Over the past 4 billion years, microorganisms have contributed to shaping the
earth and making it more habitable for higher forms of life. They are remarkable
in their metabolic diversity and their ability to harvest energy from oxidation
and reduction reactions. Research on these microbiological processes has led to
the newly evolving fields of geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry, linking the
geosphere and the biosphere.
This volume of the Soil Biology series provides an overview of the
biogeochemical processes and the microorganisms involved, with an emphasis on
the industrial applications. Topics treated include aspects such as
bioremediation of contaminated environments, biomining, biotechnological
applications of extremophiles, subsurface petroleum microbiology, enhanced oil
recovery using