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Most previous studies of bacterial reduction of chromium have been done with pure cultures that are not likely to be found in ground water, and at hexavalent chromium concentrations much greater than typically present in contaminated ground water. Further, most previous work has been performed with complex laboratory substrates that would not be suitable for in situ application. In this study, mixed cultures were enriched from three diverse soil sources: surface soil, subsurface soil, and river sediment. The enrichment medium contained 10 mg [Cr.sup.6+]/L and sucrose as the carbon source. The three mixed cultures obtained from the diverse soil samples were transferred to batch reactors and exhibited similar chromium reduction enzyme kinetics at stationary phase. The maximum specific reduction rates were between 0.98 and 3.3 mg [Cr.sup.6+]/(g dry cells-h) and the half velocity constants were between 0.39 and 1.48 mg [Cr.sup.6+]/L. The relatively narrow range of values for kinetic parameters suggests that a conservative engineering design for in situ remediation could be applied over a wide range of contaminated sites at the Cr(VI) concentrations examined.

Abstract Background Chromium is a transition metal most commonly found in the environment in its trivalent [Cr(III)] and hexavalent [Cr(VI)] forms. The EPA maximum total chromium contaminant level for drinking water is 0.1 mg/l (0.1 ppm). Many water sources, especially underground sources, are at low temperatures (less than or equal to 15 Centigrade) year round. It is important to evaluate the possibility of microbial remediation of Cr(VI) contamination using microorganisms adapted to these low temperatures (psychrophiles). Results Core samples obtained from a Cr(VI) contaminated aquifer at the Hanford facility in Washington were enriched in Vogel Bonner medium at 10 Centigrade with 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 1000 mg/l Cr(VI). The extent of Cr(VI) reduction was evaluated using the diphenyl carbazide assay. Resistance to Cr(VI) up to and including 1000 mg/l Cr(VI) was observed in the consortium experiments. Reduction was slow or not observed at and above 100 mg/l Cr(VI) using the enrichment consortium. Average time to complete reduction of Cr(VI) in the 30 and 60 mg/l Cr(VI) cultures of the consortium was 8 and 17 days, respectively at 10 Centigrade. Lyophilized consortium cells did not demonstrate adsorption of Cr(VI) over a 24 hour period. Successful isolation of a Cr(VI) reducing organism (designated P4) from the consortium was confirmed by 16S rDNA amplification and sequencing. Average time to complete reduction of Cr(VI) at 10 Centigrade in the 25 and 50 mg/l Cr(VI) cultures of the isolate P4 was 3 and 5 days, respectively. The 16S rDNA sequence from isolate P4 identified this organism as a strain of Arthrobacter aurescens, a species that has not previously been shown to be capable of low temperature Cr(VI) reduction. Conclusion A. aurescens, indigenous to the subsurface, has the potential to be a predominant metal reducer in enhanced, in situ subsurface bioremediation efforts involving Cr(VI) and possibly other heavy metals and radionuclides.

The article features theologian Thomas Merton and his religious studies, particularly on the "Bhagavad-Gita" as a testament of freedom and transcendence. Topics include Merton's studies of Eastern religions and philosophies like Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism, his books like "The Way of Chuang Tzu," "Gandhi on Non-Violence," and "Mystics and Zen Masters," as well as "Bhagavad-Gita" as the Gospel of India.

Multiple soil samples were obtained from a nonradioactive model low-level-waste pit at the Idaho National Laboratory to understand the effect of the cellulosic waste products on the soil microbial community. The obtained results suggested that the presence of the cellulosic material significantly influenced the bacterial community structure in a stratified soil system.