Xinbin Feng

Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002 · State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry

The atmosphere is the primary medium for long-distance transport and transformation of elemental mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxin. The recent discovery of mass-independent fractionation (MIF) of even-mass Hg isotopes (even-MIF, measured as Δ200Hg and Δ204Hg) in the atmosphere is surprising and can potentially serve as a powerful tracer in understa...

Antimony (Sb) is a toxic heavy metal, and PM2.5‐bound Sb (SbPM2.5) in the air impacts human health via inhalation pathways. In this study, we analyzed multiyear measurements of ambient SbPM2.5 in Beijing to characterize its spatiotemporal distributions, identify main sources, and predict future trends. The results show that ambient SbPM2.5 has been...

Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H. cordata) is a native vegetable colonizing mercury (Hg) mining sites in the southwest of China; it can accumulate high Hg concentrations in the rhizomes and roots (edible sections), and thus consumption of H. cordata represents an important Hg exposure source to human. Here, we studied the spatial distribution, chemical...

The frequent use of antibiotics allows them to enter aqueous environments via wastewater, and many types of antibiotics accumulate in the environment due to difficult degradation, causing a threat to environmental health. It is crucial to adopt effective technical means to remove antibiotics in aqueous environments. The Fenton reaction, as an effec...

The thermal instability of most mercury (Hg) species in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum may lead to the release of large amounts of Hg into the atmosphere. In this study, gypsum samples were collected from 13 major coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) for evaluating the Hg thermal stability within a temperature range of 100–200 °C. Results indicat...

Karst plateau is characterized by elevated heavy metals (HMs), the farmland soils in karst plateau area is especially vulnerable to HMs pollution. To cope with soil HMs pollution and conduct pre‐caution in karst plateau, the key bottleneck is to understand the pollution levels, sources, and priority‐control HMs. Hence, geochemical baselines of HMs...

Effective biomarkers are necessary to better understand the human mercury (Hg) exposure levels. However, mismatched biomarker sampling method causes extra uncertainty in assessing the risk of Hg exposure. To compare the differences between hair and fingernail, and further understand the excretion rates of MeHg and IHg via hair and fingernails, the...

Chromium (Cr) contamination in paddy soil-rice systems threatens human health through the food chain. This study used a new dataset of 500 paddy soil and plant tissue samples collected in the rice-growing regions of Sindh and Punjab Provinces of Pakistan. Overall, 97.4% of grain samples exceeded the Cr threshold values of 1.0 mg kg⁻¹, determined by...

Selenium (Se) plays an indispensable role in minimizing cadmium (Cd) hazards for organisms. However, their potential interactions and co-exposure risk in the naturally Se–Cd enriched paddy field ecosystem are poorly understood. In this study, rice plants with rhizosphere soils sampled from the Enshi seleniferous region, China, were investigated to...

Tropical forest contributes to >50% of global litterfall mercury (Hg) inputs and surface soil Hg storage, while with limited understanding of Hg biogeochemical processes. In this study, we displayed the 5−m resolution of Hg spatial distribution in three 1-ha tropical forest plots across the latitudinal gradient in Southwest China, and determined Hg...

Atmospheric emission of heavy metals from different anthropogenic sources is a great concern to human beings due to their toxicities. In order to disclose the emission levels and the distribution patterns of zinc (Zn) in the modern cement industry with respect to its low boiling point (~900 °C) comparing to the high-temperature (1450 °C) clinker pr...

As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events become more severe and frequent. We analyzed the datasets of decade-long observation (2005-2020) of mercury (Hg) stored in two subtropical evergreen forests to understand the impacts of extreme weather on the sequestration of atmospheric Hg in forest ecosystems. Results show a weak correlation b...

To understand the ambient levels and sources of atmospheric mercury (Hg) in the Tibetan Plateau, a full-year continuous measurement of speciated atmospheric mercury was conducted at the Waliguan (WLG) Baseline Observatory (3816 m a.s.l.) from May 2012 to April 2013. Mean concentrations (± 1 SD) of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized m...

