Re: [DIYbio] Re: DIY Anaerobe Jar? Is it possible?

On Wednesday, March 21, 2012 4:46:39 PM UTC-4, Stephen Fortune wrote:

I need to use an anaerobic jar to grow a particularly difficult to culture strain of methanogen. They are completely anaerobic.

It seems to me you could de-gas your growth media by putting it under a vacuum for a while.  Then purge with argon, tanks of which you can get at most welding places.   After inoculating, you could purge the head space of your culture tubes (or whatever) with argon coming through a 0.2 micron filter, then perhaps, if your microbes can stand it, add a little bit of ascorbic acid to the media to scavenge any remaining oxygen.  If I remember correctly, about 25 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 ml of water should do the trick.  

It sounds like you're not so much interested in making methane as you are in trying to automate human fart production.  True?

Be careful: just because it's a gas being made by microbes does not mean it's somehow safe because it's natural.  Methane is methane no matter where it comes from, so the stuff can blow up in your face, burn down your house, or sear your eyeballs.  Once it combines with air, it will be an explosive mixture.  

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