FISCAL YEAR 2003 GRANTS

All projects are of multiple-year duration

One-dimensional Platinum Polymers for Nanoscale Design

and Fabrication of Optical and Electronic Materials

Materials suited for nanoscale electronic and optical devices exhibit a) properties appropriate for the intended application, or b) assembly into specific nanostructures.  Possible materials that possess both characteristics are relatively unknown, except for certain platinum compounds.  Basic research will be conducted to study a) the synthesis of these platinum polymers, and b) examines their optical, electrical, and electro-optical properties.  The investigation will include assembly of individual nanowires and synthesis of structures that can function as diodes and other electronic components.
 

Lee Spangler

Montana State University

Eric Peterson

INL

Phytoremediation of Cesium at INL: The Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae

Contaminated soils are a critical problem at many DOE sites, including INL, with phytoremediation being an attractive and viable option for clean-up.  Cesium has been proposed as the main contaminant of focus for phytoremediation.  Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous plant root mutualists, yet their role in phytoremediation is often ignored.  This project will focus on the production of the glycoprotein glomalin by AMF.  Studies will involve a combination of field, greenhouse, and laboratory work to determine if glomalin, by virtue of its capacity to adsorb cations, is amenable for cesium sequestration in the extraradical soil mycelium of AMF.

Matthias Rillig

University of Montana

Melinda Hamilton

INL

Collaborative Research on Siderophore Mediated Transport of Uranium in Subsurface Environments

Siderophores are low-molecular-weight organic compounds that are released by many bacteria to chelate and solubilize iron.  They also bind other metals, including divalent metal cations and actinides, forming stable complexes.  They have been implicated as a mechanism of cell-to-cell communication in bacterial biofilm communities, possibly influencing subsurface metal/radionuclide transport and mobility.  This project will investigate the effect of siderophores on metal and radionuclide mobility by studying the effects of salinity and pH on siderophore production and metal-contaminant siderophore complex stability.

Brent Peyton

Washington State University

William Apel

INL

Selective Attachment of Dissimilatory Metal-reducing Bacteria to Metal Oxide Substrate

The dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria are ubiquitous anaerobes that are involved in multiple reactions in the contaminated subsurface.  The effects of toxic co-contaminant metals (As, Ni, Cr) on the ability of indigenous populations to carry out desirable transformations, such as U(VI) reduction and precipitation, are largely unknown.  This project uses laboratory- and field-scale experiments to test the hypothesis that the ability of metal-reducing bacteria to transform Fe and Mn oxides, as well as soluble U(VI), is affected by the co-contaminant metals.  The nature of the effects at the physiological and biogeochemical levels will be characterized.

Tim Magnuson

Idaho State University

David Cummings

INL

Turbulence Modeling and Experimental Studies with Application to Advanced Reactor Systems

Two primary approaches exist for computational thermal/fluid modeling of reactor systems.  Codes such as RELAPS-3D are typically used to model the entire reactor plant.  Traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes, on the other hand, may be adept at predicting detailed flow patterns and temperature distributions, but are not yet ready to model the entire reactor system.  This project will use the commercial CFD solver Fluent for flows of interest in nuclear thermal hydraulics and will develop a new CFD solver to investigate turbulence models for fundamental flow configurations under conditions of strong property variations.  This work is directly relevant to INL’s Generation IV reactor systems studies.

Robert Spall

Utah State University

Don McEligot

INL

Richard Schultz

INL

Development of Analytical Separations Agents Utilizing Phosphazene Chemistry

Detection and monitoring of the fate and transport of environmental contaminants are significant elements of environmental remediation and stewardship.  Sensitive and selective analytical instrumentation, especially for field and remote sensing applications, is critical for these program areas: it is also relevant to national security applications for detection of chemical and biological agents.  This project will study the development and characterization of separations agents for capillary electrophoresis based on phosphazene chemistry for use in miniaturized instruments.  Phosphazene polymers offer high chemical stability, facile modification to provide tunable separation selectivity, and unique polymer backbone.

Christopher Palmer

University of Montana

Frederick Stewart

INL

Isolation and Characterization of Psychrophilic

Chromium-reducing Microorganisms and

Enzymes from a Contaminated Aquifer

The use of various heavy metals in industrial processes has led to the contamination of a number of environments, necessitating substantial clean-up efforts.  Chromium in the Cr(VI) and Cr(III) forms are found at several DOE sites.  Microbially-mediated reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) can be accomplished with mesophiles, but a significant number of chromium-containing environments are in low-temperature regions. Little work has been done to study reduction by psychrophilic (cold temperature-loving) microorganisms.  This project will ascertain the phylogenetic diversity of chromate-reducing bacteria, will close, sequence, and analyze the genes encoding the reductase enzymes, and will elucidate the role of gene transfer in the environment and the extent of gene duplication of reductases

Peter Sheridan

Idaho State University

William Apel

INL

High-performance Nuclear Interrogator

This project will develop a high-performance portable nuclear signature analysis tool for detection of surreptitious transport of nuclear material.  The device will be based on the patented uniformly-sized volume element (univel) technology developed in support of the INL’s boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) program.  The project will create a Monte Carlo nuclear particle transport code, which will be fast enough to make the use of gamma-neutron threshold (GNT) technology more practical.

Gary Harkin

Montana State University

Charles Wemple

INL

Mapping the Distribution, Abundance, Diversity, and
Activity of Methanotrophic Bacteria at the INL

Historical DOE activities have resulted in subsurface contamination of ~708 million cubic meters of groundwater and soil/sediment matrix.  Major contaminants include organic compounds such as trichloroethylene (TCE), which can be microbially degraded in situ by indigenous or introduced microorganisms.  Methanotrophs may be applied to this problem, because their metabolism, based on methane oxidation for energy and carbon, also co-metabolizes organic contaminants including TCE.  In this project, groundwater and attached-community samples from existing INL wells will be analyzed using a suite of molecular tools, including PCR.  Feasible strategies for intrinsic bioremediation or biostimulation will result from the project’s work to understand distribution, abundance, diversity, and activity of indigenous methanotrophs.

Bill Holben

University of Montana

Deborah Newby

INL

FISCAL YEAR 2002 GRANTS

Characterization of Inorganic Precipitates Formed on

Iron Oxide Mineral Surfaces During Colonization by

Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing and Sulfate-reducing Bacteria.

 The movement of groundwater through buried waste is generally the major mechanism for transporting hazardous waste beyond its original boundaries. Methods to prevent further migration of radioactive contaminants will be developed as a result of this project.

Gill Geesey

Montana State University

Catherine Reardon

Montana State University

David Cummings

INL

Tomography and Biogeochemical Reconnaissance for

Characterizing Microbial and Solute Transport in a

Heterogeneous Coarse Alluvial Aquifer. (concluded October 2003)

This project will help bridge the gap between laboratory investigations and field investigations of reactive and microbial transport by applying new hydrogeophysical techniques to develop methods for characterization and control of bacterial transport through saturated porous media.

Paul Michaels

Boise State University

Warren Barrash

Boise State University

 Al Cunningham

Montana State University

Robin Gerlach

Montana State University

Tom Clemo

Boise State University

Mike Lehman

INL

Timothy Scheibe

 Pacific Northwest National Lab

Collaborative Research on Direct Microbial Reduction of Mobile Metal Ions.  (concluded October 2003)

This project will focus on the reducible metal contaminants, uranium and chromium, both of which are of interest to the Department of Energy. The research at each institution represents individual pieces of subsurface microbial metal immobilization that must be integrated with INL research to develop an effective treatment technology for the remediation of contaminated groundwater.

Brent Peyton

Washington State University

Al Cunningham

Montana State University

Robin Gerlach

Montana State University

Sridhar Viamajala

Washington State University

William Apel

INL

Multi-scale Evaluation of Enzyme Activity Probes for

Detection of Contaminant-Degrading Microorganisms.  (concluded October 2003)

  The goal of this project is to apply newly-developed probes, which have undergone bench-scale evaluation with known bacterial isolates, to environmental samples and to solvent-contaminated field sites.

Maribeth Watwood

Idaho State University

Hope Howard-Jones

Idaho State University

Frederick Colwell

INL

William Keener

INL

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A Comprehensive Thermodynamic and Mechanistic Model for the

Prediction of the Sorption of Rare Earth Elements (REE) and

Hexavalent Uranium Onto Goethite and Nontronite for

Application to Nuclear Waste Management.

To absorb neutrons and prevent criticality, gadolinium, a rare earth element, may be added to waste packages containing highly enriched spent nuclear fuel. The main objective of this research will be to develop a comprehensive thermodynamic model for the sorption of rare earth elements and uranium onto materials expected to be present when nuclear waste packages have been breached or in radionuclide-contaminated soils.

Scott Wood

University of Idaho

Larry Hull

INL

Stochastic Simulation of Flow and Solute Transport in

Heterogeneous Unsaturated Fields.

This study focuses on applying stochastic techniques in combination with deterministic vadose-zone simulation to develop an understanding of the uncertainty arising in the prediction of water flow and contaminant fate and transport in binary unsaturated media.

Joan Wu

Washington State University 

Hao Zhang

Washington State University

Limin Yang

Washington State University

Annette Schafer

INL

Larry Hull

INL

FISCAL YEAR 2001 GRANTS

 A Portable, Chem-FET Sensor Array for Detection of Subsurface Contaminants

The objective of this project is to develop the technology for, and construct a prototype of, a sensor array for simultaneous detection of multiple chemical species that can contaminate the subsurface.
 

Dale Russell

Boise State University

Susan Burkett

Boise State University

Michael Hill

Boise State University

Jan Boll

University of Idaho

William Bauer

INL

High Resolution Three-Dimensional Characterization of 
Heterogeneous Sedimentary Architecture and 
Transport Parameter Distributions in 
Coarse Unconsolidated Alluvial Deposits

Contamination moves under both saturated and unsaturated conditions in coarse sediments at various government and private sector facilities. This project will develop methods for determining the 3D distribution of sedimentary features and hydrogeologic parameter distributions in heterogeneous coarse sediments.

Warren Barrash

Boise State University

Michael Knoll

Boise State University

Greg Oldenborger

Boise State University

Roelof Versteeg

INL

Copy Non-destructive Assay with Accelerator-Based
X-ray Fluorescence for Subsurface Science

Most of the problems associated with subsurface science at INL and other sites are related to either (1) non-destructive means of measuring hazardous and radioactive wastes, or (2) measuring, modeling and remediating the flow of hazardous or radioactive wastes through the vadose zone and aquifer. This project proposes to develop a low-cost accelerator-based X-ray fluorescence technique to assay and image "model" soil columns, containers of hazardous or radioactive material, and in situ soil bore holes.

Doug Wells

Idaho State University

Frank Harmon

Idaho State University

Siddhartha Duttagupta

Boise State University

John Kwolfie

Idaho State University

Farida Selim

Idaho State University

Tim Roney

INL

Timothy White

INL

Analysis of Stratigraphic Architecture at INL with 
Implications for the Subsurface Transport of Fluids  (concluded December 2002)

The architecture of the layers of the Eastern Snake River Plain aquifer exerts a strong influence on groundwater flow paths, because porosity and permeability vary considerably within and between the layers. The project will compile and critique data sets related to the subsurface distribution of materials and identify where new analyses are needed to resolve correlation problems. The results will be incorporated into models of groundwater flow.

David Rodgers

Idaho State University

Catherine Helm-Clark

Idaho State University

Richard Smith

INL

Laser-Assisted Secondary Ion Emission for Molecular Characterization of 
Mineral Surfaces at Microscopic Scale (concluded October 2003)

Currently, there are few techniques to study contaminant speciation on naturally occurring surfaces. This project will result in the successful interfacing of a laser with a state-of-the-art instrument to characterize the chemical speciation of contaminated mineral surfaces at microscopic scales.

Recep Avci

Montana State University

Jan Sunner

Montana State University

Lee Richards

Montana State University

Gary Groenewold

INL

Indirect Microbial Alteration of Reducible Metal Ions (concluded October 2003)

This project will develop the design parameters for a field-scale demonstration project which will evaluate the feasibility of treating a metals-contaminated ground water plume using direct/indirect microbial reduction strategies.

Al Cunningham

Montana State University

Brent Peyton

Washington State University

Jim Petersen

Washington State University

Robin Gerlach

Montana State University

William Apel

INL

Addressing Community and Natural Resources Policy 
as a Part of INL Subsurface Science (concluded October 2003)

Although the public as a collective does not make technical decisions, community response may greatly influence the outcome and effectiveness of decisions made by organizational authorities. This project will provide a comprehensive social assessment to INL as a management tool for the subsurface science program.

J. D. Wulfhorst

University of Idaho

Julia Dawn Parker

University of Idaho

Stan Albrecht

Utah State University

Richard Krannich

Utah State University

Roy Mink

University of Idaho

Evan Glenn

University of Idaho

Robert Breckenridge

INL

John Beller

INL

Harold Blackman

INL

Jan Brown

INL

Molecular Characterization of TEC-Cometabolizing Microbial Communities
in the Snake River Plain Aquifer

 The subsurface is usually biologically diverse, with multiple chemical and physical landscapes. Such environments are remote and difficult to sample. This study will compare a conventional molecular biology approach to the use of DNA microarrays of total community DNA for determining microbial diversity. The information from this study is critical tot he application of bioremediation at Department of Energy sites.

Ronald L. Crawford

University of Idaho

Andrjez Paszczynski

University of Idaho

Jonathan Sebat

University of Idaho

Frederick Colwell

INL

Frank Roberto

INL

Melinda Hamilton

INL

Development of an 
Integrated Watershed Information Management Tool 
for Long-term Facilities Stewardship at the INL

The problem of information management for integrated watershed assessment for facilities management and long-term stewardship has not been comprehensively addressed. The focus of this project is to develop an innovative Integrated Watershed Information Management Tool that provides the flexibility desired by stakeholders and managers by integrating models, data, and opinion within the context of the Bayesian network approach to information management.

David K. Stevens

Utah State University

Ahmed Said

Utah State University

Bob Breckenridge

INL

Ron Rope

INL

Jerry Sehlke

INL

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Vapor Phase Partitioning of Chlorocarbons on INL Soils –
Quantifying Non-ideal Sorption Phenomena

The primary objective of this project is to quantify the fundamental mechanisms controlling intraparticle micropore sorption of chlorinated contaminants and to define their impact on fate and transport in the vadose zone, advancing our ability to predict subsurface contaminant mobility.

David Yonge

Washington State University

Brent Peyton

Washington State University

Reid Miller

Washington State University

Akram Hossain

Washington State University

Jennifer Hudson

Washington State University

Diana Washington

Washington State University

Gary Groenewold

INL

Annette Schafer

INL

Larry Hull

INL

Destruction of DNAPLs in the Subsurface by 

Metal Oxide-Catalyzed Fenton-like Reactions

Despite nearly two decades of research on innovative technologies for the destruction of biorefractory hazardous wastes, some contaminants still cannot be effectively treated, particularly if they are present as dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs).  This research is an extension of recently published results and preliminary data that will provide an effort to establish a new process technology that could rapidly destroy DNAPLs.

Richard J. Watts

Washington State University

Brant Smith

Washington State University

David Atkinson

INL

Developing Analytical Methods to Determine the Chemistry of Plutonium
and Other Actinide Association with INL Subsurface Materials (concluded October 2003)

Fundamental understanding of the geochemistry controlling the transport of plutonium and other radioactive species at INL disposal sites is required. This project will develop analytical methods (e.g., synchrotron x-ray microprobe analysis) to provide a significant level of understanding of actinide sorption in INL soils and sediments.

Sue B. Clark

Washington State University

Dean Peterman

INL

Cesium is a major contributor to the inventory of radioactivity at Department of Energy sites, and as such is a key contaminant to be considered in clean-up strategies.  This study will provide a comprehensive database on cesium-sediment interactions, leading to improvement of reactive sorption and transport models.

James B. Harsh

Washington State University

Markus Flury

Washington State University

Laura Wendling

Washington State University

Melinda Hamilton

INL

Carl Palmer

INL