Microbial Treatment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
EPA Grant Number: R827015-01-0
Title: Microbial Treatment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
Investigators: Lee R. Krumholz
Institutions: University of Oklahoma
EPA Project Officer: Bala Krishnan
Project Period: July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000
Project Amount: $9,977
Research Category: NORM remediation
Description:
Objective:
The project objectives are do determine the
feasibility of using a sulfate reducing microbial consortium from
subsurface sediment for the dissolution of NORM containing pipe
scale.
Accomplishments: 4-1-00
Geochemical modeling was carried out based on ions present in
mineral solutions. Models were generated using PhreeqC, a code
generated by the USGS. Figure 1, below shows Ba2+ dissolution
as a function of carbohydrates oxidized. In this case the model
was generated in
the absence of a witherite (BaCO3) solid phase. The second model
(Fig. 2) was run at different starting pH values. A witherite
solid phase was added to the model when witherite became
saturating. Above pH 7.0 there was little additional effect of
pH. This latter model showed us that pH can control
reprecipitation of Ba2+ as witherite but not until concentrations
reach 0.5 mM at pH 7.0.