Date of Award
Spring 6-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department/Program
Forensic Science
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Anthony Carpi
Second Reader
Marcel Roberts
Third Advisor
Erin Mann
Abstract
The water-induced emission of mercury from soil has been studied, but a complete understanding of the mechanisms driving mercury reduction and emission in soil has not been reached. The current understanding is an immediate expulsion of soil gaseous mercury upon water treatment and an upward transport of dissolved soil ionic mercury as the water evaporates. We analyzed emissions from several types of samples using various methods to further our understanding on the mechanisms involved. Light-induced emissions from aqueous samples of humic acid (HA) spiked with mercury (II) chloride (HgCl2) showed that at higher concentrations of HA, less mercury was emitted. Mercury emissions from a soil leachate sample was calculated to be 418.00pg compared to 1,294.45pg emitted from the water treatment of a control soil sample. Lastly, emissions from a frequently watered treatment soil sample reached a consistent amount of mercury emissions that did not increase upon additional water treatments. We believe these findings cannot be explained by published hypotheses. From these data we suspect there are additional factors, like bacterial activity, which could help give a comprehensive explanation to how mercury is reduced and emitted from soil.
Recommended Citation
Patel, Hamil, "Investigating the mechanisms driving mercury reduction and emissions in soil" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/228
Included in
Environmental Chemistry Commons, Forensic Science and Technology Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons