Methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), is involved in a number of chemical and physical processes in the earth’s atmosphere, including global warming. In the global CH4 cycle, substantial amount of CH4 is consumed by biological processes. The only known biological sink for atmospheric CH4 is its oxidation
in aerobic soils by methanotrophs or methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), which can contribute up to 15% to the total global CH4 destruction.