Characterization of Methylocystis strain JTA1 isolated from aged refuse and its tolerance to chloroform

To accelerate the efficiency of methane biodegradation in landfills,a Gram-negative,rod-shaped,non-motile,non-spore-forming bacterium,JTA1,which can utilize methane as well as acetate,was isolated from the Laogang MSW landfills,Shanghai,China.Strain JTA1 was a member of genus Methylocystis on the basis of 16S rRNA and pmoA gene sequence similarity.The maximum specific cell growth rates(μmax=0.042 hr-1,R2=0.995) was derived through Boltzmann simulation,and the apparent half-saturation constants(Km(app)=7.08mmol/L,R2=0.982) was calculated according to Michaelis-Menton hyperbolic model,indicating that Methylocystis strain JTA1 had higher-affinity potential for methane oxidation than other reported methanotrophs.By way of adding the strain JTA1 culture,the methane consumption of aged refuse reached 115mL,almost two times of control experiment.In addition,high tolerance of Methylocystis strain JTA1 to chloroform could facilitate the methane oxidation of aged refuse bio-covers.At the chloroform concentration of 50mg/L,the methane-oxidation rate of bio-cover reached 0.114mL/(day·g),much higher than the highest rate,0.0135mL/(day·g),of reported bio-covers.In conclusion,strain JTA1 opens up a new possibility for environmental biotechnology,such as soil or landfills bioremediation and wastewater decontamination.     

Functional groups assisted-photoinduced electron transfer-mediated highly fluorescent metal-organic framework quantum dot composite for selective detection of mercury (II) in water

The presence of toxic mercury (II) in water is an ever-growing problem on earth that has various harmful effect on human health and aquatic living organisms. Therefore, detection of mercury (II) in water is very much crucial and several researches are going on in this topic. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered as an effective device for sensing of toxic heavy metal ions in water. The tunable functionalities with large surface area of highly semiconducting MOFs enhance its activity towards fluorescence sensing. In this study, we are reporting one highly selective and sensitive luminescent sensor for the detection of mercury (II) in water. A series of binary MOF composites were synthesized using in-situ solvothermal synthetic technique for fluorescence sensing of Hg²⁺ in water. The well-distributed graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots on porous zirconium-based MOF improve Hg²⁺ sensing activity in water owing to their great electronic and optical properties. The binary MOF composite (2) i.e., the sensor exhibited excellent limit of detection (LOD) value of 2.4 nmol/L for Hg²⁺. The sensor also exhibited excellent performance for mercury (II) detection in real water samples. The characterizations of the synthesized materials were done using various spectroscopic techniques and the fluorescence sensing mechanism was studied.     

大肠杆菌IscA膜表面表达菌株在吸附水体重金属中的应用

为构建一种能够高效、同时吸附水中多种重金属离子的大肠杆菌,利用融合蛋白表达技术,首先将大肠杆菌前脂蛋白信号肽Lpp、膜蛋白OmpA的N端部分氨基酸和铁硫簇组装蛋白IscA的编码基因序列进行融合,构建pET-Lpp-OmpA-IscA表达载体,将此载体导入大肠杆菌BL21菌株.在IPTG诱导下,IscA蛋白可表达于细胞膜表面.然后对IscA膜表面表达菌株对重金属的吸附能力进行评估,包括测定最大吸附容量、绘制吸附浓度依赖曲线和时间依赖曲线,以及对菌株清除工业污水中重金属的性能进行初步探索.研究结果表明,与本底对照菌株相比,IscA蛋白在细胞膜表面表达能够使菌株对水中的Cu~(2+)、Ni~(2+)、Cd~(2+)、Pb~(2+)、As~(3+)、Co~(2+)、Hg~(2+)这7种重金属的吸附能力提高2～5倍不等,并且在pH为6～8范围内保持其吸附能力基本不变.此菌株能够在30 min内将各种重金属溶液中超标5倍的金属含量降低至最大允许排放浓度以下,并且对吸附的重金属具有不同程度的回收能力和菌株再生能力.此外,该菌株能够同时吸附工业污水中的多种重金属,有效降低各种重金属含量.因此,利用膜表面表达技术对大肠杆菌进行改造,成功提高了大肠杆菌对多种重金属的吸附能力,为利用微生物治理环境重金属污染提供了良好的应用前景.     

