Elemental sulfur amendment enhance methylmercury accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in Hg mining polluted soil

Yunyun Li; Yongjie Wang; Qijia Zhang; Wenjun Hu; Jiating Zhao; Yanhui Chen; Huan Zhong; Guo Wang; Zhiyong Zhang; Yuxi Gao

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.05.094

Elemental sulfur amendment enhance methylmercury accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in Hg mining polluted soil

J Hazard Mater. 2019 Nov 5:379:120701. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.05.094. Epub 2019 May 29.

Authors

Yunyun Li¹, Yongjie Wang², Qijia Zhang³, Wenjun Hu³, Jiating Zhao⁴, Yanhui Chen⁵, Huan Zhong⁶, Guo Wang³, Zhiyong Zhang⁴, Yuxi Gao⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China; CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, and HKU-IHEP Joint Laboratory on Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
³ College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, and HKU-IHEP Joint Laboratory on Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁵ College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China. Electronic address: 382072058@qq.com.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
⁷ CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, and HKU-IHEP Joint Laboratory on Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: gaoyx@ihep.ac.cn.

PMID: 31299630
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.05.094

Abstract

The influence of elemental sulfur (S(0)) amendment on methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice and the chemical form of Hg in the rhizosphere were investigated under waterlogged conditions in Hg-contaminated soil (the majority of the Hg (˜70%) in forms similar to HgS). Different levels of S(0) addition increased the MeHg accumulation in rice. After a sequential extraction analysis of the chemical forms of Hg in the rhizosphere, the results showed that S(0) addition increased the organic bound Hg and decreased the residual Hg in the soils. An Hg L_III XANES further showed that S(0) addition increased the proportion of Hg in the form of RS-Hg-SR and decreased the proportion of Hg in the form of HgS, indicating that S(0) input may reactivate the non-bioavailable Hg in the rhizosphere and improve the net Hg methylation. These findings suggest that the application of S fertilizers to Hg-contaminated paddy soils may increase the MeHg concentration in the edible parts of crops, which may lead to more potential health problems in humans depending on the crop type. However, our study also suggests that S(0) addition could be an effective measure for mobilizing the insoluble Hg and accelerating the phytoremediation process in Hg-contaminated paddy soils.

Keywords: Elemental sulfur; HgS; Methylmercury; Paddy soil; Rice.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bioaccumulation*
Biomass
China
Edible Grain / growth & development
Edible Grain / metabolism
Fertilizers*
Methylmercury Compounds / analysis*
Methylmercury Compounds / metabolism
Mining*
Oryza / growth & development
Oryza / metabolism*
Rhizosphere
Soil / chemistry
Soil Pollutants / analysis*
Soil Pollutants / metabolism
Sulfur / chemistry*

Substances

Fertilizers
Methylmercury Compounds
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Sulfur