Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

This research program will perform microbiological analyses on uranium mine tailings at the Deilmann Tailings Management Facility (TMF) at Key Lake, Northern Saskatchewan. Cameco Corporation has funded a number of research projects and other investigations to evaluate the long-term geotechnical, hydrogeological, and geochemical aspects related to the stability of the tailings and on solute transport, with specific emphasis on the behavior of elements such as Ra-226, Se, Mo, and As. More detailed information on the related biogeochemical factors is required to understand evolution of the tailings and to allow predictions of the long-term impact of the tailings on the surrounding environment. The role of microbial activity on the biochemical cycling and mobilization of metals is well documented. However, the high pH and low temperature of the tailings at the TMF's at Key Lake and nearby mines present a notably different environment than uranium tailings in other regions of the world, therefore an in-depth study at Key Lake will provide valuable information for TMF management and an opportunity to gain a better understanding of microbial behaviour in extreme environments. The research will involve scientists from three universities, the National Hydrology Research Centre and Cameco Corporation and will provide funding for two postdoctoral fellows, as well as two Ph.D., one MSc and three undergraduate students. These HQP will conduct their research in a multidisciplinary environment spanning mining, environmental science and microbiology, and will be applying leading-edge genomics, synchrotron based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) measurements and imaging tools to discover, characterize and experimentally assess microbially-induced processes in tailings evolution.