氧化还原反应中从电子供体到电子受体的直接电子流的效率受到这些组分的空间分离的显着影响。地理电池,一类自然存在于土壤-水系统中的氧化还原活性物质,充当电子储库,可逆捐赠,存储,接受电子。这种能力允许氧化还原半反应的时间和空间去耦,提供灵活的电子转移机制。在这次审查中,我们系统地研究了地球细胞在影响环境生物地球化学过程中电子转移和利用方面的关键作用。典型的氧化还原活性中心内,如醌样部分,含氮和含硫基团,和可变价金属,具有反复充电和放电的潜力。各种表征技术,从元素分析等定性方法,成像,和光谱学,化学等定量技术,光谱学,和电化学方法,已开发用于评估这种可逆电子转移能力。此外,当前对地质细胞的生态和环境意义的研究超出了自然土壤-水系统的范围(例如,土壤碳循环)到工程系统,如水处理(例如,氮去除)和废物管理(例如,厌氧消化)。尽管取得了这些进步,挑战,如环境系统的复杂性,难以准确量化电子交换容量,必须解决扩大规模的问题,以充分释放其潜力。这项审查强调了与土工地相关的承诺和挑战,以应对环境问题,例如气候变化和污染物转化。
The efficiency of direct electron flow from electron donors to electron acceptors in redox reactions is significantly influenced by the spatial separation of these components. Geobatteries, a class of redox-active substances naturally present in soil-water systems, act as electron reservoirs, reversibly donating, storing, and accepting electrons. This capability allows the temporal and spatial decoupling of redox half-reactions, providing a flexible electron transfer mechanism. In this review, we systematically examine the critical role of geobatteries in influencing electron transfer and utilization in environmental biogeochemical processes. Typical redox-active centers within geobatteries, such as quinone-like moieties, nitrogen- and sulfur-containing groups, and variable-valent metals, possess the potential to repeatedly charge and discharge. Various characterization techniques, ranging from qualitative methods like elemental analysis, imaging, and spectroscopy, to quantitative techniques such as chemical, spectroscopic, and electrochemical methods, have been developed to evaluate this reversible electron transfer capacity. Additionally, current research on the ecological and environmental significance of geobatteries extends beyond natural soil-water systems (e.g., soil carbon cycle) to engineered systems such as water treatment (e.g., nitrogen removal) and waste management (e.g., anaerobic digestion). Despite these advancements, challenges such as the complexity of environmental systems, difficulties in accurately quantifying electron exchange capacity, and scaling-up issues must be addressed to fully unlock their potential. This review underscores both the promise and challenges associated with geobatteries in responding to environmental issues, such as climate change and pollutant transformation.