Reduction of uranium(VI) phosphate during growth of the thermophilic bacterium thermoterrabacterium ferrireducens

The thermophilic, gram-positive bacterium Thermoterrabacterium ferrireducens coupled organotrophic growth to the reduction of sparingly soluble U(VI) phosphate. X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis identified the electron acceptor in a defined medium as U(VI) phosphate [uramphite; (NH4)(UO2)(PO4) · 3H 2O], while the U(IV)-containing precipitate formed during bacterial growth was identified as ningyoite [CaU(PO4)2 · H2O]. This is the first report of microbial reduction of a largely insoluble U(VI) compound

Review of Remediation Approaches Implemented in Radioactively Contaminated Areas

The chapter aims to summarize different remediation approaches of radionuclide pollutants in water and soil media carried out after decommissioning of nuclear installations worldwide. The attention was focused on different methods of remediation, e.g. natural attenuation, bioremediation, excavating and removing contaminated soil and in situ treatments. The results of radiological assessments of the influence of nuclear cycle facilities in the environment using different modelling approach of the radionuclides transport through the environmental medium are adopted as a useful tool in decision making process applied in remediation of contaminated areas. The current trend in development strategy to support the environmental decision systems for optimization of remediation actions is to use databases on environmental and managerial parameters and radioecological models for the prediction of the effectiveness of remediation measures