November 2009 Geology and GSA Today highlights Oct 31, 2009
In a study by Jin et al., microbial sulfate reduction is subject to a thermodynamic limit arising from the need of microorganisms to save energy for maintenance and growth, and this limit prevents the process from proceeding until the supply of electron donor or sulfate has been consumed, as would be expected from commonly applied kinetic theory. In pure culture experiments, acetotrophic sulfate reduction stops when the energy liberated by the reaction falls to 33 to 43 kilojoule per mole (kJ/m)... (EurekAlert!)
A further insight into the biosorption mechanism of Pt() by infrared spectrometry Jul 6, 2009
and that the free monosaccharic group bearing hemiacetalic hydroxyl from the hydrolyzed biomass behaving as an electron donor, in situ reduces the Pt() to Pt(0). And moreover, the binding of the Pt() to the oxygen of the carbonyl group of peptide bond caused a change in the secondary structure of proteins; i.e. a transformation, in polypeptide chains, of b-folded to a-helical form in that the latter might be expected to be more advantageous than b-folded form to the platinum nanoparticles under... (BioMed Central)
BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc.: Joint Venture Places Bisbee Plant on Temporary Furlough to Re-Structure Costs and Investigate Opportunities for Sustained Profitability Mar 26, 2009
A reduced complement of BioteQ staff will remain on site to implement technical changes, including the use of a lower cost electron donor for the bioreactor. BioteQ will maintain the bioreactor activity at a level that would allow a rapid ramp-up in production should input costs and revenue meet minimum criteria for operations. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Vitamin C Protects Blood Vessels Mar 11, 2009
It is also an electron donor for 8 human enzymes. It rejuvenates oxidized vitamin E (tocopherol) so it may function again as an antioxidant. (Suite101.com)
Patience Pays Off With Methanol For Uranium Bioremediation Feb 25, 2009
In one bioremediation strategy, uranium immobilization in contaminated ground water and sediment may be achieved by the addition of organic molecules known as electron donors to stimulate microbial activity. The microbial community utilizes the electron donors as food , consuming all of the available oxygen during aerobic respiration ... Researchers have been investigating the effectiveness of various electron donors, but have been frustrated by residual U6+ which is not converted to insoluble... (Science Daily)
