http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908193444.htm
“The bacteria Wall is studying are bio-corrosives and can change the solubility of heavy metals. They can take uranium and convert it to uraninite, a nearly insoluble substance that will sink to the bottom of a lake or stream. Wall is looking into the bacteria’s water cleansing ability and how long the changed material would remain inert.”
If this becomes feasible on a large scale, nuclear waste cleanup may have just gotten easier. It will be a huge step in reducing some of the drawbacks of nuclear power. With fewer drawbacks, there should also be fewer objections, and it will become a more viable option for replacing coal as the main source of power in the US. While this will not eliminate it completely, the bacterial processed described in the article could drastically reduce the radioactivity in an environment that either stores or is affected by nuclear waste.
