Formation and Reactivity of Biogenic Iron Microminerals

The overall purpose of the project is to explore and quantify the processes that control the formation and reactivity of biogenic iron microminerals, and the impact of these processes on the solubility of metal contaminants, e.g., uranium, chromium and nickel. The research addresses how surface components of bacterial cells, extracellular organic material, and the aqueous geochemistry of the DIRB microenvironment impacts the mineralogy, chemical state and micromorphology of reduced iron phases.