Radioactive Waste Disposal
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INVESTIGATIONS OF SUBTERRANEAN MICROORGANISMS - THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL Karsten Pedersen 1 and Fred Karlsson 2 June 1995 1 Goteborg University General and Marine Microbiology The Lundberg institute Medicinaregatan 9C 413 90 Goteborg, Sweden tel. +46-31-773 25 78; fax +46-31-773 25 99 E-mail [email protected] 2 Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. Box5864 102 40 Stockholm tel +46-8-665 28 00; fax +46-8-661 57 19 E-mail [email protected] Keywords: Activity, Attached bacteria, Bacteria, Bentonite, Carbon cycle, Complexing agents, Distribution, Environmental limitations, Enzymes, gas formation, Iron cycle, Manganese cycle, Metabolism, Methane bacteria, Microbial corrosion, Microbial redox control, Molecular biology, Natural analogues, Nitrogen cycle, Radionuclide migration, Redox processes, Stripa, Sulphate reducing bacteria, Sulphur cycle, Total numbers, Viable counts, Water activity, Water potential, Aspo hard rock laboratory, 16S-rRNA. Information Only INVESTIGATIONS OF SUBTERRANEAN MICROORGANISMS THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL 1 2 Karsten Pedersen , Fred Karlsson 1 Goteborg University, General and Marine Microbiology, The Lundberg Institute, Goteborg, Sweden 2 Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company, Stockholm, Sweden June 1995 This report concerns a study which was conducted for SKB. The conclusions and viewpoints presented in the report are those of the author( s) and do not necessarily coincide with those of the client. Information on SKB technical reports from1977-1978 (TR 121), 1979 (TR 79-28), 1980 (TR 80-26), 1981 (TR 81-17), 1982 (TR 82-28), 1983 (TR 83-77), 1984 (TR 85-01), 1985 (TR 85-20), 1986 (TR 86-31), 1987 (TR 87-33), 1988 (TR 88-32), 1989 (TR 89-40), 1990 (TR 90-46), 1991 (TR 91-64), 1992 (TR 92-46) and 1993 (TR 93-34) is available through SKB. Information Only ABSTRACT The main actors in this report are the microorganisms (microbes is a synonymous designation). Let us therefore first define this concept. The following description can be read in the Swedish National Encyclopaedia: A microorganism is an organism that is invisible for the naked eye (smaller than some tenths of a millimetre), and requires adapted techniques for a successful study, such as sterilisation, sterile techniques, methods in molecular biology, microscope, and particular culturing devices and chemicals. Bacteria, unicellular algae, yeast, microscopic fungi, and protozoa (unicellular animals) are all microorganisms; sometimes, also viruses are improperly included (they are not true living entities). A unifYing characteristic is that all micororganisms have the ability to grow as unicellular organisms in nature. The intention with this report is, with present knowledge as a starting-point, to give a broad and thorough description of how microorganisms may influence performance safety assessment of repositories for radioactive waste. Potential positive, neutral and negative effects have been identified. To the best of our knowledge, bacteria are the totally dominating microorganisms in the deep subterranean environment. Therefore, the report mainly deals with this group of microorganisms. Most of the microbiological concepts discussed in the repost are discussed in relation to the disposal concepts for radioactive waste in specific concluding sections in the text and also in summaries ending each chapter. The first chapter gives an overview of the Swedish concepts for disposal of low-, intermediate- and highlevel radioactive waste. Further, the geological, chemical and hydrological conditions in repositories, that can be related to microorganisms are discussed. The following two chapters are intended to give the reader knowledge of the requirements for life of microorganisms and possible limiting or stimulating growth factors. Their relations to oxygen, temperature, pH, radiation, pressure, availability of water and nutrients, and their need for energy sources are discussed in detail. More, a basic knowledge about bacterial processes is presented. The participation of bacteria in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, iron, manganese and hydrogen is dealt with. Chapter four is mainly a literature review of the knowledge about subterranean bacteria. Chiefly, we aim at a current description of the far-field environment in which repositories are or will be placed. The problems connected with sampling without disturbing the samples is reviewed. Also, a large number of techniques are presented for the determination of the numbers of bacteria in natural environments, their spatial distribution and species diversity, and methods for determination of microbial activity. Thereafter follows a