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Bioaccumulation of lanthanum, uranium and thorium, and use of a model system to develop a method for the biologically‐mediated removal of plutonium from solution
Author(s) -
Yong Ping,
Macaskie Lynne E.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4660(199801)71:1<15::aid-jctb773>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - lanthanum , chemistry , thorium , plutonium , uranium , radiochemistry , nuclear chemistry , phosphate , aqueous solution , inorganic chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
Removal of La 3+ , UO 2 2+ and Th 4+ from aqueous solution by a Citrobacter sp. was dependent on phosphatase‐mediated phosphate release and the residence time in a plug‐flow reactor (PFR) containing polyacrylamide gel‐immobilized cells. In a stirred tank reactor (STR) lanthanum phosphate accumulated on the biomass rapidly, in preference to uranium or thorium phosphates. Thorium removal was not affected by the presence of uranium but was promoted in the presence of lanthanum. Analysis of the accumulated polycrystalline material by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and proton induced X‐ray emission (PIXE) suggested the formation of a mixed crystal of lanthanum and thorium phosphate. La 3+ , UO 2 2+ and Th 4+ are analogues of the corresponding species of Pu 3+ , PuO 2 2+ and Pu 4+ . The La/U/Th model system was used to identify some potential problems in the bioremediation of wastes containing plutonium and to develop a method for the biologically‐mediated removal of plutonium from solution, in a test solution of 239 Pu ‘spiked’ with a 241 Pu tracer. © 1998 SCI.