Microbiological treatment of uranium mine waters

Kauffman, Jim W.; Laughlin, William C.; Baldwin, Roger A.

doi:10.1021/es00145a003

Cited by 47 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…U(VI) reduction. In previous studies with field-collected uranium-contaminated samples, Abdelouas et al (1, 2), Kauffman et al (16), and Lovley and Phillips (26) demonstrated uranium removal from solution by enhanced microbial activities when organic substrates were added to the samples. Kauffman et al (16) showed that uranium is removed from uranium mine discharge water when the discharge water was percolated through a column packed with soil collected from the uranium mine with the addition of sucrose.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Kauffman et al (16) showed that uranium is removed from uranium mine discharge water when the discharge water was percolated through a column packed with soil collected from the uranium mine with the addition of sucrose. As the uranium removal occurred after hydrogen sulfide was produced, Kauffman et al (16) inferred that hydrogen sulfide, which is produced by native sulfate-reducing bacteria in the soil, reduces U(VI) indirectly. Lovley and Phillips (26) showed that a pure culture of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans removes U(VI) from various uranium-contaminated waters collected from a uranium mine and the Department of Energy site in Hanford, Wash. Abdelouas et al (1,2) showed microbial cells precipitating UO 2 from a solution to which about 250 ppm of uranium was added in the laboratory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Populations Stimulated for Hexavalent Uranium Reduction in Uranium Mine Sediment

Suzuki

Kelly

Kemner

et al. 2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

179

108

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Uranium-contaminated sediment and water collected from an inactive uranium mine were incubated anaerobically with organic substrates. Stimulated microbial populations removed U almost entirely from solution within 1 month. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis showed that U(VI) was reduced to U(IV) during the incubation. Observations by transmission electron microscopy, selected area diffraction pattern analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis showed two distinct types of prokaryotic cells that precipitated only a U(IV) mineral uraninite (UO 2 ) or both uraninite and metal sulfides. Prokaryotic cells associated with uraninite and metal sulfides were inferred to be sulfate-reducing bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA obtained from the original and incubated sediments revealed that microbial populations were changed from microaerophilic Proteobacteria to anaerobic low-G؉C gram-positive sporeforming bacteria by the incubation. Forty-two out of 94 clones from the incubated sediment were related to sulfate-reducing Desulfosporosinus spp., and 23 were related to fermentative Clostridium spp. The results suggest that, if in situ bioremediation were attempted in the uranium mine ponds, Desulfosporosinus spp. would be a major contributor to U(VI) and sulfate reduction and Clostridium spp. to U(VI) reduction.Uranium-bearing wastes from nuclear weapons production (22) and mining (31) have generally been disposed of in nearsurface environments. Dispersion of toxic aqueous uranium species through groundwater is of great environmental concern (30). In situ stimulation of the growth of microorganisms capable of immobilizing dissolved uranium has been proposed as a potentially cost-effective remediation method (23,24).In the laboratory, it has been demonstrated that microorganisms can reduce hexavalent uranium [U(VI)] to tetravalent uranium [U(IV)] and precipitate a U(IV) mineral called uraninite (UO 2 ) (27,40). Microorganisms that reduce U(VI) in pure culture include a hyperthermophilic archaeon (15), a thermophilic bacterium (19), mesophilic Fe(III)-and sulfatereducing bacteria (4,5,34,25,27,28), and fermentative bacteria (9). Thus, the ability to reduce U(VI) occurs in phylogenetically diverse organisms. In laboratory studies, U(VI) is also reduced by microbes in solutions that contain organic or inorganic ligands or other cations (13,26,33) or that contain other electron acceptors such as Fe(III) oxides, sulfate, or selenate (12,24,40,45).Microbial U(VI) reduction in uranium-contaminated settings has been studied by incubating field-collected sediment and water with organic substrates to stimulate the growth of indigenous microorganisms in the laboratory (1, 2, 15). Although previous studies showed uranium removal from solution during laboratory incubation, the mechanisms by which uranium was removed from solution and the microbial species responsible remain unclear.In this study, we attempted to better understand the bioremediation process through integration of results obtaine...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Populations Stimulated for Hexavalent Uranium Reduction in Uranium Mine Sediment

Suzuki

Kelly

Kemner

et al. 2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

179

108

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“…As already stated above, some early research was performed by Kauffman et al (1986). These workers found that percolation of uranium mine discharge water through Ambrosia Lake, NM soil was effective in lowering the selenium, uranium, molybdenum, and sulfate concentrations in the water.…”

Section: Section 3 Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Earlier work in this area was also performed by Kauffman and others at Kerr-McGee Corporation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Kauffman et al, 1986). They used bacteria belonging to the genus Clostridium and Desulfovibrio to reduce the concentration of uranium, selenium, molybdenum and sulfate in mine water.…”

Section: Section 3 Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technical considerations for the implementation of subsurface microbial barriers for restoration of groundwater at UMTRA sites

Tucker¹

1996

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“…Kauffman et al [88] completed the first in-situ biorestoration experiment. For this, the percolation of uranium mine discharge water through Ambrosia Lake soil, NM, USA, lowered Se, U, Mo and SO 4 concentrations in U mine waters (from 0.05 to 1.90 mg/L to 0.5, 0.1, 0.05 and 600 mg/L, respectively) by the activity of Clostridium sp.…”

Section: Microbiology Of Molybdenum In Mine Wastesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Microbiology of Molybdenum in Mining-Affected Environments

Frascoli

Hudson‐Edwards

2018

Minerals

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Abstract:Molybdenum is an essential element for life, with growing production due to a constantly expanding variety of industrial applications. The potentially harmful effects of Mo on the environment, and on human and ecosystem health, require knowledge of Mo behavior in mining-affected environments. Mo is usually present in trace amounts in ore deposits, but mining exploitation can lead to wastes with very high Mo concentrations (up to 4000 mg/kg Mo for tailings), as well as soil, sediments and water contamination in surrounding areas. In mine wastes, molybdenum is liberated from sulfide mineral oxidation and can be sorbed onto secondary Fe(III)-minerals surfaces (jarosite, schwertmannite, ferrihydrite) at moderately acidic waters, or taken up in secondary minerals such as powellite and wulfenite at neutral to alkaline pH. To date, no Mo-metabolising bacteria have been isolated from mine wastes. However, laboratory and in-situ experiments in other types of contaminated land have suggested that several Mo-reducing and -oxidising bacteria may be involved in the cycling of Mo in and from mine wastes, with good potential for bioremediation. Overall, a general lack of data is highlighted, emphasizing the need for further research on the contamination, geochemistry, bio-availability and microbial cycling of Mo in mining-affected environments to improve environmental management and remediation actions.

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Microbiological treatment of uranium mine waters

Cited by 47 publications

References 1 publication

Microbial Populations Stimulated for Hexavalent Uranium Reduction in Uranium Mine Sediment

Microbial Populations Stimulated for Hexavalent Uranium Reduction in Uranium Mine Sediment

Technical considerations for the implementation of subsurface microbial barriers for restoration of groundwater at UMTRA sites

Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Microbiology of Molybdenum in Mining-Affected Environments

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