Photo By Sgt. David Marquis | Robert Jones, a soil microbiologist with the Soil Microbiology research team at the...... read more read more
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When referring to soil, “dirt” is a bad four-letter word, according to scientists on the Soil Microbiology Research Team at the Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). Within a gram of soil, not dirt, lives a complex ecosystem of millions microorganisms capable of performing incredible feats.
“In our field we often chastise people for calling soil dirt,” said Robert Jones, a soil microbiologist at CRREL. “Apart from being kind of a joke, calling it dirt belies how complex soil actually is.”
Within soil, microorganisms are hard at work to keep the ecosystem alive by performing many different functions, such as degrading organic matter and using the carbon and nutrients for their own growth. At the same time, those microorganisms also release excess nutrients from the decomposition into their surroundings, which are then used by plants and fauna.
There’s another, perhaps lesser-known task performed by soil microorganisms—producing power.
“In this case, the microorganisms are actually producing power right now,” said Jones, while holding a sealed jar with a red blinking LED light on top. “They degrade organic matter and produce electricity, which is pretty awesome for soil, not dirt.”
Terrestrial microbial fuel cells are great for producing power in very low amounts, but Jones and CRREL’s Soil Microbiology research team are working to find out what else they can do.
“These are living organisms that can be impacted by their environment when producing power,” said Jones. “Let’s say, for example, they get slimed with something that’s toxic to them. That will change how much voltage they are producing, and if we’re able to use that voltage in a characteristic way. We can sometimes tell what they were exposed to and backtrack.”
By backtracking, researchers can identify what foreign substance comes into contact with the microorganisms, such as petrol, diesel fuel, urine or other contaminants not native to that environment. When soil is slimed with petrol, for example, it causes a change in voltage patterns it exudes. Those changes can be monitored and catalogued, which can lead to soil acting as a clandestine sensor for human presence.
“It will take a lot of work to figure out how they respond to certain chemicals,” said Jones. “We’re using machine learning techniques and pattern recognition to uncover these voltage patterns as they change.”
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2022 12:26 |
| Story ID: | 414421 |
| Location: | HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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