Mercury Speciation in Natural and Mining-Related Systems

Mercury speciation and the composition of mercury phases in natural and mining-related environments is studied by the thermal release analysis combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy (TA-ET-AAS), as well as scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS). The analyses are applied to laboratory-made samples bearing mercury selenide and to field samples from sites known for relatively high natural or industrially induced Hg background. They are, namely, material from the dispersion train of the Ursk sulfide tailings (Ursk Village, Kemerovo region) and debris precipitated from snow sampled in the Kurai mercury zone (Aktash Village, Gorny Altai). The TA-ET-AAS method works well in discrimination and identification of Hg sulfide and Hg selenide provided that the samples contain sufficient amounts of both compounds, but the sum HgS + HgSe can be determined at any contents of the two compounds. The presence of both mercury sulfide and mercury selenide in the samples has been confirmed by SEM-EDS microanalysis. The temperature ranges for the mercury species (Hg2+; HgS+HgSe mixture; mercury bound with organic matter (Hg-OM), including CH3Hg+) are identical in the laboratory and field samples. Therefore, the suggested approach can ensure fast and reliable detection of Hg phases in rocks exposed to supergene alteration