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Minerals
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Microorganisms–Minerals Interactions in Aquatic Environments
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Microorganisms–Minerals Interactions in Aquatic Environments

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 February 2020) | Viewed by 13207

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Dittrich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Interests: geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, aquatic environments; biofilms; extreme environment; biomineralization; organomineralization; carbonates; phosphorus cycle; sediment diagenesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms have impacted the Earth and our environment in a number of ways. They have modified the compositions of water through rock weathering, they have changed the content of metals, and they have designed the world by precipitating ore deposits. Microorganisms are actively forming minerals that are both intra- and extracellular; at the same time, they are also dissolving minerals. Some cells are even incorporating themselves and/or are fossilized within rocks and, therefore, are leaving bio-signatures behind.

Many aspects of these processes are fundamental for our understanding of the origin of life, interpreting fossil records and clarifying the biogeochemical cycling of elements. Recent research is only now coming to grips with how extensively microorganisms and minerals interact. More and more microorganisms are being discovered, including viruses, and fungi that are involved in minerals transformations.

For the contributions in this special issue, we invite laboratory and field studies on microorganisms–minerals interactions in freshwater and saline ecosystems. We welcome both fundamental and applied studies and aim to devote this issue to the diversity of microorganisms and minerals, which have been involved in the Bio-Geo-Interactions on our Planet.

Prof. Dr. Maria Dittrich
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cells–minerals interactions
  • biofilms
  • biomarkers
  • biomineralization
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • freshwater and saline systems
  • organo-mineralization
  • intracellular precipitates
  • bio-weathering
  • fossilification
  • extracellular polymers

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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16 pages, 6597 KiB  
Article
Novel Strategy for Improvement of the Bioleaching Efficiency of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Based on the AfeI/R Quorum Sensing System
by Xue-Yan Gao, Xiu-Jie Liu, Chang-Ai Fu, Xiu-Feng Gu, Jian-Qiang Lin, Xiang-Mei Liu, Xin Pang, Jian-Qun Lin and Lin-Xu Chen
Minerals 2020, 10(3), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10030222 - 29 Feb 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 6479
Abstract
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an acidophilic and chemolithotrophic sulfur- and iron-oxidizing bacterium that has been widely used in the bioleaching process for extracting metals. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are essential for bacteria-ore interactions, and the regulation of EPS synthesis could be an important way [...] Read more.
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an acidophilic and chemolithotrophic sulfur- and iron-oxidizing bacterium that has been widely used in the bioleaching process for extracting metals. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are essential for bacteria-ore interactions, and the regulation of EPS synthesis could be an important way of influencing the efficiency of the bioleaching process. Therefore, exploring and utilizing the regulatory pathways of EPS synthesis to improve the bacterial bioleaching capability have posed a challenge in the study and application of bioleaching bacteria. Here, several engineering strains were constructed using genetic manipulation methods. And we revealed the regulatory function of the AfeI/R quorum sensing (QS) system in EPS synthesis and biofilm formation of A. ferrooxidans, and the AfeI/R-mediated EPS synthesis could influence bacteria-substrate interactions and the efficiency of bioleaching. Finally, an AfeI/R-mediated bioleaching model was proposed to illustrate the role of QS system in this process. This study provided new insights into and clues for developing highly efficient bioleaching bacteria and modulating the bioleaching process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms–Minerals Interactions in Aquatic Environments)
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19 pages, 10842 KiB  
Article
Mg-Rich Authigenic Carbonates in Coastal Facies of the Vtoroe Zasechnoe Lake (Southwest Siberia): First Assessment and Possible Mechanisms of Formation
by Andrey A. Novoselov, Alexandr O. Konstantinov, Artem G. Lim, Katja E. Goetschl, Sergey V. Loiko, Vasileios Mavromatis and Oleg S. Pokrovsky
Minerals 2019, 9(12), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120763 - 9 Dec 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3521
Abstract
The formation of Mg-rich carbonates in continental lakes throughout the world is highly relevant to irreversible CO2 sequestration and the reconstruction of paleo-sedimentary environments. Here, preliminary results on Mg-rich carbonate formation at the coastal zone of Lake Vtoroe Zasechnoe, representing the Setovskiye [...] Read more.
The formation of Mg-rich carbonates in continental lakes throughout the world is highly relevant to irreversible CO2 sequestration and the reconstruction of paleo-sedimentary environments. Here, preliminary results on Mg-rich carbonate formation at the coastal zone of Lake Vtoroe Zasechnoe, representing the Setovskiye group of water bodies located in the forest-steppe zone of Southwest Western Siberia, are reported. The Setovskiye lakes are Cl−–Na+–(SO42−) type, alkaline, and medium or highly saline. The results of microscopic and mineralogical studies of microbialites from shallow coastal waters of Lake Vtoroe Zasechnoe demonstrated that Mg in the studied lake was precipitated in the form of hydrous Mg carbonates, which occur as radially divergent crystals that form clusters in a dumbbell or star shape. It is possible that hydrous Mg carbonate forms due to the mineralization of exopolymeric substances (EPS) around bacterial cells within the algal mats. Therefore, the Vtoroe Zasechnoe Lake represents a rare case of Mg-carbonates formation under contemporary lacustrine conditions. Further research on this, as well as other lakes of Setovskiye group, is needed for a better understanding of the possible role of biomineralization and abiotic mechanisms, such as winter freezing and solute concentration, in the formation of authigenic Mg carbonate in modern aquatic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms–Minerals Interactions in Aquatic Environments)
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8 pages, 419 KiB  
Letter
Study of the Adhesion Mechanism of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to Pyrite in Fresh and Saline Water
by Francisca San Martín and Claudio Aguilar
Minerals 2019, 9(5), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9050306 - 17 May 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2747
Abstract
In the present work, the streaming potential of A. ferrooxidans and pyrite was measured in two environments: fresh and saline water (water with 35 g/L of NaCl) at different pH values. Also, attachment kinetics of A. ferrooxidans to pyrite was studied in fresh [...] Read more.
In the present work, the streaming potential of A. ferrooxidans and pyrite was measured in two environments: fresh and saline water (water with 35 g/L of NaCl) at different pH values. Also, attachment kinetics of A. ferrooxidans to pyrite was studied in fresh and saline water at pH 4. The results show that A. ferrooxidans and pyrite had lower streaming potentials (comparing absolute values) in saline water than in fresh water, indicating the compression in the electrical double layer caused by Cl− and Na+ ions. It was also determined that the bacteria had a higher level of attachment to pyrite in fresh water than in saline water. The high ionic strength of saline water reduced the attractive force between A. ferrooxidans and pyrite, which in turn reduced bacterial attachment. Electrostatic interactions were determined to be mainly repulsive, since the bacteria and mineral had the same charge at pH 4. Despite this, the bacteria adhered to pyrite, indicating that hydrophobic attraction forces and Lifshitz–van der Waals interactions were stronger than electrostatic interactions, which caused the adhesion of A. ferrooxidans to pyrite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms–Minerals Interactions in Aquatic Environments)
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