Exchange of mercury between atmosphere and vegetation under contaminated conditions

Abstract

Adsorption and desorption of mercury was studied under laboratory conditions using moss (Sphagnum girgensohnii) and Rye grass (Lolium perenne) at different temperatures. Desorption was also studied in a transplantation experiment. The adsorption was rapid and strong for both plant species at different temperatures (q10 to q60 8C) and exposure times (1 h, 1 month) while the evaporation was negligible. Also the leaching of adsorbed mercury was of minor importance. The results emphasise the importance of vegetation in removal of mercury from the atmosphere. They also confirm the suitability of moss and grass for biomonitoring purposes. The high retention of mercury in moss even at q60 8C indicates the possibility of using higher temperatures in pretreatment of samples for mercury analyses. ᮊ

Mercury accumulation in soils and plants in the Almadén mining district, Spain: one of the most contaminated sites on Earth

“…We propose that factors other than that of soil contents may be playing an active role in the Hg cycle at Almadé n, such as extremely high concentrations of Hg atmos . It is known that plants do absorb Hg atmos via leaves (Patra & Sharma, 2000;Lodenius, Tulisalo, & Soltanpour-Gargari, 2003); however, do all plants have the same capacity for Hg atmos intake? Plant species do display contrasting behaviors: for example, Hg atmos intake by leaves of gramineous species such as Avena byzantina C Koch, Hordeum vulgare L. and Triticum aestivum L. is fivefold larger than that of corn (Zea mays L.) or sorghum (Sorghum sp.).…”

The Bioaccumulation and Migration of Inorganic Mercury and Methylmercury in the Rice Plants

“…MeHg in soil was first absorbed by roots and then translocated to the above-ground parts (leaves and stalk, [9]). However, IHg accumulated in rice plants could mainly come from the atmosphere through leaf uptake, but not from soil [10][11], because the root surface, acting as IHg barrier, could inhibit the translocation of IHg through the root system to the aboveground parts, but could not inhibit MeHg transfer [12]. Meanwhile, recently rice leaves and stalk burial is being encouraged all over the world as an economical and environmentally friendly method to get rid of rice residuals.…”

Biomonitoring of air borne metal pollution

“…Both Rye grass (Lolium perenne) and moss (Sphagnum girgensohnii) have been shown to efficiently absorb atmospheric mercury at different temperatures. The sorption is strong with almost no losses even at high temperatures (up to +60°C) [15].…”

“…Terrestrial mosses have been used for monitoring metal emissions from road traffic [14] and industries [15,16]. Fernández et al [17] proposed a method using terrestrial mosses (Pseudoscleropodium purum) where it is possible to get a good picture of the metal distribution based on a limited number of samples.…”