Methanotrophs are a special type of organism that uses methane as a way to create energy. These organisms are what is going to make my project stand out. With the help of a special enzyme, called methane monooxygenase, methanotrophs are able to "digest" methane with this enzyme. While researching these organisms I made sure to determine which would be optimal for creating Clean Culture. the attached document are notes that i had taken on different types of methanotrophs that are available. Meeting with Mr. Bates, one of my mentors who was previously a biology teacher, helped me to fully understand what was best for my project. That is why there is a star next to Type I, we determined that it was going to be ideal. At the bottom of the document there is something that explains how methane monooxygenase converts methane into either biomass or CO2. When the organism converts methane into CO2 then it also creates usable energy. Lastly the page has two different kinds of methane monooxygenase, a soluble version and a membrane bound version. The soluble version creates NADH which is an energy-filled molecule that the organism can use, but it is unknown what the membrane version makes for there hasn't been enough research on the type.
