Biotransformation fate and sustainable mitigation of a potentially toxic element of mercury from environmental matrices (original) (raw)
Related papers
Recent developments in environmental mercury bioremediation and its toxicity: A review
Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, 2020
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Mercury biotransformations and their potential for remediation of mercury contamination
Biodegradation, 1992
Bacterially mediated ionic mercury reduction to volatile Hg ° was shown to play an important role in the geochemical cycling of mercury in a contaminated freshwater pond. This process, and the degradation of methylmercury, could be stimulated to reduce the concentration of methylmercury that is available for accumulation by biota. A study testing the utility of this approach is described.
Sustainability
Owing to various industrial applications of mercury (Hg), its release into the environment at high concentration is becoming a great threat to living organisms on a global scale. Human exposure to Hg is greatly correlated with contamination in the food chain through cereal crops and sea foods. Since Hg is a non-essential component and does not possess a biological role and exhibits carcinogenic and genotoxic behaviour, biomonitoring with a focus on biomagnification of higher living animals and plants is the need of the hour. This review traces the plausible relationship between Hg concentration, chemical form, exposure, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, distribution, and ecotoxicology. The toxicity with molecular mechanisms, oxidative stress (OS), protein alteration, genomic change, and enzymatic disruptions are discussed. In addition, this review also elaborates advanced strategies for reducing Hg contamination such as algal and phytoremediation, biochar application, catalytical ox...
Bioremediation of mercury: not properly exploited in contaminated soils!
Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 2017
Contamination of land and water caused by heavy metal mercury (Hg) poses a serious threat to biota worldwide. The seriousness of toxicity of this neurotoxin is characterized by its ability to augment in food chains and bind to thiol groups in living tissue. Therefore, different remediation approaches have been implemented to rehabilitate Hg-contaminated sites. Bioremediation is considered as cheaper and greener technology than the conventional physico-chemical means. Large-scale use of Hg-volatilizing bacteria are used to clean up Hg-contaminated waters, but there is no such approach to remediate Hg-contaminated soils. This review focuses on recent uses of Hg-resistant bacteria in bioremediation of mercury-contaminated sites, limitation and advantages of this approach, and identifies the gaps in existing research.
Mercury and Its Associated Impacts on Environment and Human Health: A Review
2018
Mercury is one of the most toxic elements and a threat to wildlife because it accumulates and magnifies to unsafe levels in aquatic food chains (Munthe et al., 2007). It is rapidly transformed by microorganisms into organic compounds that tend to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in animals (Ronchetti et al., 2006). All mercury species are toxic, with organic mercury compounds generally being more toxic than inorganic species. Because of its high bioaccumulation, mercury concentrations escalate up the food chain and for example, predatory fish can have up to 106 times higher mercury concentrations than the ambient water (Joint FAO/WHO, 2006). The organic form of mercury is most toxic as it passes the blood-brain barrier owing to its lipid solubility. So the primary route of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) for humans is consumption of fish (Habiba et al., 2017). Since the beginning of the industry, anthropogenic activities like increased mining, high rate of fossil-fuel burning, wide spr...
Assessment of the pollution potential of mercury contaminated biosolids
Environmental Chemistry, 2010
Environmental context. The re-use of biosolids (sewage sludge) is becoming increasingly popular especially for land applications as soil improvers, fertilisers and composts. However, some biosolids are contaminated with toxic heavy metals and mercury is arguably of the highest environmental and public health concern. Studies on mobility, availability and emissions of mercury from biosolids were carried out to assess the biosolids potential for contamination of the environment and to evaluate applicable techniques for a future remediation.
Detoxification of mercury in the environment
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2005
In this study, a ''green chemistry'' approach was developed as an option for remediation of toxic mercury in the environment. Twenty mercury compounds were treated with an environmentally friendly agent cyclodextrin to produce stable non-toxic mercury in soil and water. The binding efficiency was determined using high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. The stability of the cyclodextrin mercury complexes toward environmental microorganisms in water was estimated under OECD guidelines using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The toxicity of the cyclodextrin mercury compounds to terrestrial organisms was investigated by use of internationally recognized toxicity methods using mercuric acetate as a model contaminant. Key process conditions, for example pH, temperature, and amount of detoxifying agent were investigated and found to have significant effects on the toxicity of mercury. It was found that organic and inorganic mercury pollutants could be mineralized in the environment with cyclodextrins. The bound mercury compounds resisted biodegradation and were found to be non-toxic to environmental microorganisms under laboratory conditions.