Climate Protection from the Reactor
From the outside, it’s just a glass vessel with a few tubes. But inside the reactor, something is happening that drives young engineer Buse: the transformation of an invisible climate killer. This report explores what she hopes to achieve with her research and how she’s gaining self-confidence in the process.
Buse leans over the small reactor, where methanotrophic bacteria will soon be active. Everything is still in test mode. But for the master’s student in process engineering, this glass cylinder is more than just an experimental setup. It’s her contribution to a cleaner world. “I want to leave behind something that really helps,” she says.
Winters Without Snow
Buse’s journey into this field began on the streets of her hometown in Turkey. More specifically: on streets without snow. “I didn’t see any snow for two winters in a row. That got me thinking.”
She began reading—about climate change and greenhouse gases. That’s when she came across methane. A gas produced during decomposition processes whose impact on the climate is 28 times greater than that of CO₂. And so she told herself, “I’m an engineer, after all, so I can do something about it.”
"If I can't stop it, then I at least want to mitigate it."
Capturing and Neutralizing Methane
The idea for her master’s thesis was born. Buse wants to find out how she can neutralize methane with the help of microorganisms—by converting it into CO₂. “I know CO₂ is still a greenhouse gas,” she says, “but it’s much less harmful than methane. And I want to show that we can use this gas instead of just letting it escape.”
So-called methanotrophic bacteria—microorganisms that use methane as an energy source and convert it into CO₂ and biomass—are helping her do this. They grow in a controlled environment: the airlift bioreactor.
Nature’s Talents at Work
Buse is working with three environmental samples: from a composting facility, a landfill, and a wastewater treatment plant. Large amounts of methane are produced in these environments—and they contain a natural diversity of methanotrophic bacteria.
“I didn’t want to buy cultured bacteria. I want to find out which microorganisms from nature can do this.” To do this, she isolates the methanotrophic bacteria from the samples—a labor-intensive process that involves weeding out unwanted microbes. Only the bacteria that actually utilize methane are allowed into the reactor.
Methane into CO₂—and then what?
In the next step, the methane is fed into the reactor. Buse regularly measures how much methane goes in and how much CO₂ comes out. If the difference is large enough, she knows the bacteria are working.
If the method works, companies that produce methane as a byproduct—for example, in agriculture or waste management—could specifically convert this gas into CO₂ and thus reduce climate damage. In the long term, conversion into bioplastics might even become possible.
A New Beginning in Offenburg
Buse’s master's degree program is offered in both Poland and Germany. She had the choice of staying in Offenburg for her master's degree or completing it in Poland. “I wanted to settle somewhere. Not start over again. That’s why I stayed in Offenburg.” Buse appreciates the research environment, the openness, and the collaboration in the lab.
Yet her start was anything but easy. Once again, she had to settle into a new country, learn a new language, and understand her advisor’s expectations. “That wasn’t easy, because his standards were high,” Buse recalls. “I asked myself: Can I even do this? Am I good enough to see a project like this through?”
“If I can learn it, then I can do it”
Buse speaks openly about how she first had to believe in herself to take this path. She was no stranger to research, but she knew that a project like this meant a lot of personal responsibility—and sometimes loneliness in the lab. But at some point, it clicked. And from that moment on, she says, she was able to start truly taking responsibility and thinking the project through on her own.
What helped her? Her bike. After a long day in the lab, she simply hops on her bike, puts on her headphones, and rides home. The exercise and the feeling of freedom help her clear her head again.
And what if she loses her motivation? “Then I tell myself: Just open your laptop and read some literature. Then I feel a little stronger again. I realize then: I don’t know everything yet, but I can learn something. And if I can learn it, then I can do it.”
Bus’s Future as an Engineer
After finishing her master’s thesis, she plans to stay and find a job. “Here in Germany, for the first time, I really feel like an engineer. Maybe someday I’ll go back to Turkey—with a lot of experience and self-confidence, and the feeling that I can make a difference.”
Just like Buse, you, too, can turn your passion into a career with us and change the world. Learn more about our degree programs and find the path that’s right for you.