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Cleaning Uranium Waste with Bacteria
Roland Piquepaille writes "Nuclear bombs can kill people even if they're not used. In the U.S. alone, the Department of Energy estimates that more than 2,500 billion liters of groundwater are contaminated with uranium as a consequence of nuclear weapons production. In "Uranium 'pearls' before slime," scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) say they discovered that some common bacteria could "convert deadly heavy metal into less threatening nano-spheres." In fact, these bacteria can convert soluble radioactive uranium into a non-toxic solid form called uraninite. Still, more research needs to be done before using these bacteria on a large scale, but it's a step in the good direction. Read more for additional references and photos showing how Shewanella oneidensis can help us to decontaminate groundwater at nuclear waste sites."
They must have digested this posting because all i see is "Nothing for you to see here. Please move along."
Wouldn't it be cooler to say 2.5 trillion?
Didn't anybody ever watch TROMA's "The Toxic Advenger". What's going to happen to these bugs after they've eaten all the plutonium and come after the people? Oh, the humanity!
We're going from "Ick... tastes like radiation" to "Mmm...! Tastes like Shewanella oneidensis!"
My other sig is funny.
If one were to input this common bacteria into a operating nuclear reactor, would that mean that the reactor would clean itself the longer it operated? Of couse there would have to be a way to seperate core material from already used fuel to prevent the bacteria from shutting it down. But if it were possible, wouldn't this be be more efficent than summarily throwing away the whole fuel rod assembly? Look forward to seeing your all's response's.
Yes, but is there any bacteria that can take care of Roland Piquepaille?
We cannot simply exploit these living animals for our own selfish needs. These bacteria need to be allowed free range so they can live healthy, happy, natural lives without human oppression. We have a consistent track record of exploiting animals for our own use - even torturing them for our own entertainment. These bacteria need to be protected immediately! Oh won't someone please think of the bacteria!
They use this stuff to test Geiger counters -- since it emits at a high enough rate to make them go nuts. How is this "non-toxic"?
Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
"Nuclear bombs can kill people even if they're not used. In the U.S. alone, the Department of Energy estimates that more than 2,500 billion liters of groundwater are contaminated with uranium as a consequence of nuclear weapons production. Ok, let's be scientific here. First, the proposed problem is not that unused nuclear bombs can kill people themselves, but that the production of nuclear weapons creates a radioactive byproduct that is alleged to be dangerous. Where is this byproduct located? Is it contaminating known in use reservoirs? Is it all far away from any humans that would use this groundwater? Or is it somewhere in between? Assuming people are ingesting the radioactive byproduct, how many rads are they irradiated with? Is it a neglible amount? Are they dying in their showers? This story hasn't bothered to be consistent with its own terminology, and I don't think it's too early to call it hysterical fearmongering sans hard data.
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
My cartoon fantasies of giant mutated bacteria is coming to life!
These bacteria cannot change what isotope the Uranium is in, and thus cannot remove the radioactivity. All they do is create a non-soluble oxide so it doesnt poison groundwater.
Did anyone else see the last episode of Stargate? Small creatures + radioactivity = large man eating monsters
the Department of Energy estimates that more than 2,500 billion liters of groundwater are contaminated with uranium as a consequence of nuclear weapons production.
Not to mention the oceans.
This probably has something to do with the fact that uranium is a naturally occurring mineral that's pretty much omnipresent at one concentration or another in any lump of soil you'd care to dig up. Oh noes!
All these awesome science stories, cutting edge stuff that not even digg or fark dares to post.
(looks closer) Oh. Its a roland piquapallawhatever submitted story.
(is eaten by a grue)
Don't worry about it, it's all planned out. The gorillas will all freeze to death when winter comes around.
Already posted before not too long back?
Look at how wildfire has actually thrived in the radioactive area contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. That radioactive area is called the Chernobyl zone and has been devoid of people for more than 20 years. The absense of people (who are known killers of wildlife) has enabled wildlife to re-populate the Chernobyl zone.
In the long run, the stupidity (also known as nuclear weapons and global warming) of man may exterminate mankind, but nature will survive. Heed the wisdom of the Native Americans: "The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth."
No uraninite.
God spoke to me.
Last I checked, RADIOACTIVE is not the same thing as non-toxic and uraninite is pretty danged radioactive. Personally when I think non-toxic I think elmer's glue, not something that in even very small pieces can kill me and my whole family. Urininte Mineral Data: http://webmineral.com/data/Uraninite.shtml
I am a physicist. I've worked as aerospace engineer on spacecraft hardening and earth-resources monitoring; as chemical engineer on groundwater contamination and chemical remediation; as nuclear engineer as nuclear contamination monitor and waste containment engineer. This is baloney. Bugs which could digest chemicals could help for spills but will not alter or even contain the emitters. You'll only make a sludge full of it. And that won't go away. It all depends upon the type of emitters and whether or not there is mixing and other "digestion". Unless you believe in creationism, better not to believe there's a good way to move this crap back down into the earth where it comes from. This just tries to get a biological mechanism to put it back. Bad idea, 'cause life moves things up.
