Workshop 3

Perspectives on mercury compounds (de)methylation in the environments – Current knowledge gaps and future advances

Presenters: Sofi Johnsson, David Amouroux
Duration: 3hrs
Time slot: Afternoon (13h00 – 16h00)

Workshop Objectives:

To strengthen understanding of current knowledge gaps on Hg compounds (de)methylation processes and on state-of-art techniques that could enable to advance our current understanding of such processes.

Abstract:
The balance between mercury (Hg) compounds methylation and demethylation processes controls net production of methylated Hg compounds in natural environments such as monomethylmercury (MMHg – bound to various organic and inorganic ligands) and dimethylmercury (DMHg – a neutral chemical specie). Identifying processes and quantifying rates for Hg compounds methylation and demethylation processes in natural environments remains a challenge since it will include both light dependent or independent (biotically driven and abiotic) processes. Even if some of these pathways have been described in various studies, they remain hard to predict and almost impossible to extrapolate at larger scale to assess their role on the global biogeochemical cycle of Hg. So far, many efforts have been focused on the methylation or reduction processes, even though a detailed understanding of those combined mechanisms including reversible or successive demethylation or oxidation processes are equally important. Such new investigations and approaches could be applied in various dedicated environments such as contaminated sites (industry, ASGM), watershed continuum, marine ecosystem, and extreme environments (cold, hot). With this workshop, we want to shed light on current knowledge gaps on Hg compounds (de)methylation processes and on state-of-art techniques that could enable to advance our current understanding of such processes. We aim at gathering researchers from various disciplines with experiences in studying those processes and in relevant state-of-the art techniques (such as multi-omics, speciation, and isotopic approaches) including in situ or lab based experimental investigations or observations and conceptual or empirical modelling approaches. To inspire the discussion during the workshop we will present an overview of the current knowledges and questions that will be followed by invited keynote speakers’ presentations of novel experimental / analytical techniques or conceptual tools as applied in specific environments.

We really hope that this interdisciplinary workshop will be a platform for generation of novel ideas and new collaborations, as well as a forum to generate a scientific review of the current knowledge and gaps to be addressed.

Presenter Affiliations / Biographies:
Sofi Jonsson, Stockholm University, Sweden – https://www.su.se/english/profiles/sojo8887-1.365841
David Amouroux, CNRS – University of Pau, France – https://iprem.univ-pau.fr/fr/iprem/membres/cv_-damourou-fr.html