[Microbiological oxidation of methane in the stratal waters of the Lower Volgian]

Methanotrophic bacteria are rather widely distributed in bed waters of oil and gas deposits in the Nizhneye Povolzhye. Their number reaches 250 cells per 1 ml of water. However, bacterial methane oxidation is active only in waters whose redox potential exceeds +250 mV. In a number of cases, microbial methane oxidation is limited by the absence of oxygen from bed waters. If air is added to samples of such water, methane dissolved in the water is oxidized by microorganisms at a high rate (2--451 X 10(-4) cm3 of methane per litre of water per day).