Biogeochemical Transformations at Critical Interfaces
ORNL Mercury Science Focus Area (SFA)
Ecosystem Features
Biogeochemical Mechanisms
Microbial Community Functions
Molecular Structure,
Dynamics, and
Mechanisms
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Warming Arctic Soils
Rapid Temperature Rise Increases Methylmercury Production
Climate warming and permafrost thaw could enhance methylmercury production by an order of magnitude, impacting Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
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Improved Gene Probe
Better Assessment of Mercury Methylation
New ORNL tool probes for genes linked to toxic methylmercury
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Methylmercury Bioaccumulation
Simultaneous Mercury Methylation and Demethylation by Geobacter bemidjiensis Bem
Bem mediates various mercury transformations under anoxic conditions, helping to control net methylmercury production and bioaccumulation in natural aquatic environments.
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Cysteine
Cysteine Inhibits Production of Methylmercury Neurotoxin by Geobacter Mutant ΔomcBESTZ
Study shows that cysteine significantly affects microbial mercury methylation and highlights the need for further insight into reaction mechanisms.
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Prevalence of hgcA
Global Prevalence and Distribution of hgcA, a Gene Encoding Microbial Mercury Methylation
The gene is effectively absent in ~1500 human microbiomes, suggesting a low risk of in-body production of the neurotoxin.
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HgcA and HgcB
Key Amino Acid Residues for Mercury Methylation Confirmed
Team constructs site-directed mutants of HgcA and HgcB proteins and examines the effect on production of methylmercury pollutant.
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News: Focus on Mercury
ORNL scientists solve the mystery of mercury
Scientists collaborate on landmark mercury research providing a better understanding of mercury's insidious behavior in the environment—and how to clean up contaminated water, soil, and infrastructure.
ORNL Review
Progress to Date
- Feature: ORNL researchers track mercury prevalence in Oak Ridge waterways. From the Knoxville News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee. (May 23, 2018)
- Feature: ORNL Scientists Study Mercury in the Environment. Local television news features ORNL's mercury research. Video provided by WATE, Nexstar Broadcasting, Knoxville, Tennessee. (April 11, 2018)
- News Release: Newly Identified Microbial Process Could Reduce Toxic Methylmercury Levels
A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments. (ORNL Research Highlight, May 31, 2017) Also reported by ChemEurope, June 1, 2017; Bioengineer.org, May 31, 2017; News Medical Life Sciences, June 1, 2017; and others.
Related video - Feature: A Lifetime of Learning: Eric Pierce. ORNL Research Highlight (March 27, 2017)
- News Release: Methylmercury Sleuths Armed with New Spotlight— DOE Office of Science (January 23, 2017)
Methylmercury Speciation and Dimethylmercury Production in Sulfidic Solutions (2018)
Development of CHARMM-Compatible Force-Field Parameters (2018)
Kinetics of Mercury Methylation Revisited (2018)
Trace Quantities of Copper Could Increase Mercury Methylation (2018)
Quantum Chemical Calculation of pKas of Environmentally Relevant Functional Groups (2018)
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ORNL Mercury SFA sponsored by Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR) program, U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Paul Bayer, SBR Program Manager.
