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Yuan W, She J, Liu J, Zhang Q, Wei X, Huang L, Zeng X, Wang J. Insight into microbial functional genes' role in geochemical distribution and cycling of uranium: The evidence from covering soils of uranium tailings dam. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 461:132630. [PMID: 37774604 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
There exists a research gap on microbial functional genes' role in U geochemical behavior and cycling in U contaminated soils, which has been poorly understood. Herein, 16S rRNA sequencing gene amplifiers and metagenome analysis were applied to probe microbial community structure and functional metabolism of different depth layers of covering soils in U tailings dam. Results showed that the soils were highly enriched with U (47.5-123.3 mg/kg) and a remarkable portion of 35-70% was associated with the labile fractions. It was found that U geochemical distribution was notably interacted with functional genes from N, S, Fe and P related microbes. Importantly, diminution in gene NirK and amplification in nrfH involving in nitrate reduction could induce microbial tolerance to U. Moreover, gene Sat in microbial sulfate reduction, NosZ and NorB in nitrate reduction, phnD, upgA and upgC in P transportation and phnI, phnK, phoA and opd in microbial organic P mineralization, were all closely linked to U geochemical distribution, species and cycling. All these findings disclose the functional genes that may control the transfer and transformation behavior of U in soil environment, which provides important and novel indications for the bio-remediation strategies towards U polluted sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhuan Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingye She
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiong Zhang
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xudong Wei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liting Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.
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2
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Chardi KJ, Schenkeveld WDC, Kumar N, Giammar DE, Kraemer SM. Effect of Competing Metals and Humic Substances on Uranium Mobilization from Noncrystalline U(IV) Induced by Anthropogenic and Biogenic Ligands. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:16006-16015. [PMID: 37819156 PMCID: PMC10603774 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic and biogenic ligands may mobilize uranium (U) from tetravalent U (U(IV)) phases in the subsurface, especially from labile noncrystalline U(IV). The rate and extent of U(IV) mobilization are affected by geochemical processes. Competing metals and humic substances may play a decisive role in U mobilization by anthropogenic and biogenic ligands. A structurally diverse set of anthropogenic and biogenic ligands was selected for assessing the effect of the aforementioned processes on U mobilization from noncrystalline U(IV), including 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (DPA), citrate, N,N'-di(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethylene-diamine-N,N'-diacetic acid (HBED), and desferrioxamine B (DFOB). All experiments were performed under anoxic conditions at pH 7.0. The effect of competing metals (Ca, Fe(III), and Zn) on ligand-induced U mobilization depended on the particular metal-ligand combination ranging from nearly complete U mobilization inhibition (e.g., Ca-citrate) to no apparent inhibitory effects or acceleration of U mobilization (e.g., Fe(III)-citrate). Humic substances (Suwannee River humic acid and fulvic acid) were tested across a range of concentrations either separately or combined with the aforementioned ligands. Humic substances alone mobilized appreciable U and also enhanced U mobilization in the presence of anthropogenic or biogenic ligands. These findings illustrate the complex influence of competing metals and humic substances on U mobilization by anthropogenic and biogenic ligands in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J. Chardi
- Centre
for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department for
Environmental Geosciences, University of
Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter D. C. Schenkeveld
- Soil
Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Soil
Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel E. Giammar
- Department
of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, One Brookings
Drive, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Stephan M. Kraemer
- Centre
for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department for
Environmental Geosciences, University of
Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2 1090 Vienna, Austria
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3
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Rosendahl CD, Roebbert Y, Schippers A, Weyer S. U mobilization and associated U isotope fractionation by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1190962. [PMID: 37533830 PMCID: PMC10390777 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1190962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Uranium (U) contamination of the environment causes high risk to health, demanding for effective and sustainable remediation. Bioremediation via microbial reduction of soluble U(VI) is generating high fractions (>50%) of insoluble non-crystalline U(IV) which, however, might be remobilized by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. In this study, the efficacy of Acidithiobacillus (At.) ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus (T.) denitrificans to mobilize non-crystalline U(IV) and associated U isotope fractionation were investigated. At. ferrooxidans mobilized between 74 and 91% U after 1 week, and U mobilization was observed for both, living and inactive cells. Contrary to previous observations, no mobilization by T. denitrificans could be observed. Uranium mobilization by At. ferrooxidans did not cause U isotope fractionation suggesting that U isotope ratio determination is unsuitable as a direct proxy for bacterial U remobilization. The similar mobilization capability of active and inactive At. ferrooxidans cells suggests that the mobilization is based on the reaction with the cell biomass. This study raises doubts about the long-term sustainability of in-situ bioremediation measures at U-contaminated sites, especially with regard to non-crystalline U(IV) being the main component of U bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. D. Rosendahl
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mineralogie, Hannover, Germany
| | - Y. Roebbert
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mineralogie, Hannover, Germany
| | - A. Schippers
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Geomicrobiology, Hannover, Germany
| | - S. Weyer
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mineralogie, Hannover, Germany
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4
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Hilpmann S, Rossberg A, Steudtner R, Drobot B, Hübner R, Bok F, Prieur D, Bauters S, Kvashnina KO, Stumpf T, Cherkouk A. Presence of uranium(V) during uranium(VI) reduction by Desulfosporosinus hippei DSM 8344 T. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 875:162593. [PMID: 36889400 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microbial U(VI) reduction influences uranium mobility in contaminated subsurface environments and can affect the disposal of high-level radioactive waste by transforming the water-soluble U(VI) to less mobile U(IV). The reduction of U(VI) by the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfosporosinus hippei DSM 8344T, a close phylogenetic relative to naturally occurring microorganism present in clay rock and bentonite, was investigated. D. hippei DSM 8344T showed a relatively fast removal of uranium from the supernatants in artificial Opalinus Clay pore water, but no removal in 30 mM bicarbonate solution. Combined speciation calculations and luminescence spectroscopic investigations showed the dependence of U(VI) reduction on the initial U(VI) species. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed uranium-containing aggregates on the cell surface and some membrane vesicles. By combining different spectroscopic techniques, including UV/Vis spectroscopy, as well as uranium M4-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure recorded in high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detection mode and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, the partial reduction of U(VI) could be verified, whereby the formed U(IV) product has an unknown structure. Furthermore, the U M4 HERFD-XANES showed the presence of U(V) during the process. These findings offer new insights into U(VI) reduction by sulfate-reducing bacteria and contribute to a comprehensive safety concept for a repository for high-level radioactive waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Hilpmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - André Rossberg
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany; Rossendorf Beamline (BM20-ROBL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Robin Steudtner
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Björn Drobot
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - René Hübner
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden, Germany
| | - Frank Bok
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Damien Prieur
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany; Rossendorf Beamline (BM20-ROBL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Stephen Bauters
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany; Rossendorf Beamline (BM20-ROBL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Kristina O Kvashnina
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany; Rossendorf Beamline (BM20-ROBL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Thorsten Stumpf
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Andrea Cherkouk
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany.
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5
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Bañuelos JL, Borguet E, Brown GE, Cygan RT, DeYoreo JJ, Dove PM, Gaigeot MP, Geiger FM, Gibbs JM, Grassian VH, Ilgen AG, Jun YS, Kabengi N, Katz L, Kubicki JD, Lützenkirchen J, Putnis CV, Remsing RC, Rosso KM, Rother G, Sulpizi M, Villalobos M, Zhang H. Oxide- and Silicate-Water Interfaces and Their Roles in Technology and the Environment. Chem Rev 2023; 123:6413-6544. [PMID: 37186959 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Interfacial reactions drive all elemental cycling on Earth and play pivotal roles in human activities such as agriculture, water purification, energy production and storage, environmental contaminant remediation, and nuclear waste repository management. The onset of the 21st century marked the beginning of a more detailed understanding of mineral aqueous interfaces enabled by advances in techniques that use tunable high-flux focused ultrafast laser and X-ray sources to provide near-atomic measurement resolution, as well as by nanofabrication approaches that enable transmission electron microscopy in a liquid cell. This leap into atomic- and nanometer-scale measurements has uncovered scale-dependent phenomena whose reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, and pathways deviate from previous observations made on larger systems. A second key advance is new experimental evidence for what scientists hypothesized but could not test previously, namely, interfacial chemical reactions are frequently driven by "anomalies" or "non-idealities" such as defects, nanoconfinement, and other nontypical chemical structures. Third, progress in computational chemistry has yielded new insights that allow a move beyond simple schematics, leading to a molecular model of these complex interfaces. In combination with surface-sensitive measurements, we have gained knowledge of the interfacial structure and dynamics, including the underlying solid surface and the immediately adjacent water and aqueous ions, enabling a better definition of what constitutes the oxide- and silicate-water interfaces. This critical review discusses how science progresses from understanding ideal solid-water interfaces to more realistic systems, focusing on accomplishments in the last 20 years and identifying challenges and future opportunities for the community to address. We anticipate that the next 20 years will focus on understanding and predicting dynamic transient and reactive structures over greater spatial and temporal ranges as well as systems of greater structural and chemical complexity. Closer collaborations of theoretical and experimental experts across disciplines will continue to be critical to achieving this great aspiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Leobardo Bañuelos
- Department of Physics, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Eric Borguet
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Gordon E Brown
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Randall T Cygan
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - James J DeYoreo
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Patricia M Dove
- Department of Geosciences, Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
| | - Marie-Pierre Gaigeot
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Franz M Geiger
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Julianne M Gibbs
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2Canada
| | - Vicki H Grassian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, United States
| | - Anastasia G Ilgen
- Geochemistry Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States
| | - Young-Shin Jun
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Nadine Kabengi
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, United States
| | - Lynn Katz
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - James D Kubicki
- Department of Earth, Environmental & Resource Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Johannes Lützenkirchen
- Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung─INE, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
| | - Christine V Putnis
- Institute for Mineralogy, University of Münster, Münster D-48149, Germany
| | - Richard C Remsing
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Kevin M Rosso
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Gernot Rother
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Marialore Sulpizi
- Department of Physics, Ruhr Universität Bochum, NB6, 65, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Mario Villalobos
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y del Suelo, LANGEM, Instituto De Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Huichun Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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6
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Molinas M, Meibom KL, Faizova R, Mazzanti M, Bernier-Latmani R. Mechanism of Reduction of Aqueous U(V)-dpaea and Solid-Phase U(VI)-dpaea Complexes: The Role of Multiheme c-Type Cytochromes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7537-7546. [PMID: 37133831 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The biological reduction of soluble U(VI) complexes to form immobile U(IV) species has been proposed to remediate contaminated sites. It is well established that multiheme c-type cytochromes (MHCs) are key mediators of electron transfer to aqueous phase U(VI) complexes for bacteria such as Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Recent studies have confirmed that the reduction proceeds via a first electron transfer forming pentavalent U(V) species that readily disproportionate. However, in the presence of the stabilizing aminocarboxylate ligand, dpaea2- (dpaeaH2═bis(pyridyl-6-methyl-2-carboxylate)-ethylamine), biologically produced U(V) persisted in aqueous solution at pH 7. We aim to pinpoint the role of MHC in the reduction of U(V)-dpaea and to establish the mechanism of solid-phase U(VI)-dpaea reduction. To that end, we investigated U-dpaea reduction by two deletion mutants of S. oneidensis MR-1-one lacking outer membrane MHCs and the other lacking all outer membrane MHCs and a transmembrane MHC-and by the purified outer membrane MHC, MtrC. Our results suggest that solid-phase U(VI)-dpaea is reduced primarily by outer membrane MHCs. Additionally, MtrC can directly transfer electrons to U(V)-dpaea to form U(IV) species but is not strictly necessary, underscoring the primary involvement of outer membrane MHCs in the reduction of this pentavalent U species but not excluding that of periplasmic MHCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Molinas
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Karin Lederballe Meibom
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Radmila Faizova
- Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Marinella Mazzanti
- Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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7
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Seder-Colomina M, Mangeret A, Bauda P, Brest J, Stetten L, Merrot P, Julien A, Diez O, Barker E, Billoir E, Poupin P, Thouvenot A, Cazala C, Morin G. Influence of microorganisms on uranium release from mining-impacted lake sediments under various oxygenation conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2022; 24:1830-1843. [PMID: 36082760 DOI: 10.1039/d2em00104g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microbial processes can be involved in the remobilization of uranium (U) from reduced sediments under O2 reoxidation events such as water table fluctuations. Such reactions could be typically encountered after U-bearing sediment dredging operations. Solid U(IV) species may thus reoxidize into U(VI) that can be released in pore waters in the form of aqueous complexes with organic and inorganic ligands. Non-uraninite U(IV) species may be especially sensitive to reoxidation and remobilization processes. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the effect of microbially mediated processes on the behaviour of U under these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Seder-Colomina
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Arnaud Mangeret
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Pascale Bauda
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France
| | - Jessica Brest
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université -MNHN-IRD, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Lucie Stetten
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université -MNHN-IRD, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Pauline Merrot
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université -MNHN-IRD, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Anthony Julien
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Olivier Diez
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Evelyne Barker
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Elise Billoir
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France
| | - Pascal Poupin
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France
| | | | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Guillaume Morin
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université -MNHN-IRD, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
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8
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Yin Y, Liu C, Zhao G, Chen Y. Versatile mechanisms and enhanced strategies of pollutants removal mediated by Shewanella oneidensis: A review. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 440:129703. [PMID: 35963088 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The removal of environmental pollutants is important for a sustainable ecosystem and human health. Shewanella oneidensis (S. oneidensis) has diverse electron transfer pathways and can use a variety of contaminants as electron acceptors or electron donors. This paper reviews S. oneidensis's function in removing environmental pollutants, including heavy metals, inorganic non-metallic ions (INMIs), and toxic organic pollutants. S. oneidensis can mineralize o-xylene (OX), phenanthrene (PHE), and pyridine (Py) as electron donors, and also reduce azo dyes, nitro aromatic compounds (NACs), heavy metals, and iodate by extracellular electron transfer (EET). For azo dyes, NACs, Cr(VI), nitrite, nitrate, thiosulfate, and sulfite that can cross the membrane, S. oneidensis transfers electrons to intracellular reductases to catalyze their reduction. However, most organic pollutants cannot be directly degraded by S. oneidensis, but S. oneidensis can remove these pollutants by self-synthesizing catalysts or photocatalysts, constructing bio-photocatalytic systems, driving Fenton reactions, forming microbial consortia, and genetic engineering. However, the industrial-scale application of S. oneidensis is insufficient. Future research on the metabolism of S. oneidensis and interfacial reactions with other materials needs to be deepened, and large-scale reactors should be developed that can be used for practical engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Guohua Zhao
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yinguang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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9
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Zhang L, Dong H, Li R, Liu D, Bian L, Chen Y, Pan Z, Boyanov MI, Kemner KM, Wen J, Xia Q, Chen H, O'Loughlin EJ, Wang G, Huang Y. Effect of Siderophore DFOB on U(VI) Adsorption to Clay Mineral and Its Subsequent Reduction by an Iron-Reducing Bacterium. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:12702-12712. [PMID: 35980135 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Uranium mining and nuclear fuel production have led to significant U contamination. Past studies have focused on the bioreduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) as a remediation method. However, U(IV) is susceptible to reoxidation and remobilization when conditions change. Here, we demonstrate that a combination of adsorption and bioreduction of U(VI) in the presence of an organic ligand (siderophore desferrioxamine B, DFOB) and the Fe-rich clay mineral nontronite partially alleviated this problem. DFOB greatly facilitated U(VI) adsorption into the interlayer of nontronite as a stable U(VI)-DFOB complex. This complex was likely reduced by bioreduction intermediates such as the Fe(II)-DFOB complex and/or through electron transfer within a ternary Fe(II)-DFOB-U(VI) complex. Bioreduction with DFOB alone resulted in a mobile aqueous U(IV)-DFOB complex, but in the presence of both DFOB and nontronite U(IV) was sequestered into a solid. These results provide novel insights into the mechanisms of U(VI) bioreduction and the stability of U and have important implications for understanding U biogeochemistry in the environment and for developing a sustainable U remediation approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Zhang
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
| | - Hailiang Dong
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
| | - Runjie Li
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
| | - Dong Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Institutions of Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou510640, China
| | - Liang Bian
- Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, South West University of Science and Technology, Mianyang621010, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
| | - Zezhen Pan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Maxim I Boyanov
- Institute of Chemical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia1113, Bulgaria
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States
| | - Kenneth M Kemner
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States
| | - Jianguo Wen
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States
| | - Qingyin Xia
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
| | - Hongyu Chen
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing100083, China
| | - Edward J O'Loughlin
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States
| | - Guanyu Wang
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States
| | - Ying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
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10
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Coral T, Placko AL, Beaufort D, Tertre E, Bernier-Latmani R, Descostes M, De Boissezon H, Guillon S, Rossi P. Biostimulation as a sustainable solution for acid neutralization and uranium immobilization post acidic in-situ recovery. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153597. [PMID: 35114226 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Major uranium (U) deposits worldwide are exploited by acid leaching, known as 'in-situ recovery' (ISR). ISR involves the injection of an acid fluid into ore-bearing aquifers and the pumping of the resulting metal-containing solution through cation exchange columns for the recovery of dissolved U. Rehabilitation of ISR-impacted aquifers could be achieved through natural attenuation, or via biostimulation of autochthonous heterotrophic microorganisms due to the associated acid neutralization and trace metal immobilization. In this study, we analyzed the capacity of pristine aquifer sediments impacted by diluted ISR fluids to buffer pH and immobilize U. The experimental setup consisted of glass columns, filled with sediment from a U ore-bearing aquifer, through which diluted ISR fluids were flowed continuously. The ISR solution was obtained from ISR mining operations at the Muyunkum and Tortkuduk deposits in Kazakhstan. Following this initial phase, columns were biostimulated with a mix of molasses, yeast extract and glycerol to stimulate the growth of autochthonous heterotrophic communities. Experimental results showed that this amendment efficiently promoted the activity of acid-tolerant bacterial guilds, with pH values rising from 4.8 to 6.5-7.0 at the outlet of the stimulated columns. The reduction of sulfate, nitrate, and metals as well as dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia induced the rise in pH values, in agreement with geochemical modelling results. Biostimulation efficiently promoted the complete immobilization of U, with the accumulation of up to 3343 ppm in the first few centimeters of the columns. Synchrotron analysis and SEM-EDS revealed that up to 60% of the injected hexavalent U was immobilized as tetravalent non-crystalline U onto bacterial cell surfaces. 16S rDNA amplicon analysis and qPCR data suggested a predominant role played for members of the Phylum Firmicutes (from the genera Clostridium, Pelosinus and Desulfosporosinus) in biological U reduction and immobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Coral
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Laure Placko
- Orano Mining, Environmental R&D Dpt., 125 avenue de Paris, 92320 Chatillon, France
| | - Daniel Beaufort
- Université de Poitiers/CNRS, UMR 7285 IC2MP, Equipe HydrASA, 5 rue Albert Turpain, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France.
| | - Emmanuel Tertre
- Université de Poitiers/CNRS, UMR 7285 IC2MP, Equipe HydrASA, 5 rue Albert Turpain, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France.
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Michael Descostes
- Orano Mining, Environmental R&D Dpt., 125 avenue de Paris, 92320 Chatillon, France; Centre de Géosciences, MINES ParisTech, PSL University. 35 rue St Honoré, 77300 Fontainebleau, France
| | - Hélène De Boissezon
- Orano Mining, Environmental R&D Dpt., 125 avenue de Paris, 92320 Chatillon, France
| | - Sophie Guillon
- Centre de Géosciences, MINES ParisTech, PSL University. 35 rue St Honoré, 77300 Fontainebleau, France.
