[Effect of gas mixture component composition on the process of hard materials colonization by methanotrophic bacteria].

A device has been proposed which allows decreasing a possibility to contaminate the inoculum of methane-using bacteria (methanotrophs) under its growing. The gas mixture composition has been investigated for the intensity of grass and polysterene colonization by two species of methanotrophs: Methylococcus capsulatus UCM B-3030, possessing hydrophilic surface and hydrophobic Methylocystis parvus UKM B-3490T. It has been shown that immobilized methanotrophic bacteria can colonize the above materials in the wide range of methane and oxygen concentrations in gas mixture. The process of hard materials colonization was most intensive when the mixture contained 17-28% of methane and 5-28% of oxygen. No essential differences have been registered under colonization of hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (polysterene) materials by the both cultures.