Joseph M. Suflita

In a broad sense, my research interests are concerned with the activities and interactions of microorganisms within various ecosystems. Therefore, knowledge of both the microorganisms and the habitat is essential for understanding microbial processes and the formulation of ecological principles that transcend the particular environment being studied. More specifically, I seek to determine the metabolic fate of contaminating organic chemicals in the environment and to describe these transformations in a quantitative manner.

Biodegradation information has steadily emerged in recent years with the recognition that microorganisms play preeminent roles in governing the rate and extent of pollutant transformation in virtually every major habitat. However, the efforts of my laboratory differ from others in two distinct ways: It is dedicated to the study of anaerobic biodegradation processes, and it focuses on environments that are not well studied like ground water aquifers and landfills.

I research mechanisms that anaerobes have evolved to degrade pollutant substances, the rates at which such materials are metabolized, the environmental factors that influence these rates, and the relationship of this type of metabolism to the cycling of carbon and energy in these poorly understood environments. My approach is taken because little is known about the anaerobic biotransformation of pollutants despite the recognition that such materials enter and reside in anoxic habitats like aquifers and landfills.

With the myriad of contaminants and the environmental and health implications of such materials, the need to understand and predict the fate of such materials is paramount. Therefore, the efforts of my laboratory are directed toward identifying the types of pollutants that are susceptible to anaerobic decay, isolating the requisite microorganisms, establishing the prevalent metabolic pathways, providing quantitative descriptions of biodegradation kinetics, and finding strategies for the bioremediation of contaminated areas. This effort includes both field and laboratory components.

Selected Publications:

• Parisi, V.A., Brubaker, G. R., Zenker, M.J., Prince, R.C., Gieg, L.M., da Silva, M.L.B., Alvarez, P.J.J., and J. M. Suflita. 2009. Field metabolomics and laboratory assessments of anaerobic intrinsic bioremediation of hydrocarbons at a petroleum-contaminated site. Microb. Biotech. In press.
• Gieg, L.M., Alumbaugh, R.E., Field, J., Jones, J., Istok, J.D., and J. M. Suflita. 2009. Assessing In Situ Rates Of Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Bioremediation Microb. Biotech. In press
• Gieg, L.M., K.E. Duncan, and J.M. Suflita. 2008. Bioenergy production via microbial conversion of residual oil to natural gas. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74:3022-3029.
• Suflita, J.M. and M.J. McInerney. 2008. Microbial approaches for the enhanced recovery of methane and oil from mature reservoirs. In: Bioenergy: Microbial Contributions to Alternative Fuels. Wall J. D., Harwood C. S. and Demain A., Eds. ASM Press, Washington, DC. pp. 389-403.
• Davidova, I.A., L.M. Gieg, K.E. Duncan and J. M. Suflita. 2007. Anaerobic phenanthrene mineralization by a carboxylating sulfate-reducing bacterial enrichment. Internat..Soc. Microb.Ecol. J. 1:436–442
• Prince R.C. and J. M. Suflita. 2007. Anaerobic biodegradation of natural gas condensate can be stimulated by the addition of gasoline. Biodeg. 18:515-523.
• Callaghan, A.V., L.M. Gieg, K.G. Kropp, J.M. Sulfita and L.Y. Young. 2006. Comparison of mechanisms of alkane metabolism under sulfate-reducing conditions among two bacterial isolates and a bacterial consortium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:4274-4282.
• Davidova, I.A., K.E. Duncan, O.K. Choi, and J.M. Suflita. 2006. Desulfoglaeba alkanexedens gen. nov., sp.nov., an n-alkane degrading sulfate reducing bacterium. Inter. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 56: 2737-2742.
• Gieg, L.M. and J.M. Suflita. 2005. Metabolic indicators of anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation in petroleum-laden environments. In: Petroleum Microbiology. Eds. B. Ollivier and M. Magot, ASM Press, Washington, DC, pp. 356-371.
• Davidova, I.A. and J.M. Suflita. 2005. Enrichment and isolation of anaerobic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. In: Methods in Enzymology. Vol 397. Environmental Microbiology. Ed. J. Leadbetter. Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp. 17-34.
• Davidova, I.A., Gieg L.M., Nanny, M., Kropp K.G. and J.M. Suflita. 2005. Stable isotopic studies of n-alkane metabolism by a sulfate-reducing bacterial enrichment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:8174-8182.

• Department of Botany & Microbiology
  
• Sarkey's Energy Center
• The Institute for Energy and the Environment