Crystalline Phase Regulates Microbial Methylation Potential of Mercury Bound to MoS<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets: Implications for Safe Design of Mercury Removal Materials
Wenyu Guan, Zhanhua Zhang, Yaqi Liu, Yunyun Ji, Xin Tong, Yaqi Liu, Jiubin Chen, Pedro J. J. Alvarez, Wei Chen, Tong Zhang
Abstract
Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have shown great promise as selective and high-capacity sorbents for Hg(II) removal from water. Yet, their design should consider safe disposal of spent materials, particularly the subsequent formation of methylmercury (MeHg), a highly potent and bioaccumulative neurotoxin. Here, we show that microbial methylation of mercury bound to MoS 2 nanosheets (a representative TMD material) is significant under anoxic conditions commonly encountered in landfills. Notably, the methylation potential is highly dependent on the phase compositions of MoS 2 . MeHg production was higher for 1T MoS 2, as mercury bound to this phase primarily exists as surface complexes that are available for ligand exchange. In comparison, mercury on 2H MoS 2 occurs largely in the form of precipitates, particularly monovalent mercury minerals (e.g., Hg 2 MoO 4 and Hg 2 SO 4 ) that are minimally bioavailable. Thus, even though 1T MoS 2 is more effective in Hg(II) removal from aqueous solution due to its higher adsorption affinity and reductive ability, it poses a higher risk of MeHg formation after landfill disposal. These findings highlight the critical role of nanoscale surfaces in enriching heavy metals and subsequently regulating their bioavailability and risks and shed light on the safe design of heavy metal sorbent materials through surface structural modulation.