Isolation and characterization of novel methanotrophs from peatland soil

This project focuses on isolating and characterizing novel methanotrophic bacteria from peatland soil, which play a crucial role in methane consumption. We enriched methanotrophs using a Nitrogen Mineral Salts (NMS) medium with 10% methane, followed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate individual strains. After PCR and Sanger sequencing, the cleanest strains were cultured in larger volumes and subjected to whole genome sequencing.The goal is to understand the genetic basis of methane oxidation in these bacteria, which could contribute to climate change mitigation by developing sustainable methods for methane capture and oxidation.