Water Air & Soil Pollution

, Volume 56, Issue 1, pp 565–575 | Cite as

Mercury methylation by sulphate-reducing bacteria from sediments of an acid stressed lake

  • Alison Kerry
  • Pamela M. Welbourn
  • Betsy Prucha
  • Greg Mi
Article

Abstract

The role of freshwater sulphate-reducing bacteria in McHg production was examined by adding specific microbial inhibitors to anoxic lake sediments spiked with 203HgCl2 and measuring net methylation. The effect of increased sulphate (such as would arise from acid deposition in the area) on the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria both in terms of sulphate reduction rate and methylation of Hg was examined by adding sulphate to 203HgCl2 spiked sediments. Sodium molybdate (10 mM), a specific inhibitor for sulphate-reducing bacteria, reduced the amount of MeHg produced from anoxic lake sediments by 75% compared with controls over a 7 d period. In contrast, 2-bromoethane sulfonic acid (15 mM), a specific inhibitor for methanogenic bacteria, did not alter the amount of McHg produced. Additions of sulphate that were “realistic” in terms of the normal range of the area (5 to 30 mg.L−), increased the sulphate reduction rate of sediment slurries. However, in the experimental system, these additions did not stimulate McHg production. In our study, methylation of Hg in sediments was primarily due to the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria. However, the methylation rate does not appear to be sensitive to the concentration of sulphate over the range typical of softwater, Precambrian Shield lakes. This could be due to reduced availability of Hg due to the formation of insoluble HgS or to the fact that the overall activity of sulphate reducers not being stimulated even if sulphate reduction rate is, or both.

Keywords

Sulphate Reduction Methanogenic Bacterium Sodium Molybdate Sulphate Reduction Rate Mercury Methylation 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1991

Authors and Affiliations

  • Alison Kerry
    • 1
  • Pamela M. Welbourn
    • 2
  • Betsy Prucha
    • 3
  • Greg Mi
    • 3
  1. 1.BIOS Environmental ResearchTorontoCanada
  2. 2.Environmental CentreTrent UniversityPeterboroughCanada
  3. 3.Ontario Ministry of the EnvironmentDorset Research CentreDorsetCanada

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