Electron Acceptor
Electron Acceptor - "A chemical entity that accepts electrons transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process." - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009
Electron Acceptor - "Compound that receives electrons (and therefore is reduced) in the energy-producing oxidation-reduction reactions that are essential for the growth of microorganisms and bioremediation. Common electron acceptors in bioremediation are oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, and iron." - National Research Council, 1993
Electron Acceptor - "Inorganic compounds that can accept electrons and can allow complete oxidation of organic substrates are called electron acceptors. The most common electron acceptors used by microorganisms in natural environments are oxygen, nitrate, ferric iron, sulfate, and carbon dioxide." - Chapelle, 2001
Electron Acceptor - "Microorganisms gain energy by catalyzing energy-producing chemical reactions that involve breaking chemical bonds and transferring electrons away from the contaminant. The type of chemical reaction is called an oxidation-reduction reaction: the organic contaminant is oxidized, the technical term for losing electrons; correspondingly, the chemical that gains the electron is reduced. The contaminant is called the electron donor, while the electron recipient is called the electron acceptor. The energy gained from these electron transfers is then 'invested,' along with some electrons and carbon from the contaminant, to produce more cells." - National Research Council, 1993
Related Definitions
Electron Donor
Aerobic
Aerobic Biodegradation
Anaerobic
Anaerobic Biodegradation
Anoxic
Biotransformation
Biodegradation
Natural Attenuation
USGS Information on Biodegradation
- Crosscutting Topics, Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program
- Toxics Program Biodegradation Investigations
- Toxics Program Remediation Related Activities
- Biodegradation of Charcoal Production Wastes, Kingsford, Mich.
- Quantifying Subsurface Biodegredation, Norman Municipal Landfill, Norman, Okla.
- Can Trees Clean Up Ground Water? Phytoremediation of Trichloroethene-Contaminated Ground Water at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Tex.
- Natural Attenuation of Wood Preservatives in Ground Water, Pensacola, Fla.
- Natural Aquifer Restoration, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Mass.
- RDX Biodegradation Assessment, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Wash.
- Oxygen-Release Compound Remediation Tests, Laurel Bay, S.C.
- Quantifying Natural Attenuation at the Plume Scale, Galloway Township, N.J. and Laurel Bay, S.C.
- USGS National Research Program Biodegradation Related Projects
- Bioremediation Activities, USGS Microbiology Research
- Geochemical and Microbial Evidence of Fuel Biodegradation in a Contaminated Karst Aquifer in Southern Kentucky, June 1999
Related Headlines
Other Information on Biodegradation
References
Chapelle, F.H., 2001, Ground-water microbiology and geochemistry (2 ed.): New York, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 477 p.
National Research Council, 1993, In situ bioremediation--When does it work?: Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 224 p.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009, Glossary of technical terms: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, access date August 5, 2010.
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