Performance and composition of bacterial communities in anaerobic fluidized bed reactors for hydrogen production: Effects of organic loading rate and alkalinity

This study evaluated the effects of the organic loading rate (OLR) and pH buffer addition on hydrogen production in two anaerobic fluidized bed reactors (AFBRs) operated simultaneously. The AFBRs were fed with glucose, and expanded clay was used as support material. The reactors were operated at a temperature of 30 degrees C, without the addition of a buffer (AFBR1) and with the addition of a pH buffer (AFBR2, sodium bicarbonate) for OLRs ranging from 19.0 to 140.6 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) (COD: chemical oxygen demand). The maximum hydrogen yields for AFBR1 and AFBR2 were 2.45 and 1.90 mol H-2 mol(-1) glucose (OLR of 84.3 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)), respectively. The highest hydrogen production rates were 0.95 and 0.76 L h(-1) L-1 for AFBR1 and AFBR2 (OLR of 140.6 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)), respectively. The operating conditions in AFBR1 favored the presence of such bacteria as Clostridium, while the bacteria in AFBR2 included Clostridium, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Veillonellaceae, Chryseobacterium, Sporolactobacillus, and Burkholderiaceae. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Cadmium and Nickel Stress: The Use of the Sugar Cane Vinasse as a Potential Mitigator

Most of the metals released from industrial activity, among them are cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni), inhibit the productivity of cultures and affect microbial metabolism. In this context, the aim of this work was to investigate the capacity of sugar cane vinasse to mitigate the adverse effects of Cd and Ni on cell growth, viability, budding rate and trehalose content of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, likely because of adsorption and chelating action. For this purpose, the yeast was grown batch-wise in YED medium supplemented with selected amounts of vinasse and Cd or Ni. The negative effects of Cd and Ni on S. cerevisiae growth and the mitigating one of sugar cane vinasse were quantified by an exponential model. Without vinasse, the addition of increasing levels of Cd and Ni reduced the specific growth rate, whereas in its presence no reduction was observed. Consistently with the well-proved toxicity of both metals, cell viability and budding rate progressively decreased with increasing their concentration, but in the presence of vinasse the situation was remarkably improved. The trehalose content of S. cerevisiae cells followed the same qualitative behavior as cell viability, even though the negative effect of both metals on this parameter was stronger. These results demonstrate the ability of sugar cane vinasse to mitigate the toxic effects of Cd and Ni.

Nitrogen mass balance in the Brazilian Amazon: an update

The main purpose of this study is to perform a nitrogen budget survey for the entire Brazilian Amazon region. The main inputs of nitrogen to the region are biological nitrogen fixation occurring in tropical forests (7.7 Tg. yr(-1)), and biological nitrogen fixation in agricultural lands mainly due to the cultivation of a large area with soybean, which is an important nitrogen-fixing crop (1.68 Tg. yr(-1)). The input due to the use of N fertilizers (0.48 Tg. yr(-1)) is still incipient compared to the other two inputs mentioned above. The major output flux is the riverine flux, equal to 2.80 Tg. yr(-1) and export related to foodstuff, mainly the transport of soybean and beef to other parts of the country. The continuous population growth and high rate of urbanization may pose new threats to the nitrogen cycle of the region through the burning of fossil fuel and dumping of raw domestic sewage in rivers and streams of the region.

Sequential extraction of phosphorus in an Oxisol amended with biosolids in a long-term field experiment in Brazil

