The Fermentation and Microbiology (FMB) department of Shell Research Centre in Sittingbourne was a leader in the development of single cell protein (SCP) production from methane and methanol in the 1970's. This updated presentation lists virtually all of the publications from the Shell scientists engaged at that time in the development of a single cell protein production process using methane and methanol as the carbon feedstocks. Their main focus was growing Methylococcus capsulatus in continuous culture on methane.

1. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN
FROM METHANE AND
METHANOL
PAPERS FROM STAFF OF THE FERMENTATION AND
MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SHELL
RESEARCH CENTRE, SITTINGBOURNE
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2. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN
FROM METHANE AND
METHANOL
Research into the production of
single-cell protein from methane
and methanol was carried out by
scientists at Shell Research Centre
in Sittingbourne, Kent, UK from
1965 to 1978
2
1974 – Shell announces “…a technique for producing SCP directly
from natural gas (methane) has been successfully operated in a
300 litre fermentation plant by Shell scientists at the Sittingbourne
Research Centre in Britain.”
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3. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM METHANE
AND METHANOL
Shell’s research into the development of a process for producing
microbial Single Cell Protein from C1 compounds centred on the use of
continuous cultures of Methylococcus capsulatus growing on methane
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4. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND METHANOL
4
Shell’s pioneering research into the growth of
continuous cultures of Methyloccus capsulatus on
methane paved the way for three independent
commercial SCP ventures in more recent times:
• Statoil Norferm – product tradename “Bioprotein”
• UniBio – product tradename “UniProtein “
• Calysta – product tradename “Feedkind “
All three ventures run continuous cultures of Methylococcus
capsulatus on methane to produce SCP – as pioneered at a
pilot scale by Shell in 1970’s
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5. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM METHANE
AND METHANOL
A Timeline of SCP research at Shell Research Centre in Sittingbourne
1965-1971 – info kindly supplied by Geoff Hamer
• 1965 – Dr. Doug Ribbons starts researching SCP production from methane in the
Milstead Laboratory of Chemical Enzymology at Shell Research Centre in
Sittingbourne, UK
• 1968 – Dr. Geoff Hamer from the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm) replaces Doug
Ribbons and continues the supervision of Tim Wilkinson’s Ph. D work on SCP from
methane in the Milstead laboratory. Lord Victor Rothschild, Shell’s worldwide Head
of Research, authorises the establishment of a specialist Fermentation and
Microbiology laboratory at Sittingbourne.
• 1969-70 – Dr. Hamer directs the building and staffing of the “Borden” Fermentation
& Microbiology Laboratory at Shell Research Centre Sittingbourne
• 1970 – Dr. John Norris (Lab Director ), Dr David Harrison, Dr. Harshad Topiwala and
Dr. John Harwood are recruited into the new Borden laboratory which is now the
centre of Shell’s SCP research activity
• 1971 – Borden lab officially opens in August 1971. David Harrison initiates research
into methanol as a potential feedstock for SCP
1971 – Shell’s Hamer and Norris present paper on
SCP from methane at the 8th World Petroleum
Conference in Moscow
Slides created by John Downs - April 2021

6. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM METHANE
AND METHANOL
A timeline of SCP research at Shell Research Centre, Sittingbourne
1971-1978 - info kindly supplied by Geoff Hamer
• 1971 – Geoff Hamer and John Norris present their first paper on SCP from
methane at the 8th World Petroleum Conference in Moscow
• 1972 – Around 45 scientists and support staff are now working in the Borden
Fermentation and Microbiology laboratory at Shell Research Sittingbourne . The
staff numbers rise to around 55 by 1976
• 1972-78 – The Shell SCP R&D team at Sittingbourne publish more than 40 papers
and patents on SCP production from methane and methanol
• 1976 - Shell unsuccessfully seeks to create a joint SCP development/production
partnership with an OAPEC oil/gas producer
• 1978 - Shell closes down the SCP research project at Sittingbourne and the
research team is disbanded. Geoff Hamer joins the Kuwait Institute for Scientific
Research to develop a SCP process based on methanol and later holds
professorships at ETH Zurich and UC Dublin.
