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Rock weathering by indigenous heterotrophic bacteria of Bacillus spp. at different temperature: a laboratory experiment

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Abstract

The bio-weathering of basalt, granite and gneiss was experimentally investigated in this study. These rock-forming minerals weathered more rapidly via the ubiquitous psychrotrophic heterotrophic bacteria. With indigenous bacteria of Bacillus spp. from sediments of Lake Baikal, we traced the degradation process of silicate minerals to understand the weathering processes occurring at the change temperature in the subsurface environment with organic input. The bacteria mediated dissolution of minerals was monitored with solution and solid chemistry, X-ray analyses as well as microscopic techniques. We determined the impact of the bacteria on the mineral surface and leaching of K, Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, and Al from silicate minerals. In the samples the release of major structural elements of silicates was used as an overall indicator of silicate mineral degradation at 4°C and 18°C from five medium exchanges over 255 days of rock bioleaching. The increase of temperature importantly affected the efficiency of Fe extraction from granite and basalt as well as Si extraction from granite and gneiss. In comparison with elemental extraction order at 4°C, Ca was substituted first by Fe or Si. It is evident that temperature influences rock microbial weathering and results in a change of elements extraction.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the EU-project CONTINENT (High-resolution CONTINENTal paleoclimate record in the Lake Baikal: A key-site for Eurasian teleconnections to the North Atlantic Ocean and monsoonal system), EVK2-2002-00538 coordinated by Dr. Hedi Oberhänsli. This work was also supported by Slovak Academy of Science No. VEGA 2/0109/11 and partially supported by the Operational Programme Research and Development through the project: Centre of Excellence for Integrated Research of the Earth’s Geosphere (ITMS: 26220120064), which is co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Geotechnics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 45, 043 53, Košice, Slovakia

    I. Štyriaková & I. Štyriak

  2. GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam, Section 3.3, Telegraphenberg, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany

    H. Oberhänsli

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  1. I. Štyriaková
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  2. I. Štyriak
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  3. H. Oberhänsli
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Correspondence to I. Štyriaková.

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Editorial handling: R. Milke

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Štyriaková, I., Štyriak, I. & Oberhänsli, H. Rock weathering by indigenous heterotrophic bacteria of Bacillus spp. at different temperature: a laboratory experiment. Miner Petrol 105, 135–144 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-012-0201-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-012-0201-2

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