Interactions of halophilic microorganisms with radionuclides

For the final storage of radioactive waste in a deep geological formation rock salt is a potential host rock. Indigenous microorganisms and its interactions with radionuclides have to be considered for the safety performance of the repository in terms of a worst case scenario, where radionuclides are potentially released from the storage site.
The kinetics of uranium bioassociation onto cells of the extreme halophilic archaeon Halobacterium noricense DSM 15987 and the moderate halophilic bacterium Brachybacterium sp. G1 were investigated in detail in batch experiments. For the understanding on a molecular level, a combination of spectroscopic, microscopic and molecular biological methods was used.