Rice plants accumulate Hg from the soil and ambient air, however, evaluating the contribution of Hg from these two sources remains challenging. Here, we proposed a practical method to predict the contribution of total gaseous mercury (TGM) to Hg in white rice in Wanshan Hg mine area (WMM). In this study, rice was planted in the same low-Hg soil at...

Forest ecosystem accounts for 31% of global land areas and plays a key role in the global biogeochemical cycling of mercury (Hg). In this critical review, datasets of Hg flux measurements and Hg isotopic compositions in the environmental compartments of forests in the last three decades are synthesized to examine the budgets of Hg mass balance and...

Coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are an important anthropogenic mercury (Hg) source in China, and it is crucial to understand the environmental impacts of this detrimental element emitted from this source. In the present study, field experiments were conducted for measuring Hg in ambient atmosphere and upland agricultural soils within a radius of 10...

Antimony (Sb) isotopes have been shown to be promising tracers for studying Sb cycling in the environment and its impact on ecosystem and human health. Yet precise measurements of Sb isotopic composition have been challenged by low Sb concentrations and high matrix effect and by the lack of a common reference material (zero-delta). Here we report a...

To disclose possible influencing factors on mercury (Hg) contents in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs), 11 major CFPPs in Guizhou province of southwest China were surveyed for analyzing Hg contents in feed coal, limestone and gypsum as well as coal properties. It was found that Hg contents in the desulfurizati...

Land surface emissions are an important source of atmospheric total gaseous mercury (TGM); however, its role on the variations of TGM isotopic compositions and concentrations has not been properly evaluated. In this study, TGM isotope compositions, a powerful tracer for sources and transformation of Hg, were measured at 10 urban sites and one rural...

Emissions from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) have a negative impact on the environment and metals are one of the categories of substances that have received considerable attention. In the present study, atmospheric zinc (Zn) emissions from eight CFPPs with different kinds of boilers and air pollution control devices (APCDs) in Guizhou Province, S...

High geological background levels of trace elements (TEs) and high population density in the karst areas of southwest China have imposed environmental pressure on the fragile ecosystems in this region. Understanding the mass budget of TEs, especially the toxic ones, is of great importance to sustain future developments. This study investigates the...

Antimony (Sb), a priority pollutant listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), can cause adverse effects on human health, with particular impacts on skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system. In this study, a database of Sb concentrations in the global atmosphere was developed through a survey of measurements publi...

Mitigating the risk of mercury (Hg) contamination in rice soils using environmental friendly amendments is essential to reducing the probable daily intake (PDI) of MeHg via rice consumption. Here, we examined the impacts of different doses (0% (control), 0.6% and 3%) of rice hull-derived biochar (RHB) and mixture of wheat-rice straw-derived biochar...

Antagonism between selenium (Se) and cadmium (Cd) has been demonstrated in plants. However, a mutual suppression threshold for Se and Cd has not been identified in previous studies using Cd or Se individually. To fill this knowledge gap, we determined the levels of Se and Cd in various tissues of rice under concentration gradients of Se and Cd with...

The pathways of human mercury (Hg) exposure are complex and accurate understanding of relative contributions from different pathways are crucial for risk assessment and risk control. In this study, we determined total Hg concentration and Hg isotopic composition of human urine, dietary components, and inhaled air in the Wanshan Hg mining area (MA),...

Indigenous zinc smelting (IZS) is a backward technique that releases a great deal of heavy metal(loid)s into the environment. However, the contamination of heavy metal(loid)s in ground dust and the associated health risks in such areas are poorly known. In this study, a former IZS area in Guizhou, China, was surveyed during 2008–2018 with 15 elemen...

Mercury (Hg) isotopic geochemistry is a powerful tool for understanding the sources and geochemical processes of Hg in natural environment. Current Hg isotopic analysis mainly focuses on total Hg in...

Residential coal combustion (RCC) is a major source of atmospheric mercury (Hg) in rural areas of China, but little is known about the isotope signatures of Hg from this source. In the present study, the isotope compositions of speciated Hg (Hg⁰, Hg²⁺, and Hgp) in flue gas emitted from RCC were investigated in two important coal-producing areas (Xi...

Thallium (Tl) is a toxic element that exists at trace level in coal. Coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) consume large amounts of coal and can potentially release this element into surrounding environment. However, knowledge of fates of Tl inside CFPPs and associated atmospheric emissions is still very limited. In this study, five CFPPs with pulverized...

Bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in rice grains has been an emerging issue of human health, but the mechanism of bioaccumulation is still poorly understood. Mercury (Hg) isotope measurements are powerful tools for tracing the sources and biogeochemical cycles of Hg in the environment. In this study, MeHg compound-specific stable isotope anal...

The unusual carbon biogeochemical cycling that occurred in the Ediacaran (ca. 635-541 Ma) ocean may have been critical for ocean oxygenation and Ediacaran life evolution. However, the triggers of the peculiar Ediacaran carbonate carbon isotope (δ 13 C carb) excursions are not well understood. Because mercury (Hg) has a strong affinity for organic c...

Northeast China possess large areas of agricultural farmlands that were reclaimed from earlier marsh wetlands in the past several decades, while the response of trace element like mercury (Hg) in this process were not fully understood. In the present study, total mercury (THg) and Hg isotope composition were determined in reservoir sediment cores o...

Recent studies have shown that rice consumption can be the major pathway for human methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in inland China. However, few studies have considered the susceptible population of school children's exposure through rice ingestion. In this study, monthly variations in total Hg (THg)/MeHg concentrations in rice, fish, hair, and urine...

Abstact Wanshan is a city in southwest China that has several inactive mercury (Hg) mines. The local population are exposed to methylmercury (MeHg) due to the consumption of Hg contaminated rice. The relationship between Hg exposure and the cognitive functions of local children is unknown. This study investigated the relationship between hair Hg co...

To understand its source, distribution, storage, and translocation in the subtropical forest ecosystems, mercury (Hg) concentrations and stable isotopes in forest biomass tissues (foliage, branch, bark, and trunk) were investigated at Ailao Mountain National Nature Reserve, Southwest China. The total Hg (THg) concentrations in the samples show the...

Characterizing the composition of mercury (Hg) isotopes in the atmospheric emissions of cement plants is critical to understand the global circulation of Hg because large quantities of Hg are released from this source annually. A pre-calciner cement plant in Guizhou Province in Southwest China was selected to investigate the mass dependent fraction...

This is a systematic study of human health risk assessment (HHRA) and risk categorization for inorganic mercury (IHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in Hg mining areas. A multi-pathway exposure model coupled with Monte Carlo simulation was constructed for the Wanshan Hg mining area (WSMM), Southwestern China, with consideration of oral ingestion (foodstu...

Organic soil is an important transient reservoir of mercury (Hg) in terrestrial ecosystems, but the fate of deposited Hg in organic forest soil is poorly understood. To understand the dynamic changes of deposited Hg on forest floor, the composition of stable Hg and carbon (C) isotopes in decomposing litters and organic soil layer was measured to co...

Mercury (Hg) deposition through litterfall has been regarded as the main input of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) into forest ecosystems. We hypothesize that earlier studies largely underestimated this sink because the contribution of Hg0 uptake by moss and the downward transport to wood and throughfall is overlooked. To test the hypothesis, we inv...

Consumption of mercury (Hg) contaminated rice can be a major environmental health issue but the toxicokinetics is not well known. Hg isotopes have been shown to be good tracers in studying Hg exposure and metabolic processes. We established a Hg mass balance and Hg isotope model in rats fed with Hg contaminated rice (THg 51.3 ng/g; MeHg 25 ng/g) fo...

