CAREER: Understanding Reactivity in American Native Impacted Uranium Mines (URANIUM): Research, Education and Outreach

PI：CerratoProposal：1652619该项目的目标是确定影响新墨西哥州西北部和中部废弃铀(U)矿废物中富有机沉积物中金属污染和修复的主导生物地球化学机制。废弃的矿山废弃场，其中许多位于美洲原住民社区，在美国仍然没有得到充分的管理；人们对这些社区中金属的赋存和流动情况知之甚少。矿山废料可以作为稀有贵金属的来源，满足现代社会的需求。该项目的结果将有助于指导回收战略，回收的材料可能使受影响的社区受益。与新墨西哥州的美洲原住民社区合作将促进学生的信息交换、访问网站和合作培训机会。PI将通过整合异地和原位光谱分析、显微镜和基于同步加速器的实时实验来调查富含有机沉积物中铀形态和积累的变化。这一基本知识将为今后的回收战略开辟新的可能性，以便将补救与利用当地资源从矿山废物中回收金属相结合。本项目的研究目标是：1)定量测定废弃矿山废弃物经表面氧化实验室条件下的铀-有机质、铀-磷(U-P)、铀-钒(U-V)和含铀氧化物矿物的溶解速率；2)通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、同步辐射实时X射线吸收光谱(XAS)和水化学测量，确定铀与富有机沉积物之间的界面作用如何影响铀的氧化还原及其与固体中有机物官能团的结合；3)找出在水体和富有机沉积物交界处影响U在植物体内积累的调控机制。教育目标是：1)开发一种教育方法，有效地向美洲原住民社区传达与废弃矿山废物中存在的金属相关的潜在健康危害的科学成果；2)开发培训计划，以增加美洲原住民学生从事环境科学和工程的参与和赋权；以及3)在新墨西哥州自然历史与科学博物馆展示铀项目的相关科学活动和成果，以提高K-12学生和普通观众对废弃矿山废物遗产的认识。该项目的结果将直接影响新墨西哥州的美洲原住民社区，并对世界各地面临废弃矿山废物遗留问题的其他地点产生影响。

PI: CerratoProposal: 1652619The goal of this project is to identify governing biogeochemical mechanisms affecting the contamination and remediation of metals in organic-rich sediments in abandoned uranium (U) mine wastes in northwest and central New Mexico. Abandoned mine waste sites, many of which are located in Native American communities, remain inadequately managed in the United States; the occurrence and mobility of metals in such communities are poorly understood. Mine wastes can be used as sources of scarce precious metals for modern societal demands. Results from this project will help guide reclamation strategies with recovered materials potentially benefiting affected communities. Partnership with Native American communities in New Mexico will facilitate information exchange, access to sites, and collaborative training opportunities for students.The PI will investigate changes in U speciation and accumulation in organic-rich sediments by integrating ex-situ and in-situ spectroscopy, microscopy, and synchrotron-based real-time experiments. This fundamental knowledge will open new possibilities for future reclamation strategies to integrate remediation with metal recovery processing from mine wastes using local resources. The research objectives of this project are to: 1) quantify the dissolution rate of U-organic matter, uranium-phosphorus (U-P), uranium-vanadium (U-V), and U-oxide bearing minerals from abandoned mine wastes after exposure to surface oxidizing laboratory conditions; 2) determine how the interfacial interaction between aqueous U and organic-rich sediments affects U redox and binding with organic matter functional groups in solids by integrating X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), synchrotron based real time X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and aqueous chemistry measurements; and 3) identify the governing mechanisms that affect the accumulation of U in plants at the interface of water and organic-rich sediments. The education objectives are to: 1) develop an educational approach to effectively communicate scientific outcomes related to potential health hazards associated with metals present in abandoned mine wastes to Native American communities; 2) develop a training program to increase participation and empowerment of Native American students to engage in Environmental Science and Engineering; and 3) present relevant scientific activities and findings of the URANIUM project at the New Mexico Museum for Natural History & Science to raise awareness of the legacy of abandoned mine wastes for K-12 students and general audiences. The outcomes of this project will directly impact Native American communities in New Mexico and have implications for other sites worldwide confronting the legacy of abandoned mine wastes.