scholarly journals Mercury Speciation in Natural and Mining-Related Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maria A. Gustaytis ◽  
Irina N. Myagkaya ◽  
Victor I. Malov ◽  
Elena V. Lazareva ◽  
Olga V. Shuvaeva
Keyword(s):  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Thermal Release ◽  
Field Samples ◽  
Mercury Selenide ◽  
Release Analysis ◽  
Temperature Ranges ◽  
Aas Method ◽  
Sulfide Tailings

Mercury speciation and the composition of mercury phases in natural and mining-related environments is studied by the thermal release analysis combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy (TA-ET-AAS), as well as scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS). The analyses are applied to laboratory-made samples bearing mercury selenide and to field samples from sites known for relatively high natural or industrially induced Hg background. They are, namely, material from the dispersion train of the Ursk sulfide tailings (Ursk Village, Kemerovo region) and debris precipitated from snow sampled in the Kurai mercury zone (Aktash Village, Gorny Altai). The TA-ET-AAS method works well in discrimination and identification of Hg sulfide and Hg selenide provided that the samples contain sufficient amounts of both compounds, but the sum HgS + HgSe can be determined at any contents of the two compounds. The presence of both mercury sulfide and mercury selenide in the samples has been confirmed by SEM-EDS microanalysis. The temperature ranges for the mercury species (Hg2+; HgS+HgSe mixture; mercury bound with organic matter (Hg-OM), including CH3Hg+) are identical in the laboratory and field samples. Therefore, the suggested approach can ensure fast and reliable detection of Hg phases in rocks exposed to supergene alteration

Mercury speciation in fluorescent lamps by thermal release analysis

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 879-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudio Raposo ◽  
Cláudia Carvalhinho Windmöller ◽  
Walter Alves Durão Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Thermal Release ◽  
Fluorescent Lamps ◽  
Release Analysis

Mercury speciation in contaminated soils by thermal release analysis

1996 ◽  
Vol 89 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 399-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cl�udia Carvalhinho Windm�ller ◽  
Rolf-Dieter Wilken ◽  
Wilson De Figueiredo Jardim
Keyword(s):  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Thermal Release ◽  
Release Analysis

A novel QuEChERS-like method and automatic sample pre-treatment apparatus for fast determination of mercury speciation in aquatic animal samples

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Zhang ◽  
Yuemeng Liu ◽  
Zhiyang Zhang ◽  
Xing Na ◽  
Xuefei Mao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Aquatic Animal ◽  
Fast Analysis ◽  
Fast Determination ◽  
Pre Treatment

The accurate, stable and fast analysis of mercury species, such as Hg2+, MetHg and EtHg, in complicated aquatic animal matrices has been achieved by the proposed QuEChERS-like method and apparatus.

scholarly journals Genome-Resolved Metagenomics and Detailed Geochemical Speciation Analyses Yield New Insights into Microbial Mercury Cycling in Geothermal Springs

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin M. Gionfriddo ◽  
Matthew B. Stott ◽  
Jean F. Power ◽  
Jacob M. Ogorek ◽  
David P. Krabbenhoft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Mercury Methylation ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Geothermal Systems ◽  
Mercury Cycling ◽  
Geothermal Springs ◽  
Mercury Volatilization

ABSTRACT Geothermal systems emit substantial amounts of aqueous, gaseous, and methylated mercury, but little is known about microbial influences on mercury speciation. Here, we report results from genome-resolved metagenomics and mercury speciation analysis of acidic warm springs in the Ngawha Geothermal Field (<55°C, pH <4.5), Northland Region, Aotearoa New Zealand. Our aim was to identify the microorganisms genetically equipped for mercury methylation, demethylation, or Hg(II) reduction to volatile Hg(0) in these springs. Dissolved total and methylated mercury concentrations in two adjacent springs with different mercury speciation ranked among the highest reported from natural sources (250 to 16,000 ng liter−1 and 0.5 to 13.9 ng liter−1, respectively). Total solid mercury concentrations in spring sediments ranged from 1,274 to 7,000 μg g−1. In the context of such ultrahigh mercury levels, the geothermal microbiome was unexpectedly diverse and dominated by acidophilic and mesophilic sulfur- and iron-cycling bacteria, mercury- and arsenic-resistant bacteria, and thermophilic and acidophilic archaea. By integrating microbiome structure and metagenomic potential with geochemical constraints, we constructed a conceptual model for biogeochemical mercury cycling in geothermal springs. The model includes abiotic and biotic controls on mercury speciation and illustrates how geothermal mercury cycling may couple to microbial community dynamics and sulfur and iron biogeochemistry. IMPORTANCE Little is currently known about biogeochemical mercury cycling in geothermal systems. The manuscript presents a new conceptual model, supported by genome-resolved metagenomic analysis and detailed geochemical measurements. The model illustrates environmental factors that influence mercury cycling in acidic springs, including transitions between solid (mineral) and aqueous phases of mercury, as well as the interconnections among mercury, sulfur, and iron cycles. This work provides a framework for studying natural geothermal mercury emissions globally. Specifically, our findings have implications for mercury speciation in wastewaters from geothermal power plants and the potential environmental impacts of microbially and abiotically formed mercury species, particularly where they are mobilized in spring waters that mix with surface or groundwaters. Furthermore, in the context of thermophilic origins for microbial mercury volatilization, this report yields new insights into how such processes may have evolved alongside microbial mercury methylation/demethylation and the environmental constraints imposed by the geochemistry and mineralogy of geothermal systems.