The continued growth of large cities is producing increasing volumes of urban sewage sludge. Disposing of this waste without damaging the environment requires careful management. The application of large quantities of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) to agricultural lands for many years may result in the excessive accumulation of nutrients like phosphorus (P) and thereby raise risks of eutrophication in nearby water bodies. We evaluated the fractionation of P in samples of an Oxisol collected as part of a field experiment in which biosolids were added at three rates to a maize (Zea mays L) plantation over four consecutive years. The biosolids treatments were equivalent to one, two and four times the recommended N rate for maize crops. In a fourth treatment, mineral fertilizer was applied at the rate recommended for maize. Inorganic P forms were extracted with ammonium chloride to remove soluble and loosely bound P; P bound to aluminum oxide (P-Al) was extracted with ammonium fluoride; P bound to iron oxide (P-Fe) was extracted with sodium hydroxide; and P bound to calcium (P-Ca) was extracted with sulfuric acid. Organic P was calculated as the difference between total P and inorganic P. The predominant fraction of P was P-Fe, followed by P-Al and P-Ca. P fractions were positively correlated to the amounts of P applied, except for P-Ca. The low values of P-Ca were due to the advanced weathering processes to which the Oxisol have been subjected, under which forms of P-Ca are converted to P-Fe and P-Al. The fertilization with P via biosolids increased P availability for maize plants even when a large portion of P was converted to more stable forms. Phosphorus content in maize leaves and grains was positively correlated with P fractions in soils. From these results it can be concluded that the application of biosolids in highly weathered tropical clayey soils for many years, even above the recommended rate based on N requirements for maize, tend to be less potentially hazardous to the environment than in less weathered sandy soils because the non-readily P fractions are predominant after the addition of biosolids. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of the intrinsic kinetic parameters of sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification in differential reactors containing immobilized biomass

Nitrogen removal coupled with sulfide oxidation has potential for the treatment of effluents from anaerobic reactors because they contain sulfide, which can be used as an endogenous electron donor for denitrification. This work evaluated the intrinsic kinetics of sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification via nitrate and nitrite in systems containing attached cells. Differential reactors were fed with nitrified synthetic domestic sewage and different sulfide concentrations. The intrinsic kinetic parameters of nitrogen removal were determined when the mass transfer resistance was negligible. This bioprocess could be described by a half-order kinetic model for biofilms. The half-order kinetic coefficients ranged from 0.425 to 0.658 mg N-1/2 L-1/2 h(-1) for denitrification via nitrite and from 0.190 to 0.609 mg N-1/2 L-1/2 h(-1) for denitrification via nitrate. In this latter, the lower value was due to the use of electrons donated from intermediary sulfur compounds whose formation and subsequent consumption were detected. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mudanças químicas e fitodisponibilidade de zinco estimada por método isotópico, em solo tratado com lodo de esgoto

Zn availability in Red Latossol (Rhodic Ferralsol) of different pH amended with different rates of sewage sludge was studied by the isotopic 65Zn L value method. Soil chemical properties were found to be altered by SS addition. Zn concentration and Zn derived from SS (ZnpfSS) in plant, and Zn phytoavailability (L value), were increased with increasing SS rates. The linear correlation coefficient of plant Zn with SS rates and with L value was significant at 1% probability. The L value proved an efficient method for predicting Zn phytoavailability in sewage sludge-amended soil with different pH under the soil conditions studied.

Lodo de esgoto como fonte de nitrogênio: concentração no perfil do solo e em plantas de milho

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a concentração de nitrogênio em plantas de milho e ao longo do perfil de um Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico submetido a doses de lodo de esgoto e fertilizante mineral. O experimento foi instalado em delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados com 4 tratamentos (0,0; 55,0; 110,0 e 167,5 Mg.ha-1 de lodo de esgoto em doses acumuladas) e 5 repetições para um período de avaliação de 1 ano. A amostragem de solo foi realizada aos 60 dias após a emergência (d.a.e.) das plantas nas profundidades 0,0-0,1, 0,1-0,2, 0,2-0,4, 0,4-0,6, 0,6-0,8 e 0,8-1,0 m. Também aos 60, 80 e 128 d.a.e. foram coletadas, respectivamente, folha diagnose, planta inteira e grão. As maiores doses de lodo de esgoto proporcionaram maiores quantidades de nitrogênio no solo. O nitrogênio do solo, após a profundidade de 0,6 m, não diferiu entre as camadas avaliadas. Quanto maior a dose de lodo de esgoto, menor a proporção de nitrogênio em profundidade.

Produção de milho adubado residualmente com composto de lodo de esgoto e fosfato de Gafsa

Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar o efeito residual da adubação com composto de lodo de esgoto e fosfato natural de Gafsa sobre os teores de nutrientes no solo, na planta e na produtividade do milho. O trabalho foi realizado em Cambissolo Háplico. Os tratamentos, em esquema fatorial 2 x 4, corresponderam a 2 doses de fosfato de Gafsa (0 e 90 kg ha-1 de P2O5) e 4 doses de composto de lodo de esgoto (0; 25; 50 e 75 t ha-1, em base seca). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados, com 3 repetições. Em geral, a produtividade e os teores de nutrientes no solo e na planta no segundo cultivo sucessivo de milho não foram influenciados pela adubação com fosfato natural reativo. Entretanto, a produtividade de milho e os teores de nutrientes no solo e nas folhas de milho aumentaram com a dose de composto de lodo de esgoto ao solo, sendo a dose de 75 Mg ha-1, a de maior efeito residual. A produtividade do milho é menor no segundo cultivo sucessivo em razão do empobrecimento do solo em fósforo e potássio, recomendando-se novas adubações com lodo de esgoto, a cada cultivo realizado.