I wonder if bacteria could sort isotopes, like leaving U238 in solution, but precipitating out U235 as an oxide of some kind. Such a bacterium would have many implications, most of them unpleasant to think about. If they formed a colony in the sea and precipitated out enough U235 all in one spot that would be bad. It seems like something that would be biologically possible.
2.5 kiloliters.
2.5 billion kiloliters.
...though that was back in '92, when she was single, and known as Shewanella Stubbs. She had, how do you say, a certain glow about her...though by the time we were done, that was pretty depleted...
Uranium (natural, enriched, or depleted) is both chemically toxic and radioactive. The article talks about using bacteria to reduce chemical toxicity of this metal. The radioactivity will remain. Chemical toxicity of uranium waste will kill you before its radioactivity does. This is not to say that radioactivity is not a concern.
Depleted uranium, for example, is only about half as radioactive as naturally-occurring uranium. However, its radioactivity has a cumulative effect. If you are breathing depleted uranium particles or drinking water contaminated with depleted uranium, the radioactive particles will be deposited in your body and radioactivity levels and its effects on your health will grow with time.
Depleted uranium is used by the US (among a few other countries) in anti-armor ammunition. Hundreds of tons of this stuff have been dispersed in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. When that artillery shell hits a tank, its depleted uranium content burns and turns into radioactive aerosol, which can stay in the air for days and can be carried by wind dozens of miles. When this radioactive dust eventually settles, it penetrates underground with rainfall and contaminates ground water.
It was also discovered that, for example, depleted uranium ammunition used by the US in Kosovo, contains trace elements of enriched plutonium, which is not good news either. If you want to test the long-term effects of radioactive waste in ground water on yourself but don't feel like moving to Kosovo, Maryland would be an adequate alternative.
So this means there is two lifeforms that shall inherit the earth after nuclear war.
Roaches and Shewanella oneidensis bacteria.
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I want these motherfucking bacteria off this motherfucking uranium.
Reading through the comments so far, there seems to be some misunderstanding of the work by the PNNL crowd and of bioremediation in general. My research group here at Argonne National Laboratory (which outside of Chicago) collaborates with the folks from PNNL. In fact, I am writing this very early on a Sunday morning while measuring the oxidation state of uranium using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy at the Advanced Photon Source in samples from a collaborator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which, like PNNL, is a center of research into uranium bioremediation.
First, a few words about the concept of bioremediation. The Department of Energy became interested in bioremediation of metallic contamination after the extensive success of bioremediative techniques for cleaning up organic contamination -- things like benzene or trichloroethylene. The basic idea is that you dose the ground with bacteria that can metabolize the organic contaminant, let the bugs happily live their lives, then in the end the ground is much cleaner than before. Variations on this technique are in wide use for many organic contaminants and in many places around the world.
The Department of Energy's started several years ago to fund research into using similiar concepts to clean up ground water contamination associated with various sites where materials for nuclear weapons or nuclear fuel were produced. There are several sites in the US where the groundwater has elevated levels of uranium and other metals. Bioremediation is attractive because it involves remediation in situ. The ground doesn't need to be dug up, which introduces a whole slew of other problems into the mix.
Unfortunately, metals are different from organics. When a bacterium metabolizes benzene, the benzene goes away. When a dissimilatory metal reducer, like Shewanella, respires on a uranium compound, the most it can do is change the chemical state of uranium. It is impossible to turn the uranium into some other element. As several other posters have pointed out, uraninite (the end product of Shewnella's respiration of uranium compounds) is still radioactive and it is still toxic.
However, uraninite is not soluble. The uranium in the ground water is in a soluble form and therefore will flow through the ground and find its way into rivers and into drinking water supplies. Uraninite is highly insoluble. When Shewnella converts soluble uranium into uraninite, the uraninite particles adhere to the rocks in the ground.
Thus uranium bioremediation is a containment-in-place strategy. The danger of the contaminated sites is that the contamination will spread. The uranium-polluted site will still be polluted after the Shewnella has done its thing, but at least the uranium will not move out of the contaminated site. And that's the point of the DOE's bioremediation strategy -- to keep a problem that exists from spreading and becoming a bigger problem.
...the plot to a zombie movie? Uranium eating bacteria mutate and infect humans, turning them into radioactive zombies. ...Maybe i've been playing too much Dead Rising.
"To face death, that's nothing much. But to feel really stupid when you die, well, that would be insufferable."
Really though, it's not that surprising that life can withstand radiation, in hindsight. After all, plants and animals are out there every day, all day, without succumbing to the radiation bombarding them from the sun or from space. The capacity to withstand some levetradiation is already It no doubt helps that the animals don't live for seventy years the way we do -- so cancers are much less of a problem. And plants can take phenomenal amounts of abuse as long as the sun keeps shining and the run keeps falling.
Uraninite?!
Superman can't stand up to this, can he?
I always thought it was [People Eating Tasty Animals], i'd hate to see what people eating These animals would turn out like....
Why would the US, which measures things in imperial units, be measuring the amount of contaminated ground water in liters?
