This is the first volume to provide comprehensive coverage of acetogenesis. Leading experts present state-of-the-art research, investigating the structure and function relationship of key acetogenic processes, including synthesis of ATP, the conservation of energy, and intersecting metabolic pathways. It explores the interactions between acetogenic bacteria and the flow of matter and energy, giving the reader an integrated perspective on acetogens and the environment. It presents landmark advances in the biochemistry, phylogeny, and molecular biology of acetogens, with lucid explanations of background material, making this volume accessible to newcomers to the subject. It discusses diverse functions of acetogenesis in soils, and gastrointestinal tracts, as well as current and potential commercial and environmental applications. This volume will serve as a broad and in-depth review of basic and emerging issues in acetogenesis for microbiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, and ecologists, and as a stimulus for future research.