| | - Pierre Rossi
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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11
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Chardi KJ, Satpathy A, Schenkeveld WDC, Kumar N, Noël V, Kraemer SM, Giammar DE. Ligand-Induced U Mobilization from Chemogenic Uraninite and Biogenic Noncrystalline U(IV) under Anoxic Conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:6369-6379. [PMID: 35522992 PMCID: PMC9118557 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial reduction of soluble hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) to sparingly soluble tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) has been explored as an in situ strategy to immobilize U. Organic ligands might pose a potential hindrance to the success of such remediation efforts. In the current study, a set of structurally diverse organic ligands were shown to enhance the dissolution of crystalline uraninite (UO2) for a wide range of ligand concentrations under anoxic conditions at pH 7.0. Comparisons were made to ligand-induced U mobilization from noncrystalline U(IV). For both U phases, aqueous U concentrations remained low in the absence of organic ligands (<25 nM for UO2; 300 nM for noncrystalline U(IV)). The tested organic ligands (2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (DPA), desferrioxamine B (DFOB), N,N'-di(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethylene-diamine-N,N'-diacetic acid (HBED), and citrate) enhanced U mobilization to varying extents. Over 45 days, the ligands mobilized only up to 0.3% of the 370 μM UO2, while a much larger extent of the 300 μM of biomass-bound noncrystalline U(IV) was mobilized (up to 57%) within only 2 days (>500 times more U mobilization). This work shows the potential of numerous organic ligands present in the environment to mobilize both recalcitrant and labile U forms under anoxic conditions to hazardous levels and, in doing so, undermine the stability of immobilized U(IV) sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J. Chardi
- Centre
for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department for
Environmental Geosciences, University of
Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anshuman Satpathy
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Note Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Walter D. C. Schenkeveld
- Soil
Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Soil
Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent Noël
- Stanford
Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC
National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo
Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Stephan M. Kraemer
- Centre
for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department for
Environmental Geosciences, University of
Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel E. Giammar
- Department
of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United
States
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12
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Satpathy A, Catalano JG, Giammar DE. Reduction of U(VI) on Chemically Reduced Montmorillonite and Surface Complexation Modeling of Adsorbed U(IV). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:4111-4120. [PMID: 35290018 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Adsorption and subsequent reduction of U(VI) on Fe(II)-bearing clay minerals can control the mobility of uranium in subsurface environments. Clays such as montmorillonite provide substantial amounts of the reactive surface area in many subsurface environments, and montmorillonite-containing materials are used in the storage of spent nuclear fuel. We investigated the extent of reduction of U(VI) by Fe(II)-bearing montmorillonite at different pH values and sodium concentrations using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and chemical extractions. Nearly complete reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) occurred at a low sodium concentration at both pH 3 and 6. At pH 6 and a high sodium concentration, which inhibits U(VI) binding at cation-exchange sites, the extent of U(VI) reduction was only 70%. Surface-bound U(VI) on unreduced montmorillonite was more easily extracted into solution with bicarbonate than surface-bound U(IV) generated by reduction of U(VI) on Fe(II)-bearing montmorillonite. We developed a nonelectrostatic surface complexation model to interpret the equilibrium adsorption of U(IV) on Fe(II)-bearing montmorillonite as a function of pH and sodium concentration. These findings establish the potential importance of structural Fe(II) in low iron content smectites in controlling uranium mobility in subsurface environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anshuman Satpathy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Jeffrey G Catalano
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Daniel E Giammar
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
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13
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Xia Q, Jin Q, Chen Y, Zhang L, Li X, He S, Guo D, Liu J, Dong H. Combined Effects of Fe(III)-Bearing Nontronite and Organic Ligands on Biogenic U(IV) Oxidation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:1983-1993. [PMID: 35012308 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioreduction of soluble U(VI) to sparingly soluble U(IV) solids was proposed as a remediation method for uranium contamination. Therefore, the stability and longevity of biogenic U(IV) are critical to the success of uranium remediation. However, co-occurrence of clay minerals and organic ligands could potentially reoxidize U(IV) to U(VI). Herein, we report a combined effect of Fe(III)-rich nontronite (NAu-2) and environmentally prevalent organic ligands on reoxidation of biogenic U(IV) at circumneutral pH. After 30 days of incubation, structural Fe(III) in NAu-2 oxidized 45.50% U(IV) with an initial rate of 2.7 × 10-3 mol m-2 d-1. Addition of citrate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) greatly promoted the oxidative dissolution of U(IV) by structural Fe(III) in NAu-2, primarily through the formation of aqueous ligand-U(IV) complexes. In contrast, a model siderophore, desferrioxamine B (DFOB), partially inhibited U(IV) oxidation due to the formation of stable DFOB-Fe3+ complexes. The resulting U(VI) species intercalated into an NAu-2 interlayer or adsorbed onto an NAu-2 surface. Our results highlight the importance of organic ligands in oxidative dissolution of U(IV) minerals by Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals and have important implications for the design of nuclear waste storage and remediation strategies, especially in clay- and organic-rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyin Xia
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qusheng Jin
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Limin Zhang
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaoxu Li
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sheng He
- Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Dongyi Guo
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Juan Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hailiang Dong
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
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14
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You W, Peng W, Tian Z, Zheng M. Uranium bioremediation with U(VI)-reducing bacteria. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 798:149107. [PMID: 34325147 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Uranium (U) pollution is an environmental hazard caused by the development of the nuclear industry. Microbial reduction of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) to tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) reduces U solubility and mobility and has been proposed as an effective method to remediate uranium contamination. In this review, U(VI) remediation with respect to U(VI)-reducing bacteria, mechanisms, influencing factors, products, and reoxidation are systematically summarized. Reportedly, some metal- and sulfate-reducing bacteria possess excellent U(VI) reduction capability through mechanisms involving c-type cytochromes, extracellular pili, electron shuttle, or thioredoxin reduction. In situ remediation has been demonstrated as an ideal strategy for large-scale degradation of uranium contaminants than ex situ. However, U(VI) reduction efficiency can be affected by various factors, including pH, temperature, bicarbonate, electron donors, and coexisting metal ions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the reduction products could be reoxidized when exposed to oxygen and nitrate, inevitably compromising the remediation effects, especially for non-crystalline U(IV) with weak stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo You
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Wanting Peng
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zhichao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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15
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Townsend LT, Kuippers G, Lloyd JR, Natrajan LS, Boothman C, Mosselmans JFW, Shaw S, Morris K. Biogenic Sulfidation of U(VI) and Ferrihydrite Mediated by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria at Elevated pH. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2021; 5:3075-3086. [PMID: 34825123 PMCID: PMC8607498 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Globally, the need for radioactive waste disposal and contaminated land management is clear. Here, gaining an improved understanding of how biogeochemical processes, such as Fe(III) and sulfate reduction, may control the environmental mobility of radionuclides is important. Uranium (U), typically the most abundant radionuclide by mass in radioactive wastes and contaminated land scenarios, may have its environmental mobility impacted by biogeochemical processes within the subsurface. This study investigated the fate of U(VI) in an alkaline (pH ∼9.6) sulfate-reducing enrichment culture obtained from a high-pH environment. To explore the mobility of U(VI) under alkaline conditions where iron minerals are ubiquitous, a range of conditions were tested, including high (30 mM) and low (1 mM) carbonate concentrations and the presence and absence of Fe(III). At high carbonate concentrations, the pH was buffered to approximately pH 9.6, which delayed the onset of sulfate reduction and meant that the reduction of U(VI)(aq) to poorly soluble U(IV)(s) was slowed. Low carbonate conditions allowed microbial sulfate reduction to proceed and caused the pH to fall to ∼7.5. This drop in pH was likely due to the presence of volatile fatty acids from the microbial respiration of gluconate. Here, aqueous sulfide accumulated and U was removed from solution as a mixture of U(IV) and U(VI) phosphate species. In addition, sulfate-reducing bacteria, such as Desulfosporosinus species, were enriched during development of sulfate-reducing conditions. Results highlight the impact of carbonate concentrations on U speciation and solubility in alkaline conditions, informing intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal and radioactively contaminated land management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T. Townsend
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Gina Kuippers
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Jonathan R. Lloyd
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Louise S. Natrajan
- Centre
for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural
Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Christopher Boothman
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - J. Frederick W. Mosselmans
- Diamond
Light Source Ltd., Diamond
House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, U.K.
| | - Samuel Shaw
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research
Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular
Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
School of Natural Sciences, The University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
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16
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Insights into the Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles by the Genus Shewanella. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0139021. [PMID: 34495739 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01390-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The exploitation of microorganisms for the fabrication of nanoparticles (NPs) has garnered considerable research interest globally. The microbiological transformation of metals and metal salts into respective NPs can be achieved under environmentally benign conditions, offering a more sustainable alternative to chemical synthesis methods. Species of the metal-reducing bacterial genus Shewanella are able to couple the oxidation of various electron donors, including lactate, pyruvate, and hydrogen, to the reduction of a wide range of metal species, resulting in biomineralization of a multitude of metal NPs. Single-metal-based NPs as well as composite materials with properties equivalent or even superior to physically and chemically produced NPs have been synthesized by a number of Shewanella species. A mechanistic understanding of electron transfer-mediated bioreduction of metals into respective NPs by Shewanella is crucial in maximizing NP yields and directing the synthesis to produce fine-tuned NPs with tailored properties. In addition, thorough investigations into the influence of process parameters controlling the biosynthesis is another focal point for optimizing the process of NP generation. Synthesis of metal-based NPs using Shewanella species offers a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to current physiochemical methods. This article aims to shed light on the contribution of Shewanella as a model organism in the biosynthesis of a variety of NPs and critically reviews the current state of knowledge on factors controlling their synthesis, characterization, potential applications in different sectors, and future prospects.
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17
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Townsend LT, Morris K, Harrison R, Schacherl B, Vitova T, Kovarik L, Pearce CI, Mosselmans JFW, Shaw S. Sulfidation of magnetite with incorporated uranium. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 276:130117. [PMID: 34088087 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Uranium (U) is a radionuclide of key environmental interest due its abundance by mass within radioactive waste and presence in contaminated land scenarios. Ubiquitously present iron (oxyhydr)oxide mineral phases, such as (nano)magnetite, have been identified as candidates for immobilisation of U via incorporation into the mineral structure. Studies of how biogeochemical processes, such as sulfidation from the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria, may affect iron (oxyhydr)oxides and impact radionuclide mobility are important in order to underpin geological disposal of radioactive waste and manage radioactively contaminated land. Here, this study utilised a highly controlled abiotic method for sulfidation of U(V) incorporated into nanomagnetite to determine the fate and speciation of U. Upon sulfidation, transient release of U into solution occurred (∼8.6% total U) for up to 3 days, despite the highly reducing conditions. As the system evolved, lepidocrocite was observed to form over a period of days to weeks. After 10 months, XAS and geochemical data showed all U was partitioned to the solid phase, as both nanoparticulate uraninite (U(IV)O2) and a percentage of retained U(V). Further EXAFS analysis showed incorporation of the residual U(V) fraction into an iron (oxyhydr)oxide mineral phase, likely nanomagnetite or lepidocrocite. Overall, these results provide new insights into the stability of U(V) incorporated iron (oxyhydr)oxides during sulfidation, confirming the longer term retention of U in the solid phase under complex, environmentally relevant conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T Townsend
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Robert Harrison
- School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Bianca Schacherl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Tonya Vitova
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), P.O. Box 3640, D-76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Libor Kovarik
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
| | - Carolyn I Pearce
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
| | - J Frederick W Mosselmans
- Diamond Light Source Ltd., Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Samuel Shaw
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
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18
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Roebbert Y, Rosendahl CD, Brown A, Schippers A, Bernier-Latmani R, Weyer S. Uranium Isotope Fractionation during the Anoxic Mobilization of Noncrystalline U(IV) by Ligand Complexation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:7959-7969. [PMID: 34038128 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c08623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Uranium (U) isotopes are suggested as a tool to trace U reduction. However, noncrystalline U(IV), formed predominantly in near-surface environments, may be complexed and remobilized using ligands under anoxic conditions. This may cause additional U isotope fractionation and alter the signatures generated by U reduction. Here, we investigate the efficacy of noncrystalline U(IV) mobilization by ligand complexation and the associated U isotope fractionation. Noncrystalline U(IV) was produced via the reduction of U(VI) (400 μM) by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and was subsequently mobilized with EDTA (1 mM), citrate (1 mM), or bicarbonate (500 mM) in batch experiments. Complexation with all investigated ligands resulted in significant mobilization of U(IV) and led to an enrichment of 238U in the mobilized fraction (δ238U = 0.4-0.7 ‰ for EDTA; 0.3 ‰ for citrate; 0.2-0.3 ‰ for bicarbonate). For mobilization with bicarbonate, a Rayleigh approach was the most suitable isotope fractionation model, yielding a fractionation factor α of 1.00026-1.00036. Mobilization with EDTA could be modeled with equilibrium isotope fractionation (α: 1.00039-1.00049). The results show that U isotope fractionation associated with U(IV) mobilization under anoxic conditions is significant and needs to be considered when applying U isotopes in remediation monitoring or as a paleo-redox proxy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Roebbert
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mineralogie, Hannover D-30167, Germany
| | | | - Ashley Brown
- École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Axel Schippers
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover D-30655, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Weyer
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mineralogie, Hannover D-30167, Germany
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19
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Diagenetic formation of uranium-silica polymers in lake sediments over 3,300 years. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2021844118. [PMID: 33479173 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021844118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The long-term fate of uranium-contaminated sediments, especially downstream former mining areas, is a widespread environmental challenge. Essential for their management is the proper understanding of uranium (U) immobilization mechanisms in reducing environments. In particular, the long-term behavior of noncrystalline U(IV) species and their possible evolution to more stable phases in subsurface conditions is poorly documented, which limits our ability to predict U long-term geochemical reactivity. Here, we report direct evidence for the evolution of U speciation over 3,300 y in naturally highly U-enriched sediments (350-760 µg ⋅ g-1 U) from Lake Nègre (Mercantour Massif, Mediterranean Alps, France) by combining U isotopic data (δ238U and (234U/238U)) with U L 3 -edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Constant isotopic ratios over the entire sediment core indicate stable U sources and accumulation modes, allowing for determination of the impact of aging on U speciation. We demonstrate that, after sediment deposition, mononuclear U(IV) species associated with organic matter transformed into authigenic polymeric U(IV)-silica species that might have partially converted to a nanocrystalline coffinite (UIVSiO4·nH2O)-like phase. This diagenetic transformation occurred in less than 700 y and is consistent with the high silica availability of sediments in which diatoms are abundant. It also yields consistency with laboratory studies that proposed the formation of colloidal polynuclear U(IV)-silica species, as precursors for coffinite formation. However, the incomplete transformation observed here only slightly reduces the potential lability of U, which could have important implications to evaluate the long-term management of U-contaminated sediments and, by extension, of U-bearing wastes in silica-rich subsurface environments.
