Microbial communities associated with deep uranium in-situ recovery mining process. Microbial communities associated with ISR mining process

A large fraction of the world’s uranium is mined by a technique called “In Situ Recovery”. In this project, water samples were collected from a uranium rollfront deposit that is part of an ISR mine in operation (Tortkuduk, Kazakhstan). Water samples were obtained at a depth of ca 500 m below ground level from several zones of the Uyuk aquifer following the natural redox zonation inherited from the roll front deposit, from upstream and downstream adjacent locations mined by the ISR process, as well as from both the entrance and the exit of the uranium concentration plant. The present study reports the in-depth alterations brought to autochthonous microbial communities during acidic ISR activities. Assessing the effect of acidification on the microbial community is critical to evaluating the potential for natural attenuation or active bioremediation strategies.