scholarly journals Mercury in the terrestrial environment: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Gworek ◽  
Wojciech Dmuchowski ◽  
Aneta H. Baczewska-Dąbrowska

Abstract Background Environmental contamination by mercury is and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. Pollution of the terrestrial environment is particularly important as it is a place of human life and food production. This publication presents a review of the literature on issues related to mercury pollution of the terrestrial environment: soil and plants and their transformations. Results Different forms of atmospheric Hg may be deposited on surfaces by way of wet and dry processes. These forms may be sequestered within terrestrial compartments or emitted back into the atmosphere, and the relative importance of these processes is dependent on the form of Hg, the surface chemistry, and the environmental conditions. On the land surface, Hg deposition mainly occurs in the oxidized form (Hg2+), and its transformations are associated primarily with the oxidation–reduction potential of the environment and the biological and chemical processes of methylation. The deposition of Hg pollutants on the ground with low vegetation is as 3–5 times lower than that in forests. The estimation of Hg emissions from soil and plants, which occur mainly in the Hg0 form, is very difficult. Generally, the largest amounts of Hg are emitted from tropical regions, followed by the temperate zone, and the lowest levels are from the polar regions. Areas with vegetation can be ranked according to the size of the emissions as follows: forests > other areas (tundra, savannas, and chaparral) > agricultural areas > grassland ecosystems; areas of land devoid of vegetation emit more Hg than those with plants. In areas with high pollution, such as areas near Hg mines, the Hg content in soil and plants is much higher than in other areas. Conclusions Mercury is recognized as a toxic, persistent, and mobile contaminant; it does not degrade in the environment and becomes mobile because of the volatility of the element and several of its compounds. Atmospheric contamination by mercury continues to be one of the most important environmental problems in the modern world. The general conclusions were drawn from a review of the literature and presented in this paper.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Gworek ◽  
Wojciech Dmuchowski ◽  
Aneta Baczewska-Dąbrowska

Abstract Environmental contamination by mercury is and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. Pollution of the terrestrial environment is particularly important as it is a place of human life and food production. Publication presents a review of the literature on issues related to Hg pollution of the terrestrial environment: soil and plants and their transformations. Different forms of atmospheric Hg may be deposited on surfaces by way of wet and dry processes. These forms may be sequestered within terrestrial compartments or emitted back into the atmosphere, and the relative importance of these processes is dependent on the form of Hg, the surface chemistry, and the environmental conditions. On the land surface, Hg deposition mainly occurs in the oxidized form (Hg 2+ ), and its transformations are associated primarily with the oxidation-reduction potential of the environment and the biological and chemical processes of methylation. The deposition of Hg on ground with low vegetation as 3–5 times lower than that in forests. The estimation of Hg emissions from soil and plants, which occur mainly in the Hg 0 form, is very difficult. Generally, the largest amounts of Hg are emitted from tropical regions, and the lowest levels are from the polar regions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Gworek ◽  
Wojciech Dmuchowski ◽  
Aneta Baczewska-Dąbrowska

Abstract Environmental contamination by mercury is and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. Pollution of the terrestrial environment is particularly important as it is a place of human life and food production. Publication presents a review of the literature on issues related to Hg pollution of the terrestrial environment: soil and plants and their transformations. Different forms of atmospheric Hg may be deposited on surfaces by way of wet and dry processes. These forms may be sequestered within terrestrial compartments or emitted back into the atmosphere, and the relative importance of these processes is dependent on the form of Hg, the surface chemistry, and the environmental conditions. On the land surface, Hg deposition mainly occurs in the oxidized form (Hg 2+ ), and its transformations are associated primarily with the oxidation-reduction potential of the environment and the biological and chemical processes of methylation. The deposition of Hg on ground with low vegetation as 3–5 times lower than that in forests. The estimation of Hg emissions from soil and plants, which occur mainly in the Hg 0 form, is very difficult. Generally, the largest amounts of Hg are emitted from tropical regions, and the lowest levels are from the polar regions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Gworek ◽  
Wojciech Dmuchowski ◽  
Aneta Baczewska-Dąbrowska

Abstract Environmental contamination by mercury is and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. Pollution of the terrestrial environment is particularly important as it is a place of human life and food production. Publication presents a review of the literature on issues related to Hg pollution of the terrestrial environment: soil and plants and their transformations. Different forms of atmospheric Hg may be deposited on surfaces by way of wet and dry processes. These forms may be sequestered within terrestrial compartments or emitted back into the atmosphere, and the relative importance of these processes is dependent on the form of Hg, the surface chemistry, and the environmental conditions. On the land surface, Hg deposition mainly occurs in the oxidized form (Hg 2+ ), and its transformations are associated primarily with the oxidation-reduction potential of the environment and the biological and chemical processes of methylation. The deposition of Hg on ground with low vegetation as 3–5 times lower than that in forests. The estimation of Hg emissions from soil and plants, which occur mainly in the Hg 0 form, is very difficult. Generally, the largest amounts of Hg are emitted from tropical regions, and the lowest levels are from the polar regions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Paola Posligua Chica ◽  
Carlos Banchón Bajaña ◽  
Elvito Villegas

Heavy metals in the environment are negatively affecting ecosystems and human life. The anthropogenic source of heavy metals has increased because of sludge from wastewater plants, tanneries, fertilizers, pesticides, and mining industry. As well as environmental conditions change, there is an effect of sedimentation of heavy metals in natural sediments which affect groundwater sources. Thus, the relevance of the present bibliometric work is to address the different interactions between heavy metals and natural sediments. Therefore, this work claims a perspective to predict heavy metal precipitation behaviors in the presence of cations and anions, changes of pH considering its mineral and organic forms, and, solid and liquid phase displacement, migrations towards the contaminated soil and cationic stabilization of heavy metals. In this sense, Cd, As, Mo, Cr, Al, Mn, Al, Cd, Hg, Zn, Pb, Cu, Co, and Ni are mostly correlated with basic pH and Ca/Mg/Fe/Mn minerals. This network has also found that there is a link connection between the contamination source i.e. fertilizers, pesticides and biosolids, and physical-chemical parameters like ionic strength, oxidation-reduction potential, and salinity. Thus, the scope of the present work includes a different perspective in looking remediation strategies by the generation of a connectionist system.Keywords: Speciation, bioaccumulation, adsorption, recalcitrance, network  


1996 ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. M. Unni

The recognition of versatile importance of vegetation for the human life resulted in the emergence of vegetation science and many its applications in the modern world. Hence a vegetation map should be versatile enough to provide the basis for these applications. Thus, a vegetation map should contain not only information on vegetation types and their derivatives but also the geospheric and climatic background. While the geospheric information could be obtained, mapped and generalized directly using satellite remote sensing, a computerized Geographic Information System can integrate it with meaningful vegetation information classes for large areas. Such aft approach was developed with respect to mapping forest vegetation in India at. 1 : 100 000 (1983) and is in progress now (forest cover mapping at 1 : 250 000). Several review works reporting the experimental and operational use of satellite remote sensing data in India were published in the last years (Unni, 1991, 1992, 1994).


Author(s):  
E.A. Kovrigin ◽  
◽  
V.A. Vasilyev ◽  

Given the trends in the modern world, as well as the rapid growth of digitalization, it is safe to say that it will inevitably affect almost all areas of human life and activities. Dmitriev’s English dictionary defines the word readiness: «It is a state where everything is done to start doing something.» Accordingly, an assessment of the company’s readiness to integrate modern digital technologies will identify opportunities, risks and threats, strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, as well as to formulate a list of initial measures that need to be implemented. Thus, there is an urgent need to find an answer to the following questions: «How (by, what criteria and indicators) to measure readiness?», «What are the approaches to readiness assessment?» The purpose of this article is to develop a model and algorithm to assess the company’s readiness to integrate modern digital technologies. Modelling techniques were used to achieve this goal, as well as to analyze and generalize information. As a result of the research, a model for assessing the company’s readiness to integrate modern digital technologies has been developed and tested, based on the quality management model presented in the ISO 9000 series standards. A particular example shows how to use it and what it ultimately allows you to see and evaluate.


Author(s):  
S.L. Mertsalova

The article considers the role of English language in the modern world. The spheres of human life in which English plays an important role are presented. A number of professions for which English is an integral part have been considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan Kadić ◽  
Anikó Várnai ◽  
Vincent G. H. Eijsink ◽  
Svein Jarle Horn ◽  
Gunnar Lidén

Abstract Background Biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to simple sugars at commercial scale is hampered by the high cost of saccharifying enzymes. Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) may hold the key to overcome economic barriers. Recent studies have shown that controlled activation of LPMOs by a continuous H2O2 supply can boost saccharification yields, while overdosing H2O2 may lead to enzyme inactivation and reduce overall sugar yields. While following LPMO action by ex situ analysis of LPMO products confirms enzyme inactivation, currently no preventive measures are available to intervene before complete inactivation. Results Here, we carried out enzymatic saccharification of the model cellulose Avicel with an LPMO-containing enzyme preparation (Cellic CTec3) and H2O2 feed at 1 L bioreactor scale and followed the oxidation–reduction potential and H2O2 concentration in situ with corresponding electrode probes. The rate of oxidation of the reductant as well as the estimation of the amount of H2O2 consumed by LPMOs indicate that, in addition to oxidative depolymerization of cellulose, LPMOs consume H2O2 in a futile non-catalytic cycle, and that inactivation of LPMOs happens gradually and starts long before the accumulation of LPMO-generated oxidative products comes to a halt. Conclusion Our results indicate that, in this model system, the collapse of the LPMO-catalyzed reaction may be predicted by the rate of oxidation of the reductant, the accumulation of H2O2 in the reactor or, indirectly, by a clear increase in the oxidation–reduction potential. Being able to monitor the state of the LPMO activity in situ may help maximizing the benefit of LPMO action during saccharification. Overcoming enzyme inactivation could allow improving overall saccharification yields beyond the state of the art while lowering LPMO and, potentially, cellulase loads, both of which would have beneficial consequences on process economics.


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