H33N-07
Pilot-Scale In-situ Biosequestration of Uranium in Groundwater at the Monument Valley UMTRA Site
Wednesday, 16 December 2015: 15:25
3018 (Moscone West)
Hua Zhong1, Diana Ivana Gutierrez1, Erin J Abel1, Raymond H Johnson2, Robert A Root1, Jon Chorover3 and Mark L Brusseau4, (1)University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States, (2)Organization Not Listed, Washington, DC, United States, (3)University of Arizona, Soil, Water and Environmental Science, Tucson, AZ, United States, (4)University of Arizona, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, Tucson, AZ, United States
Abstract:
In-situ biosequestration, wherein electron-donating substrates are injected to promote microbial-associated sequestration of contaminants, is one promising enhanced-attenuation technique for remediation of groundwater containing arsenic, uranium, selenium, and similar constituents. A pilot-scale test of in-situ biosequestration for uranium in groundwater was conducted at a former uranium mining site in Monument Valley, Arizona. Approximately 20 m3 of 0.5% ethanol solution was injected into a test zone of the alluvial aquifer. Groundwater was sampled periodically before, during, and after the injection. The relevant constituents, such as uranium, nitrogen species, sulfur species, anions/cations, ethanol, and S and N isotopes, were monitored to characterize the biosequestration process. Sediment samples were also collected before and after the injection for monitoring changes in sediment properties, mineral geochemical composition, microbial community composition, and microbial activity.
