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Field‐scale uranium (VI) bioimmobilization monitored by lipid biomarkers and 13 C‐acetate incorporation
Author(s) -
Peacock Aaron D.,
Hedrick David B.,
Long Philip E.,
Nevin Kelly P.,
Resch Charles T.,
Lovley Derek R.,
White David C.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
remediation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6831
pISSN - 1051-5658
DOI - 10.1002/rem.20301
Subject(s) - amendment , chemistry , ethyl acetate , environmental chemistry , uranium , geobacter , sediment , sodium acetate , biochemistry , bacteria , chromatography , biology , paleontology , materials science , biofilm , political science , law , metallurgy , genetics
At the Old Rifle uranium mill‐tailing site in eastern Colorado, a test of subsurface amendment with acetate to stimulate the reductive immobilization of uranium was monitored by using lipid biomarker analysis and incorporation of 13 C‐labeled acetate into lipid biomarkers. Both sediment and groundwater samples were analyzed. Within 7 days of acetate addition, groundwater microbial biomass increased by a factor of 5, and remained higher than control values in most samples for the 28 days sampled. At 29 days after the beginning of acetate amendment, 4 of 12 sediment samples had microbial biomass greater than the 95 percent confidence interval of controls. The mole percents of the phospholipid fatty acids 16:1ω7c and 16:1ω5c increased over control values upon acetate amendment, and incorporated high levels of 13 C from labeled acetate in groundwater and sediment samples. 16:1ω7c is a biomarker for Geobacter , and evidence is provided that 16:1ω5c represents an unidentified iron‐reducing bacterium, probably a member of the Desulfobulbaceae. Biomarkers for organisms other than iron‐reducing bacteria, iso‐ and anteiso‐ branched fatty acids and 18:1ω9c, decreased upon acetate amendment, and had their highest stable isotope incorporation at least 4 days after labeled acetate amendment ended, evidence for carbon‐sharing between iron‐reducers and other microorganisms. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.