Dissolution and Mobilization of Uranium in a Reduced Sediment by Natural Humic Substances under Anaerobic Conditions

Biological reduction and precipitation of uranium (U) has been proposed as a remedial option for immobilizing uranium at contaminated sites, but the long-term stability and mobility of uranium remain a concern because it is neither removed nor destroyed. In this study, the dissolution and mobilization of reduced and oxidized forms of uranium [U(IV) and U(VI)] by natural humic substances were investigated in batch and column flow systems using a bioreduced sediment containing both U(IV) and U(VI). The addition of humic substances significantly increased the dissolution of U(IV) under anaerobic conditions. Humic acid (HA) was found to be more effective than fulvic acid (FA) in dissolving U(IV) in either 1 mM KCl or KHCO3 background solution. However, more U(VI) was dissolved in 1 mM KHCO3 than in 1 mM KCl background electrolytes. The HA also was found to be more effective than FA in mobilizing uranium under reducing and column flow conditions, although an accumulative amount of eluted U(VI) and U(IV) was relatively low (<60 μg) after leaching with ∼97 pore volumes of the humic solution in 1 mM KHCO3. These observations suggest that natural humic substances could potentially influence the long-term stability of bioreduced U(IV) even under strong reducing environments.