Adapted to their very hot but watery environment, these microbes metabolized hydrogen - rich compounds or dead or live organic materials to derive the energy that sustains anaerobic life, including sulfate - reducing bacteria that produce Hydrogen Sulfide (
H2S), fermentative bacteria that produce carbon dioxide and alcohol -LRB-- OH), and methanogenic bacteria — the methanogens found in sewage and mudflats today — that produce methane (CH4) gas
as a
waste product.