Project description
Nitrate-reducing iron-oxidising microbe communities using iron(II)-rich minerals for energy
Nitrate-reducing iron-oxidising (NRFeOx) microbes couple iron(II) oxidation to nitrate reduction using organic matter or CO2 as a carbon/energy source. Iron(II)-bearing minerals could be an alternative energy source and insight is relevant to both geomicrobiology and future biotechnological processes for managing nitrate-contaminated waters. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MinOx project aims to shed light on NRFeOx microorganisms using iron(II) as an energy source. Cultures will reveal NRFeOx communities that can oxidise iron(II)-bearing minerals. The project will then characterise the structure and distribution of these communities that grow using iron(II) minerals. Finally, MinOx will study the nanoscale interactions between the microorganisms and the mineral surface.
Objective
Nitrate-Reducing Iron-Oxidizing (NRFeOx) microorganisms, which couple Fe(II) oxidation to nitrate reduction using organic matter or carbon dioxide as a carbon source, play an essential role on a global scale in three of the most important biogeochemical cycles: iron, carbon and nitrogen. From an ecological point of view, NRFeOx microorganisms are key players in several processes such as the biological oxidation of Fe in anoxic and dark environments, the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the removal of nitrate from polluted groundwater aquifers.
The aim of this project is to analyze the ability of NRFeOx communities to thrive using Fe(II)-bearing minerals as an energy source, the ecological consequences of the mineral transformation, and to explore the mechanism of microorganism-mineral interaction, which is crucial to fully understand their role in natural environments. First, culture techniques will be applied to identify Fe(II)- bearing minerals that can be oxidized by NRFeOx communities. Subsequently, Molecular Biology techniques will be applied to analyze the structure and distribution of NRFeOx communities when they grow using minerals as an energy source and to determine the main actors in the process. Finally, analytical microscopy techniques will be used to study, at the nanometer scale, the interaction between specific microorganisms with the mineral surface. For this purpose, state-of-the-art techniques such as Confocal Raman Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy and X-Ray Photoemission Electron Microscopy will be correlated with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Fluorescence Microscopy.
The data obtained in the MinOx project could not only be applied to biotechnological processes and integrated into predictive models for the management of nitrate-contaminated waters but will also unveil a totally unknown area of geomicrobiology: the transformation of Fe(II) minerals by NRFeOx microorganisms.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectrolysis
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
72074 Tuebingen
Germany