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20
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Kuippers G, Morris K, Townsend LT, Bots P, Kvashnina K, Bryan ND, Lloyd JR. Biomineralization of Uranium-Phosphates Fueled by Microbial Degradation of Isosaccharinic Acid (ISA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:4597-4606. [PMID: 33755437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Geological disposal is the globally preferred long-term solution for higher activity radioactive wastes (HAW) including intermediate level waste (ILW). In a cementitious disposal system, cellulosic waste items present in ILW may undergo alkaline hydrolysis, producing significant quantities of isosaccharinic acid (ISA), a chelating agent for radionuclides. Although microbial degradation of ISA has been demonstrated, its impact upon the fate of radionuclides in a geological disposal facility (GDF) is a topic of ongoing research. This study investigates the fate of U(VI) in pH-neutral, anoxic, microbial enrichment cultures, approaching conditions similar to the far field of a GDF, containing ISA as the sole carbon source, and elevated phosphate concentrations, incubated both (i) under fermentation and (ii) Fe(III)-reducing conditions. In the ISA-fermentation experiment, U(VI) was precipitated as insoluble U(VI)-phosphates, whereas under Fe(III)-reducing conditions, the majority of the uranium was precipitated as reduced U(IV)-phosphates, presumably formed via enzymatic reduction mediated by metal-reducing bacteria, including Geobacter species. Overall, this suggests the establishment of a microbially mediated "bio-barrier" extending into the far field geosphere surrounding a GDF is possible and this biobarrier has the potential to evolve in response to GDF evolution and can have a controlling impact on the fate of radionuclides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Kuippers
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Luke T Townsend
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Pieter Bots
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G11XQ, U.K
| | - Kristina Kvashnina
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF-The European Synchrotron, CS40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
- Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Resource Ecology, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
| | - Nicholas D Bryan
- National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, Chadwick House, Warrington Road, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6AE, U.K
| | - Jonathan R Lloyd
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
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21
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Molinas M, Faizova R, Brown A, Galanzew J, Schacherl B, Bartova B, Meibom KL, Vitova T, Mazzanti M, Bernier-Latmani R. Biological Reduction of a U(V)-Organic Ligand Complex. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:4753-4761. [PMID: 33705103 PMCID: PMC8154365 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c06633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Metal-reducing microorganisms such as Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 reduce highly soluble species of hexavalent uranyl (U(VI)) to less mobile tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) compounds. The biologically mediated immobilization of U(VI) is being considered for the remediation of U contamination. However, the mechanistic underpinnings of biological U(VI) reduction remain unresolved. It has become clear that a first electron transfer occurs to form pentavalent (U(V)) intermediates, but it has not been definitively established whether a second one-electron transfer can occur or if disproportionation of U(V) is required. Here, we utilize the unusual properties of dpaea2- ((dpaeaH2═bis(pyridyl-6-methyl-2-carboxylate)-ethylamine)), a ligand forming a stable soluble aqueous complex with U(V), and investigate the reduction of U(VI)-dpaea and U(V)-dpaea by S. oneidensis MR-1. We establish U speciation through time by separating U(VI) from U(IV) by ion exchange chromatography and characterize the reaction end-products using U M4-edge high resolution X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HR-XANES) spectroscopy. We document the reduction of solid phase U(VI)-dpaea to aqueous U(V)-dpaea but, most importantly, demonstrate that of U(V)-dpaea to U(IV). This work establishes the potential for biological reduction of U(V) bound to a stabilizing ligand. Thus, further work is warranted to investigate the possible persistence of U(V)-organic complexes followed by their bioreduction in environmental systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Molinas
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Radmila Faizova
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Ashley Brown
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Jurij Galanzew
- Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal
(INE), P.O. 3640, D-76021Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Bianca Schacherl
- Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal
(INE), P.O. 3640, D-76021Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Barbora Bartova
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Karin L. Meibom
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Tonya Vitova
- Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal
(INE), P.O. 3640, D-76021Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Marinella Mazzanti
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory, and Group of Coordination Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
(EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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22
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Rodriguez-Freire L, DeVore CL, El Hayek E, Berti D, Ali AMS, Lezama Pacheco JS, Blake JM, Spilde MN, Brearley AJ, Artyushkova K, Cerrato JM. Emerging investigator series: entrapment of uranium-phosphorus nanocrystals inside root cells of Tamarix plants from a mine waste site. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2021; 23:73-85. [PMID: 33325952 PMCID: PMC8479813 DOI: 10.1039/d0em00306a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the mechanisms of uranium (U) uptake by Tamarix (salt cedars) growing along the Rio Paguate, which flows throughout the Jackpile mine near Pueblo de Laguna, New Mexico. Tamarix were selected for this study due to the detection of U in the roots and shoots of field collected plants (0.6-58.9 mg kg-1), presenting an average bioconcentration factor greater than 1. Synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence analyses of plant roots collected from the field indicate that the accumulation of U occurs in the cortex of the root. The mechanisms for U accumulation in the roots of Tamarix were further investigated in controlled-laboratory experiments where living roots of field plants were macerated for 24 h or 2 weeks in a solution containing 100 μM U. The U concentration in the solution decreased 36-59% after 24 h, and 49-65% in two weeks. Microscopic and spectroscopic analyses detected U precipitation in the root cell walls near the xylems of the roots, confirming the initial results from the field samples. High-resolution TEM was used to study the U fate inside the root cells, and needle-like U-P nanocrystals, with diameter <7 nm, were found entrapped inside vacuoles in cells. EXAFS shell-by-shell fitting suggest that U is associated with carbon functional groups. The preferable binding of U to the root cell walls may explain the U retention in the roots of Tamarix, followed by U-P crystal precipitation, and pinocytotic active transport and cellular entrapment. This process resulted in a limited translocation of U to the shoots in Tamarix plants. This study contributes to better understanding of the physicochemical mechanisms affecting the U uptake and accumulation by plants growing near contaminated sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Rodriguez-Freire
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.
| | - Cherie L DeVore
- Department of Civil Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Eliane El Hayek
- Department of Chemistry, MSC03 2060, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Debora Berti
- Oceanography Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA
| | - Abdul-Mehdi S Ali
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Juan S Lezama Pacheco
- Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Johanna M Blake
- Department of Chemistry, MSC03 2060, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA and U.S. Geological Survey, 6700 Edith Blvd NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113, USA
| | - Michael N Spilde
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Adrian J Brearley
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Kateryna Artyushkova
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - José M Cerrato
- Department of Civil Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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23
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Fuller AJ, Leary P, Gray ND, Davies HS, Mosselmans JFW, Cox F, Robinson CH, Pittman JK, McCann CM, Muir M, Graham MC, Utsunomiya S, Bower WR, Morris K, Shaw S, Bots P, Livens FR, Law GTW. Organic complexation of U(VI) in reducing soils at a natural analogue site: Implications for uranium transport. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 254:126859. [PMID: 32957279 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the long-term fate, stability, and bioavailability of uranium (U) in the environment is important for the management of nuclear legacy sites and radioactive wastes. Analysis of U behavior at natural analogue sites permits evaluation of U biogeochemistry under conditions more representative of long-term equilibrium. Here, we have used bulk geochemical and microbial community analysis of soils, coupled with X-ray absorption spectroscopy and μ-focus X-ray fluorescence mapping, to gain a mechanistic understanding of the fate of U transported into an organic-rich soil from a pitchblende vein at the UK Needle's Eye Natural Analogue site. U is highly enriched in the Needle's Eye soils (∼1600 mg kg-1). We show that this enrichment is largely controlled by U(VI) complexation with soil organic matter and not U(VI) bioreduction. Instead, organic-associated U(VI) seems to remain stable under microbially-mediated Fe(III)-reducing conditions. U(IV) (as non-crystalline U(IV)) was only observed at greater depths at the site (>25 cm); the soil here was comparatively mineral-rich, organic-poor, and sulfate-reducing/methanogenic. Furthermore, nanocrystalline UO2, an alternative product of U(VI) reduction in soils, was not observed at the site, and U did not appear to be associated with Fe-bearing minerals. Organic-rich soils appear to have the potential to impede U groundwater transport, irrespective of ambient redox conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Fuller
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Peter Leary
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Neil D Gray
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Helena S Davies
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | | | - Filipa Cox
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Clare H Robinson
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Jon K Pittman
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Clare M McCann
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Michael Muir
- School of Geoscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Margaret C Graham
- School of Geoscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Satoshi Utsunomiya
- School of Chemistry, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - William R Bower
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK; Radiochemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, The University of Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Samuel Shaw
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Pieter Bots
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Francis R Livens
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK; Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, and Williamson Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Gareth T W Law
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK; Radiochemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, The University of Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
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24
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Asta MP, Beller HR, O'Day PA. Anaerobic Dissolution Rates of U(IV)-Oxide by Abiotic and Nitrate-Dependent Bacterial Pathways. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:8010-8021. [PMID: 32469205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The long-term stability of U(IV) solid phases in anaerobic aquifers depends upon their reactivity in the presence of oxidizing chemical species and microbial catalysts. We performed flow-through column experiments under anaerobic conditions to investigate the mechanisms and dissolution rates of biogenic, noncrystalline UO2(s) by chemical oxidants (nitrate and/or nitrite) or by Thiobacillus denitrificans, a widespread, denitrifying, chemolithoautotrophic model bacterium. Dissolution rates of UO2(s) with dissolved nitrite were approximately 5 to 10 times greater than with nitrate alone. In the presence of wild-type T. denitrificans and nitrate, UO2(s) dissolution rates were similar to those of abiotic experiments with nitrite (from 1.15 × 10-14 to 4.94 × 10-13 mol m-2 s-1). Experiments with a T. dentrificans mutant strain defective in U(IV) oxidation supported microbially mediated U(IV) oxidation. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis of post-reaction solids showed the presence of mononuclear U(VI) species rather than a solid U(VI) phase. At steady-state U release, kinetic and spectroscopic results suggest detachment of oxidized U(VI) from the UO2(s) surface as the rate-determining step rather than electron transfer or ion diffusion. Under anaerobic conditions, production of nitrite by nitrate-reducing microorganisms and enzymatically catalyzed, nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidation are likely dual processes by which reduced U solids may be oxidized and mobilized in the aqueous phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria P Asta
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Harry R Beller
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Peggy A O'Day
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, United States
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, California 95343, United States
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25
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Loreggian L, Sorwat J, Byrne JM, Kappler A, Bernier-Latmani R. Role of Iron Sulfide Phases in the Stability of Noncrystalline Tetravalent Uranium in Sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:4840-4846. [PMID: 32167294 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uranium (U) in situ bioremediation has been investigated as a cost-effective strategy to tackle U contamination in the subsurface. While uraninite was believed to be the only product of bioreduction, numerous studies have revealed that noncrystalline U(IV) species (NCU(IV)) are dominant. This finding brings into question the effectiveness of bioremediation because NCU(IV) species are expected to be labile and susceptible to oxidation. Thus, understanding the stability of NCU(IV) in the environment is of crucial importance. Fe(II) minerals (such as FeS) are often associated with U(IV) in bioremediated or naturally reduced sediments. Their impact on the stability of NCU(IV) is not well understood. Here, we show that, at high dissolved oxygen concentrations, FeS accelerates NCU(IV) reoxidation. We hypothesize that either highly reactive ferric minerals or radical S species produced by the oxidation of FeS drive this rapid reoxidation of NCU(IV). Furthermore, we found evidence for the contribution of reactive oxygen species to NCU(IV) reoxidation. This work refines our understanding of the role of iron sulfide minerals in the stability of tetravalent uranium in the presence of oxygen in a field setting such as contaminated sites or uranium-bearing naturally reduced zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Loreggian