Invasion of the dinoflagellate Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans 1925 at tropical reservoir and its relation to environmental variables

Dinoflagellates of the genus Ceratium are chiefly marine but there are rare occurrences in freshwater. In this study we analyze the invasion and progressive establishment of Ceratium furcoides, an exotic species, in the Furnas Reservoir. Samples were taken at 36 points in the reservoir, during the months of March, June, September and December, 2007. Measurements of some physical and chemical variables were simultaneously performed at each site. The occurrence of C. furcoides was registered at 20 sites, with densities varying between 0.57 and 28,564,913.0 ind.m-3. Blooms of this species were recorded in points which were classified as mesotrophic, coinciding with the places receiving high amounts of untreated domestic sewage. C. furcoides density was correlated with temperature, nutrients (nitrate and nitrite) and water electric conductivity. The highest density was recorded in June when temperature was low. The presence of Ceratium furcoides in the reservoir apparently has not yet affected the reservoir water quality or other plankton communities. However, if it becomes fully established it could perhaps become a problem in the reservoir or even to spread out to other reservoirs in Rio Grande basin.

Fertilidade do solo, estado nutricional e produtividade de girassol, em função da aplicação de lodo de esgoto

O lodo de esgoto é um resíduo urbano-industrial que tem causado preocupação, quanto ao uso agrícola. Sua utilização pode ser viável, após a devida suplementação potássica, em substituição a fertilizantes minerais, especialmente em culturas como a do girassol. O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a produtividade e nutrição mineral do girassol cv. CATISSOL 01, além da fertilidade de um Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico adubado com lodo de esgoto, em comparação à adubação mineral, por dois anos consecutivos. O experimento utilizou delineamento em blocos casualizados, com 4 tratamentos (fertilização mineral, 5 t ha-1 ano-1, 10 t ha-1 ano-1 e 20 t ha-1 ano-1 de lodo de esgoto) e 5 repetições. Foram analisadas a produtividade de grãos de girassol, a concentração de macro e micronutrientes na folha diagnóstico e a fertilidade do solo. A produtividade de sementes do girassol adubado com o resíduo, em todas as doses, foi equivalente à adubação mineral, e os teores foliares situaram-se na faixa adequada, tanto para macro quanto para micronutrientes. O uso de lodo de esgoto, com suplementação potássica, mostrou-se eficiente na substituição total ou parcial da adubação mineral, sem prejudicar a produtividade da cultura do girassol.

A multiproxy assessment of organic pollution in shore sediments from the Río de la Plata Estuary, SW Atlantic

The study of organic pollution in estuaries is very relevant as they are transitional zones, which control the fluxes of water, nutrients, particles and organisms from and to the continental margins, rivers and oceans. The aims of this study are:(1) to evaluate organic pollution in coastal sediments of Montevideo, Río de la Plata Estuary by a multi-biomarker approach, (2) to identify major sources of organic pollutants through qualitative analysis using molecular indices, (3) to assess the relative contribution of different sources of hydrocarbons through quantitative source apportionment employing (PCA/MLR) as chemometric technique. Sampling surveys were carried out in July 2009, January 2010 and March 2011 in 37 stations along the middle portion of the Río de la Plata Estuary across the coast of Montevideo. In each station surface (0–2 cm depth) sediment samples were taken with a 0.05 m2 van Veen grab. The Soxhlet extracted organic compounds included aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs) and steroids, analysed by gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) quantified by gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer (GC/MS). All biomarkers presented the highest concentrations in the stations of Montevideo Bay indicating high levels of organic pollution. The combination of molecular indices and the chemometric technique showed that major sources of AHs and PAHs are petroleum inputs and combustion, due to oil transport and refinement, harbour activities and vehicular emissions.Major sources of LABs and steroids are urban and domestic sewage. Identification, quantification and source assignment of those organic compounds are very important to assess pollution and to give tools to help minimize the inputs into the environment