Influence of dissolved organic matter character on mercury incorporation by planktonic organisms：An experimental study using oligotrophic water from Patagonian lakes

Ligands present in dissolved organic matter （DOM） form complexes with inorganic divalent mercury （Hg^2＋） affecting its bioavailability in pelagic food webs. This investigation addresses the influence of a natural gradient of DOM present in Patagonian lakes on the bioaccumulation of Hg^2＋ （the prevailing mercury species in the water column of these lakes） by the algae Cryptomonas erosa and the zooplankters Brachionus calyciflorus and Boeckella antiqua. Hg^2＋ accumulation was studied through laboratory experiments using natural water of four oligotrophic Patagonian lakes amended with^197Hg^2＋. The bioavailability of Hg^2＋ was affected by the concentration and character of DOM. The entrance of Hg^2＋ into pelagic food webs occurs mostly through passive and active accumulation. The incorporation of Hg^2＋ by Cryptomonas, up to 27% of the Hg^2＋ amended, was found to be rapid and dominated by passive adsorption, and was greatest when low molecular weight compounds with protein-like or small phenolic signatures prevailed in the DOM. Conversely, high molecular weight compounds with a humic or fulvic signature kept Hg^2＋ in the dissolved phase, resulting in the lowest Hg^2＋ accumulation in this algae. In Brachionus and Boeckella the direct incorporation of Hg from the aqueous phase was up to 3% of the Hg^2＋ amended. The dietary incorporation of Hg^2＋ by Boeckella exceeded the direct absorption of this metal in natural water, and was remarkably similar to the Hg^2＋ adsorbed in their prey. Overall, DOM concentration and character affected the adsorption of Hg^2＋ by algae through competitive binding, while the incorporation of Hg^2＋ into the zooplankton was dominated by trophic or dietary transfer.     

Release characteristics of mercury in chemical looping combustion of bituminous coal

This study evaluated the release characteristics of mercury from bituminous coal in chemical looping combustion (CLC) using Australian iron ore as the oxygen carrier in a fixed bed reactor. The effects of several parameters, such as temperature in the fuel reactor (FR) and air reactor (AR), gasification medium in the FR, and reaction atmosphere in the AR, on mercury release characteristics, were investigated. The mercury speciation and release amount in the FR and AR under different conditions were further explored. The results indicate that most of the mercury in coal was released in the FR, while the rest of it was released in the AR. Hg⁰ was found to be the major species in the released mercury. The results also indicate that a higher temperature in the FR led to an increase in the total mercury release amount and a decrease in Hg⁰ proportion. However, a higher temperature in the AR resulted in a decrease in the total mercury release amount and Hg⁰ proportion. The increase in the H₂O/CO₂ ratio of gasification mediums in the FR was beneficial for the increase in the total mercury release amount and Hg⁰ proportion. A higher O₂ concentration in reaction atmosphere in AR had a negligible effect on the total mercury release amount, but a positive effect on Hg⁰ oxidization.     

降水中汞的赋存形态

在北京市不同地点和不同时期采集降水样品 36个 .分析结果表明 ,汞易形成相对稳定的络合态汞 ,除 Hg⁰_(w) 外各形态汞含量均表现为采暖期大于非采暖期 .降水中各形态汞的含量和百分比按大小排序 ,经统计检验 ,在非采暖期水相中为 Hg^re_(w)>[Hg⁰_(w),Hg²⁺_(w)],颗粒态汞为 Hg^re_(p)>Hg²⁺_(p)>Hg⁰_(p);在采暖期水相中均为 Hg^re_(w)>Hg²⁺_(w)>Hg⁰_(w),颗粒态汞为 Hg^re_(p)>[Hg²⁺_(p),Hg⁰_(p)].在非采暖期颗粒态汞含量及百分比 Hg^T_(p)>溶解态汞 Hg^T_(w),在采暖期颗粒态汞和溶解态汞没有明显差异 .小于 0.45μm颗粒吸附的汞 Hg⁰相对较多 ,Hg²⁺形态汞较少 ,水溶液中 Hg⁰ 形态汞少 ,Hg²⁺形态汞多 ,表明 Hg⁰ 形态汞更易在微小颗粒物上吸附 ,而 Hg²⁺形态汞相当部分可以保留在水溶液中 .     

