Synergistic metallogenesis of simulated radionuclide strontium by carbonate-mineralization bacteria/nano-montmorillonite

The urease of carbonate-mineralization bacteria (bacillus) secretion is conducive to the formation of carbonate. At the presence of urea and Sr2+, carbonate-mineralization bacteria could lead to the rapid formation of strontium carbonate precipitation. The mineralization process and efficiency were observed by adding nano-montmorillonite (nano-MMT). The effect of bacillus and bacillus/nano-MMT on the mineralization efficiency of Sr2+ was investigated by atomic spectrophotometer. The results showed that both the bacillus and nano-MMT played an important role in the nucleation, growth, and accumulation of strontium carbonate crystals. And this method can efficiently separate simulated radionuclide strontium from high-level radioactive waste.