Microbial Impacts to the Near-Field Environment Geochemistry (MING): A Model for Estimating Microbial Communities in Repository Drifts at Yucca Mountain
Geochemical and microbiological modeling was performed to evaluate the potential quantities and impact of microorganisms on the geochemistry of the area adjacent to and within nuclear waste packages in the proposed repository drifts at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The microbial growth results from the introduction of water, ground support, and waste package materials into the deep unsaturated rock. The simulations, which spanned one million years, were accomplished using a newly developed computer code, Microbial Impacts to the Near-Field Environment Geochemistry (MING). MING uses environmental thresholds for limiting microbial growth to temperatures below 120 C and above relative humidities of 90 percent in repository drifts. Once these thresholds are met, MING expands upon a mass balance and thermodynamic approach proposed by McKinley and others (1997), by using kinetic rates to supply constituents from design materials and constituent fluxes including solubilized rock components into the drift, to perform two separate mass-balance calculations as a function of time. The first (nutrient limit) assesses the available nutrients (C, N, P and S) and calculates how many microorganisms can be produced based on a microorganism stoichiometry of C{sub 160}(H{sub 280}O{sub 80})N{sub 30}P{sub 2}S. The second (energy limit) calculates the energy available from optimally combined redox couples for the temperature, and pH at that time. This optimization maximizes those reactions that produce > 15kJ/mol (limit on useable energy) using an iterative linear optimization technique. The final available energy value is converted to microbial mass at a rate of 1 kg of biomass (dry weight) for every 64 MJ of energy. These two values (nutrient limit and energy limit) are then compared and the smaller value represents the number of microorganisms that can be produced over a specified time. MING can also be adapted to investigate other problems of interest as the model can be used in saturated and unsaturated environments and in laboratory situations to establish microbial growth limitations. Other projected uses include investigations of contaminated locations where monitored natural attenuation or engineered bioremediation could be employed.
- Research Organization:
- Yucca Mountain Project, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC08-01NV12101
- OSTI ID:
- 807051
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 19 Mar 2002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
09 BIOMASS FUELS
ATTENUATION
BIOMASS
BIOREMEDIATION
COMPUTER CODES
GEOCHEMISTRY
KINETICS
MASS BALANCE
MICROORGANISMS
NUTRIENTS
OPTIMIZATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SIMULATION
STOICHIOMETRY
THERMODYNAMICS
WASTES
YUCCA MOUNTAIN