Microbial binding of trace metals and radionuclides in sediments: results from an in situ dialysis technique

The microbial oxidation of Mn and the microbial binding of 241Am to a lacustrine sediment were five times greater than the binding effects of abiotic adsorption. In contrast, the microbial enhancement of Cu and 137Cs binding were far less pronounced, resulting in only a doubling of the effects of adsorption. The microbial binding of trace metals or radio-nuclides could not be adequately expressed in terms of adsorption coefficients. Instead, binding rates were determined as a more accurate index of short-term processes at work in the sediment. (author)