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7. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND METHANOL
THE SHELL RESEARCH SITE IN SITTINGBOURNE, UK
• Shell’s Sittingbourne Research Centre site – now the
Kent Science Park – was home to Shell’s single-cell
protein (SCP) research project in 1970s
• What was the “Borden Fermentation and
Microbiology” building - housing laboratories and a
Fermentation Hall containing 300-litre bioreactors - is
marked by the arrow
7
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8. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN
FROM METHANE AND
METHANOL
SOME MEMBERS OF THE SCP RESEARCH TEAM AT SHELL RESEARCH
SITTINGBOURNE
John Norris
Geoff Hamer
David Harrison
Harshad Topiwala
Tim Wilkinson
Jan Drozd
John Downs
Lionel Barnes
Richard Calvert
Bez Khosrovi
Stuart Wren Tony Young Mike Platten
John Linton Mike Collins Ron Harvey
Richard Stephenson Robin Wayne-Smith John Maxted
Maureen Bailey Robert Milligan Leslie Cheeseman
Andrew Rye Ewan Hough Gilbert Joy
John Buckee Robert Milligan Jean Dive
Andrew Godley Clive Timms Anne Hunt
Richard Clancy Phil Sturla Shirley Barton
8
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9. SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN FROM METHANE AND METHANOL
THE SHELL SCP RESEARCH TEAM IN 1970’s
The Shell Fermentation and Microbiology team was based in Borden Laboratory, Shell Research Centre, Sittingbourne, UK
1972 – The Shell team headed by Dr. John Norris 1976 – The Shell team headed by Dr. Geoff Hamer
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10. SINGLE-CELL
PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND
METHANOL
SOME OF THE SCP PAPERS PUBLISHED BY THE STAFF OF SHELL
RESEARCH IN SITTINGBOURNE Listed by lead author
Bailey
Bailey, M. L., Downs, J. & Drozd, J. W. (1978). “Nitrogen metabolism in Methylococcus NCIB 11083”.
Proceedings of the Society for General Microbiology, 5, 65-66.
Barnes
Barnes, L.J, Drozd, J.W, Harrison, D.E.F. and Hamer G. (1976). “Process considerations and techniques
specific to protein production from natural gas”. In: Microbial Production and Utilisation of Gases (H2,
CH4, CO). (eds. H.G. Schlegel, G. Gottschalk and N. Pffenig), pp 389-402, E. Goltze KG, Gottingen
Downs
Downs, J.D. and Harrison, D.E.F. (1974). “Studies on the production of pink pigment in Pseudomonas
extorquens NCIB 9399 grown in continuous culture”. Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 37,(1), 65-74.
Downs, J.D., Drozd, J.W., Khosrovi, B., Linton, J.D. and Barnes, L.J. (1978) “An analysis of growth
energetics in Methylococcus NCIB 11083”. Proceedings of the Society of General Microbiology, 5, (2),
45.
Drozd
Drozd, J.W., Linton, J.D., Downs, J.D., Stephenson, R., Bailey, M.L. and Wren, S. J. (1977). “Growth
energetics in methylotrophic bacteria”. In: Second International Symposium on Microbial Growth on CI
Compounds, Puschino, p. 91, Scientific Centre for Biological Research, USSR Academy of Sciences.
Drozd, J.W., Bailey, M.L. and Godley, A. (1977).” The physiology of mixed bacterial cultures grown on
natural gas”. Paper to the Society of General Microbiology meeting on the interactions of microbes and
their environment, Warwick.
Drozd, J. W., Godley, A. & Bailey, M. L. (1978). “Ammonia oxidation by methane-oxidising bacteria”.
Proceedings of the Society for General Microbiology, 5, 66-67
Drozd, J.W., Linton, J.D., Downs, J.D. and Stephenson, R. (1978). “An in-situ assessment of the specific
lysis rate in continuous cultures of Methylococcus sp. (NCIB 11083) grown on methane”, FEMS
Microbiology Letters, 4, 311-314
Drozd J.W, Khosrovi B. , Downs J.D., Bailey M.L., Barnes L.J. and Linton J.D. (1980) “Biomass production
from natural gas”. In: Sikyta B, editor. Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Continuous
Cultivation of Microoganisms. Academy of Sciences; Prague, Czech Republic. pp. 505–519
Drozd J. W. and Linton J.D. (1981) “Single-cell protein production from methane and methanol in
continuous culture”. In: Calcott P.H. (ed) Continuous culture of cells. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp
113–114
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11. SINGLE-CELL
PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND
METHANOL
SOME OF THE SCP PAPERS PUBLISHED BY THE STAFF OF SHELL
RESEARCH IN SITTINGBOURNE Listed by lead author
Hamer
Hamer, G. and Norris, J.R. (1971). “Methane as a source of edible material”. Paper WPC-
14416 presented at the 8th World Petroleum Congress, 13-18 June 1971, in Moscow, USSR
Hamer, G., Topiwala, H. and Harrison, D. (1973). “Erzeugung von einzeller-protein aus erdgas”,
GWF-Gas/Erdgas, 114, pp 31-34
Hamer, G, Harrison, D., Topiwala, H. and Gabriel, A. (1976). “The conversion of natural gas
into protein for use in compounded animal feeds”. Instn. Chem. Engrs. Ser., 44, pp 565-572.
Hamer, G. (1977) “Technical aspects of single cell protein production from natural gas
(methane)”. In: Proceedings of the regional seminar on microbial conversion system for food
and fodder production and waste management. T.G. Overmire (ed.), p. 109-120, KISR, 12-17
November 1977, Kuwait
Hamer, G. (1979). “Biomass from natural gas”. In Economic Microbiology, Vol. 4, Microbial
Biomass, A.H. Rose (ed.), p.315. Academic Press, London
Hamer, G. and Hamdan, I.Y. (1979). “Protein production by micro-organisms”. Chemical Society
Reviews, 8, 143-170.
Hamer, G. & Harrison, D. E. F. (1980) “Single-cell protein: The technology, economics and
future potential”. In: Hydrocarbons in Biotechnology. (ed. by Harrison, D. E. F. Higgins, I. J. &
Watkinson R.), pp. 59–73. Heyden & Son Ltd, Institute of Petroleum, London.
Hamer, G. (1981). “Progress in fermentation technology resulting from single-cell protein
process research and development”. In: Advances in Food Producing Systems for Arid and
Semi-Arid Lands, Part 1, edited by Jamal Mannassah and Earnest J. Briskey, Academic Press,
1981.
Hamer, G and Hamdan, I.Y. (1985). “The transfer of single cell protein technology to the
petroleum exporting Arab states”. In: MIRCEN Journal of applied microbiology and
biotechnology, 1, (1), pp. 22-32 (March 1985)
Hamer, G. (1987). “Methane: commercial substrate or commercial product?”. Enzyme and
Microbial Technology, 9, (8), pp 503-505 (August 1987)
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12. SINGLE-CELL
PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND
METHANOL
12
SOME OF THE SCP PAPERS PUBLISHED BY THE STAFF OF SHELL
RESEARCH IN SITTINGBOURNE Listed by lead author
Harrison
Harrison, D. E. F., Topiwala, H. H. & Hamer, G. (1972). Yield and productivity in single-cell protein production
from methane and methanol. Proceedings of the 4th International Fermentation Symposium. Fermentation
Technology Today, Kyoto, Japan, pp. 491-495. Edited by G. Terui, Japan: Society of Fermentation Technology.
Harrison, D. E. F. (1973). Studies on the affinity of methanol- and methane-utilising bacteria for their carbon
substrates. Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 36, 301-308.
