Generation of materials with enhanced hydrogen content from microbial consortia including thermotoga
A microbial consortia for biogenically increasing the hydrogen content of a carbonaceous source material, where the consortia includes a first microbial consortium to metabolize the carbonaceous source material into one or more first intermediate hydrocarbons, a second microbial consortium, which includes one or more species of Thermotoga microorganisms, to convert the first intermediate hydrocarbons into one or more second intermediate hydrocarbons and oxidized carbon. and a third microbial consortium to convert the second intermediate hydrocarbons into one or more smaller hydrocarbons and water, where the smaller hydrocarbons have a greater mol. % hydrogen than the carbonaceous source material.
1 . An isolated microbial consortia comprising:
a first microbial consortium capable of converting large and/or complex hydrocarbons into a product comprising one or more first intermediate hydrocarbons;
a second microbial consortium, comprising one or more species of Thermotoga, capable of converting one or more of the first intermediate hydrocarbons into a product comprising one or more second intermediate hydrocarbons and one or more molecules comprising oxidized carbon; and
a third microbial consortium capable of converting one or more of the second intermediate hydrocarbons into a product comprising one or more smaller hydrocarbons and water, wherein the smaller hydrocarbons have a greater mol. % hydrogen than the large and/or complex hydrocarbons.
2 . The isolated microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the large and/or complex hydrocarbons are those of a carbonaceous source material, optionally selected from the group consisting of coal, oil, kerogen, peat, lignite, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and tar.
3 . The isolated microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein said product comprises one or more first intermediate hydrocarbons contains a molecule selected from the group consisting of an organic acid, an alcohol, an amine, a straight or branched hydrocarbon, and an aromatic hydrocarbon.
4 . The isolated microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the product comprising one or more second intermediate hydrocarbons contains a molecule selected from the group consisting of formate, acetate, and benzoate.
5 . The isolated microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the one or more smaller hydrocarbons comprises methane.
6 . The isolated microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the molecules comprising oxidized carbon comprise CO and CO 2 .
7 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the microbial consortia comprises bacteria.
8 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the microbial consortia comprises archaea.
9 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first, second, or third microbial consortium comprise one or more obligate anaerobic microorganism or facultative anaerobic microorganism or microaerophiles.
10 . The microbial consortia of claim 9 , wherein each of the first, second, and third microbial consortium comprise one or more obligate anaerobic microorganism or facultative anaerobic microorganism or microaerophiles.
11 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the second microbial consortium comprises bacteria of a genus selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas, Gelria, and Moorella.
12 . The microbial consortia of claim 11 , wherein the species of Pseudomonas microorganism comprises Pseudomonas stutzeri.
13 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the first microbial consortium comprises bacteria of a genus selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Geobacillus, and Clostridia.
14 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the species of Thermotoga is selected from the group consisting of Thermotoga hypogea, Thermotoga lettingae, Thermotoga subterranean, Thermotoga elfii, Thermotoga martima, Thermotoga neapolitana, Thermotoga thernarum, and Thermotoga petrophila.
15 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the second microbial consortium comprises Thermoacetogenium phaeum.
16 . The microbial consortia of claim 1 , wherein the third microbial consortium comprises bacteria of the genus Methanobacter.
17 . The microbial consortia of claim 16 , wherein the third microbial consortium comprises bacteria selected from the group consisting of Methanobacter thermoautotorophicus, and Methanobacter wolfeii.
18 . An isolated microbial consortia for biogenically producing methane from a larger hydrocarbon, the consortia comprising:
a first microbial consortium to convert a larger hydrocarbon into a product containing one or more intermediate hydrocarbon compounds;
a second microbial consortium, comprising one or more species of Thermotoga, to convert the intermediate carbon compounds into a product comprising carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen; and
a third microbial consortium to convert the carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen into methane and water.
19 . The microbial consortia of claim 18 , wherein the species of Thermotoga is selected from the group consisting of Thermotoga hypogea, Thermotoga lettingae, Thermotoga subterranean, Thermotoga elfii, Thermotoga martima, Thermotoga neapolitana, Thermotoga thernarum, and Thermotoga petrophila.
20 . The microbial consortia of claim 18 , wherein the first microbial consortium comprises a first group of microorganisms capable of converting the larger hydrocarbon into a product comprising intermediate organic compounds, and a second group of microorganisms capable of converting the intermediate organic compounds into a product comprising smaller organic compounds.
21 . The microbial consortia of claim 18 , wherein the intermediate organic compounds comprise aromatic compounds.
22 . The microbial consortia of claim 20 , wherein the product comprising smaller organic compounds includes a molecule selected from the group consisting of formate, acetate, benzoate, an alcohols, and an organic acids.
23 . The microbial consortia of claim 18 , wherein the larger hydrocarbon is present in crude oil or coal.
24 . The microbial consortia of claim 18 , wherein the larger hydrocarbon is present in a subsurface geological formation.
25 . The microbial consortia of claim 24 , wherein the subsurface geological formation is selected from the group consisting of an oil formation, a natural gas formation, a coal formation, a bitumen formation, a tar sands formation, a lignite formation, a peat formation, a carbonaceous shale formation, and a formation comprising sediments rich in organic matter.
26 . Isolated microbial consortia for anaerobic production of methane from a larger hydrocarbon, the consortia comprising:
a first microbial consortium, comprising one or more species of Thermotoga , to convert the larger hydrocarbon to form a product comprising smaller hydrocarbons; and
a second microbial consortium to convert at least a portion of the smaller hydrocarbons to form a product comprising acetate;
a third microbial consortium to convert said acetate to form methane and water.
27 . The microbial consortia of claim 26 , wherein the species of Thermotoga is selected from the group consisting of Thermotoga hypogea, Thermotoga lettingae, Thermotoga subterranean, Thermotoga elfii, Thermotoga martima, Thermotoga neapolitana, Thermotoga thernarum, and Thermotoga petrophila.
28 . The microbial consortia of claim 26 , wherein the third microbial consortium comprises a first group of microorganisms that convert acetate into carbon dioxide and free hydrogen, and a second group of microorganisms that convert the carbon dioxide and free hydrogen into methane and water.