Abstract
Bacillus mucilaginosus is a common soil bacterium, and usually used as a model bacterium in studying microbe-mineral interactions. Several reaction mechanisms of B. mucilaginosus weathering silicate minerals were proposed. However, the molecule mechanisms and detailed processes were still unclear. In this paper, bacteriummineral interactions were studied in terms of variations in pH value over the experimental period, variations in mineral composition, weathering rates of silicate minerals and volatile metabolites in the culture medium, etc., to further explore the bacterium-mineral interaction mechanisms. The results showed that B. mucilaginosus could enhance silicate mineral weathering obviously. The weathering rates were quite different for various kinds of silicate minerals, and the weathering rate of weathered adamellite could reach 150 mg/m2/d. Although B. mucilaginosus produced little acidic substance, pH in the microenvironment of bacterium-mineral complex might be far lower than that of the circumjacent environment; a large amount of acetic acid was found in the metabolites, and was likely to play an important role as a ligand. These results appear to suggest that acidolysis and ligand degradation are the main mechanisms of B. mucilaginosus dissolving silicate minerals, the formation of bacterium-mineral complexes is the necessary condition for the bacteria weathering silicate minerals, and extracelluar polysaccharides played important roles in bacterium-mineral interaction processes by forming bacterium-mineral complexes and maintaining the special physicochemical properties of microenvironment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Basak B.B. and Biswas D.R. (2009) Influence of potassium solubilizing microorganism (Bacillus mucilaginosus) and waste mica on potassium uptake dynamics by sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) grown under two Alfisols [J]. Plant and Soil. 317, 235–255.
Berthelin J. (1988) Microbial weathering processes in natural environments In Physical and Chemical Weathering in Geochemical Cycles [M]. pp.33–59. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands.
Cameselle C., Ricart M.T., Nú ez M.J., and Lema J.M. (2003) Iron removal from kaolin. Comparison between “in-situ” and “two-stage” bioleaching processes [J]. Hydrometallurgy. 68, 97–105.
Cao Wenchuan, Hao Jianchao, Lian Bin, Liu Congqiang, and Wu Fengchang (2010) Zeolite and fungi’s flocculability of simulated wastewater containing heavy metal ions or phosphorus [J]. Chinese Journal of Geochemistry. 29, 137–142.
Chen Feng (2001) Mineralogy in the 21th century [J]. Acta Mineralogica Sinica. 21, 1–13 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Ehrlich H.L. (1996) How microbes influence mineral growth and dissolution [J]. Chemical Geology. 132, 5–9.
Hu Xiufang, Chen Jishuang, and Guo Jiangfeng (2006) Two phosphate- and potassium-solubilizing bacteria isolated from the Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang, China [J]. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 22, 983–990.
Jongmans A.G., Van Breemen N., Lundström U., Van Hees P.A.W., Finlay R.D., Srinivasan M., Unestam T., Giesler R., Melkerud P.A., and Olsson M. (1997) Rock-eating fungi [J]. Nature. 389, 682–683.
Kupriyanova-Ashina F.G., Krinari G.A., Kolpakov A.L., and Leschinskaya I.B. (1998) Degradation of Silicate Minerals by Bacillus Mucilaginosus Using Bacillus Intermedius RNase [P]. Towards Sustainable Land Use, Vols I & II-Furthering Cooperation Between People and Institutions. 31, 813–818.
Li Fuchun, Li Sha, Yang Yongzhao, and Cheng Liangjuan (2006) Advances in the study of weathering products of primary silicate minerals, exemplified by mica and feldspar [J]. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica. 25, 440–448 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Li Jing, Lian Bin, Hao Jianchao, Zhao Jin, and Zhu Lijun (2006) Non-parallelism between the effect of microbial flocculants on sewerage disposal and the flocculation rate [J]. Chinese Journal of Geochemistry. 25, 139–142.
Li Sha, Li Fuchun, and Cheng Liangjuan (2006) Recent development in bio-weathering research [J]. Mineral Resources and Geology. 20, 577–582 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Lian Bin (1998) Research on Potassium Releasing by Silicate Bacteria [M]. pp.55–57. Guizhou Science and Technology Press, Guiyang (in Chinese).
Lian Bin (1998b) A study on how silicate bacteria GY92 dissolves potassium from illite [J]. Acta Mineralogica Sinica. 18, 234–238 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Lian Bin, Chen Ye, Zhao Jing, Teng H. Henry, Lijun Zhu, and Sheng Yuan (2008) Microbial flocculation by silicate bacterium Bacillus mucilaginosus: Applications and mechanisms [J]. Bioresource Technol. 99(11), 4825–4831.
Lian Bin, Fu Pingqiu, Mo Deming, and Liu Congqiang (2002) A comprehensive review of the mechanism of potassium releasing by silicate bacteria [J]. Acta Mineralogica Sinica. 22, 179–183 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Lian Bin, Chen Ye, Yuan Sheng, Zhu Lijun, and Liu Congqiang (2004) Study on the flocculability of metal ions by Bacillus mucilaginosus GY03 strain [J]. Chinese Journal of Geochemistry. 23, 380–386.
Liu Wuxing, Xu Xushi, Wu Xianghua, Yang Qiyin, Luo Yongming, and Christie Peter (2006) Decomposition of silicate minerals by Bacillus mucilaginosus in liquid culture [J]. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 28, 133–140.
Malinovskaya I.M., Kosenko L.V., Votselko S.K., and Podgorskii V.S. (1990) Role of Bacillus-Mucilaginosus polysaccharide in degradation of silicate minerals [J]. Microbiology. 59, 49–55.
Pokrovsky O.S., Shirokova L.S., Benezeth P., Schott J., and Golubev S.V. (2009) Effect of organic ligands and heterotrophic bacteria on wollastonite dissolution kinetics [J]. American Journal of Science. 309, 731–772.
Welch S.A. and Ullman W.J. (1996) Feldspar dissolution in acidic and organic solutions: Compositional and pH dependence of dissolution rate [J]. Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta. 60, 2939–2948.
Welch S.A. and Ullman W.J. (1999) The effect of microbial glucose metabolism on bytownite feldspar dissolution rates between 5 and 35°C [J]. Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta. 63, 3247–3259.
Wu Tao, Chen Jun, and Lian Bin (2007) Advance in studies on the function of microbes to the weathering of silicate Minerals [J]. Bulletin of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry. 26, 263–268 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Xie Xiande and Zhang Gangsheng (2001) Environmental significance of the interaction between minerals and microbes [J]. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica. 20, 382–386 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhou Xin, Li Zhangwan, Wang Daoping, Liang Guangyi, and Peng Bingxian (2004) Study on fingerprint of volatile oil of Curcuma wenyujin by GC-MS [J]. China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica. 29, 1138–1141 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhou Xueying, Du Ye, and Lian Bin (2010) Effect of different culture conditions on carbonic anhydrase from Bacillus mucilaginosus inducing calcium carbonate crystal formation [J]. Acta Microbiologica Sinica. 50, 955–961 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mo, B., Lian, B. Interactions between Bacillus mucilaginosus and silicate minerals (weathered adamellite and feldspar): Weathering rate, products, and reaction mechanisms. Chin. J. Geochem. 30, 187–192 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-011-0500-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-011-0500-z