Harrison, D.E.F. and Topiwala, H.H. (1974). Transient and oscillatory states of continuous culture. Advances in
Biochemical Engineering, 3, 167-219
Harrison, D. E. F, Wilkinson, T. G., Wren, S. J. & Harwood, J. H. (1975). Mixed bacterial cultures as a basis for
continuous production of single cell protein from C1 compounds. Continuous Culture 6. Applications and New
Fields, pp.122-134. Edited by A. C. R. Dean, D. C. Ellwood, C. G. T. Evans and J. Melling. Chichester: Ellis
Horwood.
Harrison D. E. F, Wilkinson, T. G., Wren, S. J. & Harwood, J. H. (1975). Proceedings of the 6th
International Symposium on Microbial Physiology and Continuous Culture, Oxford, 129
Harrison, D.E.F. and Wren, S.J. (1976). Mixed microbial cultures as a basis for future fermentation
processes. Process Biochemistry, 11, (8), 30-32
Harrison, D.E.F., Drozd, J.W. and Khosrovi, B. (1976). Abstracts of the 5th International Fermentation
Symposium, Berlin, 395
Harrison, D.E.F. (1976). Making protein from methane. Chemical Technology, 6, 570-574
Harrison, D.E.F. (1978). Mixed cultures in industrial fermentation processes. Advances in Applied
Microbiology, 24, 129-164
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13. SINGLE-CELL
PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND
METHANOL
13
SOME OF THE SCP PAPERS PUBLISHED BY THE STAFF OF SHELL
RESEARCH IN SITTINGBOURNE Listed by lead author
Linton
Linton J.D. and Buckee J.C. (1977). “Interactions in a methane-utilising mixed bacterial culture in a
chemostat”. J. Gen. Microbiol.;101:219–225.
Linton J.D and Vokes J. (1978). “Growth of the methane-utilising bacterium Methylococcus NCIB11083 in
mineral salts medium with methanol as the sole source of carbon”. FEMS Microbiol. Lett.;4:125–128.
Linton, J.D. and Stephenson R.J. (1978). “A preliminary study on growth yields in relation to the carbon and
energy content of various organic growth substrates”, FEMS Microbiology Letters; 3 : 95-98
Topiwala
Topiwala, H.H. and Hamer, G. (1971). “Effects of wall growth in steady-state continuous cultures”. Biotechnol.
Bioeng.; 13, p 919-922
Topiwala, H.H. and Hamer, G. (1973). “A study of gas transfer in fermenters”. Biotechnol. Bioeng. Symposium
No. 4, pp. 547-557
Topiwala, H.H. and Hamer, G. (1974). “Mass transfer and dispersion properties in a fermenter with a gas-
inducing impeller”. Trans. Instn. Chem. Engrs.; 52, p 113-120
Topiwala, H.H. and Khosrovi, B. (1978). “Water recycle in biomass production processes”. Biotechnol. Bioeng.;
20, p 73-85.
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14. SINGLE-CELL
PROTEIN FROM
METHANE AND
METHANOL
14
SOME OF THE SCP PAPERS PUBLISHED BY THE STAFF OF SHELL
RESEARCH IN SITTINGBOURNE Listed by lead author
Wilkinson
Wilkinson, T. G. & Harrison, D. E. F. (1973).”The affinity for methane and methanol of mixed culturesgrown on
methane in continuous culture”. Journal of Applied Bacteriology; 36 : 309-313.
Wilkinson T.G., Topiwala H.H. and Hamer G. (1974). “ Interactions in a mixed bacterial population growing on
methane in continuous culture”. Biotechnol. Bioeng.; 16, p 41-59.
Wilkinson, T.G , and Hamer, G. (1974). “Wall growth in mixed bacterial cultures growing on methane”.
Biotechnol. Bioeng., 16, 251-260
Wren
Wren, S.J., Harwood, J.H. and Harrison, D.E.F. (1974). “Growth characteristics of a methanol-utilising
mixed culture”. Proceedings of the Society of General Microbiology; 2, p.14
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