Fluctuation in deep groundwater chemistry and microbial community and their impact on corrosion of stainless-steels.

Low and intermediate level radioactive waste produced during the operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants is disposed of in an underground geological repository. The majority of metallic waste is made of various stainless-steels and carbon steel. Microbial communities and groundwater composition in deep bedrock at repository sites were believed to stay stable over time, allowing the prediction of evolution of the repository environment.

Sulfate-dependant microbially induced corrosion of mild steel in the deep sea: a 10-year microbiome study.

Background: Metal corrosion in seawater has been extensively studied in surface and shallow waters. However, infrastructure is increasingly being installed in deep-sea environments, where extremes of temperature, salinity, and high hydrostatic pressure increase the costs and logistical challenges associated with monitoring corrosion. Moreover, there is currently only a rudimentary understanding of the role of microbially induced corrosion, which has rarely been studied in the deep-sea.

Rock Surface Fungi in Deep Continental Biosphere-Exploration of Microbial Community Formation with Subsurface In Situ Biofilm Trap.

Fungi have an important role in nutrient cycling in most ecosystems on Earth, yet their ecology and functionality in deep continental subsurface remain unknown. Here, we report the first observations of active fungal colonization of mica schist in the deep continental biosphere and the ability of deep subsurface fungi to attach to rock surfaces under in situ conditions in groundwater at 500 and 967 m depth in Precambrian bedrock. We present an in situ subsurface biofilm trap, designed to reveal sessile microbial communities on rock surface in deep continental groundwater, using Outokumpu Deep Drill Hole, in eastern Finland, as a test site.

CO and carbonate as substrate for the activation of the microbial community in 180 m deep bedrock fracture fluid of Outokumpu Deep Drill Hole, Finland.

Microbial communities in deep subsurface environments comprise a large portion of Earth's biomass, but the metabolic activities in these habitats are largely unknown. Here the effect of CO and carbonate on the microbial community of an isolated groundwater fracture zone at 180 m depth of the Outokumpu Deep Scientific Drill Hole (Finland) was tested. Outokumpu groundwater at 180 m depth contains approximately 0.

Reactivation of Deep Subsurface Microbial Community in Response to Methane or Methanol Amendment.

Microbial communities in deep subsurface environments comprise a large portion of Earth's biomass, but the microbial activity in these habitats is largely unknown. Here, we studied how microorganisms from two isolated groundwater fractures at 180 and 500 m depths of the Outokumpu Deep Drillhole (Finland) responded to methane or methanol amendment, in the presence or absence of sulfate as an additional electron acceptor. Methane is a plausible intermediate in the deep subsurface carbon cycle, and electron acceptors such as sulfate are critical components for oxidation processes.

Microbial fouling and corrosion of carbon steel in deep anoxic alkaline groundwater.

Understanding the corrosion of carbon steel materials of low and intermediate level radioactive waste under repository conditions is crucial to ensure the safe storage of radioactive contaminated materials. The waste will be in contact with the concrete of repository silos and storage containers, and eventually with groundwater. In this study, the corrosion of carbon steel under repository conditions as well as the microbial community forming biofilm on the carbon steel samples, consisting of bacteria, archaea, and fungi, was studied over a period of three years in a groundwater environment with and without inserted concrete.

Influence of Chlorination and Choice of Materials on Fouling in Cooling Water System under Brackish Seawater Conditions.

Cooling systems remove heat from components and industrial equipment. Water cooling, employing natural waters, is typically used for cooling large industrial facilities, such as power plants, factories or refineries. Due to moderate temperatures, cooling water cycles are susceptible to biofouling, inorganic fouling and scaling, which may reduce heat transfer and enhance corrosion.

Nitrate and ammonia as nitrogen sources for deep subsurface microorganisms.

We investigated the N-utilizing bacterial community in anoxic brackish groundwater of the low and intermediate level nuclear waste repository cave in Olkiluoto, Finland, at 100 m depth using (15)N-based stable isotope probing (SIP) and enrichment with (14∕15)N-ammonium or (14∕15)N-nitrate complemented with methane. Twenty-eight days of incubation at 12°C increased the concentration of bacterial 16S rRNA and nitrate reductase (narG) gene copies in the substrate amended microcosms simultaneously with a radical drop in the overall bacterial diversity and OTU richness. Hydrogenophaga/Malikia were enriched in all substrate amended microcosms and Methylobacter in the ammonium and ammonium+methane supplemented microcosms.

Microbially induced corrosion of carbon steel in deep groundwater environment.

The metallic low and intermediate level radioactive waste generally consists of carbon steel and stainless steels. The corrosion rate of carbon steel in deep groundwater is typically low, unless the water is very acidic or microbial activity in the environment is high. Therefore, the assessment of microbially induced corrosion of carbon steel in deep bedrock environment has become important for evaluating the safety of disposal of radioactive waste.

Rapid Reactivation of Deep Subsurface Microbes in the Presence of C-1 Compounds.

Microorganisms in the deep biosphere are believed to conduct little metabolic activity due to low nutrient availability in these environments. However, destructive penetration to long-isolated bedrock environments during construction of underground waste repositories can lead to increased nutrient availability and potentially affect the long-term stability of the repository systems, Here, we studied how microorganisms present in fracture fluid from a depth of 500 m in Outokumpu, Finland, respond to simple carbon compounds (C-1 compounds) in the presence or absence of sulphate as an electron acceptor. C-1 compounds such as methane and methanol are important intermediates in the deep subsurface carbon cycle, and electron acceptors such as sulphate are critical components of oxidation processes.