With implications that could eventually benefit sites forever changed by nuclear contamination, researchers at Michigan State University have unravelled the mystery of how microbes generate electricity while cleaning up nuclear waste and other toxic metals.
Details of the process, which can be improved and patented, are published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Geobacter bacteria are tiny micro-organisms that can play a major role in cleaning up polluted sites around the world,” said Gemma Reguera, who is an MSU AgBioResearch scientist. “Uranium contamination can be produced at any step in the production of nuclear fuel, and this process safely prevents its mobility and the hazard for exposure.”
The ability of Geobacter to immobilize uranium has been well documented. However, identifying the Geobacters' conductive pili or nanowires as doing the yeoman's share of the work is a new revelation, according to a Michigan State University press release.
Nanowires, hair-like appendages found on the outside of Geobacters, are the managers of electrical activity during a cleanup.
“Our findings clearly identify nanowires as being the primary catalyst for uranium reduction,” Reguera said. “They are essentially performing nature's version of electroplating with uranium, effectively immobilizing the radioactive material and preventing it from leaching into groundwater.”
Keywords: microbes, nuclear waste, power
Comments:
Microbes keep coming to the rescue of the Nuclear Industry whenever they NEED to get out of their DEAD END in this Deadly and very EXPENSIVE business. All this talk of microbes removing nuclear waste is BALONEY. If this was true people wouldn't be evacuating from Tokyo as they are doing today as the radio-activity there has reached, in places, way higher than the Chernoble isolation zone. According to Michio Kaku (U.S.Nasa Scientist) radio-activity from Fukushima is now ALL OVER THE WORLD, and recent deaths of babies is indication that the weak and vulnerable will pay the price of global nuclearization. The U.S. France, and Japan are all in great debt because of EXPENSIVE Nuclear electricity, the costs of which NEVER END as the waste is radio-active for INFINITY and apart from billions required to build and maintain these white elephants, the costs of maintaining the waste are high and will only rise. Nuclear is the DEATH of ANY ECONOMY and the West is now opting for GREEN ELECTRICITY.
As my friend Angela Alvares said it is true. But i want to add a little point in his statement that the rate of cleaning procedure by 'Bacteria' is much slower as compared to the rate of radioactive waste production. All bacteria have the favorable temperature band , ph band and C/N ratio , so the life cycle of bacteria has to be studied to accelerate the cleaning rate.