Previously unknown microbe turns food waste into energy

When 115,000 tons of food waste hit Surrey's processing facility each year, an invisible army goes to work – billions of microbes convert everything from banana peels to leftover pizza into renewable natural gas (RNG).

Now, UBC researchers have identified a previously unknown bacterium in the Natronincolaceae family that plays a crucial role in this process. RNG is produced when organic waste from landfills, farms and wastewater plants breaks down. The resulting gas is captured, cleaned and upgraded into usable energy.

Here's how it works. Inside an anaerobic digester, bacteria first break food scraps into simple compounds like fatty acids, amino acids, and sugars. Other microbes turn these into organic acids, such as acetic acid – essentially vinegar. Methane-producing organisms then feed on the acetic acid to make methane, which is refined into RNG. The newly discovered microbe is one of these critical methane producers.

"Converting waste to methane is a cooperative process involving multiple interacting microbes," explained Dr. Steven Hallam, a professor in UBC's department of microbiology and immunology and a co-author on the paper. "This newly identified bacterium is one of the key players making it happen."

Image source: FortisBC.