Subsurface microbial hydrogen cycling: natural occurrence and implications for industry

Gregory, Simon P.; Barnett, Megan J.; Field, Lorraine P.; Milodowski, Antoni E.. 2019 Subsurface microbial hydrogen cycling: natural occurrence and implications for industry. Microorganisms, 7 (2). 53. 10.3390/microorganisms7020053

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7020053

Abstract/Summary

Hydrogen is a key energy source for subsurface microbial processes, particularly in subsurface environments with limited alternative electron donors, and environments that are not well connected to the surface. In addition to consumption of hydrogen, microbial processes such as fermentation and nitrogen fixation produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is also produced by a number of abiotic processes including radiolysis, serpentinization, graphitization, and cataclasis of silicate minerals. Both biotic and abiotically generated hydrogen may become available for consumption by microorganisms, but biotic production and consumption are usually tightly coupled. Understanding the microbiology of hydrogen cycling is relevant to subsurface engineered environments where hydrogen-cycling microorganisms are implicated in gas consumption and production and corrosion in a number of industries including carbon capture and storage, energy gas storage, and radioactive waste disposal. The same hydrogen-cycling microorganisms and processes are important in natural sites with elevated hydrogen and can provide insights into early life on Earth and life on other planets. This review draws together what is known about microbiology in natural environments with elevated hydrogen, and highlights where similar microbial populations could be of relevance to subsurface industry

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.3390/microorganisms7020053
ISSN:	2076-2607
Date made live:	12 Mar 2019 09:52 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/522479

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.3390/microorganisms7020053

ISSN:

2076-2607

Date made live:

12 Mar 2019 09:52 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/522479