Effect of application of 24 t ha-1 and 72 t ha-1 rice hull-derived biochar (RHB) on total Hg (THg) and methylHg (MeHg) immobilization and their accumulations by rice plants were studied in a field experiment (Wanshan Hg mine, China). The addition of two doses of RHB significantly increased the biomass of rice plants, and decreased the MeHg concentr...

Mercury (Hg) contamination of paddy field poses a health risk to rice consumers, and its remediation is a subject of global scientific attention. In the 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 nano-activated carbon (NAC) as a soil amendment to minim...

Since the beginning of the 21st century, our knowledge of the sources and fate of Hg over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the “Roof of the World,” has been greatly enhanced with growing literature. Here, we reviewed the available literature to obtain a comprehensive understanding of Hg biogeochemistry over the TP. The biogeochemical Hg cycling is charact...

Historical mercury (Hg) mining in the Wanshan Hg mining area in southwest China and other regions worldwide has contaminated soils and left a legacy of health risks for communities consuming crop products harvested from these soils. Agricultural planning strategy is urgently needed in these regions for reducing human exposure to Hg pollution throug...

Mercury (Hg) contamination of paddy fields poses a health risk to rice consumers, and its remediation is a subject of global scientific attention. In the 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 nano-activated carbon (NAC) as a soil amendment to mini...

Spatial distribution and isotope signature of mercury (Hg) in street dusts across China were investigated by collecting dust samples from 14 cities and reviewing previously published data from an additional 46 cities. Potential sources of street dust and the associated health risks to humans were also assessed. The total Hg (THg) concentrations in...

As global climate continues to warm, melting of glaciers releases a large quantity of mercury (Hg) originally locked in ice into the atmosphere and downstream ecosystems. Here, we show an opposite process that captures atmospheric Hg through glacier-to-vegetation succession. Our study using stable isotope techniques at 3 succession sites on the Tib...

As indispensable strategic materials for high-tech industries, rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) have become particularly important in recent years, raising the demand of developing new approaches for reclamation of REY from REY-rich materials such as coal combustion products (CCPs). In this study, five coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) in Guizho...

Lead (Pb) emissions into the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources have attracted considerable attention due to its high toxicity and associated human health and environmental impacts. Pb emission inventories need to be updated considering the development of modern industry as well as the transformation and upgrading of industrial equipment in rece...

A data gap in the evergreen broadleaf (EB) forest ecosystems has resulted in large uncertainties in estimating the quantity of global air–soil exchange of elemental mercury vapor (Hg0). In this study, we systematically measured the soil pore gas Hg0 concentration, air–soil Hg0 exchange flux and associated environmental parameters to elucidate the p...

Composition of stable mercury (Hg) isotopes provides important chemical signatures for tracing the source and transformation pathway of Hg in the environment. However, such measurements are challenging for natural water samples due to the ultratrace levels of Hg and therefore a preconcentration of Hg in water is needed prior to isotope measurements...

The potential of chicken manure and ferrous sulfate in immobilizing both mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in a tailing collected from Danzhai gold (Au) mine in southwestern part of China was investigated. A laboratory leaching experiment was conducted firstly to study the effectiveness of 30 tons ha−1 to 90 tons ha−1 chicken manure, or its combination...

The formation of neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) in paddy fields and its accumulation by rice plants is of high environmental concern. The contribution of different geochemical mercury (Hg) pools in paddy soils to MeHg production and its accumulation by rice seedlings is not well-studied up to now. Therefore, we investigated the impact of different...

In mercury (Hg) contaminated areas of Asia, human exposure to toxic methyl-Hg (MeHg) through a rice-based diet of locally produced crop may pose a health threat. Alternative cropping system to rice in such areas would be most desirable. In this study, corn, the leading cereal source in the world with large biomass, was demonstrated to accumulate an...