PNNL

Abstract

Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) enzymatically reduce Fe(III), Mn(III/IV), U(VI), and other polyvalent metals during anaerobic respiration. Previous investigations of the bacterial reduction of U(VI) in the presence of goethite (a-FeOOH) found that, in spite of potential competition as an electron acceptor, goethite had little impact on the bacterial reduction of U(VI) to insoluble U(IV). Mn(III/IV) oxides are also electron acceptors for DMRB but are stronger oxidants than Fe(III) oxides. Differences in the solubility of oxidized Mn and U challenges predictions of their biogeochemical behavior during redox cycling. The potential for Mn oxides to modify the biogeochemical behavior of U during reduction by a subsurface bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was investigated using synthetic Mn(III/IV) oxides [pyrolusite (?-MnO2), bixbyite (Mn2O3) and K+-birnessite (K4Mn14O27?8H2O)]. In the absence of bacteria, pyrolusite and bixbyite oxidized biogenic uraninite (UO2(s)) to soluble U(VI) species, with bixbyite being the most rapid oxidant. The Mn(III/IV) oxides lowered the bioreduction rate of U(VI) relative to rates in their absence, or in the presence of gibbsite [Al(OH)3] added as a non-redox reactive surface. Evolved Mn(II) increased with increasing initial U(VI) concentration in the biotic experiments, indicating that valence cycling of U facilitated the reduction of Mn(III/IV). Despite an excess of the Mn oxide, 43-100% of the initial U was bioreduced after extended incubation. Analysis of thin sections of bacterial-Mn oxide suspensions revealed that the reduced U resided in the periplasmic space of the bacterial cells. In the absence of Mn(III/IV) oxides, UO2(s) accumulated as copius fine-grained particles external to the cell. These results indicate that the presence of Mn(III/IV) oxides may impede the biological reduction of U(VI) in subsoils and sediments?..