West Valley low-level radioactive waste site revisited: Microbiological analysis of leachates

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5963038· OSTI ID:5963038

Gillow, J B; Francis, A J

The abundance and types of microorganisms in leachate samples from the West Valley low-level radioactive waste disposal site were enumerated. This study was undertaken in support of the study conducted by Ecology and Environment, Inc., to assess the extent of radioactive gas emissions from the site. Total aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were enumerated as colony forming units (CFU) by dilution agar plate technique, and denitrifiers, sulfate-reducers and methanogens by the most probable number technique (MPN). Of the three trenches 3, 9, and 11 sampled, trench 11 contained the most number of organisms in the leachate. Concentrations of carbon-14 and tritium were highest in trench 11 leachate. Populations of aerobes and anaerobes in trench 9 leachate were one order of magnitude less than in trench 11 leachate while the methanogens were three orders of magnitude greater than in trench 11 leachate. The methane content from trench 9 was high due to the presence of a large number of methanogens; the gas in this trench also contained the most radioactivity. Trench 3 leachate contained the least number of microorganisms. Comparison of microbial populations in leachates sampled from trenches 3 and 9 during October 1978 and 1989 showed differences in the total number of microbial types. Variations in populations of the different types of organisms in the leachate reflect the changing nutrient conditions in the trenches. 14 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 5963038
• Report Number(s): BNL-45756; ON: DE91010362
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AEROBIC CONDITIONS
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
BACTERIA
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIODEGRADATION
CARBON 14
CARBON ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CULTURE MEDIA
DECOMPOSITION
DENITRIFICATION
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IRON
ISOTOPES
LEACHATES
LEACHING
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
METHANOGENIC BACTERIA
MICROBIAL LEACHING
MICROORGANISMS
MIXTURES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PH VALUE
POPULATION DENSITY
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRITIUM
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES