Study of inhibition mechanism of NO3- on photoreduction of Hg(II) in artificial water

Photoreduction is of immense importance to mercury transfer from water to atmosphere. In this investigation, the reduction of HgCl(2) and Hg(NO(3))(2) under dark, natural light and ultraviolet radiation (UV) was estimated using series of laboratory experiments. The result showed that the role of light irradiation in HgCl(2) reduction was entirely different from that in Hg(NO(3))(2). The rate of HgCl(2) reduction was in the order of UV>natural light>dark, compared with dark>natural light>UV of Hg(NO(3))(2). The experiments of mercury reduction treated by KNO(3) and CH(3)OH, which was used as a NO(3)(-) provider and a ?OH scavenger respectively, indicated that ?OH which was produced via direct photolysis of NO(3)(-) in water should be responsible for the unexpected inhibition of UV to Hg(NO(3))(2) reduction. The reduction of Hg(NO(3))(2) under different radiation intensity each of UVA, UVB and UVC was investigated. The result showed that UVB induced the highest mercury reduction while mercury reduction increased with light intensity. In addition, the kinetic study of mercury reduction under natural light was conducted through both concentration gradient method and trial method. The pseudo first rate constant was estimated to be 7×10(-4) min(-1).