Dataset Information

Phosphate (Bio)mineralization Remediation of ⁹⁰Sr-Contaminated Groundwaters.

ABSTRACT: Historical operations at nuclear mega-facilities such as Hanford, USA, and Sellafield, UK have led to a legacy of radioactivity-contaminated land. Calcium phosphate phases (e.g., hydroxyapatite) can adsorb and/or incorporate radionuclides, including ⁹⁰Sr. Past work has shown that aqueous injection of Ca-phosphate-generating solutions into the contaminated ground on both laboratory and field scales can reduce the amount of aqueous ⁹⁰Sr in the systems. Here, two microbially mediated phosphate amendment techniques which precipitated Ca-phosphate, (i) Ca-citrate/Na-phosphate and (ii) glycerol phosphate, were tested in batch experiments alongside an abiotic treatment ((iii) polyphosphate), using stable Sr and site relevant groundwaters and sediments. All three amendments led to enhanced Sr removal from the solution compared to the sediment-only control. The Ca-citrate/Na-phosphate treatment removed 97%, glycerol phosphate 60%, and polyphosphate 55% of the initial Sr. At experimental end points, scanning electron microscopy showed that Sr-containing, Ca-phosphate phases were deposited on sediment grains, and XAS analyses of the sediments amended with Ca-citrate/Na-phosphate and glycerol phosphate confirmed Sr incorporation into Ca-phosphates occurred. Overall, Ca-phosphate-generating treatments have the potential to be applied in a range of nuclear sites and are a key option within the toolkit for ⁹⁰Sr groundwater remediation.

SUBMITTER: Robinson C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10580321 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Phosphate (Bio)mineralization Remediation of 90Sr-Contaminated Groundwaters.

Robinson Callum C Shaw Samuel S Lloyd Jonathan R JR Graham James J Morris Katherine K

ACS ES&T water 20230831 10

Historical operations at nuclear mega-facilities such as Hanford, USA, and Sellafield, UK have led to a legacy of radioactivity-contaminated land. Calcium phosphate phases (e.g., hydroxyapatite) can adsorb and/or incorporate radionuclides, including 90Sr. Past work has shown that aqueous injection of Ca-phosphate-generating solutions into the contaminated ground on both laboratory and field scales can reduce the amount of aqueous 90Sr in the systems. Here, two microbially m ...[more]

PMID: 37854271

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Project description:Acidification occurs as a result of acid mine drainage after the oxidative weathering of metal sulfides. The acidic condition corrodes other toxic elements from the soil and becomes distributed around the operating site. Although coal mines go through a process of rehabilitation, water samples in the rehabilitated reservoir still reveal high concentrations of certain metals, for example, manganese (Mn). Both living and non-living biomass substances were used in Mn remediation. However, using non-living biomass as a sorbent may be inappropriate for the purposes of upscaling in high-volume water bodies. Thus, living microalga, Pediastrum duplex AARLG060, has become of significant interest for this type of application. The Mn remediation of microalga was performed by biosorption and bio-oxidation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of microalgal Mn remediation of the water obtained from a rehabilitated coal-mine reservoir. The equilibrium and isotherm values of the remediation process were also studied. The microalga was used to remediate Mn in water under three different water conditions, including filtrated water obtained from the rehabilitated site, non-filtrated water that was sterilized with an autoclave, and non-treated water. Remediation was performed by culturing microalga with modified medium consisting of N, P, C, and Mg nutrients. The remediated Mn concentration present in the cultures was detected by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The precipitated Mn was collected as a result of bio-oxidation, and EDTA was used to wash Mn from the biomass. This was designated as an adsorption result. Characterization of biosorption was evaluated by employing the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The results demonstrated that all treatments of living microalga could support Mn bio-oxidation. The Mn remediation was successfully performed at over 97% in every treatment. The adsorption characteristics revealed a close similarity to the Langmuir isotherm of monolayer adsorption. The scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) indicated precipitation of Mn oxide on the cell surface, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the nanoparticles of Mn were scattered mainly in the chloroplast and throughout the vacuoles of the cells.

Dataset Information

Phosphate (Bio)mineralization Remediation of ⁹⁰Sr-Contaminated Groundwaters.

Publications

Phosphate (Bio)mineralization Remediation of <sup>90</sup>Sr-Contaminated Groundwaters.

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