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Julian Sorwat
- Center for Applied Geoscience (ZAG), Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen 72076, Germany
| | - James M Byrne
- Center for Applied Geoscience (ZAG), Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen 72076, Germany
| | - Andreas Kappler
- Center for Applied Geoscience (ZAG), Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tuebingen 72076, Germany
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
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26
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Vettese GF, Morris K, Natrajan LS, Shaw S, Vitova T, Galanzew J, Jones DL, Lloyd JR. Multiple Lines of Evidence Identify U(V) as a Key Intermediate during U(VI) Reduction by Shewanella oneidensis MR1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:2268-2276. [PMID: 31934763 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As the dominant radionuclide by mass in many radioactive wastes, the control of uranium mobility in contaminated environments is of high concern. U speciation can be governed by microbial interactions, whereby metal-reducing bacteria are able to reduce soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV), providing a method for removal of U from contaminated groundwater. Although microbial U(VI) reduction is widely reported, the mechanism(s) for the transformation of U(VI) to relatively insoluble U(IV) phases are poorly understood. By combining a suite of analyses, including luminescence, U M4-edge high-energy resolved fluorescence detection-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), and U L3-edge XANES/extended X-ray absorption fine structure, we show that the microbial reduction of U(VI) by the model Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis MR1, proceeds via a single electron transfer to form a pentavalent U(V) intermediate which disproportionates to form U(VI) and U(IV). Furthermore, we have identified significant U(V) present in post reduction solid phases, implying that U(V) may be stabilized for up to 120.5 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianni F Vettese
- Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science and Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , England
| | - Katherine Morris
- Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science and Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , England
| | - Louise S Natrajan
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , England
| | - Samuel Shaw
- Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science and Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , England
| | - Tonya Vitova
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE) , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Karlsruhe 76131 , Germany
| | - Jurij Galanzew
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE) , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Karlsruhe 76131 , Germany
| | - Debbie L Jones
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering , Bangor University , Bangor LL57 2DG , U.K
| | - Jonathan R Lloyd
- Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science and Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , England
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27
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Stetten L, Lefebvre P, Le Pape P, Mangeret A, Blanchart P, Merrot P, Brest J, Julien A, Bargar JR, Cazala C, Morin G. Experimental redox transformations of uranium phosphate minerals and mononuclear species in a contaminated wetland. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 384:121362. [PMID: 31634806 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reducing conditions and high organic carbon content make wetlands favorable to uranium (U) sequestration. However, such environments are subjected to water-table fluctuations that could impact the redox behavior of U and its mobility. Our previous study on U speciation in a contaminated wetland has suggested a major role of water-table redox fluctuations in the redistribution of U from U(IV)-phosphate minerals to organic U(VI) and U(IV) mononuclear species. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of these putative processes by mimicking drying or flooding periods via laboratory incubations of wetland samples. LCF-XANES and EXAFS analyses show the total oxidation/reduction of U(IV)/U(VI)-mononuclear species after 20 days of oxic/anoxic incubation, whereas U-phosphate minerals are partly oxidized/reduced. SEM-EDXS combined with μ-XRF and μ-XANES analyses suggest that autunite Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2⋅11H2O is reduced into lermontovite U(PO4)(OH)⋅H2O, whereas oxidized ningyoite CaU(PO4)2⋅2H2O is locally dissolved. The release of U from this latter process is observed to be limited by U(VI) adsorption to the soil matrix and further re-reduction into mononuclear U(IV) upon anoxic cycling. Analysis of incubation waters show, however, that dissolved organic carbon enhances U solubilization even under anoxic conditions. This study brings important information that help to assess the long-term stability of U in seasonally saturated organic-rich contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Stetten
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France; Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; University of Vienna, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Environmental Geosciences, Althanstraße 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Pierre Lefebvre
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Pierre Le Pape
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Arnaud Mangeret
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Pascale Blanchart
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Pauline Merrot
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Jessica Brest
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Anthony Julien
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - John R Bargar
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), SLAC National Accelerator National Laboratory, MS 69, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN, 31 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Guillaume Morin
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN, case 115, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
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Bone SE, Cliff J, Weaver K, Takacs CJ, Roycroft S, Fendorf S, Bargar JR. Complexation by Organic Matter Controls Uranium Mobility in Anoxic Sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:1493-1502. [PMID: 31886668 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uranium contamination threatens the availability of safe and clean drinking water globally. This toxic element occurs both naturally and as a result of mining and ore-processing in alluvial sediments, where it accumulates as tetravalent U [U(IV)], a form once considered largely immobile. Changing hydrologic and geochemical conditions cause U to be released into groundwater. Knowledge of the chemical form(s) of U(IV) is essential to understand the release mechanism, yet the relevant U(IV) species are poorly characterized. There is growing belief that natural organic matter (OM) binds U(IV) and mediates its fate in the subsurface. In this work, we combined nanoscale imaging (nano secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy) with a density-based fractionation approach to physically and microscopically isolate organic and mineral matter from alluvial sediments contaminated with uranium. We identified two populations of U (dominantly +IV) in anoxic sediments. Uranium was retained on OM and adsorbed to particulate organic carbon, comprising both microbial and plant material. Surprisingly, U was also adsorbed to clay minerals and OM-coated clay minerals. The dominance of OM-associated U provides a framework to understand U mobility in the shallow subsurface, and, in particular, emphasizes roles for desorption and colloid formation in its mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon E Bone
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource , SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
| | - John Cliff
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Karrie Weaver
- Earth System Science Department , Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 , United States
| | - Christopher J Takacs
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource , SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
| | - Scott Roycroft
- Earth System Science Department , Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 , United States
| | - Scott Fendorf
- Earth System Science Department , Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 , United States
| | - John R Bargar
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource , SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
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29
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Townsend LT, Shaw S, Ofili NER, Kaltsoyannis N, Walton AS, Mosselmans JFW, Neill TS, Lloyd JR, Heath S, Hibberd R, Morris K. Formation of a U(VI)-Persulfide Complex during Environmentally Relevant Sulfidation of Iron (Oxyhydr)oxides. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:129-136. [PMID: 31838844 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uranium is a risk-driving radionuclide in both radioactive waste disposal and contaminated land scenarios. In these environments, a range of biogeochemical processes can occur, including sulfate reduction, which can induce sulfidation of iron (oxyhydr)oxide mineral phases. During sulfidation, labile U(VI) is known to reduce to relatively immobile U(IV); however, the detailed mechanisms of the changes in U speciation during these biogeochemical reactions are poorly constrained. Here, we performed highly controlled sulfidation experiments at pH 7 and pH 9.5 on U(VI) adsorbed to ferrihydrite and investigated the system using geochemical analyses, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and computational modeling. Analysis of the XAS data indicated the formation of a novel, transient U(VI)-persulfide complex as an intermediate species during the sulfidation reaction, concomitant with the transient release of uranium to the solution. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) modeling showed that a persulfide ligand was coordinated in the equatorial plane of the uranyl moiety, and formation of this species was supported by computational modeling. The final speciation of U was nanoparticulate U(IV) uraninite, and this phase was evident at 2 days at pH 7 and 1 year at pH 9.5. Our identification of a new, labile U(VI)-persulfide species under environmentally relevant conditions may have implications for U mobility in sulfidic environments pertinent to radioactive waste disposal and contaminated land scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - J Frederick W Mosselmans
- Diamond Light Source Ltd., Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, U.K
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30
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Loreggian L, Novotny A, Bretagne SL, Bartova B, Wang Y, Bernier-Latmani R. Effect of Aging on the Stability of Microbially Reduced Uranium in Natural Sediment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:613-620. [PMID: 31769664 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b07023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reductive immobilization of uranium has been explored as a remediation strategy for the U-contaminated subsurface. Via the in situ biostimulation of microbial processes, hexavalent U is reduced to less soluble tetravalent species, which are immobilized within the sediment. Although the mineral uraninite (UO2) was initially considered the dominant product of biological reduction, non-crystalline U(IV) species (NCU(IV)) are found to be abundant in the environment despite their greater susceptibility to oxidation and remobilization. However, it has been recently proposed that, through aging, NCU(IV) might transform into UO2, which would potentially enhance the stability of the reduced U pool. In this study, we performed column experiments to produce NCU(IV) species in natural sediment mimicking the environmental conditions during bioremediation. Bioreduced sediment retrieved from the columns and harboring NCU(IV) was incubated in static microcosms under anoxic conditions to allow the systematic monitoring of U coordination by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) over 12 months. XAS revealed that, under the investigated conditions, the speciation of U(IV) does not change over time. Thus, because NCU(IV) is the dominant species in the sediment, bioreduced U(IV) species remain vulnerable to oxidation and remobilization in the aqueous phase even after a 12-month aging period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Loreggian
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Agnes Novotny
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Louise Bretagne
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Barbora Bartova
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yuheng Wang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710129 Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-EML, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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31
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Malikova IN, Strakhovenko VD, Ustinov MT. Uranium and thorium contents in soils and bottom sediments of lake Bolshoye Yarovoye, western Siberia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 211:106048. [PMID: 31546081 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The uranium and thorium contents in the soils and bottom sediments of the Lake Bolshoye Yarovoye natural system correspond to the data for the steppe climate zone and are noticeably lower than the background values for the Altai Territory as a whole. Factors that reduce the content of uranium and thorium are: 1 - lighter grain size distribution of the substrate, and, accordingly, the soils in this area; 2 - low content of organic matter (high ash content at 600 °C); 3 - the presence of significant quantities of quartz and calcite; 4 - general salinization of soils and the development of the solonchak process; 5 - remoteness from the region of material removal from the Altai mountains with its uranium-thorium-bearing granites and various mineraliszation. The distribution of uranium and thorium in the soils of the catchment area is heterogeneous. Minimum contents are observed in the soils of the boggy eastern coast and in its southern part in connection with the development of the solonchak process. This part of the catchment is characterized by high salinity (HCO3-- Na+) of water extracts in soils. Under subalkaline and alkaline conditions (pH 7.1-8.4) in soil waters, an increase in the content of these ions facilitates the transition of uranium to the liquid phase and its migration to the lake. In this part of the water area, the maximum uranium content in bottom sediments is observed. The results of cluster analysis indicate a change in the correlation of uranium and thorium during their redistribution from soils to bottom sediments. In soils, there is no correlation between uranium and thorium; in the bottom sediments, a strong positive correlation is observed between them (correlation coefficient 0.9). Uranium in soils has only a bond with Cr and possibly with Mn. The absence of a correlation with the elements of the mineral component of the soil confirms it finding, mainly in soluble form. In bottom sediments, both elements are associated with the mineral component. The established features of the distribution of uranium and thorium in the soils and bottom sediments of Lake Bolshoye Yarovoye indicate the need for detailed geochemical studies in lakes of a similar type. This will help to avoid ecological risks when choosing such lakes as anthropogenic objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- I N Malikova
- V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS, Acad. Koptyug ave. 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
| | - V D Strakhovenko
