Effects of rice residue incorporation on the speciation, potential bioavailability and risk of mercury in a contaminated paddy soil.

To reduce air pollution, straw return instead of burning is being strongly encouraged in China, including some mercury polluted areas. Nevertheless, the possible influences of straw return on methylation, bioavailability and exposure risk of mercury were relatively unknown. In this study, different amounts of rice straw or root were added into a mercury contaminated soil. Potential bioavailability of soil-bound mercury to crops/deposit-feeders was assessed by quantifying extraction rates of mercury (%) by calcium chloride (CaCl2)/bovine serum albumin (BSA). Extraction rates of inorganic mercury (IHg) or methylmercury (MMHg) decreased significantly in rice residue amended soils, possibly due to the strong binding of mercury with organic matter in root/straw. Meanwhile, MMHg concentrations increased by 2-8 times in amended soils. Such increases were attributed to enhanced microbial activities and/or formation of Hg-S-DOM complexes after rice residue incorporation and decomposition. Consequently, potential exposure risk of IHg (quantified as concentration of potentially bioavailable mercury in soil) decreased significantly while that of MMHg increased up to 4 times. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that rice residue incorporation could significantly affect biogeochemistry of both IHg and MMHg in soils, which should be considered in straw incorporation activities in mercury polluted areas.