Several health problems may be caused by excess nitrate in drinking water, the most important of which being methemoglobinemia, a potentially fatal disorder, in infants under six months of age. Many different parts of the world have been facing the problem of nitrate contaminated surface and groundwaters due in large part to excessive use of nitrate-based chemical fertilizers. In the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada some groundwater sources have nitrate concentrations approaching the Health Canada and Ontario Ministry of the Environment maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 10 mg NO3--N/L. Finding a practical and economical way to reduce nitrate concentrations in representative groundwater in the Region of Waterloo was the overall objective of this research. To achieve this goal, nitrate removal technologies including biological denitrification, ion exchange (IX), reverse osmosis (RO), electrodialysis (ED), and chemical denitrification were reviewed and compared. IX and RO were found to be the most promising technologies for nitrate removal. They have also been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as Best Available Technologies (BAT). To investigate the feasibility of IX and RO for nitrate removal from representative groundwater in the Region of Waterloo, bench-scale experiments were conducted and compared. These technologies could be considered for application at full- or point-of-use (POU)-scale. Decision support assistance for the selection of the appropriate technology for different technical and economical conditions is provided as an outcome of this work. Two nitrate-selective ion exchange resins (Dowex™ NSR-1 and Purolite® A-520E), two non-selective resins (Purolite® A-300E and Amberlite® IRA400 Cl), and a commercially-available RO POU device (Culligan® Aqua-Cleer® model RO30), which included a particle filter and a carbon block, were tested with deionized water and real groundwater.* IX results confirmed that production time before resin exhaustion was influenced by operating conditions, specifically bed depth as would be expected. It was also confirmed that the presence of competing anions (sulfate, chloride) and alkalinity adversely affected performance, with sulfate being the main competitor for nitrate removal. The extent of these effects was quantified for the conditions tested. At the end of the runs, the non-selective resins were prone to potential nitrate displacement and release into product water and are therefore not recommended. The nitrate-selective resins did not release previously adsorbed nitrate as their capacity became exhausted. Purolite® A-520E was identified as the best alternative amongst the four resins for removing nitrate from the representative groundwater source. The RO unit removed roughly 80% of the nitrate from groundwater. Background ions didn’t appear to compete with each other for removal by RO units, so RO might be a more appropriate technology than IX for nitrate removal from waters with high concentrations of sulfate or TDS. Since RO removes other background ions as well as nitrate, the product water of RO is low in alkalinity and can potentially be corrosive, if water from a small full-scale system is pumped through a communal distribution system. Post-treatment including pH adjustment, addition of caustic soda, and/or corrosion inhibitors may be required. While the carbon block did not play a substantial role with respect to removal of nitrate in the groundwater tested, a potential issue was identified when running RO systems without the carbon block. In deionized water (and presumably in very low alkalinity real waters) it was noted that RO nitrate removal efficiency dropped substantially as the alkalinity of the influent water approached zero. With respect to the scale of application of IX and RO devices, IX can be applied at full-scale without requiring large amounts of space. However, if feed water contains high concentrations of sulfate or TDS, nitrate leakage happens sooner and regeneration would be needed at more frequent intervals. Also, chloride concentrations in IX product water might exceed aesthetic objectives (AO) and should be monitored in cases of high feed water TDS. POU IX devices are not recommended when feed water nitrate concentration is high due to potential nitrate leakage into the product water when the resin is nearing exhaustion which increases public health risk. Issues associated with RO application at full-scale are high energy demand, low recovery, high costs, need of pre-treatment (fouling control), and post-treatment (corrosion control). On the other hand, POU RO devices may be acceptable since low recovery is of less importance in a household system, and product water corrosivity is less relevant. POU RO devices are preferable to POU IX units due to their lower risk of nitrate leakage into treated water. * Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Biofouling is a major issue in applying nanofiltration and reverse osmosis technologies for wastewater treatment. Biofilm formed on the surface of membranes will severely decline the flux and cause energy waste. In this study, a novel biofouling control method that applies D-amino acids to inhibit biofilm formation was investigated. The D-amino acids previously reported to inhibit biofilm formation and disrupt existing biofilm – D-tyrosine and the mixture of D-tyrosine, D-tryptophan, D-leucine and D-methionine were tested. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis were used as model Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. D-amino acids have little effect and some effect on inhibition of biofilm formation and disruption of exiting biofilm to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but have good effect to Bacillus subtilis. A commonly used microtiter plate assay for quantitative biofilm measurement was systematically evaluated and optimized for screening biofilm control agents. The effect of D-tyrosine on inhibition of organic fouling and P. aeruginosa biofouling on NF90 membrane surface in bench scale dead end filtration experiment was examined, which shows that D-tyrosine can effectively inhibit organic fouling and P. aeruginosa biofouling on NF90 membrane surface.

