Monitoring microbial sulfate reduction in porous media using multipurpose electrodes
نویسندگان
چکیده
[1] There is growing interest in the application of electrode‐based measurements for monitoring microbial processes in the Earth using biogeophysical methods. In this study, reactive electrode measurements were combined to electrical geophysical measurements during microbial sulfate reduction occurring in a column of silica beads saturated with natural river water. Electrodic potential (EP), self potential (SP) and complex conductivity signals were recorded using a dual electrode design (Ag/AgCl metal as sensing/EP electrode, Ag/AgCl metal in KCl gel as reference/SP electrode). Open‐circuit potentials, representing the tendency for electrochemical reactions to occur on the electrode surfaces, were recorded between sensing/EP electrode and reference/SP electrode and showed significant spatiotemporal variability associated with microbial activity. The dual electrode design isolates the microbial driven sulfide reactions to the sensing electrode and permits removal of any SP signal from the EP measurement. Based on the known sensitivity of a Ag electrode to dissolved sulfide, we interpret EP signals exceeding 550 mV recorded in this experiment in terms of bisulfide (HS) concentration near multiple sensing electrodes. Complex conductivity measurements capture an imaginary conductivity (s′′) signal interpreted as the response of microbial growth and biomass formation in the column. Our results suggest that the implementation of multipurpose electrodes, combining reactive measurements with electrical geophysical measurements, could improve efforts to monitor microbial processes in the Earth using electrodes.
منابع مشابه
An Experimental Study on Permeability Reduction Resulting from Mixed BaSO4, CaSO4, and SrSO4 Scale Deposition in Porous Media during Water Injection
Sulfate scale deposition (BaSO4, CaSO4, and SrSO4) is a common problem in oilfield operations around the world, which causes significant formation damage during production and injection activities. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the permeability reduction of porous media due to sulfate scale deposition. A set of experiments were cond...
متن کاملReal-time monitoring of subsurface microbial metabolism with graphite electrodes
Monitoring in situ microbial activity in anoxic submerged soils and aquatic sediments can be labor intensive and technically difficult, especially in dynamic environments in which a record of changes in microbial activity over time is desired. Microbial fuel cell concepts have previously been adapted to detect changes in the availability of relatively high concentrations of organic compounds in...
متن کاملSimulation and Experimental Investigation of the Permeability Reduction due to Asphaltene Deposition in Porous Media
متن کامل
Sulfurous Analysis of Bioelectricity Generation from Sulfate-reducing Bacteria (SRB) in a Microbial Fuel Cell
The current importance of energy emphasizes the use of renewable resources (such as wastewater) for electricity generation by microbial fuel cell (MFC). In the present study, the native sulfate-reducing bacterial strain (R.gh 3) was employed simultaneously for sulfurous component removal and bioelectricity generation. In order to enhance the electrical conductivity and provision of a compatible...
متن کاملMethane Emission in a Specific Riparian-Zone Sediment Decreased with Bioelectrochemical Manipulation and Corresponded to the Microbial Community Dynamics
Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria are widespread in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in anaerobic soils and sediments. Thermodynamically, dissimilatory metal reduction is more favorable than sulfate reduction and methanogenesis but less favorable than denitrification and aerobic respiration. It is critical to understand the complex relationships, including the absence or presence of termi...
متن کامل