Researchers have discovered that bacteria can convert dissolved uranium into a stable compound, offering a potential tool for remediating contaminated water. In experiments with water from a flooded uranium mine, scientists added glycerol as a food source for the microbes. Over 130 days, the bacteria removed about 95% of the dissolved uranium. What was surprising was the form the uranium took: it became pentavalent uranium (U(V)), which scientists had previously considered unstable and short-lived. The bacteria incorporated uranium into their cell walls and helped form the compound FeU(V)O₄ (uranium combined with iron and oxygen). Crucially, this compound remained stable even when exposed to atmospheric oxygen for more than 25 years. The finding suggests that bacterial activity could naturally transform mobile, hazardous uranium into a less mobile, more stable form. While promising, researchers emphasize that more work is needed before this can be scaled up for practical environmental cleanup.
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