Biogenic smectite clay formation in subsurface granitic environments
Abstract
Many bacteria and biofilms in groundwater environments are able to adsorb and accumulate soluble components from an aqueous environment and exert a strong influence on the attenuation and transport of a significant range of dissolved species including many pollutants. They can also act as catalysts or nucleation sites for authigenic mineral phases such as metal sulphides or complex silicates. The processes involved are not well defined, but appear to range from large-scale interactions altering bulk groundwater chemistry to very small-scale interactions involving geochemical and physical alterations within biofilms and at the mineral surface. The purpose of this research program is to investigate biologically-induced and unusually rapid formation of smectite and chlorite clays. The work expands on experiments conducted by the British Geological Survey designed to simulate rock-water/microbial interactions, radionuclide mobility and groundwater redox-buffering capacity in the vicinity of the Äspö Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Sweden. Packed-columns were set up containing crushed Äspö granodiorite, saline groundwater (simulating Äspö’s) and either single or combined inoculations of two bacteria species isolated from the Äspö URL, an iron-reducer Shewanella putrefaciens and a sulphate-reducer Desulfovibrio aespoeensis. Flow was maintained at 12ml/day to mimic that in the Äspö region, and strict anaerobic/reducing conditions were maintained throughout the experiments. Results showed that the iron-reducing bacteria S. putrefaciens quickly attached to surfaces and formed extensive filamentous biofilm meshes across porespaces. Neoformed smectite and chlorite clays also appeared on or near the biofilaments along with a calcium sulphate precipitate. Both of these processes (clay formation and the production of a mesh-like biofilm) served to cause total blockage of the pores, rendering the aggregate impermeable and thus cutting off the flow of groundwater through the column. There was also evidence of possible bio-surfactant activity causing the mobilization and trapping of fine-grained materials (<5µm) which had been produced during the crushing process and which had originally adhered to the larger grain surfaces. In contrast, the columns containing either no bacteria or only the sulphate-reducing bacteria D. aespoeensis showed no evidence of clay or biofilament formation, and little evidence of mobilization of fine particulates.
- Publication:
-
EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly
- Pub Date:
- April 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003EAEJA.....2686T