Interaction of uranium with a filamentous, heterocystous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena torulosa

► Interaction of Anabaena torulosa with uranium above circumneutral pH is revealed. ► Role of acid soluble polyphosphates in uranyl binding is shown. ► Metabolically active cells are essential for optimal uranyl binding by A. torulosa. ► A loading of 77.35 mg U g−1 of biomass dry wt is demonstrated at 100 μM U at pH 7.8.