The role of bog microbiota in changing the state and properties of sandy- argillaceous deposits (on the example of St. Petersburg)

Abstract

The influence of one of the important natural factors of St. Petersburg underground space (buried bogs and peat deposits) on the negative transformation of the underlying soils and the occurrence of a number of exogenous, including biochemical, processes and phenomena is considered. Such processes largely determine the safety of development and use of the underground space of the city. Particular attention is paid to the bog microflora, its number and diversity of physiological groups, as well as the total weight of the bacterial mass as a percentage. Under certain hydrodynamic conditions, bog microbiota migrate down the section on dispersed rock particles. There is a dramatic increase in bacterial mass in soils beneath buried bogs compared to unburied areas. Pollution of buried bogs by leaks from sewage systems leads to an increase in microbiological activity by 3-4 times. It is emphasized that buried bogs have a particularly negative impact on sandy sediments, which are often transformed into floats; clay soils go into quasiplastic state. Buried bogs lead to a real threat of methanogenesis, the formation of gas-mud emissions and increased gas saturation of rocks. When bog water is contaminated with sulfate, hydrogen sulfide is formed in the process of sulfate reductions. Swamp microflora forms a high degree of aggressiveness in relation to building materials.