Nanoactivated Carbon Reduces Mercury Mobility and Uptake by Oryza sativa L: Mechanistic Investigation Using Spectroscopic and Microscopic Techniques

Mercury (Hg) contamination of paddy field poses a health risk to rice consumers, and its remediation is a subject of global scientific attention. In recent years focus has been given to in situ techniques which reduce the risk of Hg entering the food chain. Here, we investigate the use of nanoactivated carbon (NAC) as a soil amendment to minimize Hg uptake by rice plants. Application of 1–3% NAC to soil (by weight) reduced Hg concentration in the pore water (by 61–76%) and its bioaccumulation in the tissues of rice plants (by 15–63%), relative to the corresponding control. Specifically, NAC reduced the Hg concentration of polished rice by 47–63% compared to the control, to a level that was 29–49% lower than the food safety value (20 ng g^–1) defined by the Chinese government. The NAC induced a change in Hg binding from organic matter to nano-HgS in the soil as a function of soil amendment. This Hg speciation transformation might be coupled to the reduction of sulfoxide to reduced sulfur species (S⁰) by NAC. The NAC amendment may be a practical and effective solution to mitigate the risk of Hg transferring from contaminated soil to rice grains at locations around the world.