The juvenile three-spined stickleback : model organism for the study of estrogenic and androgenic endocrine disruption in laboratory and field

Industrial and domestic sewage effluents have been found to cause reproductive disorders in wild fish, often as a result of the interference of compounds in the effluents with the endocrine system. This thesis describes laboratory-based exposure experiments and a field survey that were conducted with juveniles of the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. This small teleost is a common fish in Swedish coastal waters and was chosen as an alternative to non-native test species commonly used in endocrine disruption studies, which allows the comparison of field data with results from laboratory experiments. The aim of this thesis was to elucidate 1) if genetic sex determination and differentiation can be disturbed by natural and synthetic steroid hormones and 2) whether this provides an endpoint for the detection of endocrine disruption, 3) to evaluate the applicability of specific estrogen- and androgen-inducible marker proteins in juvenile three-spined sticklebacks, 4) to investigate whether estrogenic and/or androgenic endocrine disrupting activity can be detected in effluents from Swedish pulp mills and domestic sewage treatment plants and 5) whether such activity can be detected in coastal waters receiving these effluents. Laboratory exposure experiments found juvenile three-spined sticklebacks to be sensitive to water-borne estrogenic and androgenic steroid substances. Intersex – the co-occurrence of ovarian and testicular tissue in gonads – was induced by 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The first two weeks after hatching was the phase of highest sensitivity. MT was ambivalent by simultaneously eliciting masculinizing and feminizing effects. When applying a DNA-based method for genetic sex identification, it was found that application of MT only during the first two weeks after hatching caused total and apparently irreversible development of testis in genetic females. E2 caused gonad type reversal from male to female. E2 and EE2 induced vitellogenin - the estrogen-responsive yolk precursor protein, while DHT and MT induced spiggin – the androgen-responsive glue protein of the stickleback. None of the effluents from two pulp mills and two domestic sewage treatment plants had any estrogenic or androgenic activity. Juvenile three-spined sticklebacks were collected during four subsequent summers at the Swedish Baltic Sea coast in recipients of effluents from pulp mills and a domestic sewage treatment plant as well as remote reference sites. No sings of endocrine disruption were observed at any site, when studying gonad development or marker proteins, except for a deviation of sex ratios at a reference site. The three-spined stickleback – with focus on the juvenile stage – was found to be a sensitive species suitable for the study of estrogenic and androgenic endocrine disruption.

Phytostabilisation : use of wetland plants to treat mine tailings

Mine tailings can be rich in sulphide minerals and may form acid mine drainage (AMD) through reaction with atmospheric oxygen and water. AMD contains elevated levels of metals and arsenic (As) that could be harmful to animals and plants. An oxygen-consuming layer of organic material and plants on top of water-covered tailings would probably reduce oxygen penetration into the tailings and thus reduce the formation of AMD. However, wetland plants have the ability to release oxygen through the roots and could thereby increase the solubility of metals and As. These elements are released into the drainage water, taken up and accumulated in the plant roots, or translocated to the shoots. The aim was to examine the effects of plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings by answering following questions: A) Is plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings possible? B) What are the metal and As uptake and translocation properties of these plants? C) How do plants affect metal and As release from mine tailings, and which are the mechanisms involved? Carex rostrata Stokes, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., E. scheuchzeri Hoppe, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud., Salix phylicifolia L. and S. borealis Fr. were used as test plants. Influences of plants on the release of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and in some cases Fe in the drainage water, and plant element uptake were studied in greenhouse experiments and in the field. The results obtained demonstrate that plant establishment are possible on water-covered unweathered mine tailings, and a suitable amendment was found to be sewage sludge. On acidic, weathered tailings, a pH increasing substance such as ashes should be added to improve plant establishment. The metal and As concentrations of the plant tissue were found to be generally higher in roots than in shoots. The uptake was dependent on the metal and As concentrations of the tailings and the release of organic acids from plant roots may have influenced the uptake. The metal release from tailings into the drainage water caused by E. angustifolium was found to depend greatly on the age and chemical properties of the tailings. However, no effects of E. angustifolium on As release was found. Water from old sulphide-, metal- and As-rich tailings with low buffering capacity were positively affected by E. angustifolium by causing higher pH and lower metal concentrations. In tailings with relatively low sulphide, metal and As contents combined with a low buffering capacity, plants had the opposite impact, i.e. a reduction in pH and elevated metal levels of the drainage water. The total release of metal and As from the tailings, i.e. drainage water together with the contents in shoots and roots, was found to be similar for C. rostrata, E. angustifolium and P. australis, except for Fe and As, where the release was highest for P. australis. The differences in metal and As release from mine tailings were mainly found to be due to the release of O2 from the roots, which changes the redox potential. Release of organic acids from the roots slightly decreased the pH, although did not have any particular influence on the release of metal and As. In conclusion, as shown here, phytostabilisation may be a successful technique for remediation of mine tailings with high element and sulphide levels, and low buffering capacity.

