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

主要研究者：Cerrato建议：1652619本项目的目标是确定影响新墨西哥州西北部和中部废弃铀矿废弃物中富含有机物沉积物中金属污染和修复的主导地球化学机制。在美国，废弃的矿山废物场-其中许多位于美洲原住民社区-仍然没有得到适当的管理;人们对这些社区中金属的存在和流动情况知之甚少。矿山废物可用作现代社会需求的稀缺贵金属来源。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社区受益。与美国土著社区在新墨西哥州的伙伴关系将促进信息交流，访问网站，并为学生提供合作培训机会。PI将调查在U形态和积累的变化，有机丰富的沉积物，通过整合异位和原位光谱，显微镜和同步加速器为基础的实时实验。这些基础知识将为未来的回收策略开辟新的可能性，将修复与利用当地资源从矿山废物中回收金属的加工结合起来。本项目的研究目标是：1）定量测定废弃矿山废弃物中铀有机质、铀-磷（U-P）、铀-钒（U-V）和铀氧化物矿物暴露于表面氧化实验室条件后的溶解速率; 2）确定了铀水溶液与有机物之间的界面相互作用，通过X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、同步辐射真实的时间X射线吸收光谱（XAS）和水化学测量，研究了富沉积物对铀氧化还原和与固体有机质官能团结合的影响;（3）确定在水-富有机质沉积物界面上影响U在植物体内积累的控制机制。教育目标是：1）制定一种教育方法，以有效地将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传达给美洲原住民社区; 2）制定培训计划，以增加美洲原住民学生的参与和授权，以从事环境科学和工程;以及3）在新墨西哥州自然历史科学博物馆展示铀项目的相关科学活动和发现，以提高K-12学生和普通观众对废弃矿山废物遗产的认识。&该项目的成果将直接影响新墨西哥州的美洲土著社区，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.