Frankia sp. strains form N2-fixing root nodules on woody trees and shrubs in a symbiosis known as “actinorhizal”. Because Frankia strains fix nitrogen, actinorhizal plants grow well on marginal soils. The plants are potential sources of biomass for energy generation and carbon sequestration, and have been used for remediating stressed or contaminated soils. Frankia form… [Read More]

The stalks synthesized by some members of the α-Proteobacteria take up diffuse compounds from water sources, a feature that could be exploited for bioremediation, specifically the uptake of toxic compounds from contaminated water sources. Furthermore, extracellular polysaccharides from some of the stalked bacteria sequester metals, a feature that could be used to remediate environments affected… [Read More]

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas whose atmospheric concentration has increased significantly because of anthropogenic activities and fluctuated naturally over glacial and interglacial cycles. While the importance of methane in Earth’s climate dynamics has been well established, the global processes regulating its oceanic cycling remain poorly understood. Although there are high rates of methane production… [Read More]

Anoxygenic purple sulfur bacteria flourish in globally occurring habitats, wherever light reaches sulfidic water layers or sediments, and often grow as dense accumulations in conspicuous blooms in freshwater as well as marine aquatic ecosystems. Here they are not only major players in the reoxidation of sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria in deeper anoxic layers but… [Read More]

There is significant current interest in hydrogen as a potential energy source for a variety of applications, and there is a concerted effort to explore the use of whole organisms or biomimetic materials to produce hydrogen as a fuel. In addition, although fuel-cell technology is well developed, the projected dependence on platinum may rapidly exceed… [Read More]

The world population is steadily growing, and so is the amount of waste produced by human activity. For example, an estimated 236 million tons of municipal solid waste are produced annually in the U.S., 50% of which is biomass. At the same time, energy sources are rapidly depleting. Converting organic waste to renewable biofuel by… [Read More]