New study queries interactions of metal-reducing bacteria with plutonium oxide
Monday, March 19, 2012 - 09:03
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Recent work by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has shed new light on the perplexing environmental chemistry of plutonium. They demonstrated that under anaerobic, or oxygen-free, conditions, plutonium(IV) hydrous oxide, the most common subsurface form of plutonium, does not become very soluble. In fact, this amorphous Pu solid becomes more crystalline when it contacts dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (DIRB).