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The effects of Leifsonia sp. on bioavailability and immobilization mechanism of uranium in soil

  • Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

The remediation of uranium (U)-contaminated soil has become one of the most challenging problems in the field of environmental protection. U immobilization in soil via bacteria is supposed as a promising approach. This study seeks to determine the bioavailability of U and the potential mechanism under the experiment of Leifsonia sp. by pot experiment.

Materials and methods

Each pot was filled with sterilized soil of the same concentration of U (200 mg/kg) and the same amount of water (500 ml) to simulate the wetland environment around the uranium tailings. Four treatments were performed on different pots (control group, add Leifsonia sp. group, add plants group, and add both plants and Leifsonia sp. group), via comparing the content changes of U in soil, water and plants in each pot during the experimental period to study the influence of Leifsonia sp. on the transfer of U. In addition, MINEQL and sequential extraction procedures were used to calculate and analyze the various forms of U. In order to further explore the mechanism of Leifsonia sp. affecting the bioavailability of U, modern detection technologies (SEM-EDS, FTIR, and XPS) were used to test soil samples.

Results and discussion

The results showed that bioconcentration factor (BCF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and transfer factor (TF) of U in Leifsonia sp. experimental groups were lower than those in the control groups. Moreover, the residual U (46.46%) in pots with Leifsonia sp. was higher than that of the control pots (6.72%). This indicates that Leifsonia sp. may facilitate the immobilization efficiency of U in soil by converting part of reducible and oxidizable fraction of uranium into residual fraction. SEM-EDS showed that the peak of U appeared on the surface of Leifsonia sp. after the pot experiment. A possible explanation for this, supported by FTIR, is that –OH, –NH, and –C=O on the cell surface were involved in the process. XPS measurements indicate that part of U(VI) was transformed into U(IV).

Conclusions

These findings imply that Leifsonia sp. can, to some extent, prevent the bioavailability of U in soil by changing the chemical states into less toxicity and less risky forms. The results have guiding significance for the site application of Leifsonia sp. in soil.

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Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 11605087), the China’s Post-doctoral Science Fund (grant number 2017M610500), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (grant number 2019JJ50513). All the support is greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China

    Wenfa Tan & Feng Guo

  2. Hengyang Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Remediation, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China

    Wenfa Tan & Qinwen Deng

  3. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, No. 174 Shazhengjie, Shapingba, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Jiaxiang Li

  4. Hengyang Valin Steel Tube Co. Ltd., Hengyang, 421001, China

    Liang Wang

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  1. Wenfa Tan
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Correspondence to Wenfa Tan.

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Tan, W., Guo, F., Deng, Q. et al. The effects of Leifsonia sp. on bioavailability and immobilization mechanism of uranium in soil. J Soils Sediments 20, 1599–1608 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02494-1

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