Project description
Bioweathering rates in subsurface silicates measured
The rates and mechanisms of silicate bioweathering are currently poorly understood, particularly in basalt settings. Such environments are believed to be the cradle of early life and represent prime targets for massive injections of CO2 to combat global warming, whose success relies on silicate reactivity. Detailed knowledge of biotic and abiotic contributions to subsurface silicate weathering rates is therefore urgently needed. The EU-funded Mobidic project will determine the contribution of microbes to silicate weathering rates in complex environmental media. Researchers will measure dissolution rates using nanotopography measurements of the silicate substrates and combine them with results from microbial diversity studies and models of dissolution processes to provide unprecedented insights into the process of subsurface silicate bioweathering.
Objective
The ambition of this proposal is to provide the very first realistic assessment of the contribution of microbes to subsurface silicate weathering rates. The motivation is simple: ~70% of Earth’s bacteria and archaea live underground, and microbes have long been suspected to impact silicate weathering rates, which affect the Earth’s climate. However, the rates and mechanisms of silicate bioweathering essentially remain a terra incognita, particularly in basalt settings. Such environments are suggested to be a potential host for early life and represent prime targets for massive injections of CO2 to fight against global warming, whose success strongly relies on silicate reactivity. Having a deep insight on the respective biotic and abiotic contributions to subsurface silicate weathering rates is therefore fundamental and urgent.
Providing such estimates requires to overcome a twofold challenge: 1) to quantify dissolution rates in aqueous fluids that sustain endemic microbial communities and at the same time 2) to supersede the classical use of freshly ground substrates, whose reactivity is orders of magnitude greater than that of aged silicates long altered in natural settings.
This proposal offers a solution: An interdisciplinary and non-conventional approach to assess the contribution of microbes to silicate weathering rates in complex environmental media. It consists in measuring dissolution rates using non-invasive nanotopography measurements of the silicate substrates reacted in natural solutions. These substrates will be treated beforehand to get surface properties that mimic various stages of aging. These measurements will be combined with studies of the microbial diversity associated with the substrates, innovative nanoscale characterizations of the reacted surfaces, and modeling of the dissolution process based on first principles. This strategy will provide an unprecedented and timely picture of the functioning and rates of subsurface silicate bioweathering.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-COG
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75794 PARIS
France
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