Methane-eating microbes grown on electrodes build electrically conductive nanowires

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Researchers found that methane-consuming archaea produce electrically conductive nanowires to transmit electricity generated as they consume methane. The team also succeeded in cultivating the microorganisms in nearly pure form in the laboratory, a step that may support further study of their potential applications.

Certain microorganisms (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, or ANME) consume methane and convert it into electricity, as research conducted four years ago by microbiologist Cornelia Welte of Radboud University revealed. New research by Welte and her colleagues published in Nature Communications now shows that these methane-consuming organisms do this by producing nanowires through which they can transmit the electricity they generate. The researchers have also succeeded in cultivating these specific microorganisms in almost pure form in the lab.