Content removed due to copyright restrictions: Anderson, C., Moreno, F., & Meech, J. (2005). A field demonstration of gold phytoextraction technology. Minerals Engineering, 18(4), 385-392. / Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that is concentrated in organisms. Injudicious use of Hg and its compounds have resulted in widespread soil contamination. This study investigates the potential use of plants for the remediation of Hg-contaminated mine wastes. Plants can remove soil Hg via phytoextraction and phytovolatilisation. I investigated both of these strategies by focusing on a methodology for Hg analyses in plants and soils with a view to the determination of volatile Hg emitted from plants. Secondly, I determined the feasibility of Hg phytoextraction and phytovolatilisation from contaminated mine wastes. An accurate method for the analysis of Hg in air, plant and various soil fractions was a key component of this study. I developed a hydride-generation atomic absorption spectroscopy method for total Hg analyses in digest and liquid matrices of the aforementioned samples. Quality assurance was ensured by comparing results with those of an external certified laboratory. The maximum discrepancy was 15 %. To measure plant Hg-volatilisation, a method that captures Hg-vapour in solution for subsequent analyses was developed. Initially this system was used to trap Hg vapours released from the root system of Brassica juncea plants grown in hydroponic solutions. A subsequent study improved the Hg trapping system, allowing the capture of volatile Hg from both roots and shoots. Mercury recoveries from the whole plant system (traps + plant + solutions) averaged 90 % using this experimental apparatus. In most contaminated substrates, plant Hg uptake is insignificant, possibly due to the low bioavailability of Hg. This represents an obstacle for effective remediation using phytoextraction. Geochemical studies were carried out in Hg-contaminated substrates to examine the potential of chemical agents to induce Hg solubility and subsequent plant uptake. These studies utilised Hg-contaminated mine tailings collected from three locations: the Tui base-metal mine, in the North Island of New Zealand, the Gold Mountain mine, in North-Central China and, the Serra Pelada artisanal mine site, in Northern Brazil. The results demonstrated that Hg solubility in all tested substrates is increased in the presence of sulphur-containing chemical ligands. The effectiveness of these ligands was influenced by site-specific geochemistry. Plants species were able to accumulate up to 60 mg/kg of Hg in shoot tissues upon addition of sulphur-containing ligands to Tui and Gold Mountain substrates. The degree of plant-Hg accumulation was shown to be dependant on plant species and on the thioligand-induced soluble Hg fraction. Shoot Hg transport was inhibited for Gold Mountain substrate amended with 1.25g/kg of humic acid. The maximum Hg extraction yield for B. juncea plants growing in Tui field sites averaged 25 g per hectare following application of sodium thiosulphate. Volatilisation of Hg vapour from barren substrates occurred as a result of biotic (microorganisms) and abiotic (chemical and photochemical reduction) processes. The presence of B. juncea plants in substrates enhanced the volatilisation process up to 23 fold. Phytovolatilisation was the dominant pathway responsible for between 75 to 99.5 % of the total Hg removed from substrates. It was concluded that Hg removal from contaminated mine wastes can be accomplished by both thioligand-induced phytoextraction and phytovolatilisation. There are risks of groundwater contamination by Hg species mobilised after application of thioligands to substrates. Estimated Hg (0) emissions from plant-based operations at contaminated sites ranged between 1.5 to 3.6 kg of Hg/ha per year. Due to extensive atmospheric dilution, Hg emissions from small-scale phytoremediation operations would not cause serious harm to the local population or the regional environment. Phytoremediation combined with gold-phytoextraction can help to mitigate Hg-pollution in artisanal mine sites in the developing world.

The continuity of the menace of mercury (Hg) is due to the continuous production and use of Hg and Hg containing products. Toxicity is just an outfall of use and exposure. Anthropogenic activities such as coal combustion and artisanal and small-scale gold mining have led to increasing Hg contamination and is the major source of Hg pollution into the environment that needs to be remediated. This study aimed to assess the phytoextraction capability of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) under different fertiliser treatments in Hg-contaminated soil. The potted experiment in a controlled environment included control S. bicolor and three phytoremediation treatments, i.e., Hg only; the addition of 4:1 green compost and; the addition of 0.2% NPK fertiliser. There were conspicuous signs of Hg phytotoxicity in plants with Hg only, namely wilting, senescent, inhibition of growth, and photosynthesis. There was stunted growth, but healthy plants observed in the treatment with the addition of green compost towards the end (day 60) of exposure. However, S. bicolor grew well until the last day of exposure in the treatment with the addition of 0.2% NPK fertiliser. Thus, this treatment showed the most effective phytoextraction potential of S. bicolor in Hg-contaminated soil. The effectiveness of S. bicolor in reducing the level of mercury was best assessed in the Hg bioavailable concentration in the spiked soil in which the Hg + NPK treatment has the lowest (0.77 mg kg−1). That resulted in the highest uptake (84.31%) percentage of Hg concentration recorded in the treatment with the addition of 0.2% NPK fertiliser compared to the other two treatments. The results suggest that the proportion of phosphate in the NPK fertiliser used, plays a huge role in the phytoextraction of Hg in the contaminated soil by S. bicolor. The Translocation Factor (TF) and Bioconcentration Factor (BCF), although higher within Days 20 and 40, was greater than 1 at the end of the exposure period suggesting a high probability that Hg was significantly transferred to the aerial parts of the plants. This is regarded as typical hyperaccumulator plant species. While S. bicolor was able to reduce the level of Hg in all three treatments, Hg + NPK treatment gave overall best results in physiological growth, the uptake, and reducing the level of Hg bioavailable in the spiked soil in terms of the effectiveness of phytoremediation method. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)