Plutonium velocity in Zea mays (corn) and implications for plant uptake of Pu in the root zone

Thompson, S.; Molz, Fred J.; Fjeld, Robert A.; Kaplan, Daniel I.

doi:10.1007/s10967-009-0143-2

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Few sites around the globe maintain high localized concentrations of actinides, including former production facilities and current repositories (U.S. Department of Energy complex, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Carlsbad NM USA), mines, underground testing sites (e.g., Nevada Test Site and Amchitka, USA ) as well as sites of accidental releases (e.g., Chernobyl reactor, Ukraine) and natural disasters (Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Japan). Plutonium is a long-lived radioisotope (λ = 24,000 years); thus major environmental issues concern the long-term fate and transport in soil and groundwater (or from storage structures), as well as the rate and extent of accumulation up through the food web (e.g., Au, 1974;Demirkanli et al, 2009;Kaplan et al, 2010;Thompson et al, 2009;Wicker et al, 1999).…”

Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microbial metabolites and ligands can complex with and affect the environmental mobility, and potentially the bioavailability, of Pu in soil (John et al, 2001;Kauri et al, 2006;Roberts et al, 2008;Thompson et al, 2009). Four isolates reacted positively on CAS-agar plates prepared for colorimetric assay of iron chelation and nearly half of the strains produced sufficient organic acids to significantly decrease the pH of their growth environment (Table 2).…”

Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These Fe-binding siderophores were not chemically or structurally defined; however, because of the similarity in charge-to-ion radius, specific siderophores and transport proteins may not be able to distinguish between Fe(III) and Pu(IV). Uptake and accumulation of Pu(IV)-desferrioxamine-B complexes has been demonstrated for the soil bacterium Microbacterium flavescens (John et al, 2001) and corn plants (Demirkanli et al, 2009;Thompson et al, 2009); though desferrioxamine siderophores are less effective at promoting dissolution of Pu(IV) hydroxide (solubilized 7 µmol g -1 aged PuO 2 ) compared to other organic chelators (including organic acids) in simple solution systems. Therefore, biotic systems for the acquisition of Fe may inadvertently mobilize soluble or complexed Pu; which could have contributed to the upward mobility of Pu already in soil solution in our lysimeter system.…”

Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Going extreme for small solutions to big environmental challenges.

Bagwell¹

2012

Microbial Biotechnology: Energy and Environment

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Prokaryotes are the most abundant and diverse life form on planet Earth, estimates of prokaryotic numbers and productivity approach 10 30 year -1 (Whitman et al., 1998). Prokaryotes are responsible for catalyzing important biogeochemical reactions and transformations that sustain the biosphere. Prokaryotes have been evolving for 3 -4 billion years (Ernst, 1983) and during this time, have found ways to occupy every conceivable environment on the planet; including the most inhospitable habitats both nature and man have created. 'Microbial ecology is the study of microbial physiology under the worst possible conditions'T.D. Brock, 1966 Most environmental microbiologists would agree that this popular quote by Thomas Brock straightforwardly applies to the maintenance of microbial diversity and ecosystem functions amidst a complex backdrop of ever changing biological, physical, and chemical conditions in terrestrial and aquatic biomes. But does it stop there, what about the de facto 'worst possible condition?'Many of the environmental challenges outlined in this chapter are not exclusive to the United States but rather affect much of the industrialized world (Pedersen, 1999) because of past military activities and continued expansion of the military -industry complex. While not comprehensive, this chapter is devoted to the scale, scope, and specific issues confronting the cleanup and long-term disposal of the U.S. nuclear legacy generated during WWII and the Cold War Era. Furthermore, microbial interactions and metabolism in, around, and affecting existing and planned geological nuclear waste repositories are serious concerns for safe disposal, future planning, and reliable risk assessment for the environmental and human health. Nuclear Legacy WasteExtensive volumes and complex mixtures of nuclear waste are a lasting legacy of the Cold War Era. The U.S. began building the first atomic bomb in 1942. These efforts generated more than 36 million cubic meters of long-lived radioactive and toxic waste by the end of the Cold War in 1989. Irradiated fuels and past nuclear processing streams still await treatment and safe disposal in aged storage configurations. Mixtures of metals, radionuclides, hydrocarbons, and ions contaminate soils, sediments, and groundwater across the nuclear -industrial complex. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE hereafter) is responsible for management, disposal, and long-term stewardship of this lasting legacy. Because of the prohibitive cost and inefficiencies of existing chemical and physical remedial strategies to address large volumes of contaminant mixtures, newly advanced technologies are greatly needed for reduction and treatment of nuclear legacy waste. Bioremediation is a potentially powerful and innovative technology for converting toxic pollutants to benign end products with a significant cost savings over conventional approaches. The reality, however, is that bioremediation is complicated by the unpredictability of natural ecosystems, complex interactions between co-contaminants and t...

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Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bacteria Inhabiting Plutonium Laden Soils In the Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

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