Several health problems may be caused by excess nitrate in drinking water, the most important of which being methemoglobinemia, a potentially fatal disorder, in infants under six months of age. Many different parts of the world have been facing the problem of nitrate contaminated surface and groundwaters due in large part to excessive use of nitrate-based chemical fertilizers. In the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada some groundwater sources have nitrate concentrations approaching the Health Canada and Ontario Ministry of the Environment maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 10 mg NO3--N/L. Finding a practical and economical way to reduce nitrate concentrations in representative groundwater in the Region of Waterloo was the overall objective of this research. To achieve this goal, nitrate removal technologies including biological denitrification, ion exchange (IX), reverse osmosis (RO), electrodialysis (ED), and chemical denitrification were reviewed and compared. IX and RO were found to be the most promising technologies for nitrate removal. They have also been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as Best Available Technologies (BAT). To investigate the feasibility of IX and RO for nitrate removal from representative groundwater in the Region of Waterloo, bench-scale experiments were conducted and compared. These technologies could be considered for application at full- or point-of-use (POU)-scale. Decision support assistance for the selection of the appropriate technology for different technical and economical conditions is provided as an outcome of this work. Two nitrate-selective ion exchange resins (Dowex™ NSR-1 and Purolite® A-520E), two non-selective resins (Purolite® A-300E and Amberlite® IRA400 Cl), and a commercially-available RO POU device (Culligan® Aqua-Cleer® model RO30), which included a particle filter and a carbon block, were tested with deionized water and real groundwater.* IX results confirmed that production time before resin exhaustion was influenced by operating conditions, specifically bed depth as would be expected. It was also confirmed that the presence of competing anions (sulfate, chloride) and alkalinity adversely affected performance, with sulfate being the main competitor for nitrate removal. The extent of these effects was quantified for the conditions tested. At the end of the runs, the non-selective resins were prone to potential nitrate displacement and release into product water and are therefore not recommended. The nitrate-selective resins did not release previously adsorbed nitrate as their capacity became exhausted. Purolite® A-520E was identified as the best alternative amongst the four resins for removing nitrate from the representative groundwater source. The RO unit removed roughly 80% of the nitrate from groundwater. Background ions didn’t appear to compete with each other for removal by RO units, so RO might be a more appropriate technology than IX for nitrate removal from waters with high concentrations of sulfate or TDS. Since RO removes other background ions as well as nitrate, the product water of RO is low in alkalinity and can potentially be corrosive, if water from a small full-scale system is pumped through a communal distribution system. Post-treatment including pH adjustment, addition of caustic soda, and/or corrosion inhibitors may be required. While the carbon block did not play a substantial role with respect to removal of nitrate in the groundwater tested, a potential issue was identified when running RO systems without the carbon block. In deionized water (and presumably in very low alkalinity real waters) it was noted that RO nitrate removal efficiency dropped substantially as the alkalinity of the influent water approached zero. With respect to the scale of application of IX and RO devices, IX can be applied at full-scale without requiring large amounts of space. However, if feed water contains high concentrations of sulfate or TDS, nitrate leakage happens sooner and regeneration would be needed at more frequent intervals. Also, chloride concentrations in IX product water might exceed aesthetic objectives (AO) and should be monitored in cases of high feed water TDS. POU IX devices are not recommended when feed water nitrate concentration is high due to potential nitrate leakage into the product water when the resin is nearing exhaustion which increases public health risk. Issues associated with RO application at full-scale are high energy demand, low recovery, high costs, need of pre-treatment (fouling control), and post-treatment (corrosion control). On the other hand, POU RO devices may be acceptable since low recovery is of less importance in a household system, and product water corrosivity is less relevant. POU RO devices are preferable to POU IX units due to their lower risk of nitrate leakage into treated water. * Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Thermal maturity modeling is widely used in basin modeling. Of the available models, Easy%Ro has gained acceptance. Thermal gradients (TG) at seventy wells in the Thrace Basin are calibrated against vitrinite reflectance (%Ro). A 90% confidence interval is used to assess the uncertainty. Best paleo-TG are obtained from the MSR curves. Comparison of the paleo-TG with the actual ones showed that thermal regime of the Thrace Basin did not dramatically change during geologic history. A correlation between geological and thermal properties of the basin is established. Thermal regime of the Thrace Basin is controlled by 1) basement edge affect / 2) crustal thickness variations ad basement heat flow / 3) lateral thermal conductivity variations within the stratigraphic column / 4) transient heat flow affect / and 5) influence of the tectonic features. Basement edge affect is traced at the steep northern margin. Central part of the basin demonstrates lower TG. THe Eocene Ceylan Formation with relatively lower thermal conductivity plays a thermal reducing role. Areas of high sediment influx are associated with low TG due to the transient effect of the immature sediments. Fault systems of the Thrace Basin do not possibly have influence on paleo-thermal gradients.

Esta pesquisa analisa a variação espaço-temporal de NDVI (Índice de Vegetação da Diferença Normalizada) em área de aproveitamento hidroelétrico, na UHE Santo Antônio, Porto Velho, Rondônia. Para tanto elabora mapeamento do uso e cobertura do solo a partir de imagem Landsat TM nas seguintes classes: Floresta Ombrófila Aberta, Floresta Ombrófila Densa, Desmatamento, Queimadas e Solo exposto; obtém uma série temporal de imagens de NDVI/MODIS para o período 2000-2011; gera espectros temporais; relaciona os padrões a partir da série temporal de imagens MODIS com as classes de uso e cobertura do solo; analisa a variação espaço-temporal de NDVI com base em Análise de Séries Temporais, a partir de CP’s (Componentes Principais). As técnicas para identificação de padrões a partir de Análise de Séries Temporais e de análise dos espectros temporais de índices de vegetação se constituem em uma importante ferramenta na avaliação e monitoramento da variação da vegetação ao longo do tempo. A área da UHE Santo Antonio é caracterizada pela sazonalidade de períodos secos e chuvosos bem definidos, o que permitiu identificar padrões sazonais. Quanto a análise por Componentes Principais esta técnica mostrou-se um bom método para identificar a variação da cobertura vegetal e avaliar as mudanças na cobertura da terra. A análise dos resultados do mapeamento do uso do solo evidenciou o seguinte: uma grande dificuldade em separar no processo de classificação digital as duas classes de floresta; extensas áreas de solo exposto, desmatamento e queimadas no entorno do rio Madeira e nas áreas próximas a UHE Santo Antonio. Com relação aos espectros temporais, as variações nos valores de NDVI apresentam duas variações bem definidas: uma relacionada a sazonalidade dos períodos úmido e seco, e outra relacionada a mudança de uso e ocupação do solo, como a retirada da vegetação existente e as queimadas. Os resultados das Componentes Principais são relativos as variações expressas nas três primeiras CP’s da série da seguinte forma: (a) com todas as imagens; (b) somente período seco e somente período chuvoso; (c) por cada ano da série. A CP1 do conjunto (a) apresentou um percentual de representatividade de 85,83%, com valores de NDVI altos e homogêneos para a cobertura florestal, indicando significativa presença de biomassa, já que os valores altos relacionam-se aos padrões encontrados em classes de vegetação. Na CP2 e CP3 de (a) (b) e (c) a variação expressa permitiu identificar as áreas de queimadas e principalmente as etapas de transformação das áreas de florestas até os desmatamentos mais recentes. / This research examines the spatio-temporal variability of NDVI (Normalized Difference vegetation index) in hydroelectric area, in Santo Antônio hpp, Porto Velho, Rondônia. From Landsat TM image, elaborates mapping of use and soil coverage in the following classes: Open Evergreen forest, dense Ombrophilous Forest Fires, deforestation, and soil exposed; Gets a time series of images of NDVIMODIS for