Reducing Excess Sulfur in the Environment
Excess accumulation of sulfur is a pressing concern in Minnesota, where mining and other industrial activities can produce high sulfate waters. This sulfate can be transformed into sulfide, which harms culturally and ecologically important wild rice populations. While existing research has sought to develop efficient and cost-effective bioremediation strategies to treat high sulfate waters, none have investigated sulfur sources or considered the role that organosulfur may play in overall sulfur accumulation.
PhD student Amanda Patsis (Earth and Environmental Sciences), in a project called “Metagenome mining to inform bioremediation: Elucidating the impact of microbial metabolism on the transport fate of sulfur in Minnesota groundwater,” is investigating the microbially mediated sources of sulfur in surface water systems across Minnesota, with a particular focus on how organosulfur interacts with and contributes to the inorganic sulfur pool being remediated. An understanding of which microbial processes alter the form and transport fate of sulfur will reveal how microorganisms in a given environment can influence the efficacy of remediation strategies and inform future remediation efforts.
Ms. Patsis was the Grand Prize Winner in the Physical Sciences and Engineering category of the poster competition at the 2022 MSI Research Exhibition. She presented a poster entitled “Metagenomic insights into the role of organic sulfur in the deep biosphere.”
Some funding for this project was provided by a 2023 University of Minnesota Informatics Institute MnDRIVE PhD Graduate Assistantship. The UMII MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship program supports U of M PhD candidates pursuing research at the intersection of informatics and any of the five MnDRIVE areas:
- Robotics
- Global Food
- Environment
- Conditions
- Cancer Clinical Trials
This project is part of the Environment MnDRIVE area. See the complete list of the UMII Graduate Assistantships for 2023.
