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The important sulfur cycle is a biogeochemical cycle in which the sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems. It is important in geology as it affects many minerals and in life because sulfur is an essential element (CHNOPS), being a constituent of many proteins and cofactors, and sulfur compounds can be used as oxidants or reductants in microbial respiration.[1] The global sulfur cycle involves the transformations of sulfur species through different oxidation states, which play an important role in both geological and biological processes.
Steps of the sulfur cycle are:
Mineralization of organic sulfur into inorganic forms, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), elemental sulfur, as well as sulfide minerals.
Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide, sulfide, and elemental sulfur (S) to sulfate (SO2− 4).
Reduction of sulfate to sulfide.
Incorporation of sulfide into organic compounds (including metal-containing derivatives).
Disproportionation of sulfur compounds (elemental sulfur, sulfite, thiosulfate) into sulfate and hydrogen sulfide.
These are often termed as follows:
Assimilative sulfate reduction (see also sulfur assimilation) in which sulfate (SO2− 4) is reduced by plants, fungi and various prokaryotes. The oxidation states of sulfur are +6 in sulfate and –2 in R–SH.
Desulfurization in which organic molecules containing sulfur can be desulfurized, producing hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S, oxidation state = –2). An analogous process for organic nitrogen compounds is deamination.
Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide produces elemental sulfur (S8), oxidation state = 0. This reaction occurs in the photosynthetic green and purple sulfur bacteria and some chemolithotrophs. Often the elemental sulfur is stored as polysulfides.
Oxidation in elemental sulfur by sulfur oxidizers produces sulfate.
Dissimilative sulfur reduction in which elemental sulfur can be reduced to hydrogen sulfide.
Dissimilative sulfate reduction in which sulfate reducers generate hydrogen sulfide from sulfate.
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The important sulfurcycle is a biogeochemical cycle in which the sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems. It is important in geology...
The hybrid sulfurcycle (HyS) is a two-step water-splitting process intended to be used for hydrogen production. Based on sulfur oxidation and reduction...
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role besides in the cycling of sulfur, as they also consume hydrogen, resulting from the fermentation of organic matter. Sulfur-oxidating bacteria instead...
rapidly, in around 100 years. The iron cycle interacts significantly with the sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. Soluble Fe(II) can act as the electron...
Sulfur (also spelled sulphur in British English) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic...
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such as iron, manganese and various species of sulfur including sulfide, sulfite, sulfate, elemental sulfur from which they can derive energy or nutrients...
a central participant in the sulfurcycle, the biogeochemical cycle of sulfur on Earth. In the absence of oxygen, sulfur-reducing and sulfate-reducing...
plants, green sulfur bacteria mainly use sulfide ions as electron donors. They are autotrophs that utilize the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle to perform...
(2006). "Nitrogen and sulfur deposition on regional and global scales: a multimodel evaluation" (PDF). Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 20 (4): n/a. Bibcode:2006GBioC...
reacts with water to form clouds of sulfuric acid, and is a key component of the planet's global atmospheric sulfurcycle and contributes to global warming...
The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that involves the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Unlike...
other SRM methods, it is often included. Enhancing the natural marine sulfurcycle by fertilizing a small portion with iron—typically considered to be a...
lime sulfur system will undergo a fast oxidation and its different products will continue to evolve and finally enter the natural sulfurcycle. The presence...
Marty, Danielle; De Lange, Gert J.; Van der Wielen, Paul (2009-06-09). "Sulfurcycling and methanogenesis primarily drive microbial colonization of the highly...
Sulfur assimilation is the process by which living organisms incorporate sulfur into their biological molecules. In plants, sulfate is absorbed by the...
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sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerides (SQDG) are important members of the sulfurcycle. Other important sulfolipids include sulfatide and seminolipid, each...