Biological reduction of uranium--from the laboratory to the field.

Autor: Dullies F; WISUTEC Wismut Umwelttechnik GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany., Lutze W, Gong W, Nuttall HE
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2010 Nov 15; Vol. 408 (24), pp. 6260-71. Date of Electronic Publication: 2010 Sep 26.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.08.018
Abstrakt: The chemical and biological processes underlying in situ bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater have been studied in the laboratory and in the field. This article focuses on the long-term stability of uraninite (UO(2)) in the underground. A large tailings pond, 'Dänkritz 1' in Germany, was selected for this investigation. A single-pass flow-through experiment was run in a 100-liter column: bioremediation for 1year followed by infiltration of tap water (2.5years) saturated with oxygen, sufficient to oxidize the precipitated uraninite in two months. Instead, only 1wt.% uraninite was released over 2.4years at concentrations typically less than 20μg/L. Uraninite was protected against oxidation by the mineral mackinawite (FeS(0.9)), a considerable amount of which had formed, together with uraninite. A confined field test was conducted adjacent to the tailings pond, which after bio-stimulation showed similarly encouraging results as in the laboratory. Taking Dänkritz 1 as an example we show that in situ bioremediation can be a viable option for long-term site remediation, if the process is designed based on sufficient laboratory and field data. The boundary conditions for the site in Germany are discussed.
(Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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