It’s that time of year again—the holiday season! And although most people are thinking about Christmas decoration or planning the New Year’s Eve menu, here at M4BG, we’re celebrating by reflecting on all we accomplished this year.
We've already mentioned them in previous blogs, but we never get tired of talking about the Darwinibacteriales, a new taxonomic order of bacteria that collaborates with archaea in generating methane. Our little microbes became quite famous, hogging all the headlines and having quite a bit of press coverage. And we've already put them to work in Aras de los Olmos, the Spanish town working towards energy independence by using renewable sources. Our partners at Aras have launched the bioaugmentation tests with two biodigesters to analyse how Darwinibacteriales can improve the quality of the biogas produced.
To explain this experiment and evaluate how crucial these tiny players are, we hosted an online panel discussion with some incredible microbiologists as our guests. Have you heard it yet? You can add it to your podcast list and listen to it while doing your Christmas shopping or stay cozy on the sofa and watch the YouTube video here.
Another rewarding part of this year was talking about the importance of renewable energy to the toughest audience of all: kids! We participated in conferences and outreach activities for little ones, like the European Researchers' Night in Madrid, where we taught kids as young as toddlers about the importance of renewables and how biogas is produced from waste or poop to light up their city.
There was also time for the experts to gather, as we met up in Dresden, Germany, for our 3rd Annual Meeting. It was a great opportunity to share impressions and results about our project, connect with partners who have become friends over the years, and discuss all the advancements in the biogas world.
And our last surprise under the Christmas tree: we just published an ebook last month! It’s called “The Anaerobic Microverse: An In-Depth Roadmap on AD Plant Operations, Microbiome Innovation, and Economic Impact,” and it covers the latest discoveries in microbial science and engineering for biogas. Probably the season's best-seller!
As for 2025, we can only expect more good things! We can't share much yet, but as a little sneak peek, there will be another panel discussion on energy independence in small towns across Europe. Plus, we're in the process of developing an e-learning platform with the entire M4BG consortium. Soon, everything there is to know about biogas will be accessible, clear, and visual—all in one place. So, no worries if Santa Claus didn’t bring all the gifts you wanted; we've got you covered!
Happy holidays, everyone!
