleum reservoirs.

AB - Branched alkanes are important constituents of crude oil and are usually regarded as resistant to microbial degradation, resulting in little knowledge of biochemical processes involved in anaerobic branched alkanes biodegradation. Here, we initiated an incubation study by amendment of iso-C9 (2-methyl, 3-methyl, and 4-methyloctane) as substrates for methanogenic degradation in production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir. Over an incubation period of 367 days, significant methanogenesis was observed in samples amended with these branched alkanes. The strong methanogenic activity only observed in iso-C9 amendments suggested the presence of microbial transformation from iso-alkanes into methane. GC-MS-based examination of the original production water identified an intermediate tentatively to be iso-C9-like alkylsuccinate, but was not detected in the enrichment cultures, combined with the successful amplification of assA functional gene in inoculating samples, revealing the ability of anaerobic biodegradation of iso-C9 via fumarate addition pathway. Microorganisms affiliated with members of the Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and methanogens of genus Methanothermobacter spp. were highly enriched in samples amended with iso-C9. The co-occurrence of known syntrophic acetate oxidizers Thermoacetogenium spp. and Methanothermobacter spp. (known hydrogenotrophic methanogens) indicates a potential syntrophic acetate oxidation associated with the methanogenic biodegradation of iso-C9. These results provide some useful information on the potential biodegradation of branched alkanes via methanogenesis and also suggest that branched alkanes are likely activated via fumarate addition in high-temperature petroleum reservoirs.

KW - Alkylsuccinate

KW - High-temperature petroleum reservoir

KW - Methanogenic degradation

KW - assA gene

KW - iso-Alkanes or branched alkanes

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U2 - 10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1

DO - 10.1007/s00253-018-09574-1

M3 - 文章

C2 - 30610291

AN - SCOPUS:85059692164

SN - 0175-7598

VL - 103

SP - 2391

EP - 2401

JO - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

IS - 5

ER -

Methanogenic degradation of branched alkanes in enrichment cultures of production water from a high-temperature petroleum reservoir

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