Mercury contamination enters streams and lakes from a variety of sources. It becomes sorbed onto the sediments where it resides in dynamic equilibrium with the dissolved species in the suprajacent water column. A means must be found to remove mercury from sediments without destroying the environment or otherwise upsetting the ecological balance. The problem of mercury immobilization and removal was addressed by evaluating a number of recoverable sulfur based getter systems. Examples of these are: Elemental sulfur deployed as a coating on a recoverable meshwork, and Thiourea type organic compounds dispersed in a recoverable matrix. In the course of these evaluations several improved getter system combinations became obvious and these were also included into the scope of this research. Only natural sediments and waters were used to prepare test aquaria in order to simulate natural conditions as nearly as possible.

EPA 16080 HTD. NTIS: PB 211250. March 1972. Microfiche.