Breaking the Science: The Impacts of Soil Microbial Communities, Redox and Water Saturation on VOC Bioreporter Signal Generation/Propagation in Soils
Abstract
Microbial bioreporters can sense and report on low levels of target compounds at micro-scales in complex matrices into detectable outputs. Engineered volatile organic compound (VOC) producing bioreporters, unlike more common optical bioreporters, offer the potential to generate a diffusible gaseous signal that can theoretically propagate through a porous 3D material such as soil (1). The objective of this proposal is to address fundamental knowledge gaps about how the indigenous soil microbial community, soil redox, and water saturation affect bioreporter viability and VOC generation/propagation in a soil system. We hypothesize: 1) bioreporter strain viability/activity will be reduced due to competition from the soil community and/or biodegradation of the VOC signal, 2) Soil redox conditions such as anaerobic conditions may inhibit bioreporter VOC synthesis, and 3) Soil water saturation may impede VOC soil propagation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1186990
Entities
People
- Karl J Indest
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center