How is Methane Made?
Methane is made by anaerobic bacteria, which are one of the oldest life forms on earth! Before our earth had green plants, there was not much oxygen in our atmosphere. Anaerobic bacteria could survive because they could live without oxygen. They break down or digest organic material and produce gas as a waste product. This gas waste product is the natural gas we find today. Some methane was made by anaerobic bacteria millions of years ago. An example of this is the natural gas that gas exploration companies drill for. Methane is also created every day by anaerobic bacteria. You may walk by a swamp and not know it, but methane may be leaking out! The digestive system of any cow has methane in it!
