Summary
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1.
Certain methane bacteria appeared to be able to convert part of the higher alkanes in some heavy paraffinous crude oils to methane and carbon dioxide according to the equation: 4 (CH2)+2 H2O=3 CH4+CO2.
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2.
Bacteria with this ability were found in the sludge from a waste liquor settling pond of a strawboard mill.
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3.
No methane fermentation occurred with a light paraffinous crude unless it had been topped to 200°C. This is ascribed to a toxic action of the aromatics in the gasoline fraction.
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4.
A more vigorous fermentation occurred with paraffin wax, leading to a notable conversion of the wax to CH4 and CO2 in the course of a few years.
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5.
Iso-alkanes from was were fermented more slowly than n-alkanes, while pure hexadecane was not fermented.
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Muller, F.M. On methane fermentation of higher alkanes. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 23, 369–384 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02545890
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02545890