Biogeochemical factors affecting the distribution, speciation, and transport of Hg species in the Deûle and Lys Rivers (Northern France)

The Deûle River is a highly polluted River by heavy metals caused by the historical discharges of ore minerals from the former ore smelter “Metaleurop.” The potential mercury (Hg) pollution in the Deûle River implicates the importance of Hg distribution study in the river. As well as to configure the different biogeochemical factors that control the distribution and the potential transport of Hg to distant places. Four different sites were studied as follows: D-A (Deûle River, a site located upstream the river), D-B (Deûle River, a site located near a Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ni smelter that closed in 2003), L-C (Lys River, a site located upstream the confluence of the Deûle River with Lys River), and L-D (downstream the rivers confluence). Different Hg analyses were performed including total mercury in sediment (HgTS), methylmercury (MeHg) in sediment, total mercury in pore water (HgTPW), total mercury in surface water (HgTD), and total suspended particulate Hg in water (HgTP). HgTSdecreases downstream from the Deûle River sites with a mean value of 11 ± 0.34 mg/kg to Lys River site (L-D) with a mean value of 0.53 ± 0.02 mg/kg at the confluence. The unaffected side of the Lys River, localized before the confluence (L-C), is characterized by low HgTSof an average value of 0.042 ± 0.003 mg/kg and high % MeHg reaching 4.2 %. Whereas, the highly contaminated Deûle sites are designated by low % MeHg with an average value of 0.053 %. Low pristine environments like that found in L-C site with more favorable biogeochemical conditions of lower concentrations of HgTS, sulfides, and Corg host more active biotic methylation than that of the highly polluted Deûle sites with high concentrations of HgTSand sulfides concentrations. Methylation in D-B (the closet site to Metaleurop smelter) is an old and recent methylation activity that has contributed to MeHg accumulation in the sediments as opposed to the exclusive recent events of methylation in Lys sites. MeHg in all sites is produced in situ rather than exported from other potential sources confirmed by significant relations of % MeHg with %Corg and AVS. Hg pollution is transported from the Deûle River to the Lys River (L-C and L-D) through suspended particles leached or remobilized from the River catchment. The dominance of reducing conditions in the Deûle River attributed to higher sulfide concentration has contributed to higher HgTPWthan the Lys sites. Diffusive fluxes of HgT from sediment to water column for the Deûle and Lys River sites (L-C and L-D) were estimated to be 224, 53, and 2 ng/cm² year, respectively.