• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.155-162
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• 2012

We observed characteristic oxidation and dissolution phenomena induced by dissolved oxygen for mackinawite that is produced via sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) living in anaerobic environments such as soils and groundwater. We tried to recognize the role of the sulfide minerals that usually coexist with some stabilized radionuclides (e.g., reduced uranium), which can be reoxidized and redissolved by an oxygen-rich groundwater invaded into a contaminated area. The mackinawite produced by 'Desulfovibrio desulfuricans', a sulfate-reducing bacterium, was conducted to be dissolved for 2 weeks by some oxidants such as 'hydrogen peroxide' and 'sodium nitrite'. Although mineralogical oxidation and dissolution characteristics were different from each other according to the oxidants, the initially oxidized solution was early stabilized through the oxygen consumption by ${\mu}m$-sized sulfide particles and the resultant increase of sulfate in solution. From these results, we can anticipate that the large amount of sulfide minerals generated by SRB can not only repress the anoxic environment to be disturbed by the consumption of oxygen in groundwater, but also contribute to stabilize the reduced/precipitated radionuclides as a buffer material for a long time.