Improving interpretation of geoelectrical signatures arising from biomineralization process in porous media: Low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy measurements on Desulfovibrio vulgaris cell suspensions

Previous geophysical studies have demonstrated the sensitivity of complex conductivity measurements to microbial growth, biofilm formation, and microbial-mineral alternations, indicating that complex conductivity has the potential to serve as non-invasive tool for bioremediation monitoring. However, the inherent dielectric properties of microbes and how they might directly contribute to the geophysical responses observed during microbial-mineral transformations are not well understood. As a first step towards improving the understanding of electrical signals from microbial-mineral transformations in porous media, we studied the low frequency dielectric properties of sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio vulgaris) cell suspensions, a common soil borne microorganism involved in remediation of toxic metals in solution. We utilized a two-electrode dielectric spectroscopy measurement, common in biophysics applications,to acquire high quality dielectric dispersion curves of Desulfovibrio vulgaris cell suspensions over the frequency range 0.1 Hz to 1M Hz. Desulfovibrio vulgaris cell suspensions were placed between two parallel steel electrodes that are enclosed in a cylindrical glass tube, and the complex impedance of sample was measured relative to a known resistor. The measured impedance includes an electrode polarization impedance arising at the interface between electrodes and ionic solutions at low frequencies. This electrode impedance has traditionally precluded the reliable interpretation of two electrode techniques at low frequencies (< 1000 Hz). In order to obtain the true dielectric dispersion curve of sample, we adopt a simple and robust strategy to measure, analyze and remove the polarization impedance. The feasibility of this polarization removal technique was tested on water saturated glass beads. We show that the broadband dielectric response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris can be reliably determined with this approach. The measurements are modeled based on a dilute suspension of polarizable spheres with the polarization attributed to the surface charge on the cell walls. Our results provide insights into the likely contribution of the cells themselves to biogeophysical signals observed during biomineralization processes.