You are here:
Potential of aerobic bacteria use for remediation of groundwater of Pavlodar outskirt contaminated with soluble mercury compounds
Citation:
Abdrashitova, S., W. Davis-Hoover, R. Devereux, S. Aitkeldieva, AND A. Kurmanbaev. Potential of aerobic bacteria use for remediation of groundwater of Pavlodar outskirt contaminated with soluble mercury compounds. The Problems of Biogeochemistry and Geochemical Ecology 18(1):14-25, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
Characterize bacterial isolates for application to remove mercury from contaminated ground water
Description:
In the Republic of Kazakhstan there are some regions contaminated with mercury as a result of technogenic releases from industrial enterprises. The mercury ingress into the environment has resulted in significant pollution of groundwater and surface water with soluble mercury compounds. This poses a considerable risk to the people living in these regions. The Northern outskirt of Pavlodar city is contaminated with mercury as a result of operation of an old chemical plant PO “Khimprom” which produced chlorine and alkali in 70-90s. Groundwater contaminated by HgCl2 is moving towards the Irtysh River located in 5 km far from the plant. There is high mercury concentration in water of Lake Balkyldak to which PO “Khimprom” disposed its wastewater before [1-4,8,9]. In 2004 the Phase I of the demercurization of the former PO “Khimprom” lying in containing and isolation of the main source of the pollution was completed. Despite that the territory of the plant will be a source of chloride of mercury (II) ingress into groundwater for a long time. By now the plume of mercury contaminated groundwater has spread within 2.5 km from a former electrolysis factory which is one of the main sources of the contamination. That is why it is necessary to take some protective measures in order to prevent soluble mercury compounds entering into both the river and sources of water supply. The objective of the research is to establish efficiency of aerobic bacteria use for uptake or precipitation of mobile mercury species from groundwater of Pavlodar outskirt.