耐汞好氧反硝化菌的鉴定及适应汞离子的特性研究

从实验室保存的高效好氧反硝化菌种中筛选得到一株抗汞细菌并命名为X1,经生理生化特性和16SrRNA基因序列分析,初步鉴定该菌为恶臭假单胞菌(Pseudomonasputida).对菌株X1进行Hg2适应特性研究,结果表明,对于Hg2浓度为2、67++4、、mg·L-1的实验组,菌体分别需要被延滞12、284018、、h后进入对数期,而8mg·L-1实验组则不能进入对数期;在好氧反硝化过程中,Hg2浓度在7mg·L+-1范围内各实验组的好氧反硝化过程中NO3-N浓度变化速率、NO2-N累积峰值、pH特征点出现时刻随着Hg2浓度的增大而增大(延迟),而Hg2浓度呈现出同硝氮一致的下降趋势,并且在对数期内除汞率能达到100%.研究表明,菌株X1对Hg2最大适宜耐受浓度为7mg·L+-1,相应适应时间约为40h.在最大耐受浓度范围内,菌株X1的生长和好氧反硝化过程呈现出"被抑制-适应-受刺激"的变化规律,其中,被抑制的时间和受刺激的程度都随着Hg2浓度的增大而增大,主要表现为延滞期的延长和对数期的缩短.此外,在对数期,菌株X1的生长速率、达到稳定期的浓度和好+氧反硝化速率也都随着Hg2浓度的增大而增大,且大于无Hg2菌组.++     

Hg removal from flue gas over different zeolites modified by FeCl3

The elemental mercury removal abilities of three different zeolites (NaA, NaX, HZSM-5) impregnated with iron(III) chloride were studied on a lab-scale fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) analyses were used to investigate the physicochemical properties. Results indicated that the pore structure and active chloride species on the surface of the samples are the key factors for physisorption and oxidation of Hg⁰, respectively. Relatively high surface area and micropore volume are beneficial to efficient mercury adsorption. The active Cl species generated on the surface of the samples were effective oxidants able to convert elemental mercury (Hg⁰) into oxidized mercury (Hg^2 +). The crystallization of NaCl due to the ion exchange effect during the impregnation of NaA and NaX reduced the number of active Cl species on the surface, and restricted the physisorption of Hg⁰. Therefore, the Hg⁰ removal efficiencies of the samples were inhibited. The TPD analysis revealed that the species of mercury on the surface of FeCl₃–HZSM-5 was mainly in the form of mercuric chloride (HgCl₂), while on FeCl₃–NaX and FeCl₃–NaA it was mainly mercuric oxide (HgO).     

Hg0 removal from flue gas over different zeolites modified by FeCl3

The elemental mercury removal abilities of three different zeolites (NaA, NaX, HZSM-5) impregnated with iron (III) chloride were studied on alab-scale fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) analy-ses were used to investigate the physicochemical properties. Results indicated that the pore structure and active chloride species on the surface of the samples are the key factors for physisorption and oxidation of Hg⁰, respectively. Relatively high surface area and micropore volume are beneficial to efficient mercury adsorption. The active Cl species generated on the surface of the samples were effective oxidants able to convert elemental mercury (Hg⁰) into oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺). The crystallization of NaCl due to the ion exchange effect during the impregnation of NaA and NaX reduced the number of active Cl species on the surface, and restricted the physisorption of Hg⁰. Therefore, the Hg⁰ removal efficiencies of the samples were inhibited. The TPD analysis revealed that the species of mercury on the surface of FeCl₃-HZSM-5 was mainly in the form of mercuric chloride(HgCl₂), while on FeCl₃-NaX and FeCl₃-NaA it was mainly mercuri coxide(HgO).     

