1
|
Mayes RT, VanCleve SM, Kehn JS, Delashmitt J, Langley JT, Lester BP, Du M, Felker LK, Delmau LH. Combination of DGA and LN Columns: A Versatile Option for Isotope Production and Purification at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/07366299.2020.1831244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard T. Mayes
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Shelley M. VanCleve
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jay S. Kehn
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jordan Delashmitt
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Josh T. Langley
- Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Brian P. Lester
- Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Miting Du
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - L. Kevin Felker
- National Isotope Development Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Lætitia H. Delmau
- Isotope & Fuel Cycle Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Miller CL, Watson DB, Lester BP, Howe JY, Phillips DH, He F, Liang L, Pierce EM. Formation of Soluble Mercury Oxide Coatings: Transformation of Elemental Mercury in Soils. Environ Sci Technol 2015; 49:12105-12111. [PMID: 26389816 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The impact of mercury (Hg) on human and ecological health has been known for decades. Although a treaty signed in 2013 by 147 nations regulates future large-scale mercury emissions, legacy Hg contamination exists worldwide and small-scale releases will continue. The fate of elemental mercury, Hg(0), lost to the subsurface and its potential chemical transformation that can lead to changes in speciation and mobility are poorly understood. Here, we show that Hg(0) beads interact with soil or manganese oxide solids and X-ray spectroscopic analysis indicates that the soluble mercury coatings are HgO. Dissolution studies show that, after reacting with a composite soil, >20 times more Hg is released into water from the coated beads than from a pure liquid mercury bead. An even larger, >700 times, release occurs from coated Hg(0) beads that have been reacted with manganese oxide, suggesting that manganese oxides are involved in the transformation of the Hg(0) beads and creation of the soluble mercury coatings. Although the coatings may inhibit Hg(0) evaporation, the high solubility of the coatings can enhance Hg(II) migration away from the Hg(0)-spill site and result in potential changes in mercury speciation in the soil and increased mercury mobility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carrie L Miller
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Troy University , Troy, Alabama 36082, United States
| | - David B Watson
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Brian P Lester
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Jane Y Howe
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- Hitachi High Technologies Canada, Incorporated , Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A4, Canada
| | | | - Feng He
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
- College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology , Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, People's Republic of China
| | - Liyuan Liang
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Eric M Pierce
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Miller CL, Watson DB, Lester BP, Lowe KA, Pierce EM, Liang L. Characterization of soils from an industrial complex contaminated with elemental mercury. Environ Res 2013; 125:20-9. [PMID: 23809204 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2013.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2012] [Revised: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Historical use of liquid elemental mercury (Hg(0)l) at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN, USA, resulted in large deposits of Hg(0)l in the soils. The fate and distribution of the spilled Hg(0) are not well characterized. In this study we evaluated analytical tools for characterizing the speciation of Hg in the contaminated soils and then used the analytical techniques to examine the speciation of Hg in two soil cores collected at the site. These include x-ray fluorescence (XRF), soil Hg(0) headspace analysis, and total Hg determination by acid digestion coupled with cold vapor atomic absorption (HgT). XRF was not found to be suitable for evaluating Hg concentrations in heterogeneous soils containing low concentration of Hg or Hg(0) because Hg concentrations determined using this method were lower than those determined by HgT analysis and the XRF detection limit is 20 mg/kg. Hg(0)g headspace analysis coupled with HgT measurements yielded good results for examining the presence of Hg(0)l in soils and the speciation of Hg. The two soil cores are highly heterogeneous in both the depth and extent of Hg contamination, with Hg concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 8400mg/kg. In the first core, Hg(0)l was distributed throughout the 3.2m depth, whereas the second core, from a location 12m away, contained Hg(0)l in a 0.3m zone only. Sequential extractions showed organically associated Hg dominant at depths with low Hg concentration. Soil from the zone of groundwater saturation showed reducing conditions and the Hg is likely present as Hg-sulfide species. At this depth, lateral Hg transport in the groundwater may be a source of Hg detected in the soil at the deeper soil depths. Overall, characterization of soils containing Hg(0)l is difficult because of the heterogeneous distribution of Hg within the soils. This is exacerbated in industrial facilities where fill materials make up much of the soils and historical and continued reworking of the subsurface has remobilized the Hg.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carrie L Miller
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|