Biological removal of metal ions from aqueous process streams
Aqueous waste streams from nuclear fuel processing operations may contain trace quantities of heavy metals such as uranium. Conventional chemical and physical treatment may be ineffective or very expensive when uranium concentrations in the range of 10 to 100 g/m/sup 3/ must be reduced to 1 g/m/sup 3/ or less. The ability of some microorganisms to adsorb or complex dissolved heavy metals offers an alternative treatment method. Uranium uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae NRRL Y-2574 and a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was examined to identify factors which might affect a process for the removal of uranium from wastewater streams. At uranium concentrations in the range of 10 to 500 g/m/sup 3/, where the binding capacity of the biomass was not exceeded, temperature, pH, and initial uranium concentration were found to influence the rate of uranium uptake, but not the soluble uranium concentration at equilibrium. 6 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 7045075
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-780549-4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
ADSORBENTS
BACTERIA
BIOADSORBENTS
BIOMASS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUNGI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PLANTS
PROCESSING
PSEUDOMONAS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
REPROCESSING
SACCHAROMYCES
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
URANIUM
USES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER
YEASTS