VI
Preface
original presentations from the conference. Copies of the special issues can be
obtained directly from the publishers as follows:
- Analytical Developments in the Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry
- Atmospheric Cycling in the journal Atmospheric Environment
- Biogeochemical Cycling in the journal Biogeochemistry
- General Topics on Mercury in the journal Science of the Total Environment
- Human Health Issues in the journal Water, Air and Soil Pollution
The sixth special issue in this series is the present book that contains a number of
submitted technical papers and invited overview papers.
In Chapter 1 Ebinghaus et al. review what is known about natural and anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the atmosphere and evaluate this information in the
context of regional and global budgets. Ferrara (Chap. 2) describes mercury
mining in Almaden (Spain), Idrija (Slovenia), and Mt. Amiata (Italy), contrasting
environmental impacts at both active and inactive sites. Lacerda and Salomons
{Chap. 3) consider the amalgamation technique for extraction of gold, noting that
environmental impacts of this activity can be serious, but that little information is
available on the long-term risks or on measures available to remediate contaminated sites. In Chapter 4, Turner and Southworth provide an overview of mercurycontaminated sites in North America and offer some "lessons learned" from experiences at these sites. Hempel and Thoeming review a number of remediation
techniques for soil at contaminated sites, noting that wet classification remains the
most common technique (Chap. 5). Mukherjee examines nine technologies for the
removal of mercury in gases from metallurgical industries (Chap. 6). A brief overview and update on the situation at Minamata Bay in Japan are presented by Kudo
and Turner (Chap. 7). The broad review chapters conclude with a discourse (Chap.
8) by da Costa on the behavior of mercury species in biological systems, and more
specifically, on the surface chemistry of microbial cell walls.
The second portion of the book is devoted to international case studies and includes papers from the 1996 Hamburg conference under the general topics: Industrial Sites, Mining, Emissions and Atmospheric Dispersion, Remediation, and Mercury Contamination in Aquatic Systems. Under Industrial Sites the various chapter authors provide an example of a site where mercury compounds were used to
treat wood (Schondorf et al.) and three examples (I) where mercury contamination of a marine system originated from an industrial area in Brazil without major
point sources of mercury (Marins et al.), (2) where the contribution of electrical
lamp (fluorescent) manufacturing plants to total emissions in the CIS was evaluated (Yanin et al.) and (3) where mercury in oil and gas deposits of the former Soviet Union has been characterized with respect to geological origin, geographic distribution, and relationship to other constituents (Ozerova et al.).
Under Mining are five chapters related to mercury mining and two chapters covering the use or association of mercury to gold and silver mining. Ferrara et al.
summarize mercury emission estimates and ambient air concentrations for one
of the closed mercury mines near Mt. Amiata, Italy, using LIDAR remote sensing
Preface
original presentations from the conference. Copies of the special issues can be
obtained directly from the publishers as follows:
- Analytical Developments in the Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry
- Atmospheric Cycling in the journal Atmospheric Environment
- Biogeochemical Cycling in the journal Biogeochemistry
- General Topics on Mercury in the journal Science of the Total Environment
- Human Health Issues in the journal Water, Air and Soil Pollution
The sixth special issue in this series is the present book that contains a number of
submitted technical papers and invited overview papers.
In Chapter 1 Ebinghaus et al. review what is known about natural and anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the atmosphere and evaluate this information in the
context of regional and global budgets. Ferrara (Chap. 2) describes mercury
mining in Almaden (Spain), Idrija (Slovenia), and Mt. Amiata (Italy), contrasting
environmental impacts at both active and inactive sites. Lacerda and Salomons
{Chap. 3) consider the amalgamation technique for extraction of gold, noting that
environmental impacts of this activity can be serious, but that little information is
available on the long-term risks or on measures available to remediate contaminated sites. In Chapter 4, Turner and Southworth provide an overview of mercurycontaminated sites in North America and offer some "lessons learned" from experiences at these sites. Hempel and Thoeming review a number of remediation
techniques for soil at contaminated sites, noting that wet classification remains the
most common technique (Chap. 5). Mukherjee examines nine technologies for the
removal of mercury in gases from metallurgical industries (Chap. 6). A brief overview and update on the situation at Minamata Bay in Japan are presented by Kudo
and Turner (Chap. 7). The broad review chapters conclude with a discourse (Chap.
8) by da Costa on the behavior of mercury species in biological systems, and more
specifically, on the surface chemistry of microbial cell walls.
The second portion of the book is devoted to international case studies and includes papers from the 1996 Hamburg conference under the general topics: Industrial Sites, Mining, Emissions and Atmospheric Dispersion, Remediation, and Mercury Contamination in Aquatic Systems. Under Industrial Sites the various chapter authors provide an example of a site where mercury compounds were used to
treat wood (Schondorf et al.) and three examples (I) where mercury contamination of a marine system originated from an industrial area in Brazil without major
point sources of mercury (Marins et al.), (2) where the contribution of electrical
lamp (fluorescent) manufacturing plants to total emissions in the CIS was evaluated (Yanin et al.) and (3) where mercury in oil and gas deposits of the former Soviet Union has been characterized with respect to geological origin, geographic distribution, and relationship to other constituents (Ozerova et al.).
Under Mining are five chapters related to mercury mining and two chapters covering the use or association of mercury to gold and silver mining. Ferrara et al.
summarize mercury emission estimates and ambient air concentrations for one
of the closed mercury mines near Mt. Amiata, Italy, using LIDAR remote sensing