Biofilm Formation on Excavation Damaged Zone Fractures in Deep Neogene Sedimentary Rock.

ABSTRACT: Deep underground galleries are used to access the deep biosphere in addition to mining and other engineering applications, such as geological disposal of radioactive waste. Fracture networks developed in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) are concerned with accelerating mass transport, where microbial colonization might be possible due to the availability of space and nutrients. In this study, microbial biofilms at EDZ fractures were investigated by drilling from a 350-m-deep gallery and subsequent borehole logging at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL). By using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, the dense colonization of microbial cells was demonstrated at the surfaces of the EDZ fractures with high hydraulic conductivity. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed the

SUBMITTER: Hirota A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11496357 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature