Isolation and characterization of methanogens from Boom Clay as host rock for radioactive waste disposal

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Boom Clay is a sediment deposit approximately 30 million years old that can be found under the SCK CEN facilities in Mol (Belgium). In recent years, an increase in methane partial pressure has been detected in piezometers at the HADES underground research laboratory, which is built at Boom Clay. This increase is probably affecting to the carbonate system which plays an important role in pH buffering and in the migration and speciation of radionuclides. Methanogenic archaea are the only known microorganisms capable of producing methane as the end-product of respiration. For that reason, the aim of this work is to improve methods of cultivation of archaea present in Boom Clay boreholewater in order to optimize different methods of isolation, identification and characterization of methanogens. These advances are essential to obtain new information on methanogenic archaea and their interaction with a future underground radioactive waste repository.
Date of Award7 Sep 2022
Original languageEnglish
SupervisorFrancisco Javier Giménez del Rey (Promotor), Kristel Mijnendonckx (Promotor) & Mohamed L. Merroun (Promotor)

Keywords

  • Methanogenic archaea
  • Methane
  • HADES
  • Boom Clay

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