Commentary on the Role of Microorgansims and Nanoparticles in Radionuclides Migration through Groundwater

Understanding migration of radionuclides in subsurface environments is of critical importance to risk assessment at nuclear legacy sites. The chapters in this volume cover various phenomena in the groundwater system around the area of Lake Karachai of the Mayak Production Association site and highlight the important role of microorganisms and naturally occurring nanoparticles in the migration of radionuclides. In particular, knowledge regarding microbial ecology in subsurface environments, which may affect geochemical conditions in the system such as denitrification, has increased greatly during the last two decades. Based on the results of field observations and laboratory experiments, it is necessary to incorporate functions of microbial activity, groundwater colloids, and their interactions into a comprehensive model of radionuclides migration in the contaminated subsurface environment.