Microbial formation of ethane in anoxic estuarine sediments.

Estuarine sediment slurries produced methane and traces of ethane when incubated under hydrogen. Formation of methane occurred over a broad temperature range with an optimum above 65 degrees C. Ethane formation had a temperature optimum at 40 degrees C. Formation of these two gases was inhibited by air, autoclaving, incubation at 4 and 80 degrees C, and by the methanogenic inhibitor, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. Ethane production was stimulated by addition of ethylthioethanesulfonic acid, and production from ethylthioethanesulfonic acid was blocked by 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. A highly purified enrichment culture of a methanogenic bacterium obtained from sediments produced traces of ethane from ethylthioethanesulfonic acid. These results indicate that the small quantities of ethane found in anaerobic sediments can be formed by certain methanogenic bacteria.