Vocabulary
an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CO2H
acetic acid
The first step to creating methane; specific enzymes break apart the fuel part of the garbage/manure
hydrolysis
acidic or basic
A substance that speeds up a given chemical reaction by lowering its activation energy without itself being used up
Bacteria are microscopic living organisms that have only one ________
cell
anoxic
The second step of methane production; bacteria and enzymes break apart the carbohydrates into products
fermentation
This is considered neutral on the pH scale
water (pH = 7)
All chemical reactions start with these
reactants
Bacteria that are this, grow best in relatively high temperatures (between 45 and 122C)
thermophilic
large biological molecules responsible for the thousands of chemical interconversions that sustain life.
Enzyme
The third step of methane production; the byproducts of fermentation are converted into acetate and carbon dioxides
acetogenesis
Any substance with a pH of less than 7 is considered _________
acidic
All chemical reactions end with these (the same as the answer to a multiplication problem)
products
Bacteria that grow best at moderate temperatures (between 25 and 40C)
mesophilic
In most environments, it is the final step in the decomposition of biomass.
Methanogenesis
The final step of methane production; bacteria convert acetate into methane and the methane gas is released as a byproduct
methanogenesis
You can test for pH with a pH meter or this more common tool.
test strip
This is the breaking of chemical bonds by the addition of water
hydrolysis
The gut or intestinal tract of most animals and humans is populated with about 99% this type of bacteria
anaerobic
the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos.
Benthic Zone
Natural producers of methane, cows belong to this group, all of which digest their food through a complex process that produces methane, which is released through belching
ruminants
Toothpaste, which we use to brush our teeth every day, has a pH of
9
The enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a chemical bond
hydrolase
Almost this number of different species of bacteria perform a wide array of functions within the digestive tract
500