[Activity of methane-oxidizing bacteria in the adsorbed state]

Adsorption of pure cultures of methane oxidizing bacteria, Methylosinus trichosporium 20 and Methylococcus ucrainicus 21, on glass and coal was studied; the former strain was sorbed on both sorbents, the latter strain was sorbed on coal but not on glass. The rate of methane oxidation by the cells of adsorbed microorganisms was higher than in the case of free cells, and increased with a decrease in dimensions of the sorbent particles.