Open AccessSurvival of sulfate reducing bacteria at different water activities in compacted bentonite
Author(s) -
Motamedi Mehrdad,
Karland Ola,
Pedersen Karsten
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1996.tb08367.x
Subject(s) - bentonite , sulfate reducing bacteria , sulfate , sulfide , bacteria , hydrogen sulfide , chemistry , environmental chemistry , waste management , environmental science , chemical engineering , sulfur , geology , organic chemistry , engineering , paleontology
Long‐lived radioactive waste will be buried several hundred meters below ground in metal canisters surrounded by a buffer of compacted bentonite. Sulfate‐reducing bacteria present in the bentonite may induce canister corrosion by production of hydrogen sulfide. Here we show that survival of sulfate‐reducing bacteria in bentonite depends on the availability of water and that compacting a high quality bentonite to a water activity ( a w ) of 0.96 was lethal for the species investigated.