Uncovering geochemical fractionation of the newly deposited Hg in paddy soil using a stable isotope tracer

Determination of (Bio)-available mercury in soils: A review

Abstract. It has been reported that most mercury (Hg) in USA soils is from atmospheric Hg deposition, mostly from anthropogenic sources. This paper compares the rates of atmospheric Hg deposition to amounts of Hg in Illinois and USA soils. The amounts of Hg in these soils are too great to be attributed mainly to anthropogenic atmospheric Hg deposition. Keywords: mercury, atmospheric deposition, soil, geology, Illinois, USA

Effects of fulvic acid and humic acid from different sources on Hg methylation in soil and accumulation in rice

Distribution and geochemical speciation of soil mercury in Wanshan Hg mine: Effects of cultivation

Thiosulfate addition increases the solubility of mercury (Hg) in soil and Hg uptake by plants under oxic conditions. However, anoxic conditions could dominate the biogeochemical processes of Hg cycling during rice cultivation. The present study aimed to determine whether thiosulfate, a sulfur-containing fertilizer, could be used for Hg immobilization in paddy soil. A pot experiment was conducted using soil newly spiked with Hg and different doses of thiosulfate. Total Hg concentrations in rice tissues, Hg speciation in roots, and geochemical fraction of Hg in soils were investigated. Hydroponic cultivation was conducted to determine the subcellular distribution of Hg in root tissues. Thiosulfate application significantly reduced Hg concentration in rice plants. It increased the percentage of organic-bound Hg, but decreased the percentage of iron/manganese oxide-bound Hg. Thiosulfate enhanced iron plaque formation and Hg adsorption on the iron plaque. Its application increased the percentage of Hg forms similar to HgS and decreased those similar to Hg-glutathione [Hg(GS)2]. Thiosulfate amendments had a remarkable inhibitory effect on Hg accumulation in rice plants in newly Hg-spiked soil. This occurred because thiosulfate reduced Hg mobility in the rhizosphere and root tissues, promoted the formation of iron plaque, and facilitated more Hg adsorption by the iron plaque. Our findings suggest that appropriate thiosulfate treatment could be used as Hg-immobilizing agents in paddy soil.

<p>Mercury (Hg) is a metal potentially dangerous that can accumulate in soils, move to plants and cause significant ecotoxicological risks. The province of Valencia is the third in Spain and has a great agricultural, industrial and tourist vocation; it has an area of 10,763 km<sup>2</sup>, of which it devotes 272,978 ha to cultivation, most of which are irrigated soils. To the south of the city of Valencia, is the Albufera Natural Park (ZEPA area and Ramsar wetland) with 14,806 ha dedicated to rice cultivation. Pollution and burning of rice straw in rice paddies are serious problems. Therefore, the concentration of Hg in agricultural soils in the province of Valencia according to use, with an emphasis on rice paddy soils, and spatial distribution were determined; and the effects of rice straw burning on Hg accumulation on rice paddy soils was assessed. Systematic sampling was carried out throughout the agricultural area at an intensity of a grid of 8 x 8 km, in which samples composed of soil between 0 and 20 cm were collected in a total of 98 plots; and a simple random sampling in the case of rice paddies in 35 sites, distinguishing between plots where the incineration of rice straw was carried out and where it was not. The concentration of Hg was determined with a direct DMA-80 Milestone analyzer in the previously pulverized sample. The detection limit was 1.0 g kg<sup>-1</sup>, the recovery was 95.1% to 101.0% ± 4.0%. The analyses were performed in triplicate. A basic descriptive statistic (means, medians, deviations, and ANOVA) was performed. Samples were grouped according to land use. For geostatistic analysis and in order to obtain the map of the spatial distribution of the concentration of Hg in soils, the classical geostatistic technique was used by ordinary kriging. The concentration of Hg in the soils of the province of Valencia showed great variability. The soils of the rice paddies together with those dedicated to the cultivation of citrus and horticultural of the coastal plain, showed the highest levels of Hg, in contrast to the soils of the interior areas dedicated to dry crops (vineyards, olive, almond and fodder). Spatial analysis reflected a concentration gradient from west to east, suggesting that the Hg in the soils of the interior has a geochemical origin, while in the coast soils it is of anthropic origin. On the other hand, it was observed that the burning of rice straw increased the Hg concentration in rice paddy soils. This research is the first information on the distribution of Hg in the soils of the province of Valencia and a contribution that can help weigh the effects of open burning of rice straw on Valencian rice paddies.</p>

Introduction: During the past four decades, mercury (Hg) research focused on fish consumption has explained less than 22% of Hg in human blood. One overlooked exposure pathway for infants and young children is the concentration of Hg in soils. Although 75% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas near industrial facilities, minimal data exist regarding the concentration and speciation of Hg in residential soils. Chronic exposure through ingestion of low concentrations of Hg in soils may explain a portion of the blood Hg levels noted in infants. Methods: Three relatively unexposed residential sites in a suburban community were selected. The primary route of contamination was atmospheric deposition. Soils were digested in a nitric acid-hydrofluoric acid solution and analyzed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Measured concentrations of total Hg in local suburban soil samples were compared to levels measured in a national study of 27 remote and rural sites. The Al-Shahristani pharmacokinetic model, developed after the 1971 Iraqi Methyl Hg poisoning incident, was used to calculate the blood Hg concentration in a hypothetical year-old infant. Results: Soil samples contained Hg concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.24 ppmw. The distribution of Hg in the soil samples was non-linear and non-normal. The mean soil Hg concentrations at the three locations were 0.08, 0.05 and 0.08 ppm. Calculated blood Hg concentrations for a 10 kg, year-old infant due to ingestion of soil (200 mg/day) containing 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 ppm Hg were 0.08, 0.17 and 0.26 μg/L, respectively. Conclusions: The pilot study data appear to support the hypothesis that chronic, low-level soil ingestion may be a significant source of Hg for infants. Further study is warranted.

Tree species affects the concentration of total mercury (Hg) in forest soils: Evidence from a forest soil inventory in Poland

Soil is the largest Hg reservoir globally. Data of Hg concentration in surface soil are fundamental to understanding environmental Hg cycling. However, present knowledge on the quantity and global distribution of Hg in soil remains deficient. Using stable Hg isotopic analyses and geospatial data, the concentration and global spatial distribution of Hg in surface soil of 0-20 cm depth have been developed. It is estimated that 1088 ± 379 Gg of Hg is stored in surface soil globally. Thirty-two percent of the surface Hg storage resides in tropical/subtropical forest regions, 23% in temperate/boreal forest regions, 28% in grassland and steppe and shrubland, 7% in tundra, and 10% in desert and xeric shrubland. Evidence from Hg isotopic signatures points to atmospheric Hg0 dry deposition through vegetation uptake as the primary source of Hg in surface soil. Given the influence of changing climate on vegetative development, global climate change can act as an important forcing factor for shaping spatial distribution of Hg in surface soil. This active forcing cycle significantly dilutes the impacts caused by Hg release from anthropogenic sources, and needs to be considered in assessing the effectiveness of reducing Hg use and emissions as specified in Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Binding and mobility of mercury in soils contaminated by emissions from chlor-alkali plants.

