Title
An electrochemical sensing approach for scouting microbial chemolithotrophic metabolisms
Date Issued
01 October 2018
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
The present study was aimed to test an electrochemical sensing approach for the detection of an active chemolithotrophic metabolism (and therefore the presence of chemolithotrophic microorganisms) by using the corrosion of pyrite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans as a model. Different electrochemical techniques were combined with adhesion studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments were performed in presence or absence of A. ferrooxidans and without or with ferrous iron in the culture medium (0 and 0.5 g L−1, respectively). Electrochemical parameters were in agreement with voltammetric studies and SEM showing that it is possible to distinguish between an abiotically-induced corrosion process (AIC) and a microbiologically-induced corrosion process (MIC). The results show that our approach not only allows the detection of chemolithotrophic activity of A. ferrooxidans but also can characterize the corrosion process. This may have different kind of applications, from those related to biomining to life searching missions in other planetary bodies.
Start page
125
End page
136
Volume
123
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Bioquímica, Biología molecular
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85046630940
PubMed ID
Source
Bioelectrochemistry
ISSN of the container
15675394
Source funding
Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica
Sponsor(s)
We want to acknowledge CONICET for A Saavedra PhD scholarship. This work was supported by National Agency of Scientific and Technological Promotion ( ANPCyT ), by the grants “ BID-PICT 2013-0033 ” and “ BID-PICT 2014-0402 ”.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus