title: Mercury removal from water streams through the ion exchange membrane bioreactor concept.
abstract: Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal that causes human health problems and environmental contamination. In this study, an ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB) process was developed to achieve Hg(II) removal from drinking water and industrial effluents. Hg(II) transport through a cation exchange membrane was coupled with its bioreduction to Hg(0) in order to achieve Hg removal from concentrated streams, with minimal production of contaminated by-products observed. This study involves (1) membrane selection, (2) demonstration of process effectiveness for removing Hg from drinking water to below the 1ppb recommended limit, and (3) process application for treatment of concentrated water streams, where >98% of the Hg was removed, and the throughput of contaminated water was optimised through membrane pre-treatment. The IEMB process represents a novel mercury treatment technology with minimal generation of contaminated waste, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of the process.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: a.oehmen@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oehmen
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vergel
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fradinho
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: João G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Dept., FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Svetlozar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Velizarov
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007474:Ion Exchange; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008628:Mercury / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008628:Mercury; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Donnan dialysis; Ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB); Mercury bioremediation; Mixed microbial cultures; Water treatment