Figueroa 9410343 This is an award to provide support for research on the potential removal of uranium from aqueous solution by its precipitation as the oxide after a reduction process resulting from actions of mixed cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The investigator's hypothesis is that bioreduction is the dominant mechanism for the process which is augmented by solution characteristics such as initial concentration of the uranium, ionic strength, pH, presence and concentration of adsorption sites and presence of other redox couples. Results of this project are expected to be a better understanding than now exists of the contributions that bioreduction, biosorption and chemical reduction have on the process by which uranium is initially reduced and then precipitated from solution. This knowledge is expected to be used in the engineering design of bioreactors for removal of uranium from contaminated water and wastewater. The proposal leading to this award was submitted in accord with NSF 92-122, Research Initiation Awards Program. ***
