Microbial energetics applied to waste repositories

Abstract

Through their catalytic abilities microbes can increase rates of chemical reactions which would take a very long time to reach equilibrium under abiotic conditions. Microbes also alter the concentration and composition of chemicals in the environment, thereby creating new conditions for further biological and chemical reactions. Rates of degradation and possible indirect consequences on leaching rates in waste repositories are a function of the presence or absence of microbes and of the conditions which allow them to become catalytically active. Microbially mediated reactions are no exception to the rule that all chemical processes are basically governed by thermodynamic laws. Naturally occurring processes proceed in the direction that leads to the minimal potential energy level attained when equilibrium is reached. A continuous supply of energy to an ecosystem in the form of biochemically unstable compounds maintains non-equilibrium conditions, a prerequisite for all chemotrophic life. Energy is released as a chemical reaction progresses towards equilibrium. Microbes scavenge that portion of the free energy of reaction (ΔGr) which can be converted into biochemically usable forms during the chemical oxidation processes. As ‘electrontransfer catalysts’, the microorganisms mediate reactions which are thermodynamically possible thereby stimulating reaction rates. Decomposition and mineralization in systems without a continuous supply of substrates and oxidants will lead to equilibria with minimal free energy levels at which point further microbial action would cease. The differences in the free energy levels of reactions (ΔGr), represent the maximal energy which is available to microorganisms for maintenance and growth. How much of the released free energy will be conserved in energy-rich bonds, compounds (e.g. ATP), and chemical potentials (e.g. emf) useful for biosynthesis and biological work is characteristic for the microbes involved and the processes and metabolic routes employed. Materials whose elements are not present in the most oxidized form attainable in the oxic environment of our planet are potentially reactive. Microbial activities are associated only with chemical reactions whose free energy changes are exergonic. This should be kept in mind for all investigations related to the role of microbes in repositories or in the layout of proper waste storage conditions. Rigorous application of thermodynamic concepts to environmental microbiology allows one to develop models and design experiments which are often difficult to conceive of in complex natural systems from physiological information alone. Thermodynamic considerations also aid in selecting proper deposition conditions and in carrying out thoughtful experiments in areas related to microbial ecology of waste repositories.