Stimulation of Mercury Methylation by Coal Ash in Anaerobic Sediment Microcosms

Abstract:

Coal combustion products (coal ash) represent one of the largest industrial waste streams in the United States. Coal ash contains elevated levels of toxic, bioaccumulative elements such as mercury (Hg), yet the majority of coal ash waste is stored in unlined impoundments and landfills. These impoundments have a long history of environmental degradation, including: groundwater contamination, surface water contamination through impoundment effluent discharge, and impoundment failures resulting in catastrophic ash release events. The fate of toxic elements associated with coal ash is greatly influenced by environmental parameters, such as redox potential and microbial activity, which induce transformations and leaching of contaminants.

Here we used anaerobic sediment-ash microcosms to determine how coal ash impacts methyl mercury (MeHg) production in a simulated benthic aquatic environment. We used two coal ash types in the microcosms: a weathered ash with low sulfate/Hg content and a fresh fly ash that was relatively enriched in sulfate/Hg compared to the weathered ash. Two different sediments were used in the microcosms: one was a pristine sediment (containing 0.03 mg/kg Hg) and the other was a relatively Hg-contaminated sediment (containing 0.29 mg/kg Hg).

Results showed that microcosms amended with the low sulfate/low Hg ash had no net MeHg production. In contrast, microcosms amended with high sulfate/high Hg ash showed increases in MeHg concentrations that were 2 to 3 times greater than control microcosms without ash, indicating that coal ash can stimulate MeHg production by providing spikes of Hg and labile sulfate to the aquatic system. MeHg production in ash-amended microcosms containing contaminated sediment was no greater than in the ash-amended pristine sediment microcosms. This may indicate that Hg associated with coal ash is more bioavailable than the Hg present in historically contaminated sediments. Illumina sequencing is underway to investigate the impact of coal ash on both the contaminated and pristine sediment microbial populations.

Overall our work highlights the need to incorporate environmental parameters into the risk assessments that guide coal ash waste management.