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Soil-like habitats for spatial analysis of microbe-mineral interactions


EMSL Project ID
60094

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop mineral microfluidics compatible with a suite of optical and chemical imaging capabilities at EMSL, as well as SSRL, for probing microbially relevant reactions and processes directly associated with soil physical properties and mineralogies. Bulk scale measurements of the soil microbiome mask details of the molecular reactions occurring within spatially discrete microbial communities evolving in soil microaggregate structures. Polydimethylsiloxane based soil-like devices, that mimic soil porosity and aggregate sizes to study soil microbial communities are incompatible with on chip chemical imaging and do not simulate mineralogies. Here, we aim to develop biocompatible polymer based mineral microfluidics technology to build soil like habitats that simulates soil mineralogy and are compatible with on chip chemical imaging technologies.

Project Details

Start Date
2021-11-17
End Date
N/A
Status
Active

Team

Principal Investigator

Arunima Bhattacharjee
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Team Members

Jayde Aufrecht
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Michael Taylor
Institution
Private Industry (Roop)

Nabajit Lahiri
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Qian Zhao
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Dusan Velickovic
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Kirsten Hofmockel
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Christopher Anderton
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Odeta Qafoku
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory