Comparison of Uranium Extraction by Bio-product of 3 Bacteria Strains Isolated from Shihongtan Uranium Deposite, Xinjiang, China

Abstract

It is well known that bacteria produce short-chain organic acids and element-specific ligands (siderophores) that are able to change pH and enhance chelation, which results in increased mobilization of uranium. This research work represents the extraction of Uranium by Siderophores (bio-products) producing microbial species Myroides Odoratimimus, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas Fluorescens were incubated in a chemically defined medium supplemented with uranium ore. Batch leaching tests were performed in neutral conditions for 7 days. With Myroides Odoratimimus, uranium was leached out in test about 20 mg/L, with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, it was about 12 mg/L and with Pseudomonas Fluorescens it was about 10 mg/L. Uranium extraction with Myroides odoratimimus was higher as compared to others was due to the production of greater siderophores as compared to the other two strains. This comparative study showed that the strain produced greater siderophores production leached out more uranium as compared to other strains. For future suggestions, better siderophores producing bacterial strains may be used at an industrial scale to extract heavy metals like uranium.