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Updated: May 27, 2026

An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Effect of dissolved organic matter on mercury release from water body
Yutao Zhang1, Xi Chen, Yongkui Yang
1Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. zyt0516@126.com
Abstract:
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in the process of mercury release from water body. In this study, the influence of DOM from different sources (DOM(R), DOM(S) and DOM(H), extracted from rice straw, compost and humic soil respectively) on mercury reduction was investigated. The molecular weight distribution and chemical composition of DOM from each source were determined using ultrafiltration membrane technique and elemental analysis respectively. The result showed that mercury release from DOM-added samples was much lower than the control; the lowest mercury release flux was observed in the treatment of DOM(H), 25.02% of the control, followed by DOM(S) and DOM(R), 62.46% and 64.95% of the control, respectively. The higher saturation degree and lower molecular weight of DOM(H) was responsible for the highest inhibition degree on the mercury release. The link between DOM(H), concentration and mercury flux was also estimated and the result showed that mercury flux was increased with DOM(H) at lower concentration, while decreased with DOM(H) at higher concentration. Different mechanism dominated the influence of DOM on mercury release with variation of DOM concentration.
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