Depositional model of the Member Deng-2 marginal microbial mound-bank complex of the Dengying Formation in the southwestern Sichuan Basin, SW China: Implications for the Ediacaran microbial mound construction and hydrocarbon exploration

Recent advances in hydrocarbon exploration have been made in the Member Deng-2 marginal microbial mound-bank complex reservoirs of the Dengying Formation in the western Sichuan Basin, SW China,where the depositional process is regarded confusing. The microfacies, construction types, and depositional model of the Member Deng-2 marginal microbial mound-bank complex have been investigated using unmanned aerial vehicle photography, outcrop section investigation, thin section identification,and seismic reflections in the southwestern Sichuan Basin. The microbialite lithologic textures in this region include thrombolite, dendrolite, stromatolite, fenestral stromatolite, spongiostromata stone,oncolite, aggregated grainstone, and botryoidal grapestone. Based on the comprehensive analysis of“depositional fabrics-lithology-microfacies”, an association between a fore mound, mound framework,and back mound subfacies has been proposed based on water depth, current direction, energy level and lithologic assemblages. The microfacies of the mound base, mound core, mound flank, mound cap, and mound flat could be recognized among the mound framework subfacies. Two construction types of marginal microbial mound-bank complex have been determined based on deposition location, mound scale, migration direction, and sedimentary facies association. Type Jinkouhe microbial mound constructions(TJMMCs) develop along the windward margin owing to their proximity to the seaward subfacies fore mound, with a northeastwardly migrated microbial mound on top of the mud mound,exhibiting the characteristics of large-sized mounds and small-sized banks in the surrounding area. Type E'bian microbial mound constructions(TEMMCs) primarily occur on the leeward margin, resulting from the presence of onshore back mound subfacies, with the smaller southwestward migrated microbial mounds existing on a thicker microbial flat. The platform margin microbial mound depositional model can be correlated with certain lateral comparison profile and seismic reflection structures in the 2D seismic section, which can provide references for future worldwide exploration. Microbial mounds with larger buildups and thicker vertical reservoirs are typically targeted on the windward margin, while small-sized microbial mounds and flats with better lateral connections are typically focused on the leeward margin.

The Citrate Metabolism in Homo-and Heterofermentative LAB:A Selective Means of Becoming Dominant over Other Microorganisms in Complex Ecosystems

The citrate metabolism has been extensively studied in lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for its aroma compound production. Among the 4-carbon (C4) by-products obtained from citrate fermentation, diacetyl is one of the better known products for its contribution to the buttery aroma of dairy products. A lot of documents deal with ways to improve diacetyl concentration in food matrices. Apart from these organoleptic advantages, in a microbial ecosystem, the citrate metabolism gives selective advantages to citrate positive microorganisms. Citrate metabolism allows the LAB to use another carbon source for their growth, withstand acidic conditions and generate a “proton motive force” (PMF). Moreover, the citrate/glucid co-metabolism leads to the fast release of organic compounds known for having bacteriostatic effects. Under specific conditions, the C4?pathway liberates diacetyl which is bacteriostatic. In this review we first describe the citrate metabolism and the enzymes involved in the two homo- and heterofermentative LABLc diacetylactisandLeuconostocspp. Moreover, the way to shift the metabolic pathway toward the production of aromatic compounds is discussed for both of these fermentative types of bacteria. Finally, the selective advantages of citrate metabolism for LAB in complex microbial ecosystems are delineated.

Two stages kinetics of municipal solid waste inoculation composting processes

In order to understand the key mechanisms of the composting processes, the municipal solid waste(MSW) composting processes were divided into two stages, and the characteristics of typical experimental scenarios from the viewpoint of microbial kinetics was analyzed. Through experimentation with advanced composting reactor under controlled composting conditions, several equations were worked out to simulate the degradation rate of the substrate. The equations showed that the degradation rate was controlled by concentration of microbes in the first stage. The degradation rates of substrates of inoculation Run A, B, C and Control composting systems were 13 61 g/(kg·h), 13 08 g/(kg·h), 15 671 g/(kg·h), and 10 5 g/(kg·h), respectively. The value of Run C is around 1 5 times higher than that of Control system. The decomposition rate of the second stage is controlled by concentration of substrate. Although the organic matter degradation rates were similar to all Runs, inoculation could reduce the values of the half velocity coefficient K \-m and could be more efficient to make the composting stable. Particularly, for Run C, the degradation rate is high in the first stage, and K \-m is low in the second stage. The results indicated that the inoculation was efficient for the composting processes.