{"data":{"id":2162,"lang":"en","title":"Bacteria Discovered That Lock Toxic Uranium Into a Stable New Compound","summary":"Bacteria fed glycerol converted 95% of dissolved uranium in contaminated mine water into a stable new compound within 130 days.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-08-10T10:02:09Z","updated_at":"2026-08-10T10:02:09Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2162-bacteria-discovered-that-lock-toxic-uranium-into-a-stable-new-compound","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2162?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2162.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/bacteria-convert-uranium-into-stable-chemical-compound.webp","word_count":137,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260807035149.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"},{"url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bacteria-dissolved-uranium-stable-compound.html","domain":"phys.org"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":2235,"title":"Vědci objevili bakterie, které uzamknou toxický uran do stabilní nové sloučeniny","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2235-vedci-objevili-bakterie-ktere-uzamknou-toxicky-uran-do-stabilni-nove-slouceniny","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2235?lang=cs"},"content":"Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, working with Wismut GmbH and the University of Granada, found that naturally occurring bacteria can convert dissolved uranium in contaminated mine water into a stable, less hazardous form. Fed glycerol as an energy source, the microbes reduced uranium levels in water from a flooded former mine in Germany's Ore Mountains by about 95% within 130 days.\n\nThe bacteria produced FeU(V)O4, a rare pentavalent uranium compound bound with iron and oxygen that resists breaking back down even after long exposure to oxygen. Lead researcher Antonio M. Newman-Portela said the compound had previously been considered only a fleeting intermediate state, making its stability unexpected.\n\nThe findings, published in Nature Communications, point toward using bacteria for bioremediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater and mine sites, though researchers say further study is needed before real-world cleanup applications."}}