Exploring the Use of Covellite as a Proxy for Corrosion of Native Copper by Sulphur Reducing Bacteria

We are analyzing the effect of sulphate reducing bacteria on native copper, and using that evidence to further support the initiative of having a deep geological repository to store nuclear material. Sulphate reducing bacteria are a concern for the deep geological repository as they cause the corrosion of regular copper. However native copper has gone billions of years without corrosion, which could either mean that it had not been exposed to sulphate reducing bacteria over the billions of years, or native copper is able to withstand corrosion despite the contact of sulphate reducing bacteria. We can find out by trying to find the biomarkers of sulphate reducing bacteria on native copper, which through literature search are found to be copper sulphide also known as Covellite. By using an electron microscope to search for Covellite on the native copper sample, we can determine if, and how sulphate reducing bacteria affects native copper. A further application of this experiment would be to see how to implement this characteristic of native copper onto the copper used in the deep geological repository