Formation of magnetite and iron-rich carbonates by thermophilic iron-reducing bacteria

摘要

Laboratory experiments were performed to study the formation of iron minerals by a thermophilic (45 - 75 °C) fermentative iron-reducing bacterial culture (TOR39) obtained from the deep subsurface. Using amorphous Fe(III) oxyhydroxide as an electron acceptor and glucose as an electron donor, TOR39 produced magnetite and iron-rich carbonates at conditions consistent, on a thermodynamic basis, with Eh (-200 mV to -415 mV) and pH (6.2 to 7.7) values determined for these experiments. Analyses of the precipitating solid phases by X-ray diffraction showed that the starting amorphous Fe(III) oxyhydroxide was nearly completely converted to magnetite and Fe-rich carbonate after 20 days of incubation. Increasing bicarbonate concentration in the chemical milieu resulted in increased proportions of siderite relative to magnetite and the addition of MgCl_2 caused the formation of magnesium-rich carbonate in addition to siderite. The results suggest that the TOR39 bacterial culture may have the capacity to form magnetite and iron-rich carbonates in a variety of geochemical conditions. These results may have significant implications for studying the past biogenic activities in the Martian meteorite ALH84001.