Le crassier du site MetalEurop (Noyelles-Godault) a accueilli des scories de première fusion entre les années 1936 à 2003. Il est actuellement constitué de 4 millions de tonnes de ces matériaux générés par les deux procédés pyrométallurgiques les plus usités dans le monde pour la production du plomb et du zinc : le procédé Lead Blast Furnace (LBF) et le procédé Impérial Smelting Furnace (ISF). L'utilisation de ces scories en tant que matériau de substitution dans les ciments et dans les routes a été envisagée et a fait l'objet de recherches, mais présente des risques environnementaux, c'est-à-dire, essentiellement la dissémination de polluants (Pb et Zn) / Primary smelting slags, known as Lead Blast Furnace (LBF) and Imperial Smelting Furnace (ISF), were generated by the former pyrometallurgical industries located in Noyelles-Godault, Northern France. Following its closure in 2003, 4 million tons of primary slags have been landfilled as a heap in the vicinity of the Deûle River, near the industrial basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. These slag materials are often enriched in particular metals (Pb, Zn) that can be released into the environment through alteration processes and leaching. Many biological and chemical processes might take place within these tailings and thus affect significantly the slag weathering. Predicting the environmental impact of these wastes requires an understanding of the mineral-water interactions as well as the influence of the biological activities (the involvement of microorganisms). Thus, this research is designed to simulate the natural weathering of slag by simulating different weathering conditions with or without the involvement of the microorganisms as well as by varying several chemical parameters. Chemical weathering of both LBF and ISF slags was studied by as a function of pHs (4, 5.5, 7, 8.5 and 10) as well as under two atmospheres (open air and nitrogen). Significant amounts of Ca, Fe and Zn were released under acidic conditions (pH 4) with a decrease towards the neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7 and 10) for both slags. The concentrations of all elements increased gradually after 216 h compared to initial 24 h of leaching period. The presence of oxygen under open-air atmosphere not only enhanced oxidative weathering but also encouraged formation of secondary oxide and carbonate phases. In addition, Zn dissolution was related to extremes zinc isotopic signatures in the leachate; heavier δ66Zn values at low pH than at high pH for both slags under open-air atmosphere. On the other hand, bioweathering of both slags was studied in the presence of a pure heterotrophic bacterial strain (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) in a bioreactor operated in batch conditon as well as in a semi-flow through reactor with intermittent leachate renewal conditions. P. aeruginosa is shown to play a significant role in slags weathering by enhancing the leaching and solubility of Zn and Pb. In addition, the cumulative bulk release of dissolved Fe, Si, Ca and Mg doubled in the presence of bacteria, probably due to the release of soluble complexing organic molecules (e.g. siderophores). Bacterial biomass served as the bioadsorbent for Pb, Fe and Zn as 70-80% of Pb and Fe, 40-60% of Zn released are attached to and immobilized by the bacterial biomass. Oxides, hydroxides and carbonates were predicted as secondary phases during chemical weathering of slags whereas carbonates and phosphates were dominant phases during bioweathering. These predictions were in agreement with the observations by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis

Le mercure est un métal présent naturellement dans l’environnement qui a la particularité, sous sa forme organique (le monométhylmercure; MMHg), de se bioaccumuler dans les organismes et de se bioamplifier le long des chaînes alimentaires. Depuis la prise de conscience de la toxicité du MMHg, les travaux se sont multipliés pour comprendre où et comment le MMHg est produit puis incorporé dans les réseaux trophiques marins. Les réponses à ces questions sont primordiales afin d’anticiper le devenir du MMHg dans les espèces commercialisées dans un contexte d’augmentation des émissions de mercure et de changement climatique.Ce travail de thèse s’inscrit dans cette démarche en étudiant les variations spatiales de mercure total contenu dans le muscle de trois espèces de thons: les thons obèses, germons et jaunes, capturés dans le Pacifique sud. Une tendance spatiale similaire a été observée pour les trois espèces avec des concentrations plus élevées dans la zone sud-ouest par rapport à la zone ouest-équatoriale. Ce patron semble être en partie expliqué par des modifications de l’alimentation des espèces en lien avec la structure thermique de la colonne d’eau. La combinaison de mesures des isotopes stables de l’azote et de marqueurs électroniques ont permis de mettre en évidence un approfondissement de l’habitat vertical des thons obèses vers la Nouvelle-Calédonie, leur permettant de se nourrir sur des proies profondes probablement plus concentrées en MMHg. De plus, les profils de MMHg dissous de la partie sud-ouest Pacifique suggèrent une plus forte production de MMHg dans la zone épipélagique augmentant la biodisponibilité du MMHg à la base des chaînes alimentaires pélagiques. / Mercury is a naturally distributed heavy metal which is characterized, under its organic form (monomethylmercury; MMHg), by its bioaccumulation in living organisms and its biomagnifications along food chains. Since the awareness of MMHg neurotoxicity, lots of research works have focused on understanding where and how MMHg is formed and transmited to marine food webs. Those questions are keys in order to anticipate how MMHg, in commercially fish species, will respond in a context of increasing mercury emissions and climate change.This work is part of this approach by studying total mercury spatial variations from muscle tissue of three tuna species: bigeye, albacore and yellowfin tuna, captured within the south Pacific Ocean. Every tuna species demonstrated a consistent and similar spatial trend, with higher total mercury concentrations in the southwest and lower concentrations in the western equatorial Pacific. This spatial trend seems to be in accordance with varying tuna diet linked to the thermal features of the water column. By combining archival tagging data and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, we showed that the deepening of bigeye tuna vertical habitat around New Caledonia might allow them to forage on deeper and MMHg enriched preys. Additionnaly, dissolved MMHg profiles in the southwest Pacific suggest higher methylation processes in the epipelagic zone leading, possibly, to higher MMHg bioavailability for marine food chains.This study highlighted the key role of tuna trophic ecology and particularly foraging depth in their MMHg exposure. Those features have to be considered in future studies evaluating food webs contamination at a spatial or temporal scale.