Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The sorption of mercury species by clay minerals

  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The amount of Hg sorbed by kaolinite and illite, in the absence of ligands, changes little with pH; with montmorillonite, Hg uptake decreases with increasing pH.

An overall decrease in the amounts sorbed by these clays occurs in solutions which contain ligands such as cyanide (2:1); acetate (5:1); and nitrilotriacetate (6:5). [Values in parentheses are mole ratio of ligand: Hg.]

In the presence of chloride (2:1), the order for the uptake of Hg by the three clays is illite > montmorillonite > kaolin.

The addition of thiourea (2:1) results in total precipitation of mercury at pH > 4; in the presence of sulfate or phosphate (> 1:1) Hg is lost from solution by precipitation/sorption at pH 4 but the amount decreases to near zero at pH > 8.

Solution processes (i.e. complex formation, precipitation) appear to have a dominating influence on mercury distribution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Farrah, H. and Pickering, W. F.: 1976a, Aust. J. Chem. 29, 1167 and 1177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrah, H. and Pickering, W. F.: 1976b, Aust. J. Chem. 29, 1649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrah, H. and Pickering, W. F.: 1977, Water; Air and Soil Pollution 8, 189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jernelov, A.: 1969, Nord. Hyg. Tidskr. 50, 174 (C.A. 71:105003).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jernelov, A.: 1972, in The Changing Chemistry of the Oceans, (eds. Dyrssen, D. and Jagner, D.), Wiley, New York, p. 161 et seq.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacNaughton, M. G. and James, R. O.: 1974, J. of Colloid & Interface Science 47, 431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton, D. W., Ellis, R. Jr, and Paulsen, G. M.: 1976, J. Environ. Qual. 5, 251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Posner, A. M. and Quirk, J. P.: 1964, Proc. Roy. Soc. A278, 35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reimers, R. S. and Krenkel, P. A.: 1974, Water Pollut. Contr. Fed. 46, 352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sillen, L. G. and Martell, A. E.: 1964, ‘Stability Constants of Metal-Ion Complexes’, Special Publications Nos. 17 and 25, The Chemical Society, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, S. M., Siegel, B. Z., Puerner, N., Speitel, T., and Thorarinsson, F.: 1975, Water, Air and Soil Pollution 4, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tonomura, K., Furukawa, K., and Yamada, M.: 1972, Ferment. Technol. Today 563.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, University of Newcastle, 2308, N.S.W., Australia

    Helen Farrah & William F. Pickering

Authors
  1. Helen Farrah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William F. Pickering
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Farrah, H., Pickering, W.F. The sorption of mercury species by clay minerals. Water Air Soil Pollut 9, 23–31 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185744

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185744

Keywords

Search

Navigation