A n unusual group of bacteria may serve as oxygen-producing factories, for uses ranging from fighting infection to cleaning up oil spills, if research by an SIUC biogeochemist is further developed by industry. John Coates , an assistant professor of microbiology , has four patent applications based on his work with these bacteria. Their novel quality is their quirky metabolism. But a group of bacteria known as anaerobes either can do without oxygen, or actually find it deadly.
Anaerobes thrive in soil, marine sediments, and other low-oxygen environments.
To grow, they use alternatives to oxygen, such as nitrate or sulfate, for respiration. The specialized group of anaerobic bacteria that Coates is working with has evolved a way to use chlorate, an oxidized form of chlorine. Produced by industry, chlorate has no known natural source and is toxic to most living things. Chlorate and chlorate compounds, such as perchlorate, are used extensively in rocket propellants and explosives, as bleaching agents, and as defoliants. In some parts of the United States, especially along the West Coast, perchlorate contamination of water supplies is becoming a serious concern.