Abstract
Methylation of Hg2+ (Hg(NO3)2) in the presence of fulvic acid (FA) and various metal ions has been studied. The concentrations of Hg2+ and FA ranged from 5 to 20 mg L−1 and 171 to 285 mg L−1 DOC, respectively. The pH range was 3 to 6.5. FA was isolated from an acid brown-water lake by XAD-8 polymeric adsorbent. Methylmercury production in the dark during 2 to 4 days incubation at 30 °C increased with increasing concentrations of Hg2+ ion and FA as well as with additions of metal ions (5 to 10 × 10−5 mole L−1 The observed catalytic activity of metal ions followed the order Fe3+ (Fe2+) > Cu2+ ≈ Mn2+, > Al3+. The production of methylmercury had a pH-optimum around 4 to 4.5 at the conditions tested.
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Lee, YH., Hultberg, H. & Andersson, I. Catalytic effect of various metal ions on the methylation of mercury in the presence of humic substances. Water Air Soil Pollut 25, 391–400 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00283791
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00283791