Terrestrial soil is a large reservoir of atmospherically deposited mercury (Hg). However, few studies have evaluated the accumulation of Hg in terrestrial ecosystems in the northeastern United States, a region which is sensitive to atmospheric Hg deposition. We characterized Hg and organic matter in soil profiles from 139 sampling sites for five subregions across the northeastern United States and estimated atmospheric Hg deposition to these sites by combining numerical modeling with experimental data from the literature. We did not observe any significant relationships between current net atmospheric Hg deposition and soil Hg concentrations or pools, even though soils are a net sink for Hg inputs. Soil Hg appears to be preserved relative to organic carbon (OC) and/or nitrogen (N) in the soil matrix, as a significant negative relationship was observed between the ratios of Hg/OC and OC/N (r = 0.54, P < 0.0001) that shapes the horizonal distribution patterns. We estimated that atmospheric Hg deposition since 1850 (3.97 mg/m2) accounts for 102% of the Hg pool in the organic horizons (3.88 mg/m2) and 19% of the total soil Hg pool (21.32 mg/m2), except for the southern New England (SNE) subregion. The mean residence time for soil Hg was estimated to be 1800 years, except SNE which was 800 years. These patterns suggest that in addition to atmospheric deposition, the accumulation of soil Hg is linked to the mineral diagenetic and soil development processes in the region.

Mercury (Hg) has received considerable attention because of its association with various human health problems. Adsorption-desorption behavior of Hg at contaminated levels in two paddy soils was investigated. The two representative soils for rice production in China, locally referred to as a yellowish red soil (YRS) and silty loam soil (SLS) and classified as Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosols in FAO/UNESCO nomenclature, were respectively collected from Jiaxin County and Xiasha District of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The YRS adsorbed more Hg(2+) than the SLS. The characteristics of Hg adsorption could be described by the simple Langmuir adsorption equation (r2 = 0.999 and 0.999, P < 0.01, respectively, for the SLS and YRS). The maximum adsorption values (Xm) that were obtained from the simple Langmuir model were 111 and 213 mg Hg(2+) kg(-1) soil, respectively, for the SLS and YRS. Adsorption of Hg(2+) decreased soil pH by 0.75 unit for the SLS soil and 0.91 unit for the YRS soil at the highest loading. The distribution coefficient (kd) of Hg in the soil decreased exponentially with increasing Hg(2+) loading. After five successive desorptions with 0.01 mol L(-1) KCl solution (pH 5.4), 0 to 24.4% of the total adsorbed Hg(2+) in the SLS soil was desorbed and the corresponding value of the YRS soil was 0 to 14.4%, indicating that the SLS soil had a lower affinity for Hg(2+) than the YRS soil at the same Hg(2+) loading. Different mechanisms are likely involved in Hg(2+) adsorption-desorption at different levels of Hg(2+) loading and between the two soils.

Quantifying the impacts of coal mining activities on topsoil using Hg stable isotope: A case study of Guqiao mining area, Huainan City

Thermal treatment of mercury (Hg)-contaminated soil was studied to investigate the desorption behavior of Hg at different temperatures. The soil samples were collected from two locations with different land uses around the mine and industrial site. The effect of soil properties such as inorganic carbonate minerals and organic matter content on Hg desorption was investigated to understand the thermal desorption process. The effect of soil composition on Hg desorption showed that behavior at 100 °C was similar, but a different behavior could be found at 300 °C. The thermal desorption efficiency at 300 °C is affected by the thermal properties of soils and the Hg desorption capacity of the soils. The Hg from both soil types was removed above 300 °C, and Hg was effectively removed from mine soil due to the partial decomposition of carbonate in the soil composition, while industrial soil showed that desorption would be restrained by Hg organic matter complexes due to organic matter content. Despite a relatively higher concentration of Hg in the mine soil, Hg removal efficiency was greater than that in the industrial soil. Sequential extraction results showed that only the Hg fractions (residual fractions, step 6) in mine soil changed, while the industrial soil was affected by changes in Hg fractions (step 3 to step 6) at 300 °C. Changes in soil pH during thermal desorption are also influenced by heating time and temperature. Therefore, the mechanisms of Hg desorption during thermal treatment were observed by soil properties. The volatilization of Hg in the soil is induced by organic carbon, while soil Hg release is controlled by organic matter complexes.

Distribution of mercury in foliage, litter and soil profiles in forests of the Qinling Mountains, China