skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Impact of different environmental conditions on the aggregation of biogenic U(IV) nanoparticles synthesized by Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20

Journal Article · · Biometals
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [2]
  1. Southern Methodist Univ., Dallas, TX (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  2. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
  3. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). WR Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab.
  4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  5. Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  6. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
+ Show Author Affiliations

This study investigates the impact of specific environmental conditions on the formation of colloidal U(IV) nanoparticles by the sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB, Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20). The reduction of soluble U(VI) to less soluble U(IV) was quantitatively investigated under growth and non-growth conditions in bicarbonate or 1,4-piperazinediethanesulfonic acid (PIPES) buffered environments. Here, the results showed that under non-growth conditions, the majority of the reduced U nanoparticles aggregated and precipitated out of solution. High resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that only a very small fraction of cells had reduced U precipitates in the periplasmic spaces in the presence of PIPES buffer, whereas in the presence of bicarbonate buffer, reduced U was also observed in the cytoplasm with greater aggregation of biogenic U(IV) particles at higher initial U(VI) concentrations. The same experiments were repeated under growth conditions using two different electron donors (lactate and pyruvate) and three electron acceptors (sulfate, fumarate, and thiosulfate). In contrast to the results of the non-growth experiments, even after 0.2 μm filtration, the majority of biogenic U(IV) remained in the aqueous phase resulting in potentially mobile biogenic U(IV) nanoparticles. Size fractionation results showed that U(IV) aggregates were between 18 and 200 nm in diameter, and thus could be very mobile. The findings of this study are helpful to assess the size and potential mobility of reduced U nanoparticles under different environmental conditions, and would provide insights on their potential impact affecting U(VI) bioremediation efforts at subsurface contaminated sites.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; FG02-07ER64366
OSTI ID:
1474981
Journal Information:
Biometals, Vol. 29, Issue 6; ISSN 0966-0844
Publisher:
Springer NetherlandsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 4 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (54)

