Metals, minerals and microbes: geomicrobiology and bioremediation
Event details
| Date | 08.03.2010 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Gadd, Geoff |
| Location |
GR B3 30
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Microbes are intimately involved in many geological phenomena, and these include biotransformations of metals and minerals, as well as related substances like metalloids, and metal radionuclides. Such processes are involved in bioweathering, mineral dissolution and formation, and soil formation and development. Integral to all mechanisms are interactions with metals, and a variety of processes determine mobility and bioavailability. Metal mobilization can arise, e.g. from leaching mechanisms, and complexation by metabolites. Immobilization can result from sorption, transport and intracellular sequestration or precipitation as a variety of "organic" and inorganic biominerals, e.g. oxalates (fungi), carbonates, phosphates and sulfides. Secondary minerals may also result as products of organic matter decomposition or mineral dissolution react with other environmental constituents. Our research seeks to understand the mechanisms of microbial metal and mineral biotransformations, and their environmental and applied significance in bioremediation, biodeterioration and corrosion. Our research has concentrated on chemoorganotrophic transformations by free-living and mycorrhizal fungi, and metal precipitation by anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria. Specific examples in this presentation may include fungal degradation and transformations of metal-containing minerals, depleted uranium and uranium oxides, fungal biodeterioration of concrete (which may have implications for containment and storage of radioactive waste), metal sulfide precipitation and reduction of metalloid oxyanions to elemental forms by sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Free