Open AccessMicrobial effects on colloidal agglomeration
Author(s) -
Larry E. Hersman
Publication year - 1995
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/171273
Subject(s) - bentonite , economies of agglomeration , microorganism , colloid , agglomerate , chemistry , particle size , mineralogy , chemical engineering , materials science , geology , bacteria , geotechnical engineering , composite material , paleontology , engineering
Colloidal particles are known to enhance the transport of radioactive metals through soil and rock systems. This study was performed to determine if a soil microorganism, isolated from the surface samples collected at Yucca Mountain, NV, could affect the colloidal properties of day particles. The agglomeration of a Wyoming bentonite clay in a sterile uninoculated microbial growth medium was compared to the agglomeration in the medium inoculated with a Pseudomonas sp. In a second experiment, microorganisms were cultured in the succinate medium for 50 h and removed by centrifugation. The agglomeration of the clay in this spent was compared to sterile uninoculated medium. In both experiments, the agglomeration of the clay was greater than that of the sterile, uninoculated control. Based on these results, which indicate that this microorganism enhanced the agglomeration of the bentonite clay, it is possible to say that in the presence of microorganisms colloidal movement through a rock matrix could be reduced because of an overall increase in the size of colloidal particle agglomerates. 32 refs