summary of results about the microbiology in various Informationiii Only Information Only subterranean environments such as hydrothermal groundwater, deep sediments (mainly in North America), the hard rock laboratories of Stripa and Aspo, and from a number of different natural analogues, among them are Cigar Lake, Canada; Oklo, Gabon; Maqarin, Jordan; Poo;:os de Caldas, Brazil and Palmottu in Finland. Chapter five treats investigations concerning microorganisms in repository(like) environments, the near-field. At first, a literature overview is given and then the conditions for life in the near-field are discussed. Particularly, the low water availability in bentonite at the intended swelling pressure is hypothesised to be to low for an active life of most microorganisms - they will simply be desiccated. Finally, the chapter five treats microbial corrosion and redox processes as they are of significance for the performance of construction materials such as canisters and concrete, and for the mobility of radionuclides. Chapter six brings up the possibilities to predict presence and activity of microorganisms in the far-field as well as in the near-field by mathematical models. An important conclusion drawn is that successful modelling demands a multi-disciplinary approach. Microbiology is an integrated part of the whole, dealt with also in other disciplines such as geology, chemistry, hydrology, and additionally in the near-field, technology and engineering. At last, chapter seven summarises the conclusions made in the report and identifies research needs and how microorganisms may influence performance safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal. The report consists of 43 figures, 36 tables, it has approximately 200 pages of text and refers to 293 articles, book titles and reports. Separate lists of figures and tables are included after table of contents. Further, an index is included at the end of the report to facilitate for the reader to where in the report central concepts, names etc. can be found. IV SAMMANFATTNING Huvudaktorema i denna rapport iir de sa kallade mikroorganismema (mikrober iir en synonym benii.mning). Ut oss diirfor allra forst definiera begreppet mikroorganism. I den Svenska Nationalencyklopedin star bl.a. foljande att liisa (for ytterligare information rekommenderas liven uppslagsordet mikrobiologi i samma bokverk): En mikroorganism iir en organism som iir osynlig for blotta ogat, dvs. mindre lin nagon tiondels millimeter, och som for att kunna studeras kraver speciellt anpassad teknik, sasom sterilisering, sterilteknik, molekyliirbiologiska tekniker, mikroskop ocb siirskilda odlingsmaterial. Till mikroorganismerna rliknas bakterier, encelliga alger, jastsvampar, mikroskopiskt sma svampar ocb protozoer (encelliga djur); oegentligt inkluderas ofta aven virus (de bar inte formaga till eget liv). Alia mikroorganismer bar formagan att i naturen vllxa som enskilda celler. Denna rapport avser att, med utgangspunkt fran dagens kunskapslage, ge en beltackande bild av bur mikroorganismer kan inverka pa funktion ocb siikerbet hos slutforvar fOr radioaktivt avfall. Saviil positiva, neutrala som negativa effekter bar kunnat utskiljas. I den djupa undeJjord dii.r fOrvaren placeras, forekommer, vad vi idag kiinner till, friimst bakterier. DiirfOr behandlar rapporten huvudsakligen denna grupp av mikroorganismer. De fiesta mikrobiologiska begreppsomraden som tas upp i rapporten relateras till lagringskoncepten for radioaktivt avfall i sammanfattande avsnitt, bade i den lopande texten ocb i slutet av vaJje kapitel. I rapportens forsta kapitel ges en oversiktlig bild av de svenska lagringskoncepten for lag-, medel- och hogaktivt avfall. Vidare diskuteras de geologiska, kemiska och bydrologiska forvarsforutsattningar som iir av betydelse for mikroorganismer. De tva foljande kapitlen avser att ge liisaren en god kunskap om mikroorganismernas behov och vad som kan begriinsa eller gynna deras tillviixt och aktivitet. Deras forhillande till syre, temperatur, pH, strilning, tryck, tillganglighet pa vatten och niirningslimnen samt behovet av energikiillor diskuteras ingaende. Mikroorganismemas, sarskilt bakteriemas, fOrmaga att flista och vllxa pi ytor tas ocksa upp. Vidare presenteras grundliiggande kunskap om bakteriella processer. Bakteriernas medverkan in de naturliga kretsloppen av kol, kviive, svavel, jlim, mangan och viite bebandlas. Kapitel :fYra iir till storsta delen en litteraturoversikt om kunskapsliiget giillande bakterier i miljoer djupt ned under jordytan samt i vissa fall i djup under havs- och sjobottnar. Framst avses att ge en god beskrivning av det sa kallade fjiirromrade i vilket forvaren kommer att placeras. Forst diskuteras svanghetema nii.r det giiller att provta dessa djupa miljoer utan att forstora proven. Vidare gas ett