Environmental and Taxonomic Bacterial Diversity of Anaerobic Uraniurn(IV) Bio-Oxidation.

Microorganisms in diverse terrestrial surface and subsurface environments can anaerobically catalyze the oxidative dissolution of uraninite. While a limited quantity (∼5 to 12 μmol liter-1) of uranium is oxidatively dissolved in pure culture studies, the metabolism is coupled to electron transport, providing the potential of uraninite to support indigenous microbial populations and to solubilize uranium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]