Messa a punto di processi biotecnologici per la produzione di biocombustibili da matrici organiche di rifiuto

The bioproduction of materials and energy from renewable sources (industrial biotechnology) is getting more and more interest in order to improve environmental sustainability of chemical industrial processes and to decrease their dependence from oil. Anaerobic digestion of organic waste matrices (agricultural and industrial wastes, organic fraction of municipal wastes, sewage sludges etc.) may play an important role in the implementation of industrial biotechnology being a well developed strategy in the valorization of complex matrices, as it can mineralize them while producing bioenergy in the form of a biogas rich in methane. In this research the potential of anaerobic digestion in the treatment of polluted sewage sludge was studied by developing three set of anaerobic microcosms with sludges differently contaminated by xenobiotic compounds. The effect of different incubating temperatures and of exogenous carbon and vitamine sources was investigated along with the role of the occurring microbial populations in the pollutant degradation activity. So, while confirming the potential of anaerobic digestion for the biomethanization of sewage sludges, this work proved the effectiveness of this technology in the removal of pollutants too. Moreover, since the degradation of lignocellulose appears to be a limiting step in the anaerobic treatment of a wide range of biomass, the possibility of optimizing anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic substrates was also studied. To this aim a research was carried out at the BOKUUniversity of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Department for Agrobiotechnology, IFA - Tulln, where mixed cellulolytic cultures were isolated from biogas plants while assessing the metabolic pathway leading to cellulose degradation and verifying their capability to grow on lignocellulose too, proving that on the long term such bacterial cultures could be used as inoculum in order to improve the hydrolysis of lignocellulose in anaerobic digestion plants.

Spurenanalyse von Uran und Plutonium sowie Speziationsuntersuchungen an Plutonium mit massenspektrometrischen und kapillarelektrophoretischen Methoden

