Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Experimental Column Setup for Studying Anaerobic Biogeochemical Interactions Between Iron OxyHydroxides, Trace Elements, and Bacteria
Published on: December 19, 2017
Removal of trace mercury(II) from aqueous solution by in situ formed Mn-Fe (hydr)oxides
Xixin Lu1, Xiaoliu Huangfu1, Jun Ma1
1State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
Abstract:
The efficiency and mechanism of trace mercury (Hg(II)) removal by in situ formed manganese-ferric (hydr)oxides (in situ Mn-Fe) were investigated by reacting KMnO4 with Fe(II) in simulated solutions and natural water. In the simulated solutions, the impact of coagulant dosage, pH, and temperature on mercury removal was studied. Experimental results showed that in situ Mn-Fe more effectively removed mercury compared with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and iron(III) chloride (FeCl3), and that mercury existed in the form of uncharged species, namely Hg(OH)2, HgClOH(aq), and HgCl2(aq). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that in situ Mn-Fe contained hydroxyl groups as the surface active sites, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements revealed that MnO2 or MnOOH and FeOOH were the dominant species in the precipitates. XPS analysis indicated that an Hg-Mn-Fe mixture was formed in the precipitates, suggesting that mercury was removed from solutions via transfer from the liquid phase to solid phase. These results indicated that the primary mercury removal mechanisms in in situ Mn-Fe were surface complexation and flocculation-precipitation processes. Satisfactory removal efficiency of mercury was also observed following in situ Mn-Fe in natural waters.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Oxymercuration-Reduction of Alkenes
Extraction: Advanced Methods
Precipitation and Co-precipitation
Radical Oxidation of Allylic and Benzylic Alcohols
Washing, Drying, and Ignition of Precipitates
Microbial Leaching

