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Particle-specific properties, including size and chemical speciation, affect the reactivity of mercury (Hg) in natural systems (e.g., dissolution or methylation). Here, terrestrial, river, and marine sediments were size-fractionated and characterized to correlate particle-specific properties of Hg-bearing solids with their bioavailability potential and measured biomethylation. Marine sediments contained ∼20-50% of the total Hg in the <0.5 μm size fraction, compared to only 0.5 and 3.0% in this size fraction for terrestrial and river sediments, respectively. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis indicated that metacinnabar (β-HgS) was the main mercury species in a marine sediment, whereas organic Hg-thiol (Hg(SR) 2 ) was the main mercury species in a terrestrial sediment. Single-particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of the marine sediment suggests that half of the Hg in the <0.5 μm size fraction existed as individual nanoparticles, which were β-HgS based on XAS analyses. Glutathione-extractable mercury was higher for samples containing Hg(SR) 2 species than β-HgS species and correlated well with the amount of Hg biomethylation. This particle-scale understanding of how Hg speciation and particle size affect mercury bioavailability potential helps explain the heterogeneity in Hg methylation in natural sediments.

Arsenic being a naturally-occurring groundwater contaminant is subject to stringent water quality regulations. Coagulation and adsorption are widely used methods to treat arsenic-contaminated water, however, these treatments have been reported to be less efficient for the removal of arsenite (As(III)) than arsenate (As(V)). In this study, the feasibility of in situ oxidation of As(III) during coagulation was investigated in two systems: Fe(II) or H2O2-assisted oxidative coagulation treatment using ferric chloride as the coagulant. This setup exploits the catalytic property of the fresh formed Fe(III) hydroxide colloids in coagulation suspension to mediate the production of reactive oxidants capable of As(III) oxidation. Fe(II)-assisted coagulation brought about small improvements in As(III) removal compared to treatment with Fe(III) coagulant alone, however, its arsenic removal efficiency is strongly dependent on pH (observed optimal pH = 7-9). Addition of H2O2 together with ferric chloride led to a significant enhancement in arsenic retention at pH 6-8, with final arsenic concentrations well below the U.S.EPA regulatory limit (10 μg/L). H2O2-assisted oxidative coagulation can attain reliable As(III) removal over a broad pH range of 4-9. Radical quenching experiments reveal the participation of superoxide radical in As(III) removal in the oxidative coagulation systems. Phosphate (at > 0.1 mM) strongly suppresses As(III) removal efficiency, whereas carbonate and humic acid pose a minor impact. Overall, the results suggest that a low dose addition of H2O2 along with ferric coagulant is a feasible method for the existing water treatment facilities to achieve improved As(III) removal efficiency., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)