Microbial controls on biogeochemical cycling in deep subsurface shale carbon reservoirs
EMSL Project ID
48483
Abstract
Terrestrial deep shales and their interfaces are carbon-rich environments that represent a significant component of the U.S. energy portfolio. Energy resources in these environments have recently been accessed via hydraulic fracturing (i.e. 'fracking') technologies that introduce a complex mixture of biocides, surfactants, and proppants into the shale matrix. Previous studies have identified 16S rRNA gene sequences from the surrounding interfaces (not shale matrix) and monitored fluids during and after the fracking process, but much remains to be known about the cultivated and uncultivated microbial functionality in these economically important ecosystems. This proposal aims to improve our understanding of microbial diversity and metabolism in deep shale, with implications for novel enzyme discovery and energy development. We request JGI sequencing resources for microbial metagenomic reconstructions from undisturbed deep shale rock cores from different depths and locations, and from fluids temporally before, during, and after fracturing. These analyses will elucidate key (bacterial, archaeal, and viral) members, identify metabolic reactions that govern biogeochemical cycling in pristine and altered deep shale environments, identify physical, geochemical, and biotic components that regulate microbial functionality. EMSL resources that leverage Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), tandem mass spectrometry, and electron microscopy to identify active metabolisms in microbial enrichments and pure cultures developed from deep shale material will complement genomic hypotheses. Our expected results tie directly to JGI and EMSL missions of understanding linked metabolic roles between carbon and other biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial systems. Data generated from this proposal will provide the first understanding of the abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to methane, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen cycling in these poorly sampled biomes. This will advance both fundamental subsurface science and contribute knowledge for industrial and government partners interested in short and long-term impacts of microbial and geochemical processes on energy extraction.
Project Details
Project type
FICUS Research
Start Date
2014-10-01
End Date
2016-03-31
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members
Related Publications
Booker A.E., E.K. Eder, A.R. Wong, D.W. Hoyt, and M.J. Wilkins. 06/22/2019. "Deep Subsurface Pressure Stimulates Metabolic Versatility in Shale-Colonizing Halanaerobium." Abstract submitted to American Society for Microbiology Conference, San Francisco, California. PNNL-SA-140940.
Booker AE, M Borton, R Daly, S Welch, CD Nicora, DW Hoyt, T Wilson, SO Purvine, R Wolfe, S Sharma, PJ Mouser, DR Cole, MS Lipton, KC Wrighton, and MJ Wilkins. 2017. "Sulfide Generation by Dominant Halanaerobium Microorganisms in Hydraulically Fractured Shales." mSphere 2:Article No. e00257-17. doi:10.1128/mSphereDirect.00257-17
Borton M., D.W. Hoyt, S. Roux, R. Daly, S. Welch, C.D. Nicora, and S.O. Purvine, et al. 2018. "Coupled laboratory and field investigations resolve microbial interactions that underpin persistence in hydraulically fractured shales." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, no. 28:E6585-E6594. PNNL-SA-134972. doi:10.1073/pnas.1800155115
Daly R., S. Roux, M. Borton, D.M. Morgan, M.D. Johnston, A.E. Booker, and D.W. Hoyt, et al. 2018. "Viruses control dominant bacteria colonizing the terrestrial deep biosphere after hydraulic fracturing." Nature Microbiology. PNNL-SA-134613. doi:10.1038/s41564-018-0312-6
Evans M.V., G. Getzinger, J.L. Luek, A.J. Hanson, M.C. McLaughlin, J. Blotevogel, and S. Welch, et al. 2019. "In situ transformation of ethoxylate and glycol surfactants by shale-colonizing microorganisms during hydraulic fracturing." The ISME Journal 13, no. 11:2690-2700. PNNL-SA-141428. doi:10.1038/s41396-019-0466-0
Evans, M. V., G. Getzinger, J. L. Luek, A. J. Hanson, M. C. McLaughlin, J. Blotevogel, S. A. Welch, C. D. Nicora, S. O. Purvine, C. Xu, D. R. Cole, T. H. Darrah, D. W. Hoyt, T. O. Metz, P. Lee Ferguson, M. S. Lipton, M. J. Wilkins and P. J. Mouser (2019). "In situ transformation of ethoxylate and glycol surfactants by shale-colonizing microorganisms during hydraulic fracturing." The ISME Journal.
R.A. Daly, M.A. Borton, M.J. Wilkins, D.W. Hoyt, D.J. Kountz, R.A. Wolfe, S.A. Welch, D.N. Marcus, R.V. Trexler, J.D. MacRae, J.A. Krzycki, D.R. Cole, P.J. Mouser, K.C. Wrighton, "Microbial metabolisms in a 2.5 km deep ecosystem created by hydraulic fracturing in shales." Nature Microbiology (2016). DOI:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.146