Issue 3, 2023

The present and potential future of aqueous mercury preservation: a review

Abstract

Mercury is considered to be one of the most toxic elements to humans. Due to pollution from industry and artisanal gold mining, mercury species are present globally in waters used for agriculture, aquaculture, and drinking water. This review summarises methods reported for preserving mercury species in water samples and highlights the associated hazards and issues with each. This includes the handling of acids in an uncontrolled environment, breakage of sample containers, and the collection and transport of sample volumes in excess of 1 L, all of which pose difficulties for both in situ collection and transportation. Literature related to aqueous mercury preservation from 2000–2021 was reviewed, as well as any commonly cited and relevant references. Amongst others, solid-phase extraction techniques were explored for preservation and preconcentration of total and speciated mercury in water samples. Additionally, the potential as a safe, in situ preservation and storage method for mercury species were summarised. The review highlighted that the stability of mercury is increased when adsorbed on a solid-phase and therefore the metal and its species can be preserved without the need for hazardous reagents or materials in the field. The mercury species can then be eluted upon return to a laboratory, where sensitive analytical detection and speciation methods can be better applied. Developments in solid phase extraction as a preservation method for unstable metals such as mercury will improve the quality of representative environmental data, and further improve toxicology and environmental monitoring studies.

Graphical abstract: The present and potential future of aqueous mercury preservation: a review

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
10 10月 2022
Accepted
19 1月 2023
First published
26 1月 2023

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023,25, 351-363

The present and potential future of aqueous mercury preservation: a review

D. C. P. King, M. J. Watts, E. M. Hamilton, R. Mortimer, D. P. A. Kilgour and M. Di Bonito, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023, 25, 351 DOI: 10.1039/D2EM00409G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements