Mercury in the Barents region - River fluxes, sources, and environmental concentrations.

Arctic rivers are receiving increased attention for their contributing of mercury (Hg) to the Arctic Ocean. Despite this, the knowledge on both the terrestrial release sources and the levels of Hg in the rivers are limited. Within the Arctic, the Barents region has a high industrial development, including multiple potential Hg release sources. This study presents the first overview of potential Hg release sources on Norwegian and Russian mainland draining to the Barents Sea. Source categories cover mining and metallurgy industry; historical pulp and paper production; municipal and industrial solid waste handling; fossil fuel combustion; and past military activities. Available data on Hg in freshwater bodies near the identified potential release sources are reviewed. Levels of Hg were occasionally exceeding the national pollution control limits, thereby posing concern to the local human population and wildlife. However, the studies were sparse and often unsystematic. Finally, we present new data of Hg measured in five Barents rivers. These data reveal strong seasonality in the Hg levels, with a total annual flux constituting 2% of the panarctic total. With this new insight we aspire to contribute to the international efforts of reducing Hg pollution, such as through the effective implementation of the Minamata Convention. Future studies documenting Hg in exposed Barents freshwater bodies are warranted.

Soil sorption of two nitramines derived from amine-based CO2 capture.

Nitramines are potentially carcinogens that form from the amines used in post-combustion CO2 capture (PCCC). The soil sorption characteristics of monoethanol (MEA)- and dimethyl (DMA)-nitramines have been assessed using a batch experimental setup, and defined indirectly by measuring loss of nitramine (LC-MS/MS) from the aqueous phase (0.01 M CaCl2 and 0.1% NaN3) after equilibrium had been established with the soil (24 h). Nitramine soil sorption was found to be strongly dependent on the content of organic matter in the soil (r2 = 0.72 and 0.95, p < 0.05). Soil sorption of MEA-nitramine was further influenced by the quality of the organic matter (Abs254 nm, r2 = 0.93, p < 0.05). This is hypothesized to be due to the hydroxyl group on the MEA-nitramine, capable of forming hydrogen bonds with acidic functional groups on the soil organic matter. Estimated organic carbon normalized soil-water distribution coefficients (KOC) are relatively low, and within the same range as for simple amines. Nevertheless, considering the high content of organic matter commonly found in the top layer of a forest soil, this is where most of the nitramines will be retained. Presented data can be used to estimate final concentrations of nitramines in the environment following emissions from amine-based PCCC plants.

A review of available analytical technologies for qualitative and quantitative determination of nitramines.

This review aims to summarize the available analytical methods in the open literature for the determination of some aliphatic and cyclic nitramines. Nitramines covered in this review are the ones that can be formed from the use of amines in post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) plants and end up in the environment. Since the literature is quite scarce regarding the determination of nitramines in aqueous and soil samples, methods for determination of nitramines in other matrices have also been included. Since the nitramines are found in complex matrices and/or in very low concentration, an extraction step is often necessary before their determination. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using dichloromethane and solid phase extraction (SPE) with an activated carbon based material have been the two most common extraction methods. Gas chromatography (GC) or reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) has been used often combined with mass spectrometry (MS) in the final determination step. Presently there is no comprehensive method available that can be used for determination of all nitramines included in this review. The lowest concentration limit of quantification (cLOQ) is in the ng L(-1) range, however, most methods appear to have a cLOQ in the µg L(-1) range, if the cLOQ has been given.