Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The speciation of radionuclides and toxic metals in wastes subjected to microbial action is important in determining the extent of stabilization in a disposal environment. As part of an ongoing study, we investigated the reduction of uranium by a Clostridium sp. using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS analysis of uranyl acetate containing hexavalent uranium exhibited a binding energy of 382.0eV at the U 4f7/2 peak. The sample incubated in the presence of bacteria was shifted to lower binding energy (380.6eV), confirming the reduction of U6+ to U4+ at the bacterial surface. XANES analysis, using an electron yield detector, was performed at the Mv absorption edge (3d--> 5f). The absorption peak energy of the sample exhibited a shift from 3551.1eV to 3550.1eV which is higher than uranium metal (3549.6eV) but lower than U4+ (3550.4eV). This indicates the presence of U3+ which is probably located beneath the surface within the biomass. Anaerobic bacterial treatment of wastes containing uranyl ion can result in the stabilization of uranium.