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

Title: Bicarbonate impact on U(VI) bioreduction in a shallow alluvial aquifer

Journal Article · · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [7]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  3. Los Gatos Research, Mountain View, CA (United States)
  4. Akonni Biosystems, Inc., Frederick, MD (United States)
  5. Haley & Aldrich, Inc., Greenville, SC (United States)
  6. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics
  7. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth and Planetary Science and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
  8. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States). Dept. of Microbiology
+ Show Author Affiliations

Field-scale biostimulation and desorption tracer experiments conducted in a uranium (U) contaminated, shallow alluvial aquifer have provided insight into the coupling of microbiology, biogeochemistry, and hydrogeology that control U mobility in the subsurface. Initial experiments successfully tested the concept that Fe-reducing bacteria such as Geobacter sp. could enzymatically reduce soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) during in situ electron donor amendment (Anderson et al., 2003; Williams et al., 2011). In parallel, in situ desorption tracer tests using bicarbonate amendment demonstrated rate-limited U(VI) desorption (Fox et al., 2012). These results and prior laboratory studies underscored the importance of enzymatic U(VI)-reduction and suggested the ability to combine desorption and bioreduction of U(VI). Here in this paper we report the results of a new field experiment in which bicarbonate-promoted uranium desorption and acetate amendment were combined and compared to an acetate amendment-only experiment in the same experimental plot. Results confirm that bicarbonate amendment to alluvial aquifer sediments desorbs U(VI) and increases the abundance of Ca-uranyl-carbonato complexes. At the same time, the rate of acetate-promoted enzymatic U(VI) reduction was greater in the presence of added bicarbonate in spite of the increased dominance of Ca-uranyl-carbonato aqueous complexes. A model-simulated peak rate of U(VI) reduction was ~3.8 times higher during acetate-bicarbonate treatment than under acetate-only conditions. Lack of consistent differences in microbial community structure between acetate-bicarbonate and acetate-only treatments suggest that a significantly higher rate of U(VI) reduction in the bicarbonate-impacted sediment may be due to a higher intrinsic rate of microbial reduction induced by elevated concentrations of the bicarbonate oxyanion. The findings indicate that bicarbonate amendment may be useful in improving the engineered bioremediation of uranium in aquifers.

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
OSTI ID:
1512163
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1247742
Journal Information:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 150, Issue C; ISSN 0016-7037
Publisher:
Elsevier; The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 48 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (68)

