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SUMMARY:Microbial-Metal Interactions: Multidisciplinary Approach Studies
DTSTART:20090216T161500
DTSTAMP:20260502T115858Z
UID:98b2eb5e3ad40490e9ccb93927c4b497f37d7f8e7f70a915b0a8df59
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Mohamed Merroun\, Univ. of Granada\nSoils\, sediments\, 
 and waters heavily polluted with radionuclides and other toxic metals\, ar
 e a reservoir of unusual bacteria well adapted to these toxic environments
 . These bacteria possess fascinating mechanisms for interaction with and b
 io-transformation of radionuclides and other heavy metals\, thus regulatin
 g their mobility in the environment. The present talk will give an overvie
 w on different mechanisms of interaction between radionuclides/metals and 
 bacterial strains isolated from different extreme habitats including urani
 um mining waste piles as well as groundwater of radioactive repositories. 
 For this purpose\, a combination of spectroscopic (EXAFS\, XANES\, TRLFS)\
 , microscopic (TEM)\, microbiological and wet chemistry techniques is used
 . Elucidating the interaction mechanisms microbe/metals is helpful for und
 erstanding the role which bacteria play in the transport and mobility of t
 oxic metals in the environment as well as their biotechnological applicati
 on in the bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated waters. Another appli
 cation of the isolated bacterial cells and their biocomponents is in the f
 ield of nanotechnology. Thus\, the surface layer (S-layer) protein of Baci
 llus sphaericus JG-A12\, a bacterium isolated from a uranium mining waste 
 pile near the town of Johanngeorgenstadt in Germany\, is used as template 
 for the formation of noble metal (Pd\, Pt\, Au\, etc.) nanoparticles. The 
 structure and the size of these metallic nanoparticles were characterized 
 using synchrotron radiation-based methods such as X-ray absorption spectro
 scopy as well as microscopic techniques. Some industrial applications of t
 hese biologically manufactured nanoparticles (e.g. catalysis) will be high
 lighted and discussed.
LOCATION:GR B 30
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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