Left: Lake Maggiore, Italy

In 1776, Alessandro Volta (click here) ran some experiments on combustible air that was reported to him by a friend, Father Carlo Campi. On a little boat in Lake Maggiore he started to poke and stir the bottom of an area covered with reeds. Upon doing this, Volta noticed a lot of air emerging and decided to collect some in a large glass container. Upon analysis of the air he noted that it burned a beautiful blue flame. It wasn't for nearly a century that firm evidence was collected that showed that the methane formation in these habitats was a microbial process.

The discovery of methanogens helped produce the idea for the kingdom Archaeobacteria, that would include methanogens, some extreme halophiles, and some extreme thermophilic sulfur-dependant organisms....

All this over little microscopic organisms. They are little organisms that produce methane, a dangerous tropospheric greenhouse gas. The reactions below are those found in the natural world, in places like swamps and mogs. But, they are also found in a cultivated place called a rice paddy. These are the reactions that need to be interrupted.

Reaction		δ Go (kJ/mol CH4)
1. 4 CH3OH	→ 3 CH4 + CO2 + 2 H20	-106
2. CH3OH +H2	→ CH4 + H2O	-112.5
3. 4 CH3NH2 + 2 H2O	→ 3 CH4 + CO2 + 4 NH3	-76.7
4. 2 (CH3)2NH + 2 H2O	→ 3 CH4 + CO2 + 2 NH3	-74.8
5. 4 (CH3)3N + 6 H2O	→ 9 CH4 + 3 CO2 + 4 NH3	-75.8
6. 2 (CH3)2S + 2 H2O	→ 3 CH4 + CO2 + 2 H2S	-52.1
7. 4 (CH3)SH + 2 H20	→ 3 CH4 + CO2 + 4 H2S	-51
8. (CH3)SH + H2	→ CH4 +H2S	-69.3
9. 4 H2 + CO2	→ CH4 + 2 H2O	-130.4
10. CH3COO- + H+	→ CH4 + CO2	-36
11. 4 CO + 2 H20	→ CH4 + 3 CO2	-211