Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.02129

Title: Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater

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Abstract

Olkiluoto, an island on the south-west coast of Finland, will host a deep geological repository for the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Microbially induced corrosion from the generation of sulphide is therefore a concern as it could potentially compromise the longevity of the copper waste canisters. Groundwater at Olkiluoto is geochemically stratified with depth and elevated concentrations of sulphide are observed when sulphate-rich and methane-rich groundwaters mix. Particularly high sulphide is observed in methane-rich groundwater from a fracture at 530.6 mbsl, where mixing with sulphate-rich groundwater occurred as the result of an open drill hole connecting two different fractures at different depths. To determine the electron donors fuelling sulphidogenesis, we combined geochemical, isotopic, metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses. This revealed a low diversity microbial community fuelled by hydrogen and organic carbon. Sulphur and carbon isotopes of sulphate and dissolved inorganic carbon, respectively, confirmed that sulphate reduction was ongoing and that CO2 came from the degradation of organic matter. The results demonstrate the impact of introducing sulphate to a methane-rich groundwater with limited electron acceptors and provide insight into extant metabolisms in the terrestrial subsurface.

Authors:

Bell, Emma ^[1]; Lamminmäki, Tiina ^[2]; Alneberg, Johannes ^[3]; Andersson, Anders F. ^[3]; Qian, Chen ^[4]; Xiong, Weili ^[4]; Hettich, Robert L. ^[4]; Balmer, Louise ^[1]; Frutschi, Manon ^[1]; Sommer, Guillaume ^[1]; Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan ^[1]

Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (Switzlerland)
Posiva Oy, Eurajoki (Finland)
KTH Royal Inst. of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2018-09-07

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1469025

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1495982

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; CSP 502935

Resource Type:: Published Article

Journal Name:: Frontiers in Microbiology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1664-302X

Publisher:: Frontiers Research Foundation

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats


                    Bell, Emma, Lamminmäki, Tiina, Alneberg, Johannes, Andersson, Anders F., Qian, Chen, Xiong, Weili, Hettich, Robert L., Balmer, Louise, Frutschi, Manon, Sommer, Guillaume, and Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan. Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
        Web.  doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.02129.

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                    Bell, Emma, Lamminmäki, Tiina, Alneberg, Johannes, Andersson, Anders F., Qian, Chen, Xiong, Weili, Hettich, Robert L., Balmer, Louise, Frutschi, Manon, Sommer, Guillaume, & Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan. Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater.  United States.  doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.02129.

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                    Bell, Emma, Lamminmäki, Tiina, Alneberg, Johannes, Andersson, Anders F., Qian, Chen, Xiong, Weili, Hettich, Robert L., Balmer, Louise, Frutschi, Manon, Sommer, Guillaume, and Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan. Fri .  
        "Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater".  United States.  doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.02129.

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@article{osti_1469025,

  title        = {Biogeochemical Cycling by a Low-Diversity Microbial Community in Deep Groundwater},

  author       = {Bell, Emma and Lamminmäki, Tiina and Alneberg, Johannes and Andersson, Anders F. and Qian, Chen and Xiong, Weili and Hettich, Robert L. and Balmer, Louise and Frutschi, Manon and Sommer, Guillaume and Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan},

  abstractNote = {Olkiluoto, an island on the south-west coast of Finland, will host a deep geological repository for the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Microbially induced corrosion from the generation of sulphide is therefore a concern as it could potentially compromise the longevity of the copper waste canisters. Groundwater at Olkiluoto is geochemically stratified with depth and elevated concentrations of sulphide are observed when sulphate-rich and methane-rich groundwaters mix. Particularly high sulphide is observed in methane-rich groundwater from a fracture at 530.6 mbsl, where mixing with sulphate-rich groundwater occurred as the result of an open drill hole connecting two different fractures at different depths. To determine the electron donors fuelling sulphidogenesis, we combined geochemical, isotopic, metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses. This revealed a low diversity microbial community fuelled by hydrogen and organic carbon. Sulphur and carbon isotopes of sulphate and dissolved inorganic carbon, respectively, confirmed that sulphate reduction was ongoing and that CO2 came from the degradation of organic matter. The results demonstrate the impact of introducing sulphate to a methane-rich groundwater with limited electron acceptors and provide insight into extant metabolisms in the terrestrial subsurface.},

  doi          = {10.3389/fmicb.2018.02129},

  journal      = {Frontiers in Microbiology},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 9,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {9}

}

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