One more visit to the Diamond Light Source synchrotron has been completed by Geomicro group members and collaborators, Hannah Roberts, Nick Masters-Waage, Thanos Rizoulis, Pieter Bots, Gareth Law and Sam Shaw. Analysis by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was performed on B18 beamline, with the assistance of beamline scientist Dr Steve Parry. We would also like to thank Professor Fred Mosselmans, the Diamond Radiation Protection Adviser Richard Doull, and the local EHCs (experimental hall co-ordinators), who all ensured another smooth and safe beamtime. We should also acknowledge geoguessr, which provided entertainment and mental stimulation to those doing the late night shifts…
Nick Masters-Waage and Dr Pieter Bots loading a sample in the cryostat of beamline B18, at the Diamond light source synchrotron.During our 3-day visit, we collected XANES and EXAFS data (which can reveal oxidation state and local atomic coordination environment) from a range of samples, which contained neptunium, technetium or uranium. Although the samples originated from various ongoing projects in our group, the common overall aim is the investigation of radionuclide speciation and behaviour (oxidation state, mobility, sorption) in the environment, in the broader context of a geological disposal facility of radioactive waste. Now, we are back to Manchester, where we “just” have to analyse all these collected XANES and EXAFS spectra.
Thanos Rizoulis
In October, Jon, Gina, Natalie and I travelled to Belgium for a MIND (Microbiology in Nuclear Waste Disposal) advanced course in geomicrobiology in radioactive waste disposal. The course was provided by SCK·CEN, a Belgian nuclear research centre based in the city of Mol. The course brought together researchers from over 10 MIND institutions to share […]
Recently several group members attended the 8th Actinide XAS conference (AnXAS 2017) held at The Queen’s College, the University of Oxford. AnXAS is a three day workshop showcasing speciation, techniques and facilities for radioactive materials at various synchrotron light sources. The Queen’s college is an impressive warren of grand buildings, gardens and passageways. Although there […]
As part of an on-going programme concerning rapid developments in Genomics and Bioinformatics, I recently visited the Wilkins Geomicrobiology Lab at Ohio State University for a bioinformatics training course. The Wilkins Lab is led by Dr Mike Wilkins, who actually has his roots in the Manchester Geomicrobiology group where Prof Jonathan Lloyd guided him through […]
In November Laura and I, loaded up with samples from a few folk in the geomicrobiology group, flew to California for beamtime at the Advanced Light Source synchrotron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. We were met in Berkeley by Adriana Figueroa-Garcia, a beamline scientist from Diamond, who was kind enough to give us a […]
