Fundamental Studies of In Situ Biosurfactant Production and the Attendant Impact on Metal Interactions with Soil Surfaces

环境微生物学家Raina Maier教授、表面化学家Jeanne Pemberton（亚利桑那大学）和分析核磁共振专家Cynthia Larive（堪萨斯大学）由分析和表面化学计划和多学科活动办公室资助，用于调查微生物表面活性剂及其在土壤表面化学中的作用。 这个问题是要解决在一个广泛的跨学科的研究计划，涉及批量和流通柱和微生物培养，分析，包括FTIR，NMR，XPS，AFM和PCR。 目的是整理出生物表面活性剂在自然和模型土壤系统中的相互作用，无论是污染的还是未污染的。 微生物释放的生物表面活性剂在土壤环境中金属迁移过程中起着未知的作用。 除了帮助解决金属（天然和污染物）的运输问题外，这项工作还可能有助于提供生物修复和/或消除土壤污染的新方法。 一个独特的交叉培训的研究生和本科生是在地方结合研究。

Professors Raina Maier, an environmental microbiologist, Jeanne Pemberton, a surface chemist (both of the University of Arizona) and Cynthia Larive, an analytical nuclear magnetic resonance expert (of the University of Kansas) are funded by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities for the investigation of microbial surfactants and their role in the surface chemistry of soils. This problem is to be addressed in an extensive interdisciplinary research program involving batch and flow-through column and micro-organism culturing, and analyses including FTIR, NMR, XPS, AFM and PCR. The goal is to sort out the interaction of biosurfactants in natural and model soil systems that are both contaminated and uncontaminated. Biosurfactants released by microbes play an unknown role in the transport of metals in the soil environment. In addition to aiding in questions of transport of metals (both natural and pollutants), the work may help provide new methods for bioremediation and/or elimination of contamination in soils. A unique cross-training of graduate and undergraduate students is in place in conjunction with the research.