Methane production in a more saline world

Hypersaline environments are an important component of the Earth?s methane-generating capacity, and salinisation of land is a rampant problem, hence the need to investigate the influence of salinity on methane-producing and consuming microbes. Although a potent greenhouse gas, methane can also be harnessed as a fuel. With increasing pressure on freshwater resources, interest is growing in using marine waters in waste-treatment processes, e.g., sewage treatment. Also many waste streams are hypersaline, e.g., olive mill waste. These factors, coupled with the value of methane as a fuel generated from biological waste, should drive a research effort to better understand the effects of salinity on this important global process.