fmicb-12-675628 June 23, 2021 Time: 17:59 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 28 June 2021 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.675628 Identification of Microbiological Activities in Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems Gregory Martin1†, Shagun Sharma1,2, William Ryan1, Nanda K. Srinivasan3 and John M. Senko1,2,4* 1 Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States, 2 Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States, 3 Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, United States, 4 Department of Geosciences, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, United States Thermoelectric power generation from coal requires large amounts of water, much of Edited by: which is used for wet flue gas desulfurization (wFGD) systems that minimize sulfur Anna-Louise Reysenbach, emissions, and consequently, acid rain. The microbial communities in wFGDs and Portland State University, throughout thermoelectric power plants can influence system performance, waste United States processing, and the long term stewardship of residual wastes. Any microorganisms Reviewed by: Nils-Kaare Birkeland, that survive in wFGD slurries must tolerate high total dissolved solids concentrations University of Bergen, Norway (TDS) and temperatures (50–60◦C), but the inocula for wFGDs are typically from Hannah Schweitzer, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, fresh surface waters (e.g., lakes or rivers) of low TDS and temperatures, and whose Norway activity might be limited under the physicochemically extreme conditions of the wFGD. *Correspondence: To determine the extents of microbiological activities in wFGDs, we examined the John M. Senko microbial activities and communities associated with three wFGDs. O consumption
[email protected] 2 ◦ † Present address: rates of three wFGD slurries were optimal at 55 C, and living cells could be detected Gregory Martin, microscopically, indicating that living and active communities of organisms were present Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, in the wFGD and could metabolize at the high temperature of the wFGD.