Biogenic Uraninite Nanoparticles and Their Importance for Uranium Remediation journal December 2008
Interaction between uranium and the cytochrome c 3 of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans strain G20 journal June 2004
Influence of bicarbonate, sulfate, and electron donors on biological reduction of uranium and microbial community composition journal September 2007
Reoxidation of Biogenic Reduced Uranium: A Challenge Toward Bioremediation journal January 2014
Enzymic uranium precipitation journal January 1992
Reduction kinetics of Fe(III), Co(III), U(VI), Cr(VI), and Tc(VII) in cultures of dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria journal October 2002
U(VI) Reduction to Mononuclear U(IV) by Desulfitobacterium Species journal June 2010
Uranium removal and microbial community in a H 2 -based membrane biofilm reactor journal November 2014
Reduction of U(VI) in goethite (α-FeOOH) suspensions by a dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium journal September 2000
Bioremediation of uranium contamination with enzymatic uranium reduction journal November 1992
Modeling the Removal of Uranium U(VI) from Aqueous Solutions in the Presence of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria journal August 1999
Complete Genome Sequence and Updated Annotation of Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20 journal June 2011
Optimization of a bioremediation system of soluble uranium based on the biostimulation of an indigenous bacterial community journal December 2014
Assessment of lead toxicity to Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20: influence of components of lactate C medium journal August 2001
Influence of Mn oxides on the reduction of uranium(VI) by the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens journal September 2002
In Situ Bioreduction of Uranium (VI) to Submicromolar Levels and Reoxidation by Dissolved Oxygen journal August 2007
Growth of Desulfovibrio vulgaris When Respiring U(VI) and Characterization of Biogenic Uraninite journal May 2014
Non-uraninite Products of Microbial U(VI) Reduction journal December 2010
Mobile uranium(IV)-bearing colloids in a mining-impacted wetland journal December 2013
Effect of metal complexation on the bioavailability of nitrilotriacetic acid to Chelatobacter heintzii ATCC 29600 journal April 2000
Preferential Reduction of Fe(III) over Fumarate by Geobacter sulfurreducens journal April 2004
Uranium Reduction journal October 2006
In Situ Bioreduction of Technetium and Uranium in a Nitrate-Contaminated Aquifer journal January 2004
U(VI) Reduction in Sulfate-Reducing Subsurface Sediments Amended with Ethanol or Acetate journal April 2013
Reduction of uranium(VI) under sulfate-reducing conditions in the presence of Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides journal June 2004
Characterization of uraninite nanoparticles produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 journal October 2008
Structure of Biogenic Uraninite Produced by Shewanella oneidensis Strain MR-1 journal November 2008
c-Type Cytochrome-Dependent Formation of U(IV) Nanoparticles by Shewanella oneidensis journal August 2006
pH-dependent toxicity of copper and uranium to a tropical freshwater alga (Chlorella sp.) journal March 2000
Reductive dissolution of fe(III) oxides byPseudomonas sp. 200 journal October 1988
Uranium Immobilization by Sulfate-Reducing Biofilms journal April 2004
Multiple influences of nitrate on uranium solubility during bioremediation of uranium-contaminated subsurface sediments journal September 2002
Microorganisms Associated with Uranium Bioremediation in a High-Salinity Subsurface Sediment journal June 2003
Electron donor-dependent radionuclide reduction and nanoparticle formation by Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans strain 2CP-C journal February 2009
Structural Similarities between Biogenic Uraninites Produced by Phylogenetically and Metabolically Diverse Bacteria journal November 2009
The thermodynamic ladder in geomicrobiology journal March 2011
Acetate Availability and its Influence on Sustainable Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater journal June 2011
Nanometre-size products of uranium bioreduction journal September 2002
Effect of Competing Electron Acceptors on the Reduction of U(VI) by Desulfotomaculum reducens journal June 2010
Anaerobic bioremediation of hexavalent uranium in groundwater by reductive precipitation with methanogenic granular sludge journal April 2010
Periplasmic Cytochrome c3 of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Is Directly Involved in H2-Mediated Metal but Not Sulfate Reduction journal January 2004
Geobacter uraniireducens sp. nov., isolated from subsurface sediment undergoing uranium bioremediation journal May 2008
Toxic Effects of Uranium on Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans g20 journal January 2006
Mechanism of Uranium Reduction and Immobilization in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Biofilms journal August 2015
A sulfate-reducing bacterium that can detoxify U(VI) and obtain energy via nitrate reduction journal August 2003
Solution and Microbial Controls on the Formation of Reduced U(IV) Species journal October 2011
The effect of U(VI) bioreduction kinetics on subsequent reoxidation of biogenic U(IV) journal October 2007
Biogenic U(IV) oxidation by dissolved oxygen and nitrate in sediment after prolonged U(VI)/Fe(III)/SO42− reduction journal February 2009
Iron and Manganese in Anaerobic Respiration: Environmental Significance, Physiology, and Regulation journal October 1994
Geobacter daltonii sp. nov., an Fe(III)- and uranium(VI)-reducing bacterium isolated from a shallow subsurface exposed to mixed heavy metal and hydrocarbon contamination journal August 2009
Geomicrobiological factors that control uranium mobility in the environment: Update on recent advances in the bioremediation of uranium-contaminated sites journal January 2006
Biogenic uraninite precipitation and its reoxidation by iron(III) (hydr)oxides: A reaction modeling approach journal August 2011
Comparison of uranium(VI) removal by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in flow and batch reactors journal June 2008
Reduction of hexavalent uranium from organic complexes by sulfate- and iron-reducing bacteria. journal January 1997

Cited By (2)

An overview of heavy metal removal from wastewater using magnetotactic bacteria: Heavy metal removal from wastewater using MTB journal May 2018
Anaerobic reduction of europium by a Clostridium strain as a strategy for rare earth biorecovery journal October 2019

Similar Records

Impact of different environmental conditions on the aggregation of biogenic U(IV) nanoparticles synthesized by Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20
Journal Article · Tue Sep 13 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Biometals · OSTI ID:1474981
+4 more
Subsurface Uranium Fate and Transport: Integrated Experiments and Modeling of Coupled Biogeochemical Mechanisms of Nanocrystalline Uraninite Oxidation by Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides - Project Final Report
Technical Report · Wed Aug 14 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · OSTI ID:1474981
Reoxidation of Reduced Uranium with Iron(III) (Hydr)Oxides under Sulfate-Reducing Conditions
Journal Article · Fri Mar 04 00:00:00 EST 2005 · Environmental Science and Technology, 39(7):2059-2066 · OSTI ID:1474981
+1 more

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biogenic uranium
Mobile uraninite
Nanoparticles
Sulfate reducing bacteria
Uranium aggregates