Stable microbial community in compacted bentonite after 5 years of exposure to natural granitic groundwater.

ABSTRACT: The Materials Corrosion Test (MaCoTe) at the Underground Research Laboratory in Grimsel, Switzerland, assesses the microbiology and corrosion behavior of engineered barrier components of a deep geological repository (DGR) for long-term disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Diversity and temporal changes of bentonite-associated microbial community profiles were assessed under DGR-like conditions for compacted Wyoming MX-80 bentonite (1.25 g/cm³ and 1.50 g/cm³ targeted dry densities) exposed to natural groundwater. Using culture-dependent and molecular techniques, samples taken from the outside layer of 5-year borehole modules revealed up to 66% and 23% of 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated with Desulfosporosinus and Desulfovibrio, respectively. Putatively

SUBMITTER: Engel K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10597416 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature