There may be a microbial ecosystem that uses electricity in the seabed
According to the official website of the National Institute of Marine Research and Development in Japan, a research team of the agency recently announced that when they performed electrochemical measurements in the deep-sea hydrothermal venting area of ​​the Okinawa Trough, they discovered the phenomenon of natural power generation on the seabed and sought to use it in the deep sea. The microbial ecology of electrical energy provides clues.
Submarine hydrothermal vents contain a large amount of metal ions and gases such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen and methane, which are prone to release electrons, are ejected with hot water to form sulfide mineral deposits. In 2013, the team found that these sulfide minerals have high electrical conductivity and catalyst activity for chemical reactions and can be used as electrodes, and it is envisaged that deep-sea hydrothermal vents can generate current. To verify this idea, they performed an on-site electrochemical measurement near the deep-sea hydrothermal vent in the Okinawa Trough and brought the mineral sample back to the laboratory for analysis.
The on-site measurement found that the surface of sulfide minerals was in an easily released state. Analysis of the samples in the laboratory showed that sulfide minerals mainly act as electric conductors between hot water and seawater, and their electron metastasis is small due to their own deterioration. The results of the study indicate that in an active submarine hydrothermal vent, electrons flow from hot water to seawater and generate electricity in an extensive and spontaneous manner.
The natural power generation phenomenon confirmed this time clearly has an impact on the surrounding energy and material circulation, especially on the interaction of microbial ecosystems and bio-minerals. In recent years, there have been reports of the presence of microorganisms that absorb electrical energy and live on electricity, and the new capabilities of microorganisms have attracted attention. The discovery of the deep-sea hydrothermal venting zone has the function of a “natural power plantâ€. Therefore, there may be a microbial ecosystem that utilizes electrical energy on the seabed. Scientists have always believed that deep-sea hydrothermal vents are the most promising candidates for the origin of life on Earth. Electricity can promote various organic chemical reactions, and the phenomenon of power generation in deep-sea hydrothermal vents may be able to overcome multiple obstacles that have not been accounted for so far, and open the mystery of the birth of life on the earth.
The results of the study will be published on the Internet edition of the German "Applied Chemistry International Edition" on May 10, and will be published as a cover article in the magazine. (Reporter Chen Chao)
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