Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria Environmental and Engineered Systems

International experts summarise the metabolic and environmental activities of the sulphate-reducing bacteria.

The sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a large group of anaerobic organisms that play an important role in many biogeochemical processes. Not only are they of early origins in the development of the biosphere, but their mechanisms of energy metabolism shed light on the limits of life processes in the absence of oxygen. They are widely distributed in nature, and are regular components of engineered systems including, for example, petroleum reservoirs and oil production facilities. SRB are currently subject to extensive genomic studies, which are yielding fresh understanding of their basic biochemical mechanisms, and aiding in the development of novel techniques for the analyses of their environmental roles. This volume provides a timely update on these important microorganisms, from basic science to applications, and will therefore serve as a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in the fields of microbial ecology, microbial physiology, bioengineering, biogeochemistry and related areas of environmental science.

Preface; 1. Energy metabolism and phylogenetic diversity of sulphate-reducing bacteria Rudolf K. Thauer, Erko Stackebrandt and W. Allan Hamilton; 2. Molecular strategies for studies of natural populations of sulphate-reducing micro-organisms David A. Stahl, Alexander Loy and Michael Wagner; 3. Functional genomics of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes Ralf Rabus and Axel Strittmatter; 4. Evaluation of stress response in sulphate-reducing bacteria through genome analysis J. D. Wall, H. C. Bill Yen, and E. C. Drury; 5. Response of sulphate-reducing bacteria to oxygen Henrik Sass and Heribert Cypionka; 6. Biochemical, proteomic and genetic characterisation of oxygen survival mechanisms in sulphate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio Alain Dolla, Donald M. Kurtz, Jr., Miguel Teixeira and Gerrit Voordouw; 7. Biochemical, genetic and genomic characterisation of anaerobic electron transport pathways in sulphate-reducing delta-proteobacteria Inês A. C. Pereira, Shelley A. Haveman and Gerrit Voordouw; 8. Dissimilatory nitrate and nitrite ammonification by sulphate-reducing eubacteria José J. G. Moura, Pablo Gonzalez, Isabel Moura and Guy Fauque; 9. Anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons with sulphate as electron acceptor Friedrich Widdel, Florin Musat, Katrin Knittel and Alexander Galushko; 10. Sulphate-reducing bacteria from oil field environments and deep-sea hydrothermal vents Bernard Ollivier, Jean-Luc Cayol and Guy Fauque; 11. The sub-seafloor biosphere and sulphate-reducing prokaryotes: their presence and significance R. John Parkes and Henrik Sass; 12. Eco-physiology of sulphate-reducing bacteria in environmental biofilms Satoshi Okabe; 13. Bioprocess engineering of sulphate reduction for environmental technology Piet N. L. Lens, Marcus Vallero and Giovanni Esposito; 14. Bioremediation of metals and metalloids by precipitation and cellular binding Simon L. Hockin and Geoffrey M. Gadd; 15. Enzymatic and genomic studies on the reduction of mercury and selected metallic oxy-anions by sulphate-reducing bacteria Mireille Bruschi, Larry L. Barton, Florence Goulhen, and Richard M. Plunkett; 16. Sulphate-reducing bacteria and their role in corrosion of ferrous materials Iwona B. Beech and Jan A. Sunner; 17. Anaerobic metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds and bioremediation of explosive by sulphate-reducing bacteria Raj Boopathy; 18. Sulphate-reducing bacteria and the human large intestine George T. Macfarlane, John H. Cummings and Sandra Macfarlan.

Sulphate-reducing bacteria play an important role in many biogeochemical processes. This timely update on research, from the basic biochemical mechanisms of these microorganisms to their environmental roles, will be a valuable resource for researchers in the fields of microbial ecology and physiology, bioengineering, biogeochemistry and related areas of environmental science.