Fractionation of mercury in sediments during draining of Augusta (Italy) coastal area by modified Tessier method

Abstract A modified Tessier method was applied to sediments dredged from Augusta (Italy) coastal area with the purpose of establishing the amount and the forms in which mercury is present in the different sediment fractions. The mercury fractionation was made by measuring the concentration of the metal ion on the solutions and directly on the sediment fractions obtained by sequential extraction. The measurements on the solutions as well as that on the solid fractions were carried out by using a Direct Mercury Analyser, DMA 80. This new instrument does not require sample preparation, and gives results comparable to those obtained with CV-AAS and ICP-MS and few minutes are necessary for each …