Interactions of natural occurring microorganisms with uranium(VI)

The uranium waste mine Königstein (Saxony, Germany) is heavily polluted with heavy metals, especially with uranium. Despite the high concentrations of heavy metals, the mine is a reservoir for many different microorganisms that have evolved special strategies to survive in these extreme environments. Their ubiquitous occurrence is of fundamental interest to understand the migration behavior of radionuclides within the biosphere.
Furthermore, microorganisms could be used to clean-up contaminated soils, sediments, and waters by removing uranium and other radionuclides, due to bioremediation processes.