Efficient U(VI) immobilization of uranium-contaminated soil mediated by Fungal-Bacterial Consortia.
Wang X, Jiang Y, Chen X, Hu M, Xu L
Phytoremediation
Uranium-contaminated land sits abandoned near mining sites in dozens of states, and the microbes living in that poisoned soil may already hold the key to cleaning it up without digging anything out.
Researchers collected microbes — both fungi and bacteria — that had naturally learned to survive in uranium-polluted soil near a mine. They combined these tough microbes into a team, added them back to contaminated soil, and watched the uranium get locked into forms that plants and water can't easily pick up and carry away. As a bonus, ryegrass planted in the cleaned soil grew bigger and healthier, and its roots were much better at pulling uranium out, suggesting the approach could both stabilize and remove the contamination.
Key Findings
The fungal-bacterial consortium reduced the mobile (acid-soluble) uranium fraction by 65% and increased the stable (residual) fraction by approximately 533% compared to untreated soil.
Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) grown in remediated soil showed 30–50% increases in plant height, root length, and biomass, with root uranium accumulation enhanced 3-fold.
Sodium alginate-immobilized consortium beads achieved superior remediation at a lower dose (3%) compared to free-cell application (5%), offering a practical delivery format for field use.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists built a team of uranium-tolerant fungi and bacteria isolated from contaminated soil, then used this microbial consortium to lock uranium in place — reducing the mobile, plant-available form by 65% and boosting the stable, locked-in form by over 500%. Ryegrass grown in the treated soil grew taller, had longer roots, and accumulated three times more uranium in its roots, pointing toward a combined stabilization-plus-extraction cleanup strategy.
Abstract Preview
This study isolated and screened four uranium-tolerant bacterial strains (Priestia aryabhattai, Priestia megaterium, Bacillus subtilis, Arthrobacter woluwensis) and a group of uranium-tolerant symb...
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Lolium is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.