- V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS, Acad. Koptyug ave. 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia; Novosibirsk State University, Pirogov str. 2, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - M T Ustinov
- Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Avenue, Lavrentieva, 8/2, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
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Avasarala S, Torres C, Ali AMS, Thomson BM, Spilde MN, Peterson EJ, Artyushkova K, Dobrica E, Lezama-Pacheco JS, Cerrato JM. Effect of Bicarbonate and Oxidizing Conditions on U(IV) and U(VI) Reactivity in Mineralized Deposits of New Mexico. CHEMICAL GEOLOGY 2019; 524:345-355. [PMID: 31406388 PMCID: PMC6690612 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2019.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of bicarbonate and oxidizing agents on uranium (U) reactivity and subsequent dissolution of U(IV) and U(VI) mineral phases in the mineralized deposits from Jackpile mine, Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, by integrating laboratory experiments with spectroscopy, microscopy and diffraction techniques. Uranium concentration in solid samples from mineralized deposit obtained for this study exceeded 7000 mg kg-1, as determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggest the coexistence of U(VI) and U(IV) at a ratio of 19:1 at the near surface region of unreacted solid samples. Analyses made using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microprobe detected the presence of coffinite (USiO4) and uranium-phosphorous-potassium (U-P-K) mineral phases. Imaging, mapping and spectroscopy results from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) indicate that the U-P-K phases were encapsulated by carbon. Despite exposing the solid samples to strong oxidizing conditions, the highest aqueous U concentrations were measured from samples reacted with 100% air saturated 10 mM NaHCO3 solution, at pH 7.5. Analyses using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicate that all the U(IV) in these solid samples were oxidized to U(VI) after reaction with dissolved oxygen and hypochlorite (OCl-) in the presence of bicarbonate (HCO3 -). The reaction between these organic rich deposits, and 100% air saturated bicarbonate solution (containing dissolved oxygen), can result in considerable mobilization of U in water, which has relevance to the U concentrations observed at the Rio Paguate across the Jackpile mine. Results from this investigation provide insights on the reactivity of carbon encapsulated U-phases under mild and strong oxidizing conditions that have important implication in U recovery, remediation and risk exposure assessment of sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumant Avasarala
- Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Chris Torres
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Abdul-Mehdi S. Ali
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Bruce M. Thomson
- Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Michael N. Spilde
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Eric J. Peterson
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Kateryna Artyushkova
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Elena Dobrica
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | | | - José M. Cerrato
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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Bower WR, Morris K, Livens FR, Mosselmans JFW, Fallon CM, Fuller AJ, Natrajan L, Boothman C, Lloyd JR, Utsunomiya S, Grolimund D, Ferreira Sanchez D, Jilbert T, Parker J, Neill TS, Law GTW. Metaschoepite Dissolution in Sediment Column Systems-Implications for Uranium Speciation and Transport. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:9915-9925. [PMID: 31317743 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Metaschoepite is commonly found in U-contaminated environments and metaschoepite-bearing wastes may be managed via shallow or deep disposal. Understanding metaschoepite dissolution and tracking the fate of any liberated U is thus important. Here, discrete horizons of metaschoepite (UO3·nH2O) particles were emplaced in flowing sediment/groundwater columns representative of the UK Sellafield Ltd. site. The column systems either remained oxic or became anoxic due to electron donor additions, and the columns were sacrificed after 6- and 12-months for analysis. Solution chemistry, extractions, and bulk and micro/nano-focus X-ray spectroscopies were used to track changes in U distribution and behavior. In the oxic columns, U migration was extensive, with UO22+ identified in effluents after 6-months of reaction using fluorescence spectroscopy. Unusually, in the electron-donor amended columns, during microbially mediated sulfate reduction, significant amounts of UO2-like colloids (>60% of the added U) were found in the effluents using TEM. XAS analysis of the U remaining associated with the reduced sediments confirmed the presence of trace U(VI), noncrystalline U(IV), and biogenic UO2, with UO2 becoming more dominant with time. This study highlights the potential for U(IV) colloid production from U(VI) solids under reducing conditions and the complexity of U biogeochemistry in dynamic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Bower
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Radiochemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry , The University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland , 00014
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Francis R Livens
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | | | - Connaugh M Fallon
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Radiochemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry , The University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland , 00014
| | - Adam J Fuller
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Louise Natrajan
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Christopher Boothman
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Jonathan R Lloyd
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Satoshi Utsunomiya
- Kyushu University , Department of Chemistry , 744 Motooka , Nishi-ku , Fukuoka Japan , 819-0395
| | - Daniel Grolimund
- Swiss Light Source , Paul Scherrer Institute , Villigen , Switzerland , 5232
| | | | - Tom Jilbert
- Ecosystems and Environmental Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences , The University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland , 00014
| | - Julia Parker
- Diamond Light Source , Harwell Science and Innovation Campus , Didcot , U.K. , OX11 0DE
| | - Thomas S Neill
- Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal and Williamson Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
| | - Gareth T W Law
- Centre for Radiochemistry Research, School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Manchester , U.K. , M13 9PL
- Radiochemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry , The University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland , 00014
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34
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Chong S, Aksenov SM, Dal Bo F, Perry SN, Dimakopoulou F, Burns PC. Framework Polymorphism and Modular Crystal Structures of Uranyl Vanadates of Divalent Cations: Synthesis and Characterization of M(UO 2)(V 2O 7) ( M= Ca, Sr) and Sr 3(UO 2)(V 2O 7) 2. Z Anorg Allg Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/zaac.201900092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Saehwa Chong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Sergey M. Aksenov
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Fabrice Dal Bo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Samuel N. Perry
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Foteini Dimakopoulou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Peter C. Burns
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of Notre Dame; 46556 Notre Dame Indiana USA
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35
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Tu H, Yuan G, Zhao C, Liu J, Li F, Yang J, Liao J, Yang Y, Liu N. U-phosphate biomineralization induced by Bacillus sp. dw-2 in the presence of organic acids. NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Lakaniemi AM, Douglas GB, Kaksonen AH. Engineering and kinetic aspects of bacterial uranium reduction for the remediation of uranium contaminated environments. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2019; 371:198-212. [PMID: 30851673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Biological reduction of soluble uranium from U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) coupled to the oxidation of an electron donor (hydrogen or organic compounds) is a potentially cost-efficient way to reduce the U concentrations in contaminated waters to below regulatory limits. A variety of microorganisms originating from both U contaminated and non-contaminated environments have demonstrated U(VI) reduction capacity under anaerobic conditions. Bioreduction of U(VI) is considered especially promising for in situ remediation, where the activity of indigenous microorganisms is stimulated by supplying a suitable electron donor to the subsurface to contain U contamination to a specific location in a sparingly soluble form. Less studied microbial biofilm-based bioreactors and bioelectrochemical systems have also shown potential for efficient U(VI) reduction to remove U from contaminated water streams. This review compares the advantages and challenges of U(VI)-reducing in situ remediation processes, bioreactors and bioelectrochemical systems. In addition, the current knowledge of U(VI) bioreduction mechanisms and factors affecting U(VI) reduction kinetics (e.g. pH, temperature, and the chemical composition of the contaminated water) are discussed, as both of these aspects are important in designing efficient remediation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aino-Maija Lakaniemi
- Tampere University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, P.O. Box 541, FI- 33104, Tampere University, Finland; CSIRO Land and Water, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, Western Australia, 6014, Australia.
| | - Grant B Douglas
- CSIRO Land and Water, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, Western Australia, 6014, Australia
| | - Anna H Kaksonen
- CSIRO Land and Water, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, Western Australia, 6014, Australia
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37
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Velasco CA, Artyushkova K, Ali AMS, Osburn CL, Gonzalez-Estrella J, Lezama-Pacheco JS, Cabaniss SE, Cerrato JM. Organic Functional Group Chemistry in Mineralized Deposits Containing U(IV) and U(VI) from the Jackpile Mine in New Mexico. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:5758-5767. [PMID: 30998849 PMCID: PMC6557721 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the functional group chemistry of natural organic matter (NOM) associated with both U(IV) and U(VI) in solids from mineralized deposits exposed to oxidizing conditions from the Jackpile Mine, Laguna Pueblo, NM. The uranium (U) content in unreacted samples was 0.44-2.6% by weight determined by X-ray fluorescence. In spite of prolonged exposure to ambient oxidizing conditions, ≈49% of U(IV) and ≈51% of U(VI) were identified on U LIII edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Loss on ignition and thermogravimetric analyses identified from 13% to 44% of NOM in the samples. Carbonyl, phenolic, and carboxylic functional groups in the unreacted samples were identified by fitting of high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) C 1s and O 1s spectra. Peaks corresponding to phenolic and carbonyl functional groups had intensities higher than those corresponding to carboxylic groups in samples from the supernatant from batch extractions conducted at pH 13, 7, and 2. U(IV) and U(VI) species were detected in the supernatant after batch extractions conducted under oxidizing conditions by fitting of high-resolution XPS U 4f spectra. The outcomes from this study highlight the importance of the influence of pH on the organic functional group chemistry and U speciation in mineralized deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen A. Velasco
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Kateryna Artyushkova
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Abdul-Mehdi S. Ali
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Christopher L. Osburn
- Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Jorge Gonzalez-Estrella
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Juan S. Lezama-Pacheco
- Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Stephen E. Cabaniss
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - José M. Cerrato
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
- Corresponding Author. Telephone: (001) (505) 277-0870. Fax: (001) (505) 277-1918
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38
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Noël V, Boye K, Kukkadapu RK, Li Q, Bargar JR. Uranium storage mechanisms in wet-dry redox cycled sediments. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 152:251-263. [PMID: 30682569 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Biogeochemical redox processes that govern radionuclide mobility in sediments are highly sensitive to forcing by the water cycle. For example, episodic draining and intrusion of oxidants into reduced zones during dry seasons can create biogeochemical seasonal hotspots of enhanced and changed microbial activity, affect the redox status of minerals, initiate changes in sediment gas and water transport, and stimulate the release of organic carbon, iron, and sulfur by oxidation of solid reduced species to aqueous oxic species. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, water-saturation of organic-enriched sediments locally promotes reducing conditions, denoted 'Naturally Reduced Zones' (NRZs), that accumulate strongly U(IV)sol. Subsequently, fluctuating hydrological conditions introduce oxidants, which may reach internal portions of these sediments and reverse their role to become secondary sources of Uaq. Knowledge of the impact of hydrological variability on the alternating import and export of contaminants, including U, is required to predict contaminant mobility and short- and long-term impacts on water quality. In this study, we tracked U, Fe, and S oxidation states and speciation to characterize the variability in redox processes and related Usol solubility within shallow fine-grained NRZs at the legacy U ore processing site at Shiprock, NM. Previous studies have reported U speciation and behavior in permanently saturated fine-grained NRZ sediments. This is the first report of U behavior in fine-grained NRZ-like sediments that experience repeated redox cycling due to seasonal fluctuations in moisture content. Our results support previous observations that reducing conditions are needed to accumulate Usol in sediments, but they counter the expectation that Usol predominantly accumulates as U(IV)sol; our data reveal that Usol may accumulate as U(VI)sol in roughly equal proportion to U(IV)sol. Surprisingly high abundances of U(VI)sol confined in transiently saturated fine-grained NRZ-like sediments suggest that redox cycling is needed to promote its accumulation. We propose a new process model, where redox oscillations driven by annual water table fluctuations, accompanied by strong evapotranspiration in low-permeability sediments, promote conversion of U(IV)sol to relatively immobile U(VI)sol, which suggests that Usol is accumulating in a form that is resistant to redox perturbations. This observation contradicts the common idea that U(IV)sol accumulated in reducing conditions is systematically re-oxidized, solubilized and transported away in groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Noël
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States
| | - Kristin Boye
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States
| | - Ravi K Kukkadapu
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, United States
| | - Qingyun Li
- Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - John R Bargar
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States.
