A preliminary thermodynamic study of bacterial attachment on uranium contaminated soils from Fernald

To understand the behavior of bacterial-uranium oxide interfacial reactions, a thermodynamic model based on the equation of bacterial adhesion to the mineral surface has been evaluated. From the combination of Young's equation and equation of state, the change in Gibbs free energy of adhesion for bacterium-uranium oxide system was calculated. The influence of liquid and uranium contaminated soil surface tension on the change in Gibbs free energy of adhesion and subsequent bacterial behavior on uranium contaminated soil systems have been discussed. The results show that bacterial adhesion to the uranium oxide surface would be increased by decreasing the change in Gibbs free energy of adhesion. Understanding of the attachment of bacteria onto uranium contaminated soils may be beneficial to the bioremediation process which is currently underway at Fernald, Cincinnati, OH