scholarly journals Analysis of Mercury-Rich plants and mine tailings using the Hydride-Generation AAS method

2009 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 953-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Netto Moreno ◽  
Christopher Anderson ◽  
Robert Stewart ◽  
Brett Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Hydride Generation ◽  
Sample Volume ◽  
Reaction Vessel ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
Analytical Response ◽  
Aas Method ◽  
Total Hg

A hydride-generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method was developed for the analysis of total Hg in liquid matrices of mercury-rich plants and mine tailings samples. The detection limit for this method was as low as 11.4 ng/mL. The reproducibility of the mercury signals (in terms of relative standard deviation) was 4.6%. Accuracy of the method was verified by analyses of deionised water samples spiked with HgCl2 and HgNO3. Recovery values for total mercury ranged from 88.5 to 94.3% for both mercury species added. An external certified laboratory validated the analytical method with a maximum discrepancy of 15 %. Optimal analytical response of the equipment for Hg analysis of plant samples was achieved when the sample volume added to the reaction vessel was 0.25 mL.

scholarly journals The abundance, distribution and speciation of mercury in waters and sediments of the Adriatic Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Živković ◽  
Jože Kotnik ◽  
Mladen Šolić ◽  
Milena Horvat
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Chemical Transformations ◽  
The North ◽  
Marginal Sea ◽  
The Mediterranean

This review focuses on mercury speciation in the Adriatic Sea, a marginal sea of the Mediterranean, which represents its distinct biogeochemical subunit due to anthropogenic mercury loadings. The current knowledge about mercury cycling in the Adriatic is presented through an overview of the state of the art of research in this area: temporal and spatial distributions and occurrence of mercury species in seawater and sediment, and chemical transformations. We summarised research results of mercury speciation in order to describe its presence and fate in the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic Sea represents a net source of mercury to the Mediterranean Sea due to the highest total mercury concentrations observed in the North Adriatic Sea and the highest methylmercury concentrations in the South Adriatic Pit. However, the biogeochemical cycle of mercury is not completely known and our understanding of mercury transport between compartments and its (bio)transformations is limited. Future research needs to focus on microbial and chemical processes of mercury transformations to improve our understanding of the impacts of mercury contamination on the environment and human health in the Adriatic Sea.

scholarly journals Genome-resolved metagenomics and detailed geochemical speciation analyses yield new insights into microbial mercury cycling in geothermal springs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin M. Gionfriddo ◽  
Matthew B. Stott ◽  
Jean F. Power ◽  
Jacob M. Ogorek ◽  
David P. Krabbenhoft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Mercury Speciation ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Mercury Methylation ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Geothermal Systems ◽  
Mercury Cycling ◽  
Geothermal Springs

ABSTRACTGeothermal systems emit substantial amounts of aqueous, gaseous and methylated mercury, but little is known about microbial influences on mercury speciation. Here we report results from genome-resolved metagenomics and mercury speciation analysis of acid warm springs in the Ngawha Geothermal Field (<55 °C, pH < 4.5), Northland Region, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Our aim was to identify the microorganisms genetically equipped for mercury methylation, demethylation, or Hg(II) reduction to volatile Hg(0) in these springs. Dissolved total and methylated mercury concentrations in two adjacent springs with different mercury speciation ranked among the highest reported from natural sources (250–16000 ng L−1 and 0.5–13.9 ng L−1, respectively). Total solid mercury concentrations in spring sediments ranged from 1273 to 7000 µg g−1. In the context of such ultra-high mercury levels, the geothermal microbiome was unexpectedly diverse, and dominated by acidophilic and mesophilic sulfur- and iron-cycling bacteria, mercury- and arsenic-resistant bacteria, and thermophilic and acidophilic archaea. Integrating microbiome structure and metagenomic potential with geochemical constraints, we constructed a conceptual model for biogeochemical mercury cycling in geothermal springs. The model includes abiotic and biotic controls on mercury speciation, and illustrates how geothermal mercury cycling may couple to microbial community dynamics and sulfur and iron biogeochemistry.IMPORTANCELittle is currently known about biogeochemical mercury cycling in geothermal systems. This manuscript presents an important new conceptual model, supported by genome-resolved metagenomic analysis and detailed geochemical measurements. This work provides a framework for studying natural geothermal mercury emissions globally. Specifically, our findings have implications for mercury speciation in wastewaters from geothermal power plants and the potential environmental impacts of microbially and abiotically formed mercury species, particularly where mobilized in spring waters that mix with surface- or ground-waters. Furthermore, in the context of thermophilic origins for microbial mercury volatilisation, this report yields new insights into how such processes may have evolved alongside microbial mercury methylation/demethylation, and the environmental constraints imposed by the geochemistry and mineralogy of geothermal systems.

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