Open AccessBiological oxidation of hydrogen in soils flushed with a mixture of H 2 , CO 2 , O 2 and N 2
Author(s) -
Dugnani Lucia,
Wyrsch Isabelle,
Gandolla Mauro,
Aragno Michel
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1986.tb01747.x
Subject(s) - hydrogen , soil water , autotroph , biofilter , environmental chemistry , biological oxidation , chemistry , bacteria , oxidizing agent , environmental science , environmental engineering , wastewater , biology , soil science , organic chemistry , genetics
A stainless steel cylinder filled with soil was flushed upstream with a H 2 /CO 2 /air mixture. The consequence was a strong enrichment of the aerobic, autotrophic hydrogen‐oxidising microflora, which reached densities enabling them to oxidize 84.5 ml H 2 · dm −2 · h −1 in the first 25‐cm layer. H 2 concentration profiles, hydrogen uptake activity and cell numbers correlated well with each other. Most of the organisms isolated were dinitrogen fixers. Thus, soils containing hydrogen‐oxidising bacteria may act as a biological shield between H 2 ‐rich environments and air, and may be utilized as biofilters, e.g., in the waste‐processing industry.