Bacteria as agents in the oxidation of amorphous carbon

Abstract

Abstract The problem which presented itself to my mind in commencing the following investigation was primarily one connected with agriculture. When considering the application of such insoluble substances as charcoal, cinders, soot, etc., to the land,a n explanation was sought of their ultimate fate in the soil. What becomes of the carbon ? Is it oxidised into CO2, and if so by what agency ? Little is known at present as to the means whereby amorphous carbon is rendered available for plant life, except through its union with oxygen in the process of combustion, and further investigation upon this point offered an important field of enquiry. It is well established that carbon readily absorbs oxygen, and, in the case of coal, that carbonic acid is given off, but the cause of the latter phenomenon is still obscure, and in the theories advanced to account for it no consideration is ever given to the possible action of micro-organisms.