BACKGROUND: Regulatory controls to limit mercury emissions in waters have impacted on the development of membrane extraction-based methodologies for its separation. The specific advantages (effective carrier immobilization, easy preparation, versatility, and good mechanical properties) of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) make them suitable for this purpose. In this work a novel procedure using PIMs for mercury separation with a commercial available extractant (Cyanex 471X) is described and evaluated through the determination of the efficiency parameters (permeability, selectivity, stability) and membrane characterization.