Metabolism of carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is the most abundant atmospheric pollutant released by our technological society. The gas is also a natural by-product of different mammalian, plant and bacterial cell systems. This review describes a few of these cellular CO-evolving activities as part of a natural biological cycle, which ultimately depends upon certain bacteria to oxidize CO to carbon dioxide. Most microbes oxidize CO adventitiously, or accidentally, but one cell can use the gas as its sole energy substrate for growth. The ability of this microorganism to form efficiently both H₂ and CO₂ from CO released by industrial coal gasification procedures is suggested.