Scientists in Germany and Spain have reported that bacteria can transform uranium dissolved in water into a stable chemical compound when glycerol is available as a food source, according to ScienceDaily.
The study, led by researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf with partners at Wismut GmbH and the University of Granada, examined mine water from a flooded uranium mine in the Ore Mountains. In oxygen-free lab conditions, the team added glycerol and found that the amount of uranium remaining in the water dropped sharply over time.
After 130 days, only about 5% of the dissolved uranium was still present in the samples. The researchers confirmed that the metal had accumulated in bacterial cell walls and, using microscopy and spectroscopy, identified an unusually high amount of pentavalent uranium in the biomass.
According to the researchers, that uranium combined with iron and oxygen to form FeU(V)O4, a compound that had previously been seen as stable in contaminated soil but was not known to form naturally in this way. The team said the results could help future research into using bacteria to support remediation of uranium-contaminated environments.
