Microbial experiments at URL sites: Influence on radionuclide

At the Äspö HRL (Sweden) Gallionella ferruginea dominated biofilms associated with bacteriogenic iron oxides (BIOS) and groundwater were sampled from an in situ continuous flow cell, which has been installed in a cavity of the main access tunnel at 2200 A site, 300 m below sea level In laboratory sorption experiments UO2(ClO4)2 and NpO2(ClO4) were added to the BIOS biofilms in groundwater under aerobic conditions adjusting a final U(VI) concentration of 1.9×10-5 M. U(VI) and 3.27×10-5 M Np(V). The analysis showed a substantial decrease of uranium and neptunium in the groundwater of approximately 85 % and 95 %, respectively. Under the given pH and Eh the formation of the aqueous uranium carbonate species Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq) is predicted due to the high concentration of carbonate in the groundwater. In the BIOS biofilm the ferrous iron-oxidizing and stalk-forming bacterium Gallionella ferruginea is dominating the sorption process.