Integrated removal of NO and mercury from coal combustion flue gas using manganese oxides supported on TiO2

A catalyst composed of manganese oxides supported on titania(MnO_x/TiO_2) synthesized by a sol–gel method was selected to remove nitric oxide and mercury jointly at a relatively low temperature in simulated flue gas from coal-fired power plants. The physico-chemical characteristics of catalysts were investigated by X-ray fluorescence(XRF), X-ray diffraction(XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analyses, etc. The effects of Mn loading,reaction temperature and individual flue gas components on denitration and Hg~0 removal were examined. The results indicated that the optimal Mn/Ti molar ratio was 0.8 and the best working temperature was 240°C for NO conversion. O_2 and a proper ratio of [NH_3]/[NO]are essential for the denitration reaction. Both NO conversion and Hg~0 removal efficiency could reach more than 80% when NO and Hg~0 were removed simultaneously using Mn0.8 Tiat 240°C.Hg~0 removal efficiency slightly declined as the Mn content increased in the catalysts. The reaction temperature had no significant effect on Hg~0 removal efficiency. O_2 and HCl had a promotional effect on Hg~0 removal. SO2 and NH_3were observed to weaken Hg~0 removal because of competitive adsorption. NO first facilitated Hg~0 removal and then had an inhibiting effect as NO concentration increased without O_2, and it exhibited weak inhibition of Hg~0 removal efficiency in the presence of O_2. The oxidation of Hg~0 on Mn O x/TiO_2 follows the Mars–Maessen and Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanisms.     

Significance of air humidity and air velocity for fungal spore release into the air

Our previous field studies have shown that the presence of molds in buildings does not necessarily mean elevated airborne spore counts. Therefore, we investigated the release of fungal spores from cultures of Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. at different air velocities and air humidities. Spores of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were released from conidiophores already at air velocity of 0.5 ms⁻¹, whereas Cladosporium spores required at least a velocity of 1.0 ms⁻¹. Airborne spore counts of A. fumigatus and Penicillium sp. were usually higher in dry than moist air, being minimal at relative humidities (r.h.) above 70%, while the effect of r.h. on the release of Cladosporium sp. was ambivalent. The geometric mean diameter of released spores increased when the r.h. exceeded a certain level which depends on fungal genus. Thus, spores of all three fungi were hygroscopic but the hygroscopicity of various spores appeared at different r.h.-ranges. This study indicates that spore release is controlled by external factors and depends on fungal genus which can be one reason for considerable variation of airborne spore counts in buildings with mold problems.     

Mercury oxidation and adsorption characteristics of potassium permanganate modified lignite semi-coke

The adsorption characteristics of virgin and potassium permanganate modified lignite semi-coke (SC) for gaseous Hg⁰ were investigated in an attempt to produce more effective and lower price adsorbents for the control of elemental mercury emission. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the surface physical and chemical properties of SC, Mn-SC and Mn-H-SC before and after mercury adsorption. The results indicated that potassium permanganate modification had significant influence on the properties of semi-coke, such as the specific surface area, pore structure and surface chemical functional groups. The mercury adsorption efficiency of modified semi-coke was lower than that of SC at low temperature, but much higher at high temperature. Amorphous Mn⁷⁺, Mn⁶⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ on the surface of Mn-SC and Mn-H-SC were the active sites for oxidation and adsorption of gaseous Hg⁰, which oxidized the elemental mercury into Hg²⁺ and captured it. Thermal treatment reduced the average oxidation degree of Mn^x+ on the surface of Mn-SC from 3.80 to 3.46. However, due to the formation of amorphous MnO_x, the surface oxidation active sites for gaseous Hg⁰ increased, which gave Mn-H-SC higher mercury adsorption efficiency than that of Mn-SC at high temperature.     

低分子有机酸对汞氧化还原反应的影响

为探究植被根系分泌物的主要成分低分子有机酸对汞氧化还原反应的影响,采用室内模拟试验,探讨了酒石酸、柠檬酸及琥珀酸对汞的还原、氧化反应的影响,并分析了其相应的作用机制.结果表明,酒石酸对汞还原反应有明显的促进作用,柠檬酸有抑制作用.低浓度琥珀酸对汞还原反应有促进作用,高浓度为抑制作用.酒石酸还原Hg2+的反应为二级动力学反应,速率常数为0.0014~0.0056 L·(ng·min)-1.3种有机酸在反应初期对Hg0表现出一定的氧化作用,但随后被氧化的Hg0又被重新还原.3种有机酸对Hg0的氧化能力顺序为:柠檬酸>酒石酸>琥珀酸.     