the period 2000-2011; generates time spectrum; lists the patterns from the time series of MODIS images with the classes of land cover and use; examines the spatio-temporal variability of NDVI based on time series Analysis, from CP's (main components). The techniques for identifying patterns from time series analysis and temporal Spectra analysis of vegetation indexes are an important tool in the evaluation and monitoring of vegetation change over time. The area of Santo Antonio hydroelectric power plant is characterized by seasonality of rainy and dry periods well defined, which allowed to identify seasonal patterns. The technique of analysis by principal components proved to be a good method to identify the variation of vegetation cover and assess the changes in coverage of the Earth. The analysis of the results of the mapping of land use showed the following: a great difficulty in separating the digital classification process the two classes of forest; extensive areas of exposed soil, deforestation and burning around the Madeira River and in areas near the Santo Antonio hydroelectric power plant. With respect to temporal changes in spectra, NDVI values have two well-defined variations: one related to seasonality of wet and dry periods, and another related to change of use and occupation of the soil, such as the withdrawal of existing vegetation and fire. The results of the main components are related to changes expressed in the first three CP's series as follows: (a) with all images; (b) when only dry and rainy period only; (c) for each year of the series. The CP1 (a) presented a percentage of representativeness of 85.83 NDVI values high and homogeneous for forest cover, indicating significant presence of biomass, since the high values relate to patterns found in vegetation classes. In CP2 and CP3 (a) (b) and (c) the change expressed identified the areas burned and mainly the processing steps of forest areas up to the latest deforestation.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:20:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Capa.pdf: 17544 bytes, checksum: 971a8dffa809331c3d053417d35f7c6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-08-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of the present research is to explain the relation between the religion and the daily life in the city of Alto Paraíso (RO). It intends to discuss the part of the religious imagination on the process of occupation of a new geographic space and the fight for survival in this context. Thus, it systemizes the history of a city based on statements given by its first inhabitants, asking for the place of religion in that memory. The methodology privileges the oral statements, which were taken by the technique of interviewing, transcribed, systematized and broken down as a plausible source for investigation. It tries to catch and make visible the sense that unknown people give to their experiences of life in a process of transformation of a wild space in to an inhabited and profitable place in economic and social terms. The research is divided in to three chapters. The first systemizes the history of Alto Paraíso, giving emphasis to the memory of the first inhabitants of the place. The second discusss religion as an agent in the formation of the imagination and their social transformations. The third chapter discusses the holding off between religious mobility, popular magic and institutionalized miracles.(AU) / O objetivo da presente pesquisa é explicitar a relação entre a religião e a vida cotidiana na cid ade de Alto Paraíso (RO). Pretende discutir o papel do imaginário religioso no processo de ocupação de um novo espaço geográfico e na luta pela sobrevivência neste contexto. Sistematiza, assim, a história de uma cidade a partir de depoimentos de seus primeiros habitantes, perguntando pelo lugar da religião nesta memória. A metodologia privilegia o depoimento oral, colhido através da técnica de entrevistas, transcritas, sistematizadas e problematizadas como fonte plausível de investigação. Tenta captar e visibilizar os sentidos que sujeitos anônimos atribuem a suas experiências de vida num processo de transformação de um espaço inóspito em um lugar habitável e promissor em termos econômicos e sociais. A pesquisa está dividida em três capítulos. O primeiro sistematiza a história de Alto Paraíso, privilegiando a memória dos primeiros moradores da região. O segundo debate a religião como agente na formação do imaginário e das transformações sociais. O terceiro capítulo discute o embricamento entre o trânsito religioso, as magias populares e os milagres institucionalizados.(AU)

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção. / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-19T14:41:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 224268.pdf: 1398254 bytes, checksum: 5f7902f29e59ac2caae2f5fcb97b0abf (MD5)

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-19T15:21:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 235540.pdf: 1136464 bytes, checksum: 14272d4d97ecd109a6cea0656f86c307 (MD5) / O presente trabalho objetiva avaliar a capacidade empreendedora das micro e pequenas empresas de serviços contábeis em Porto Velho onde buscou diagnosticar e identificar as características inovadoras e as limitações do mercado local, e assim subsidiar aconselhamento às referidas empresas através de uma pesquisa de campo. O referencial teórico que fundamentou o trabalho permitiu uma melhor assimilação do conhecimento teórico-prático sobre os termos: empreendedorismo, serviços e técnicas inovadoras de gestão, condição imprescindível para a execução da pesquisa. Dessa forma, o modelo proposto, mesmo com limitações possibilitou avaliar as características preponderantes de inovação do mercado contábil de Porto Velho, e identificar o escopo empreendedor de tais empresas. Com isto, acredita-se que o trabalho tenha apresentado uma valiosa contribuição para o setor de serviços contábeis. Assim, a relevância atribuída a este trabalho, deve também, a constatação de que este setor atualmente não tem sido objeto de pesquisa substancial que pudesse atender a inovação imposta pelo mercado globalizado.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-13Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:42:50Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 herrmann_jc_dr_rcla.pdf: 10665695 bytes, checksum: ec57bb641fcebbb74ca5dcfd529a537d (MD5) / Neste estudo, através de uso de ferramentas geoestatísticas, foi estabelecido e analisado o padrão de dispersão do mercúrio total em solos da sub-bacia do rio Corumbiara, estado de Rondônia, nas profundidades de 0 a 10 cm e 10 a 30 cm, considerando-se ainda a geologia e a geomorfologia da área na sua interpretação. Os resultados obtidos através de espectrofotometria de absorção atômica, indicam um valor médio de mercúrio para os solos da sub-bacia de 74,54 μg.kg-1, sendo 72,91 μg.kg-1 na profundidade de 0 a 10 cm e 76,18 μg.kg-1 na profundidade de 10 a 30 cm, em geral inferiores aos de outras regiões da Amazônia. O padrão de dispersão em ambas as profundidades mostra-se semelhante. Os Neossolos Quartzarênicos apresentaram as maiores concentrações médias de mercúrio total, da ordem de 112,61 μg.kg-1, seguido pelos Latossolos com 100,92 μg.kg-1, Argissolos com 88,60 μg.kg-1, Neossolos Flúvicos com 63,09 μg.kg-1 e Gleissolos com 32,96 μg.kg-1. A análise do padrão de dispersão permitiu identificar que o rio Corumbiara tem suas nascentes e a de seus principais tributários posicionadas na parte alta da sub-bacia, onde se encontram os solos com as maiores concentrações relativas de mercúrio total, em unidades geomorfológicas de natureza erosiva e sob impacto da ocupação antrópica. O médio curso e foz do rio Corumbiara se localizam na parte baixa da sub-bacia, dominada por unidade geomorfológica de natureza deposicional, com solos com as menores concentrações relativas de mercúrio. O aparente paradoxo entre a elevada concentração relativa de mercúrio total nos solos erodidos pelo rio Corumbiara e as concentrações relativamente baixas nos solos da área de deposição, pode ser explicado pela natureza pantanosa do ambiente de deposição, o qual favorece a metilação e a remoção do mercúrio destes sedimentos. / Using geostatistical tools, this study analysed and identified the dispersal pattern of total mercury in soils from the Corumbiara River sub-basin, Rondônia. The samples were taken from depths of 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 30 cm. This interpretation took into consideration the geology and geomorphology of the region. The results obtained through Atomic Absorption Spectrofotometry (AAS) indicate an average value of mercury in the sub-basin soils of 74.54 μg.kg-1. The shallower sample horizon averaged 72.91 μg.kg-1 while the deeper averaged 76.18 μg.kg-1. These values are generally lower than those in other regions of the Amazon. The dispersion patterns are similar for both sample sets. The Arenosols had the highest average concentrations of total mercury, of the order of 112,61 μg.kg-1, followed by Oxisols with 100,92 μg.kg-1, Argisols with 88,60 μg.kg-1, Fluvisols with 63,09 μg.kg-1 and Gleysols with 32,96 μg.kg-1. Analysis of the dispersion patterns identified that the highest concentrations of mercury are found in soils located in the upper sub-basin, which are dominated by erosive geomorphological units and under impact of human occupation. The average course and mouth of the Corumbiara River is located in the lower part of the subbasin. This is dominated by geomorphological units of a depositional nature and with soils with lower concentrations of mercury. The apparent paradox between the high concentration of total mercury in sediments eroded by the Corumbiara River and the relatively low concentrations in sediments in the deposition area can be explained by the nature of the wetland environment of deposition. This wetland environment promotes the methylation of mercury and the removal of these sediments.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-11-10T11:09:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-02-25Bitstream added on 2014-11-10T11:58:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000785316_20141117.pdf: 884586 bytes, checksum: d5644acb078ea4fce1cc8312c9760339 (MD5) / Neste trabalho de Dissertação, buscou-se avaliar e quantificar o teor de mercúrio presente em amostras de tecido hepático dos peixes jaraqui, tucunaré e filhote da área de influencia da AHE JIRAU - Bacia do rio Madeira, buscando definir um biomarcador proteico (metaloproteínas, metalotioneínas) para monitoramento deste elemento tóxico em peixes da região amazônica. Para realização desta pesquisa, utilizou-se técnicas de proteômica/metalômica: eletroforese bidimensional (2D-PAGE), espectrometria de massas, espectrometria de absorção atômica e bioinformática. Por espectrometria atômica foi possível analisar e quantificar o mercúrio presente nos spots proteicos com massa molar menor que 50 kDa, obtidos no fracionamento das proteínas por 2D-PAGE. As caracterizações das proteínas foram feitas por espectrometria de massas (ESI-MS), podendo assim, fazer uma correlação do mercúrio presente nos spots com as proteínas caracterizadas. Com esses resultados, podemos definir um perfil de biomarcador proteico para o mercúrio nas amostras estudadas. A seleção de spots para esse estudo foi baseada em trabalhos da literatura que afirmam a afinidade do mercúrio por proteínas de baixa massa molar e nas quantificações de mercúrio por espectrometria de absorção atômica em forno de grafite (GFAAS), já que nos pellets de massa molares maiores que 50 não foi detectado mercúrio. Nas determinações por GFAAS, somente spost proteicos com massa molar menor que 20 kDA apresentaram mercúrio na faixa de concentração de 11,30 a 83,40 mg g-1. Esses spots proteicos apresentaram mercúrio nas quantificações por espectrometria de absorção atômica. De um total de 24 spots caracterizados, foram identificadas por ESI-MS 13 proteínas que apresentaram características de biomarcadoras deste elemento nas amostras estudadas / In this dissertation work , we sought to evaluate and quantify the amount of mercury present in samples of fish jaraqui , tucunaré and filhote from the influence area of the AHE JIRAU - the Madeira basin , aiming to define a protein biomarker (metalloproteins, metallothionein) for monitoring this toxic metals in the environment. For this research, we used techniques of proteomics: two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-PAGE), mass spectrometry. atomic absorption spectrometry and bioinformatics. With the atomic absorption analysis was possible to analize and quantify the mercury in protein spots obtained from the 2D-PAGE of protein and pellets of greater molar mass and smaller than 50 kDa. The characterization of the proteins were performed by mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and thus being able to make a correlation between mercury in spots and proteins found in them. With these results, we can define a profile of protein biomarker for mercury in the applied samples. The selection of spots for this study was based on literature reports claiming affinity of mercury for proteins of low molecular weight and the measurements of mercury made by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), since the pellets with molar mass greater than 50 was not found mercury. Utilizing the GFASS requirements, the spots which their molecular mass were less than 20 kDa contained mercury concentration in the range of 11.30 to 88.40 mg g-1. Presented mercury in spots quantified by the atomic absorption spectrometry method. From 24 ESI-MS characterized spots, were identified 17 proteins, which may be used as biomarkers of this metal in the aquatic environment