That's just my 2 pence...
Yes, these little bugs make uranium less water soluble by converting it to uraninite. Thats good news because it means uranium won't move around so much in surface and groundwater. This method has great potential for slowing down the migration of nuclear waste...
But Shewanella does not make the uranium disappear into some magical void. Uraninite is still radioactive, and though less toxic than other forms of uranium it's still, um, uranium. I wouldn't recommend feeding it to your kids...
.. this might be usefull for Iraq and probably now, Libanon.
Somebody seems to have left wast amounts of depleted Uranium there.
"" How about taking the safety labels off everything, and let the stupidity-problem solve itself? """
2.5 trillion liters is a vanishingly small amount compared to all the fresh water (not to mention sea water) on Earth. There are 1.4 trillion cubic kilometers of sea water and about 6 billion cubic kilometers of fresh water.
How much nuclear waste is there? Less than 250,000 tons, or 250 million kilograms, of high level waste in the whole world. If even as much as one one-hundredth of this waste were actually contaminating the groundwater in question, it would be at a concentration by weight of approximately (2.5 million kg) / (2.5 trillion kg) = 1:1,000,000.
You could drink a liter of this mixture, with no more ionizing radiation than you get from spending a day in a granite building breathing radon-contaminated air, or living for a few days at the altitude of Denver.
Small quantities of radiation are harmless. The linear no-threshold model of radiation dosimetry is a crock. Life evolved in a constant bath of terrestrial and cosmic radiation, and has very efficient mechanisms for repairing DNA damage from it.
(All quantities gleaned from Wikipedia)
Too much Law; not enough Order.
Maybe I've been watching way too many campy sci-fi movies from the 50's, but won't the radiation mutate the bacteria into horrible 50 foot slime-creatures devouring everything in their path?
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
Just to clarify: The article speaks about the chemical toxic properties of heavy metals (especially Uranium). The toxicity can be eliminated by converting the substance into another chemical compound. The article however does NOT talk about the physical radiocative properties of Uranium. Bacteria CAN NOT convert radioactive substances into non-radioactive ones.
We can go and pretend that the nuclear research spin offs are all cheap clean and (glowing) green - or we can accept the reality that like any industrial process there are downsides along with the good things and deal with them. We have weapons (like or it not, more countries are getting them), we have incredibly good nuclear medical technology, we have incredibly useful industrial radiography using fairly hot radioactive sources, we have military vessels that can go for a very long time without refueling and we have power plants that ensure that some resource poor countries can endure a naval blockade. We also have expensive ways to boil water or make hydrogen and idiots that insist it is clean enough to brush your teeth with and you can turn a rock into fuel by magic with zero carbon emissions. These one true energy promoters with their scams paid for by taxes are poisioning their own cause by ignoring the waste issue, and almost always ignoring R&D for new designs as well. There are good ideas out there (eg. accelerated thorium), but it is a variation on the 1950's white elephants that would be built today if there is a sudden change becuase we need more effort in research and less stupid advertising and name calling before nuclear power makes sense on it's own merits. It is true that I would be exposed to more radiation at a sand mine tailings area near a major granite area where all the heavy stuff has been dumped for thirty years than outside a great big concrete containment area around a nuclear power plant, but it is as silly a comparison as the one above - since you really don't want to be exposed to radiation in either situation.
back in the mid 1980s. Shirow san strickes again. Invisible cloaks becoming reality and now this.
I'm a totally layman here, so maybe this is obvious to people who know about it... could you please explain?
How the heck can bacteria make an unstable nucleus more stable? Are they saying they've found a form of life whose metabolism involves nuclear reactions?!? Is this one of those amazing things that everyone but me has heard about, so I'm left in slack-jawed wonder like a caveman staring at an airplane, while the 21st-century passengers all laugh at me?
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Just as a sidenote for people... Wikipedia has more on uranium enrichment.
Most nuclear power reactors use uranium enriched to 3%-5% U-235 (the rest being U-238). Weapons grade enriched uranium for nuclear bombs typically has at least 85% U-235. A variety of processes can be used for enrichment with centrifuges being the most common.
Maybe currently. Four more billion years to go...
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My god thats a lot! thats like 2.5 million thousand! Gowrsh, boy we better wake up people, them thar scientist are onto sumthin there!
The name is obviously a contraction of "Uranium" and "Shite", seeing as this is the actual end product?
I welcome our new Radioactive bacteria overlords.
* Translation : Godzilla!
There's a Tipper Gore joke in here SOMEWHERE...
which branch of the CIA came out with this bull? next you will be telling us that windoze is great software and not the easiest to spy upon etc.
See this old post..
...
okay now, suppose those "helpful" bacteria were able to make the nuclear thingies less radio-active, how safe would that be? i don't know the much about the similarities between nuclear bombs and the ones used in nuclear power plants but from what i know radiation emmitted from tools(i forgot what it's called) in the nuclear power plant needed to be submerged in water for 5 whole year for it to be less radio-active. It is also not advisable to plant it underground that's why it is stored in a container.