中国燃煤汞排放清单的初步建立

建立中国分省燃煤汞排放清单,对于研究汞的大气化学转化、迁移和沉降,制定中国汞污染控制对策具有重要意义.本研究按经济部门、燃料类型、燃烧方式和污染控制技术将排放源划分为65种不同类型,根据各类型的煤炭消费量、燃料汞含量和汞排放因子计算汞排放量,最终建立了分省燃煤汞排放清单.用2组原煤汞含量数据资料计算的2000年中国燃煤大气汞排放量分别为161.6 t和219.5 t,其中绝大部分汞排放来自工业、电力和生活消费,分别占46%、35%和14%.Hg⁰、Hg²⁺和Hg_p在中国燃煤大气汞排放中所占的比例分别为16%、61%和23%.中国燃煤汞排放在各地区间有较大差异,排放量较大的省份有河南、山西、河北、辽宁和江苏,均超过10t/a.     

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas sp. JM2 isolated from active sewage sludge of chemical plant

It is important to screen strains that can decompose polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) completely and rapidly with good adaptability for bioremediation in a local area. A bacterial strain JM2, which uses phenanthrene as its sole carbon source, was isolated from the active sewage sludge from a chemical plant in Jilin, China and identified as Pseudomonas based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Although the optimal growth conditions were determined to be pH 6.0 and 37℃, JM2 showed a broad pH and temperature profile. At pH 4.5 and 9.3, JM2 could degrade more than 40% of fluorene and phenanthrene (50 mg/L each) within 4 days. In addition, when the temperature was as low as 4℃, JM2 could degrade up to 24% fluorene and 12% phenanthrene. This showed the potential for JM2 to be applied in bioremediation over winter or in cold regions. Moreover, a nutrient augmentation study showed that adding formate into media could promote PAH degradation, while the supplement of salicylate had an inhibitive effect. Furthermore, in a metabolic pathway study, salicylate, phthalic acid, and 9-fluorenone were detected during the degradation of fluorene or phenanthrene. In conclusion, Pseudomonas sp. JM2 is a high performance strain in the degradation of fluorene and phenanthrene under extreme pH and temperature conditions. It might be useful in the bioremediation of PAHs.     

被动采样器(MerPAS)在气态汞含量和同位素分馏研究中的应用

汞（Hg）是一种具有生物毒性、易挥发的有害金属元素。在大气中主要以气态单质汞Hg⁰的形态存在,具有较长的大气滞留时间,能随大气环流扩散到全球。多尺度监测大气Hg⁰的浓度对于评估《关于汞的水俣公约》履行效果极为关键。由于操作简易且不易受恶劣环境影响,被动采样器是现有大气Hg⁰主动监测技术的有效补充。近期研究表明被动采样器（MerPAS）采集到的大气Hg⁰可以同时应用于汞浓度与稳定汞同位素的分析。鉴于MerPAS在大气汞的研究中的广泛应用前景,本文对MerPAS的结构、原理以及其在大气Hg⁰浓度和同位素研究方面的进展进行综述,并通过实地采集天津市市区的大气汞来验证其汞浓度和同位素测试的可靠性。结果显示：MerPAS能够准确地监测大气汞的浓度,并很好地保存大气Hg⁰的同位素信号,特别是非质量分馏信号。     

Hg2+对固定化小球藻污水净化及生理特征的影响

利用褐藻酸钙凝胶包埋固定普通小球藻,对人工配制的含汞污水进行静态净化实验,研究了不同浓度Ｈｇ＾２＋对固定化小球藻净化污水中氨氮,正磷酸盐的效率及其４个生理指标（叶绿素α,光合强度,生长和过氧化物酶）的影响,并与悬浮藻对照比较。结果表明,由于小球藻的固定化增加了对Ｈｇ＾２＋毒性的抗性,０．２×１０＾－６浓度的Ｈｇ＾２＋对其净化效率无多大影响,而悬浮藻的净化明显下降。随着Ｈｇ＾２＋浓度的增加,固定藻的     

