Welcome to the Joel Kostka Laboratory web site!
The Kostka Laboratory combines cutting-edge microbiology/ molecular biology with biogeochemistry to quantify the role of microorganisms in ecosystem function. Our research is heavily field oriented and spans from coastal marine ecosystems to the terrestrial subsurface. Projects include the biogeochemical cycles of natural and contaminated environments.
Research News
New Bacterial Species Isolated that Detoxifies both Metals and Organic Contaminants in the Terrestrial Subsurface.
We are proud to announce a new paper coming out in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, “Geobacter daltonii sp. nov., an iron(III)- and uranium(VI)-reducing bacterium isolated from the shallow subsurface exposed to mixed heavy metal and hydrocarbon contamination,” by Om Prakash, Tom Gihring, Dava Dalton, Kuki Chin, Stefan Green, Denise Akob, Greg Wanger, and Joel Kostka. This paper describes a new species of Geobacter isolated from the contaminated subsurface of a nuclear legacy waste site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, managed by the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Read More >
On the left is an atomic force
microscopic image of the new species Geobacter
daltonii. On the right is a core sample of
uranium-contaminated subsurface sediment from the
Oak Ridge Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research
Challenge (OR-IFRC) where the new strain of bacteria
was discovered..
New Papers Out on the Role of Marine Sands as the Kidneys of the Earth’s Estuaries.
Two papers have been published on the role of sedimentary microbes in marine sands as nutrient filters that protect water quality on the coast by removing or recycling nutrients. Read More >
Above: The sandy coastline of St. George Island, Florida.
Research Highlight
New Research Initiative Seeks to Create Biofuels from Algae
Joel Kostka is leading a new research thrust termed a Systems Approach to Bioenergy Research (SABER) within the newly formed Institute for Energy Systems, Economics, and Sustainability at Florida State University. The focus of the SABER working group is to develop methods for producing biofuels from algae grown sustainably, using only green energy. Read More >
By cultivating marine algae, such as
the diatoms pictured on the right, we will be able
to utilize the energy from the sun to turn
greenhouse gases into fuel. We are focusing on the
main stumbling blocks so far in optimizing the
growth of marine algae as a biomass feedstock and
the conversion of cultivated biomass into useful
fuels.