Responses of microbial community functional structures to pilot-scale uranium in situ bioremediation journal March 2010
High-frequency field-deployable isotope analyzer for hydrological applications journal October 2009
Multicomponent reactive transport modeling of uranium bioremediation field experiments journal October 2009
Stimulating the In Situ Activity of Geobacter Species To Remove Uranium from the Groundwater of a Uranium-Contaminated Aquifer journal October 2003
Vanadate and Acetate Biostimulation of Contaminated Sediments Decreases Diversity, Selects for Specific Taxa, and Decreases Aqueous V 5+ Concentration journal May 2013
Direct Microbial Reduction and Subsequent Preservation of Uranium in Natural Near-Surface Sediment journal April 2005
Effects of physical and geochemical heterogeneities on mineral transformation and biomass accumulation during biostimulation experiments at Rifle, Colorado journal March 2010
The biogeochemistry and bioremediation of uranium and other priority radionuclides journal January 2014
Molecular Analysis of the In Situ Growth Rates of Subsurface Geobacter Species journal December 2012
A large column analog experiment of stable isotope variations during reactive transport: I. A comprehensive model of sulfur cycling and δ34S fractionation journal January 2014
A large column analog experiment of stable isotope variations during reactive transport: II. Carbon mass balance, microbial community structure and predation journal January 2014
Enzymic uranium precipitation journal January 1992
High-density PhyloChip profiling of stimulated aquifer microbial communities reveals a complex response to acetate amendment journal April 2012
Bacterial community succession during in situ uranium bioremediation: spatial similarities along controlled flow paths journal September 2008
Sustained Removal of Uranium From Contaminated Groundwater Following Stimulation of Dissimilatory Metal Reduction journal April 2008
Evaluation of a Genome-Scale In Silico Metabolic Model for Geobacter metallireducens by Using Proteomic Data from a Field Biostimulation Experiment journal December 2012
Uranium(VI) Interactions with Mackinawite in the Presence and Absence of Bicarbonate and Oxygen journal June 2013
Fermentation, Hydrogen, and Sulfur Metabolism in Multiple Uncultivated Bacterial Phyla journal September 2012
Metal reduction by spores of Desulfotomaculum reducens journal December 2009
The Response of Desulfotomaculum reducens MI-1 to U(VI) Exposure: A Transcriptomic Study journal June 2011
Resistance of Solid-Phase U(VI) to Microbial Reduction during In Situ Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater journal December 2004
Microbial reduction of uranium journal April 1991
Vanadium Respiration by Geobacter metallireducens: Novel Strategy for In Situ Removal of Vanadium from Groundwater journal May 2004
Approaches to surface complexation modeling of Uranium(VI) adsorption on aquifer sediments journal September 2004
Rate-limited U(VI) desorption during a small-scale tracer test in a heterogeneous uranium-contaminated aquifer: RATE-LIMITED U(VI) DESORPTION IN A U-CONTAMINATED AQUIFER journal May 2012
Uranium removal from groundwater via in situ biostimulation: Field-scale modeling of transport and biological processes journal August 2007
Evaluating Chemical Extraction Techniques for the Determination of Uranium Oxidation State in Reduced Aquifer Sediments journal August 2013
Uranium(VI) Reduction by Iron(II) Monosulfide Mackinawite journal February 2012
EMIRGE: reconstruction of full-length ribosomal genes from microbial community short read sequencing data journal May 2011
Non-uraninite Products of Microbial U(VI) Reduction journal December 2010
Uranium Bioreduction Rates across Scales: Biogeochemical Hot Moments and Hot Spots during a Biostimulation Experiment at Rifle, Colorado journal August 2014
Biogeochemical Controls on the Product of Microbial U(VI) Reduction journal October 2013
Mineral Transformation and Biomass Accumulation Associated With Uranium Bioremediation at Rifle, Colorado journal July 2009
Surface Complexation Modeling of U(VI) Adsorption by Aquifer Sediments from a Former Mill Tailings Site at Rifle, Colorado journal December 2009
Uranium(VI) Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans Strain 2CP-C journal May 2006
Relative Reactivity of Biogenic and Chemogenic Uraninite and Biogenic Noncrystalline U(IV) journal August 2013
Quantitative Separation of Monomeric U(IV) from UO 2 in Products of U(VI) Reduction journal May 2012
Comparison of in situ uranium KD values with a laboratory determined surface complexation model journal October 2004
Effects of Nitrate on the Stability of Uranium in a Bioreduced Region of the Subsurface journal July 2010
Adsorption of uranium(VI) on amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide at high concentrations of dissolved carbon(IV) and sulfur(VI) journal February 1995
Rapid determination of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences for phylogenetic analyses. journal October 1985
Subsurface clade of Geobacteraceae that predominates in a diversity of Fe(III)-reducing subsurface environments journal October 2007
Remediation of uranium contaminated soils with bicarbonate extraction and microbial U(VI) reduction journal March 1995
Abiotic U(VI) reduction by sorbed Fe(II) on natural sediments journal September 2013
Biomineralization of lepidocrocite and goethite by nitrate-reducing Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria: Effect of pH, bicarbonate, phosphate, and humic acids journal July 2010
Uranium 238 U/ 235 U Isotope Ratios as Indicators of Reduction: Results from an in situ Biostimulation Experiment at Rifle, Colorado, U.S.A. journal August 2010
Model-based analysis of mixed uranium(VI) reduction by biotic and abiotic pathways during in situ bioremediation journal October 2013
Acetate Availability and its Influence on Sustainable Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater journal June 2011
Monitoring Microbial Community Structure and Dynamics during in situ U(VI) Bioremediation with a Field-Portable Microarray Analysis System journal July 2010
Short-Read Assembly of Full-Length 16S Amplicons Reveals Bacterial Diversity in Subsurface Sediments journal February 2013
Composition, stability, and measurement of reduced uranium phases for groundwater bioremediation at Old Rifle, CO journal June 2011
Characterization and transcription of arsenic respiration and resistance genes during in situ uranium bioremediation journal October 2012
Metabolic interdependencies between phylogenetically novel fermenters and respiratory organisms in an unconfined aquifer journal March 2014
Determination of the Formation Constants of Ternary Complexes of Uranyl and Carbonate with Alkaline Earth Metals (Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Sr 2+ , and Ba 2+ ) Using Anion Exchange Method journal August 2006
Formation of Aqueous MgUO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 2− Complex and Uranium Anion Exchange Mechanism onto an Exchange Resin journal March 2008
No Measurable Changes in 238 U/ 235 U due to Desorption–Adsorption of U(VI) from Groundwater at the Rifle, Colorado, Integrated Field Research Challenge Site journal February 2013
Speciation and Reactivity of Uranium Products Formed during in Situ Bioremediation in a Shallow Alluvial Aquifer journal October 2014
Speciation-Dependent Kinetics of Uranium(VI) Bioreduction journal June 2011
Biostimulation induces syntrophic interactions that impact C, S and N cycling in a sediment microbial community journal November 2012
Determination of contaminant levels and remediation efficacy in groundwater at a former in situ recovery uranium mine journal January 2012
Profiling In Situ Microbial Community Structure with an Amplification Microarray journal February 2013
U(VI) Bioreduction with Emulsified Vegetable Oil as the Electron Donor – Microcosm Tests and Model Development journal February 2013
Quantifying Constraints Imposed by Calcium and Iron on Bacterial Reduction of Uranium(VI) journal January 2007
Variably saturated flow and multicomponent biogeochemical reactive transport modeling of a uranium bioremediation field experiment journal November 2011
Long-term dynamics of uranium reduction/reoxidation under low sulfate conditions journal August 2008
Uranium redox transition pathways in acetate-amended sediments journal March 2013
Simulating the pH and pCO2Dependence of Uranium(VI) Adsorption by a Weathered Schist with Surface Complexation Models book October 2015
Enrichment of specific protozoan populations during in situ bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater journal February 2013

Cited By (5)

Fate of Adsorbed U(VI) during Sulfidization of Lepidocrocite and Hematite journal February 2017
Spatial Distribution of an Uranium-Respiring Betaproteobacterium at the Rifle, CO Field Research Site journal April 2015
(Tab 1) Biogeochemistry of groundwater during acetate and bicarbonate amendment to an alluvial aquifer along the Colorado River in Rifle, Colorado, USA dataset January 2015
(Tab 2) Average signal to noise ratio (SNR) for individual microarray probes in an alluvial aquifer along the Colorado River in Rifle, Colorado, USA dataset January 2015
(Tab 3) Signal to noise ratio (SNR) by genus for microarray probes in an alluvial aquifer along the Colorado River in Rifle, Colorado, USA dataset January 2015

Similar Records

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES