Degradation of methylmercury into Hg(0) by the oxidation of iron(II) minerals

Mercury contamination is a global concern, and the degradation and detoxification of methylmercury have gained significant attention due to its neurotoxicity and biomagnification within the food chain. However, the currently known pathways of abiotic demethylation are limited to light-induced photodegradation process and little is known about light-independent abiotic demethylation of methylmercury. In this study, we reported a novel abiotic pathway for the degradation of methylmercury through the oxidation of both mineral structural iron(II) and surface-adsorbed iron(II) in the absence of light. Our findings reveal that methylmercury can be oxidatively degraded by reactive oxygen species, specifically hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, which are generated from the oxidation of iron(II) minerals under dark conditions. Surprisingly, Hg(0) trapping experiments demonstrated that inorganic Hg(II) resulting from the oxidative degradation of methylmercury was rapidly reduced to gaseous Hg(0) by iron(II) minerals. The demethylation of methylmercury, coupled with the generation of Hg(0), suggests a potential natural attenuation process for methylmercury. Our results highlight the underappreciated roles of iron(II) minerals in the abiotic degradation of methylmercury and the release of gaseous Hg(0) into the atmosphere.

Shale weathering profiles show Hg sequestration along a New York-Tennessee transect

Shale-derived soils have higher clay, organic matter, and secondary Fe oxide content than other bedrock types, all of which can sequester Hg. However, shales also can be Hg-rich due to their marine formation. The objectives of this study were to determine the concentration and phase partitioning of Hg in seven upland weathering profiles from New York to Tennessee USA and use geochemical normalization techniques to estimate the extent of Hg inheritance from weathering of shale bedrock or sequestration of atmospheric Hg. Total Hg concentrations in unweathered shale ranged from 3 to 94 ng/g. Total Hg concentrations decreased with depth in the Ultisols and Alfisols, with total Hg concentrations ranging from 18 to 265 ng/g. Across all shale soils and rocks, the oxidizable fraction of Hg (15% H₂O₂ extraction) comprised a large portion of the total Hg at 68% ± 8%. This fraction was dominated by organic matter as confirmed with positive correlations between Hg and %LOI, but could also be impacted by Hg sulfides. Across all sites, the reducible fraction of Hg (citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite extraction) was only 10% ± 4% of the total Hg on average. Thus, secondary Fe oxides did not contain a significant portion of Hg, as commonly observed in tropical soils. Although colder sites had a higher organic matter and sequestered more Hg, τ values for Hg indexed to Ti suggest that atmospheric deposition, such as pollution sources in Ohio River Valley, drove the highest enrichment of Hg along the transect. These results demonstrate that shale-derived soils have a net accumulation and retention of atmospheric Hg, primarily through stabilization by organic matter.

Characteristics of mercury cycling in the cement production process

The mercury cycling caused by dust shuttling significantly increases the atmospheric emissions from cement production. A comprehensive understanding of this mercury cycling can promote the development of mercury emission control technologies. In this study, the characteristics of mercury cycling in the cement production process were first investigated. Furthermore, the mercury enrichment and effects of dust treatment were evaluated based on the field tests conducted in two Chinese cement plants. The mercury cycling between the kiln system and the raw mill system was the most important aspect and contributed 57-73% to the total amount of mercury emitted from the kiln system. Mercury emitted from the kiln system with flue gas was enriched as high as 3.4-8.8 times in the two tested plants compared to the amount of mercury in the raw materials and coal due to mercury cycling. The mercury enrichment can be significantly affected by the proportion of mercury cycled back to the kiln system. The effects of dust treatment were evaluated, and dust treatment can efficiently reduce approximately 31-70% of atmospheric mercury emissions in the two plants. The reduction proportion approximately linearly decreased with the proportion of mercury removed from the collected dust.

Diurnal characteristics of migration and transformation of mercury and effects of nitrate in Jialing River, Chongqing, China

Laboratory incubation experiments were performed to identify diurnal characteristics of migration and transformation of mercury (Hg) and effects of nitrate (NO3(-), a hydroxyl radical donor by photolysis) in Jialing River, Chongqing, China. It is found that there are strong diurnal signals of [monomethylmercury (MMHg)] and [reactive Hg (RHg)] in sediment, pore water and overlying water, which suggest that solar radiation may be an important variable that involved in aquatic Hg cycling. Photo-degradation (PD) of MMHg plays a key role in Hg cycling in water systems, and the rates are measured to be 38.22% in March, 2012. The presence of NO3(-) has a marked effect on MMHg PD under solar radiation, and affects inorganic species reducting to Hg(0), resulting in more Hg species available for methylation. So NO3(-) is an important factor for Hg cycling in water systems. Diffusive flux of MMHg, RHg and dissolved Hg (DHg) are 1.92-2.34, 3.43-3.64 and 3.04-5.71 ng m(-2) d(-1) at daytime, and 6.04-6.92, 3.22-3.25 and 7.79-8.37 ng m(-2) d(-1) at nighttime, respectively, implying that sediment is a major Hg source for shallow-water area in Jialing River at springtime. These results show great importance for understanding Hg biogeochemical processes in clear, oligotrophic, shallow, sluggish, and agriculturally-impacted waters.