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Tu H, Lan T, Yuan G, Zhao C, Liu J, Li F, Yang J, Liao J, Yang Y, Wang D, Liu N. The influence of humic substances on uranium biomineralization induced by Bacillus sp. dwc-2. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 197:23-29. [PMID: 30502659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, the influence of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) on biomineralization behaviour was evaluated. The results showed HA and FA did not obviously inhabit or promote the precipitation of U-phosphate minerals. The data from molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the free energy for the dissociation of uranyl the PO43- -uranyl was 202.49 kJ/mol, which was much larger than that form HA-uranyl (88.3 kJ/mol). These simulated results revealed the less competitiveness of HA and FA with PO43- for uranyl and explained why HA and FA had less impacted on the formation of U-phosphate minerals. However, the influence of HA/FA on the morphology was obvious, the microstructure of the bio-minerals changed from small particles to lamellar stacking structure with the addition of HA or FA. The findings of this study are helpful for us to gain a better understanding natural U-phosphate biomineralization behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Tu
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Tu Lan
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China; CAS Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Techniques, Multidisciplinary Initiative Centre, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
| | - Guoyuan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Changsong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Feize Li
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Jijun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Jiali Liao
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Yuanyou Yang
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
| | - Dongqi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Techniques, Multidisciplinary Initiative Centre, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
| | - Ning Liu
- Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
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Stetten L, Blanchart P, Mangeret A, Lefebvre P, Le Pape P, Brest J, Merrot P, Julien A, Proux O, Webb SM, Bargar JR, Cazala C, Morin G. Redox Fluctuations and Organic Complexation Govern Uranium Redistribution from U(IV)-Phosphate Minerals in a Mining-Polluted Wetland Soil, Brittany, France. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:13099-13109. [PMID: 30339761 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b03031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Wetlands have been proposed to naturally attenuate U transfers in the environment via U complexation by organic matter and potential U reduction. However, U mobility may depend on the identity of particulate/dissolved uranium source materials and their redox sensitivity. Here, we examined the fate of uranium in a highly contaminated wetland (up to 4500 mg·kg-1 U) impacted by former mine water discharges. Bulk U LIII-EXAFS and (micro-)XANES combined with SEM-EDXS analyses of undisturbed soil cores show a sharp U redox boundary at the water table, together with a major U redistribution from U(IV)-minerals to U(VI)-organic matter complexes. Above the water table, U is fully oxidized into mono- and bidentate U(VI)-carboxyl and monodentate U(VI)-phosphoryl complexes. Minute amounts of U(VI)-phosphate minerals are also observed. Below the water table, U is fully reduced and is partitioned between U(IV)-phosphate minerals (i.e., ningyoite and a lermontovite-like phase), and bidentate U(IV)-phosphoryl and monodentate U(IV)-carboxyl complexes. Such a U redistribution from U-minerals inherited from mine water discharge deposits could result from redox cycling nearby the water table fluctuation zone. Oxidative dissolution of U(IV)-phosphate minerals could have led to U(VI)-organic matter complexation, followed by subsequent reduction into U(IV)-organic complexes. However, uranium(IV) minerals could have been preserved in permanently waterlogged soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Stetten
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN , 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc , 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses , France
| | - Pascale Blanchart
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN , 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc , 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses , France
| | - Arnaud Mangeret
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN , 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc , 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses , France
| | - Pierre Lefebvre
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Pierre Le Pape
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Jessica Brest
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Pauline Merrot
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Anthony Julien
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN , 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc , 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses , France
| | - Olivier Proux
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD Irstea Météo, OSUG, FAME , 38000 Grenoble , France
- BM30B/CRG-FAME, ESRF , Polygone Scientifique Louis Néel , 71 avenue des Martyrs , 38000 Grenoble , France
| | - Samuel M Webb
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) , SLAC National Accelerator National Laboratory , MS 69, 2575 Sand Hill Road , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
| | - John R Bargar
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) , SLAC National Accelerator National Laboratory , MS 69, 2575 Sand Hill Road , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN , 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc , 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses , France
| | - Guillaume Morin
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR 7590 CNRS-Sorbonne Université-IRD-MNHN , case 115, 4 place Jussieu , 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
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Fu H, Zhang H, Sui Y, Hu N, Ding D, Ye Y, Li G, Wang Y, Dai Z. Transformation of uranium species in soil during redox oscillations. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 208:846-853. [PMID: 30068027 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Revised: 05/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Redox oscillation is commonly found in near-surface environment, where soils are often polluted with many redox active contaminants, including uranium (U). In order to investigate the transformation of U species in near-surface soil under redox oscillations conditions, redox oscillations and reduction experiments were performed, biogeochemical parameters and native microbial community composition were monitored, main elements on the surface of solid-phase were analyzed by XPS, and labile U(IV) species and stable U(IV) species in solid-phase were provisionally defined using an anoxic 1 M sodium bicarbonate extraction. It was found that redox oscillations slightly increased the water-soluble U but significantly increased the stable U(IV) species (P < 0.05) in soil. In reduction experiment, there was upper limit value for percentage of stable U(IV) species, and the labile U(IV) species could not transform to stable U(IV) species in a short period of time under reduction conditions. The redox transition of Fe enriched on the surface of soil and the conversion of microbial community composition played a major role in speciation transformation of U under redox oscillations conditions. In addition, sequential extraction revealed that the increase of stable U(IV) species content reflected the U speciation transition from acetate extract to more recalcitrant hydroxylamine extract. The finding provides a potential method for improving the stability of U when bio-reduction is used to remediate the U-contaminated soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiying Fu
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China; School of Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yang Sui
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China; Hunan Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Co., Ltd, Yiyang, 413000, China
| | - Nan Hu
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Dexin Ding
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China; School of Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Yongjun Ye
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China; School of Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Guangyue Li
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yongdong Wang
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Zhongran Dai
- Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
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Seder-Colomina M, Mangeret A, Stetten L, Merrot P, Diez O, Julien A, Barker E, Thouvenot A, Bargar J, Cazala C, Morin G. Carbonate Facilitated Mobilization of Uranium from Lacustrine Sediments under Anoxic Conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:9615-9624. [PMID: 29983058 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Sorbed U(IV) species can be major products of U(VI) reduction in natural reducing environments as sediments and waterlogged soils. These species are considered more labile than crystalline U(IV) minerals, which could potentially influence uranium migration in natural systems subjected to redox oscillations. In this study, we examined the role of oxygen and carbonate on the remobilization of uranium from lake sediments, in which ∼70% of the 150-300 ppm U is under the form of mononuclear U(IV) sorbed species. Our results show that both drying and oxic incubation only slightly increase the amount of remobilized U after 8 days, compared to anoxic drying and anoxic incubation. In contrast, the amount of remobilized U increases with the quantity of added bicarbonate even under anoxic conditions. Moreover, U LIII-edge XANES data show that a significant amount of the solid U(IV) is mobilized in such conditions. Thermodynamic speciation calculations based on the supernatant composition indicates the predominance of aqueous UO2(CO3)34- and, to a lesser extent, CaUO2(CO3)32- complexes. These results suggest that monomeric U(IV) species could be oxidized into aqueous U(VI) carbonate complexes even under anoxic conditions via carbonate promoted oxidative dissolution, which emphasizes the need for considering such a process when modeling U dynamics in reducing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Seder-Colomina
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Arnaud Mangeret
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Lucie Stetten
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR CNRS 6023 , Paris 75005 , France
| | - Pauline Merrot
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR CNRS 6023 , Paris 75005 , France
| | - Olivier Diez
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Anthony Julien
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Evelyne Barker
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Antoine Thouvenot
- Laboratoire Microorganismes Génome et Environnement (LMGE) , UMR CNRS 6023 , Aubière 63177 , France
| | - John Bargar
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) , Menlo Park , California 94025 , United States
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) , PRP-DGE, BP 17 , Fontenay-aux-Roses 92262 , France
| | - Guillaume Morin
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC) , UMR CNRS 6023 , Paris 75005 , France
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Neill TS, Morris K, Pearce CI, Sherriff NK, Burke MG, Chater PA, Janssen A, Natrajan L, Shaw S. Stability, Composition, and Core-Shell Particle Structure of Uranium(IV)-Silicate Colloids. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:9118-9127. [PMID: 30001122 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Uranium is typically the most abundant radionuclide by mass in radioactive wastes and is a significant component of effluent streams at nuclear facilities. Actinide(IV) (An(IV)) colloids formed via various pathways, including corrosion of spent nuclear fuel, have the potential to greatly enhance the mobility of poorly soluble An(IV) forms, including uranium. This is particularly important in conditions relevant to decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the geological disposal of radioactive waste. Previous studies have suggested that silicate could stabilize U(IV) colloids. Here the formation, composition, and structure of U(IV)-silicate colloids under the alkaline conditions relevant to spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal were investigated using a range of state of the art techniques. The colloids are formed across a range of pH conditions (9-10.5) and silicate concentrations (2-4 mM) and have a primary particle size 1-10 nm, also forming suspended aggregates <220 nm. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, ultrafiltration, and scanning transmission electron microscopy confirm the particles are U(IV)-silicates. Additional evidence from X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function data suggests the primary particles are composed of a UO2-rich core and a U-silicate shell. U(IV)-silicate colloids formation correlates with the formation of U(OH)3(H3SiO4)32- complexes in solution indicating they are likely particle precursors. Finally, these colloids form under a range of conditions relevant to nuclear fuel storage and geological disposal of radioactive waste and represent a potential pathway for U mobility in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Neill
- Research Centre for Radwaste and Disposal, Williamson Research Centre , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
| | - Katherine Morris
- Research Centre for Radwaste and Disposal, Williamson Research Centre , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
| | - Carolyn I Pearce
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Nicholas K Sherriff
- National Nuclear Laboratory, Chadwick House, Warrington Road , Birchwood Park, Warrington WA3 6AE , U.K
| | - M Grace Burke
- Materials Performance Centre , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
| | - Philip A Chater
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus , Didcot , Oxfordshire OX11 0DE , U.K
| | - Arne Janssen
- Materials Performance Centre , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus , Didcot , Oxfordshire OX11 0DE , U.K
| | - Louise Natrajan
- School of Chemistry , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
| | - Samuel Shaw
- Research Centre for Radwaste and Disposal, Williamson Research Centre , The University of Manchester , Oxford Road , Manchester M13 9PL , U.K
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Xie J, Lin J, Zhou X. pH-dependent microbial reduction of uranium(VI) in carbonate-free solutions: UV-vis, XPS, TEM, and thermodynamic studies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:22308-22317. [PMID: 29808405 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2326-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