Role of NO in Hg oxidation over a commercial selective catalytic reduction catalyst V2O5–WO3/TiO2

Experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor that contained a commercial catalyst, V₂O₅–WO₃/TiO₂, to investigate mercury oxidation in the presence of NO and O₂. Mercury oxidation was improved by NO, and the efficiency was increased by simultaneously adding NO and O₂. With NO and O₂ pretreatment at 350°C, the catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity for Hg⁰ oxidation, whereas NO pretreatment did not exert a noticeable effect. Decreasing the reaction temperature boosted the performance of the catalyst treated with NO and O₂. Although NO promoted Hg⁰ oxidation at the very beginning, excessive NO counteracted this effect. The results show that NO plays different roles in Hg⁰ oxidation; NO in the gaseous phase may directly react with the adsorbed Hg⁰, but excessive NO hinders Hg⁰ adsorption. The adsorbed NO was converted into active nitrogen species (e.g., NO₂) with oxygen, which facilitated the adsorption and oxidation of Hg⁰. Hg⁰ was oxidized by NO mainly by the Eley–Rideal mechanism. The Hg⁰ temperature-programmed desorption experiment showed that weakly adsorbed mercury species were converted to strongly bound ones in the presence of NO and O₂.     

Comparative proteomic study and functional analysis of translationally controlled tumor protein in rice roots under Hg2+ stress

So far, very little is known about mercury stress-induced intercellular metabolic changes in rice roots at the proteome level. To investigate the response of rice roots to mercury stress, changes in protein expression in rice roots were analyzed using a comparative proteomics approach. Six-leaf stage rice seedlings were treated with 50 μmol/L HgCl₂ for 3 hr; 29 protein spots showed a significant changes in abundance under stress when compared with the Hg²⁺-tolerant rice mutant and wild type (Zhonghua 11). Furthermore, all these protein spots were identified by mass spectrometry to match 27 diverse protein species. The identified proteins were involved in several processes, including stress response, redox homeostasis, signal transduction, regulation and metabolism; some were found to be cellular structure proteins and a few were unknown. Among the up-regulated proteins, OsTCTP (translationally controlled tumor protein) was chosen to perform hetereologous expression in yeast which was presumed to participate in the Hg²⁺ tolerance of rice, providing evidence for its role in alleviating Hg²⁺ damage. Among the many tests, we found that OsTCTP-overexpressed yeast strains were more resistant to Hg²⁺ than wild-type yeast. Thus, we propose that OsTCTP contributes to Hg²⁺ resistance. Here we present, for the first time, the functional characterization of OsTCTP in connection with Hg²⁺ stress in plants.     

Mechanism of Hg oxidation in the presence of HCl over a commercial V2O5–WO3/TiO2 SCR catalyst

Experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor containing a commercial V₂O₅/WO₃/TiO₂ catalyst to investigate mercury oxidation in the presence of HCl and O₂. Mercury oxidation was improved significantly in the presence of HCl and O₂, and the Hg⁰ oxidation efficiencies decreased slowly as the temperature increased from 200 to 400°C. Upon pretreatment with HCl and O₂ at 350°C, the catalyst demonstrated higher catalytic activity for Hg⁰ oxidation. Notably, the effect of pretreatment with HCl alone was not obvious. For the catalyst treated with HCl and O₂, better performance was observed with lower reaction temperatures. The results showed that both HCl and Hg⁰ were first adsorbed onto the catalyst and then reacted with O₂ following its adsorption, which indicates that the oxidation of Hg⁰ over the commercial catalyst followed the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. Several characterization techniques, including Hg⁰ temperature-programmed desorption (Hg-TPD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were employed in this work. Hg-TPD profiles showed that weakly adsorbed mercury species were converted to strongly bound species in the presence of HCl and O₂. XPS patterns indicated that new chemisorbed oxygen species were formed by the adsorption of HCl, which consequently facilitated the oxidation of mercury.