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Response of a microbial community, present in the borehole water of the in situ BN-experiment of Mont Terri, towards components leaching from the matrix of Bituminized intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste.

Moors, H.; Cherkouk, A.; Mysara, M.; Bleyen, N.; Boven, P.; Selenska-Pobell, S.; Leys, N.

Clay formations (e.g. Opalinus Clay in Switzerland) are intended to serve as a host rock for the geological disposal of high- and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste in several European countries. Besides radionuclides, waste form like bituminized intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste, harbour large amounts of additional components (e.g. organics, NaNO3 and CaSO4) which could perturb the beneficial physico-chemical barrier properties of the clay. To study the fate of leaching nitrate and organics in a clay formation, an in situ experiment, called Bitumen-Nitrate-Clay interaction (BN) experiment, was installed in the Opalinus Clay. The BN experiment aims to clarify the biochemical and chemical processes that could potentially be introduced by this nitrate and organic plume within the host clay formation.
As an active microbial community can have a significant contribution on the physical and (geo)chemical conditions of the surrounding clay, microbial analyses were performed. Our microbial investigation indicates that the present microbial community responds, and at the same time contributes, to the changing properties of the clay rock. As soon as nitrate becomes available a shift towards nitrate reduction appears. If in parallel easily oxidizable organics are introduced, like acetate, the community composition does not alter that much but the nitrate reduction rate is increased.

  • Poster
    IGDTP-Geodisposal 2014, 24.-26.06.2014, Manchester, United Kingdom

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-20057
Publ.-Id: 20057