U(VI)aq bioreduction has an important effect on the fate and transport of uranium isotopes in groundwater at nuclear test sites. In this study, we focus on the pH-dependent bioreduction of U(VI)aq in carbonate-free solutions and give mechanistic insight into the removal kinetics of U(VI)aq. An enhancement in the removal of U(VI)aq with increasing pH was observed within 5 h, e.g., from 19.4% at pH 4.52 to 99.7% at pH 8.30. The removal of U(VI)aq at pH 4.52 was due to the biosorption of U(VI)aq onto the living cells of Shewanella putrefaciens, as evidenced by the almost constant UV-vis absorption intensity of U(VI)aq immediately after contact with S. putrefaciens. Instead, the removal observed at pH 5.97 to 8.30 resulted from the bioreduction of U(VI)aq. The end product of U(VI)aq bioreduction was analyzed using XPS and HRTEM and identified as nanosized UO2. An increasing trend in the biosorption of U(VI)aq onto heat-killed cells was also observed, e.g., ~ 80% at pH 8.38. Evidently, the U(VI)aq that sorbed onto the living cells at pH > 4.52 was further reduced to UO2, although biosorption made a large contribution to the initial removal of U(VI)aq. These results may reveal the removal mechanism, in which the U(VI)aq that was sorbed onto cells rather than the U(VI)aq complexed in solution was reduced. The decreases in the redox potentials of the main complex species of U(VI)aq (e.g., [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) with increasing pH support the proposed removal mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinchuan Xie
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, P.O. Box 69-14, Xi'an City, 710024, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianfeng Lin
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, P.O. Box 69-14, Xi'an City, 710024, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohua Zhou
- Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, P.O. Box 69-14, Xi'an City, 710024, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China
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Coral T, Descostes M, De Boissezon H, Bernier-Latmani R, de Alencastro LF, Rossi P. Microbial communities associated with uranium in-situ recovery mining process are related to acid mine drainage assemblages. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 628-629:26-35. [PMID: 29428857 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A large fraction (47%) of the world's uranium is mined by a technique called "In Situ Recovery" (ISR). This mining technique involves the injection of a leaching fluid (acidic or alkaline) into a uranium-bearing aquifer and the pumping of the resulting solution through cation exchange columns for the recovery of dissolved uranium. The present study reports the in-depth alterations brought to autochthonous microbial communities during acidic ISR activities. Water samples were collected from a uranium roll-front deposit that is part of an ISR mine in operation (Tortkuduk, Kazakhstan). Water samples were obtained at a depth of ca 500 m below ground level from several zones of the Uyuk aquifer following the natural redox zonation inherited from the roll front deposit, including the native mineralized orebody and both upstream and downstream adjacent locations. Samples were collected equally from both the entrance and the exit of the uranium concentration plant. Next-generation sequencing data showed that the redox gradient shaped the community structures, within the anaerobic, reduced, and oligotrophic habitats of the native aquifer zones. Acid injection induced drastic changes in the structures of these communities, with a large decrease in both cell numbers and diversity. Communities present in the acidified (pH values < 2) mining areas exhibited similarities to those present in acid mine drainage, with the dominance of Sulfobacillus sp., Leptospirillum sp. and Acidithiobacillus sp., as well as the archaean Ferroplasma sp. Communities located up- and downstream of the mineralized zone under ISR and affected by acidic fluids were blended with additional facultative anaerobic and acidophilic microorganisms. These mixed biomes may be suitable communities for the natural attenuation of ISR mining-affected subsurface through the reduction of metals and sulfate. Assessing the effect of acidification on the microbial community is critical to evaluating the potential for natural attenuation or active bioremediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Coral
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michaël Descostes
- AREVA Mines, R&D Dpt., Tour AREVA, 1, place Jean Millier, 92084 Paris, La Défense, France
| | - Hélène De Boissezon
- AREVA Mines, R&D Dpt., Tour AREVA, 1, place Jean Millier, 92084 Paris, La Défense, France
| | - Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luiz Felippe de Alencastro
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Rossi
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Song W, Wang X, Chen Z, Sheng G, Hayat T, Wang X, Sun Y. Enhanced immobilization of U(VI) on Mucor circinelloides in presence of As(V): Batch and XAFS investigation. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 237:228-236. [PMID: 29486456 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The combined pollution of radionuclides and heavy metals has been given rise to widespread concern during uranium mining. The influence of As(V) on U(VI) immobilization by Mucor circinelloides (M. circinelloides) was investigated using batch experiments. The activity of antioxidative enzymes and concentrations of thiol compounds and organic acid in M. circinelloides increased to respond to different U(VI) and As(V) stress. The morphological structure of M. circinelloides changed obviously under U(VI) and As(V) stress by SEM and TEM analysis. The results of XANES and EXAFS analysis showed that U(VI) was mainly reduced to nano-uraninite (nano-UO2, 30.1%) in U400, while only 9.7% of nano-UO2 was observed in the presence of As(V) in U400-As400 due to the formation of uranyl arsenate precipitate (Trögerite, 48.6%). These observations will provide the fundamental data for fungal remediation of uranium and heavy metals in uranium-contaminated soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wencheng Song
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics Technology and Center of Medical Physics and Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences and Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Xiangxue Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Zhongshan Chen
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Guodong Sheng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaoxing University, Zhejiang 312000, PR China
| | - Tasawar Hayat
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, PR China
| | - Xiangke Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, PR China; NAAM Research Group, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yubing Sun
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China.
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47
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Li A, Zhou C, Liu Z, Xu X, Zhou Y, Zhou D, Tang Y, Ma F, Rittmann BE. Direct solid-state evidence of H 2 -induced partial U(VI) reduction concomitant with adsorption by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Biotechnol Bioeng 2018; 115:1685-1693. [PMID: 29574765 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Adsorption of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) has been studied, but the possibility of simultaneous U(VI) reduction mediated by EPS has not had experimental confirmation, as the reduction products have not yet been directly proven. Here, we reported the first direct evidence of lower-valent products of U(VI) immobilization by loosely associated EPS (laEPS) isolated from a fermenter strain of Klebsiella sp. J1 when the laEPS was exposed to H2 . During the 120-min tests for similarly 86% adsorption under O2 , N2 , and H2 , 8% more U was immobilized through a non-adsorptive pathway by the EPS for H2 than for N2 and O2 . A set of solid-state characterization tools (FT-IR, XPS, EELS, and TEM-EDX) confirmed partial reduction of U(VI) to lower-valence U, with the main reduced form being uraninite (UIV O2 ) nanoparticles, and the results reinforced the role of the reduction in accelerating U immobilization and shaping the characteristics of immobilized U in terms of valency, size, and crystallization. The laEPS, mostly comprised of carbohydrate and protein, contained non-cytochrome enzymes and electron carriers that could be responsible for electron transfer to U(VI). Taken together, our results directly confirm that EPS was able to mediate partial U(VI) reduction in the presence of H2 through non-cytochrome catalysis and that reduction enhanced overall U immobilization. Our study fills in some gaps of the microbe-mediated U cycle and will be useful to understand and control U removal in engineered reactors and in-situ bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ang Li
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Chen Zhou
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Zhuolin Liu
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Xiaoyin Xu
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Zhou
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dandan Zhou
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Youneng Tang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
| | - Fang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Bruce E Rittmann
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
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48
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Shen Y, Zheng X, Wang X, Wang T. The biomineralization process of uranium(VI) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae - transformation from amorphous U(VI) to crystalline chernikovite. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:4217-4229. [PMID: 29564524 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8918-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Microorganisms play a significant role in uranium(VI) biogeochemistry and influence U(VI) transformation through biomineralization. In the present work, the process of uranium mineralization was investigated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The toxicity experiments showed that the viability of cell was not significantly affected by 100 mg L-1 U(VI) under 4 days of exposure time. The batch experiments showed that the phosphate concentration and pH value increased over time during U(VI) adsorption. Meanwhile, thermodynamic calculations demonstrated that the adsorption system was supersaturated with respect to UO2HPO4. The X-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that the U(VI) was first attached onto the cell surface and reacted with hydroxyl, carboxyl, and phosphate groups through electrostatic interactions and complexation. As the immobilization of U(VI) transformed it from the ionic to the amorphous state, lamellar uranium precipitate was formed on the cell surface. With the prolongation of time, the amorphous uranium compound disappeared, and there were some crystalline substances observed extracellularly, which were well-characterized as tetragonal-chernikovite. Furthermore, the size of chernikovite was regulated at nano-level by cells, and the perfect crystal was formed finally. These findings provided an understanding of the non-reductive transformation process of U(VI) from the amorphous to crystalline state within microbe systems, which would be beneficial for the U(VI) treatment and reuse of nuclides and heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanghao Shen
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xinyan Zheng
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Tieshan Wang
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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49
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Jemison NE, Shiel AE, Johnson TM, Lundstrom CC, Long PE, Williams KH. Field Application of 238U/ 235U Measurements To Detect Reoxidation and Mobilization of U(IV). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:3422-3430. [PMID: 29464949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b05162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Biostimulation to induce reduction of soluble U(VI) to relatively immobile U(IV) is an effective strategy for decreasing aqueous U(VI) concentrations in contaminated groundwater systems. If oxidation of U(IV) occurs following the biostimulation phase, U(VI) concentrations increase, challenging the long-term effectiveness of this technique. However, detecting U(IV) oxidation through dissolved U concentrations alone can prove difficult in locations with few groundwater wells to track the addition of U to a mass of groundwater. We propose the 238U/235U ratio of aqueous U as an independent, reliable tracer of U(IV) remobilization via oxidation or mobilization of colloids. Reduction of U(VI) produces 238U-enriched U(IV), whereas remobilization of solid U(IV) should not induce isotopic fractionation. The incorporation of remobilized U(IV) with a high 238U/235U ratio into the aqueous U(VI) pool produces an increase in 238U/235U of aqueous U(VI). During several injections of nitrate to induce U(IV) oxidation, 238U/235U consistently increased, suggesting 238U/235U is broadly applicable for detecting mobilization of U(IV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah E Jemison
- Department of Geology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 3081 Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St. , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Alyssa E Shiel
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences , Oregon State University , 104 CEOAS Administration Building, 101 SW 26th St. , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Thomas M Johnson
- Department of Geology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 3081 Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St. , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Craig C Lundstrom
- Department of Geology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , 3081 Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St. , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Philip E Long
- Earth Sciences Division , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , 1 Cyclotron Road , Berkeley , California 94720 , United States
| | - Kenneth H Williams
- Earth Sciences Division , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , 1 Cyclotron Road , Berkeley , California 94720 , United States
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50
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Avasarala S, Lichtner PC, Ali AMS, González-Pinzón R, Blake JM, Cerrato JM. Reactive Transport of U and V from Abandoned Uranium Mine Wastes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:12385-12393. [PMID: 29017012 PMCID: PMC5751750 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The reactive transport of uranium (U) and vanadium(V) from abandoned mine wastes collected from the Blue Gap/Tachee Claim-28 mine site in Arizona was investigated by integrating flow-through column experiments with reactive transport modeling, and electron microscopy. The mine wastes were sequentially reacted in flow-through columns at pH 7.9 (10 mM HCO3-) and pH 3.4 (10 mM CH3COOH) to evaluate the effect of environmentally relevant conditions encountered at Blue Gap/Tachee on the release of U and V. The reaction rate constants (km) for the dissolution of uranyl-vanadate (U-V) minerals predominant at Blue Gap/Tachee were obtained from simulations with the reactive transport software, PFLOTRAN. The estimated reaction rate constants were within 1 order of magnitude for pH 7.9 (km = 4.8 × 10-13 mol cm-2 s-1) and pH 3.4 (km = 3.2 × 10-13 mol cm-2 s-1). However, the estimated equilibrium constants (Keq) for U-V bearing minerals were more than 6 orders of magnitude different for reaction at circumneutral pH (Keq = 10-38.65) compared to acidic pH (Keq = 10-44.81). These results coupled with electron microscopy data suggest that the release of U and V is affected by water pH and the crystalline structure of U-V bearing minerals. The findings from this investigation have important implications for risk exposure assessment, remediation, and resource recovery of U and V in locations where U-V-bearing minerals are abundant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Johanna M. Blake
- Department of Chemistry, MSC03 2060, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - José M. Cerrato
- Department of Civil Engineering, MSC01 1070
- Corresponding AuthorPhone: (001) (505) 277-0870; fax: (001) (505) 277-1918;
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