Die Elemente Uran und Plutonium besitzen seit Entdeckung der Kernspaltung und der technischen Nutzung der Kernenergie eine globale Bedeutung. So trägt Pu hauptsächlich zur Radiotoxizität von abgebrannten Brennelementen bei und erfordert im Falle einer Endlagerung in einer tiefen geologischen Formation einen sicheren Verschluss für bis zu einer Million Jahre. Das Wissen über die vorliegenden chemischen Spezies ist dabei entscheidend für das Verständnis der chemisch-physikalischen Wechselwirkungen im jeweiligen geochemischen System, insbesondere mit dem Wirtsgestein (hier Ton) und den allgegenwärtigen Huminstoffen (hier Fulvinsäure). Längerfristig sind so Vorhersagen über einen Transport des hochradioaktiven Abfalls nach Auslaugung und Austritt aus einem Endlager bis in die Biosphäre möglich. Gerade der Ultraspurenbereich, im Fernfeld eines Endlagers zu erwarten, ist dabei von besonderem Interesse. Darüber hinaus machen nuklearforensische Untersuchungen – in Hinblick auf illegal benutztes Nuklearmaterial, Schmuggel oder Nuklearterrorismus – zur Bestimmung der Herkunft, des Alters oder der Radiotoxizität isotopenselektive Nachweismethoden im Ultraspurenbereich notwendig. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden hierfür die Resonanzionisationsmassenspektrometrie (RIMS) zur isotopenselektiven Spuren- und Ultraspurenanalyse von U und Pu sowie die Kapillarelektrophorese (CE) gekoppelt an die induktiv gekoppelte Plasma (ICP)-Massenspektrometrie (CE-ICP-MS) zur Speziation von Pu eingesetzt. Für den isotopenselektiven Nachweis von Ultraspurenmengen von Uran mittels RIMS wurden vorbereitende Studien durchgeführt und mehrere zweifach resonante Anregungsleitern mit nicht-resonanter Ionisation untersucht. Eine Effizienz von ca. 10^-10 bei einer Nachweisgrenze von 10^12 Atomen U-238 konnte erzielt werden. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut für Radiochemie, TU München, wurde mittels RIMS die Isotopenzusammensetzung von Plutonium, abgetrennt aus einem panzerbrechenden Urangeschoss aus dem Kosovokonflikt, bestimmt und dieses als Waffenplutonium mit einem Gehalt von 15 pg Pu-239/g Uran identifiziert. Rückschlüsse über Herkunft und Alter des Plutoniums konnten daraus gewonnen werden. Für Studien zur Umweltüberwachung von Plutonium in Rheinland-Pfalz wurden Grund-, Oberflächen- und Klärwasserproben mittels RIMS untersucht. Oberhalb der Nachweisgrenze von ca. 10^7 Atomen Pu-239/500 mL konnte kein signifikanter Gehalt bestimmt werden. Zusätzlich wurden Klärschlammproben untersucht, wobei in einer Probe 5,1*10^7 Atome Pu-239/g gemessen wurde, was auf eine Anreicherung von Pu im Klärschlamm aus großen Wasservolumina hindeuten könnte. Speziationsuntersuchungen von Plutonium in Kontakt mit Fulvinsäure und dem Tonmineral Kaolinit wurden in Hinblick auf die Wechselwirkungen im Umfeld eines nuklearen Endlagers durchgeführt. Die Redoxkinetik von Pu(VI) in Kontakt mit Gorleben-Fulvinsäure zeigt eine mit steigendem pH zunehmend schnellere und vollständige Reduktion und ein vergleichbares Verhalten zur Huminsäure. Für ein Plutoniumgemisch aus allen vier umweltrelevanten Oxidationsstufen in Kontakt mit Gorleben-Fulvinsäure konnte nach ca. 1 Monat Kontaktzeit eine fasst vollständige Reduktion zum tri- und tetravalenten Pu beobachtet werden. Sorptionsuntersuchungen der stabilsten Oxidationsstufe, Pu(IV), in Kontakt mit Kaolinit bei pH = 0 bis 13 im Konzentrationsbereich 10^-7 bis 10^-9 mol/L verdeutlichen das ausgeprägte Sorptionsverhalten von Pu(IV) (ca. 60% bis 90% Sorption) im umweltrelevanten pH-Bereich bei einem Einsetzen der Sorption bei pH = 0 bis 2. Im Rahmen des "Colloid and Radionuclide Retardation" (CRR) Experiments im Felslabor Grimsel, Schweizer Alpen, wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, Karlsruhe, die kolloidgetragene Migration von Pu(IV) in einem Grundwasserstrom durch Scherzonen im Granitgestein unter umweltrelevanten Bedingungen untersucht. Bei Zugabe von im Grundwasser stabilen Bentonitkolloiden – Bentonit wird als ein geeignetes Verschlussmaterial für nukleare Abfälle erforscht – konnte ein erhöhter Transport des Pu(IV) beobachtet werden, der durch Sorption des Pu an die mobilen Kolloide hervorgerufen wird. Zur Speziation von Plutonium im Ultraspurenbereich wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit an der Entwicklung der Kopplung der CE mit der sehr sensitiven RIMS gearbeitet. Das Prinzip der offline-Kopplung basiert auf dem Sammeln der zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten am Ende der Kapillare eluierten Oxidationsstufen in einzelnen Fraktionen. Aus jeder Fraktion wird ein eigenes Filament hergestellt und mit RIMS auf seinen Plutoniumgehalt untersucht. Eine erste Validierung der Methode konnte durch Bestimmung der Oxidationsstufenzusammensetzung eines bekannten Gemischs erfolgreich für einen Gehalt von ca. 6*10^9 Atome Pu-239 durchgeführt werden. Dies stellt einen möglichen Zugang zu dem erwarteten Konzentrationsbereich im Fernfeld eines Endlagers dar.