A mercury-contaminated soil collected from a farm land near a
mercury mining area in Tongren, Guizhou Province was used in
this work. The soil was air dried and grounded. Subsequently, particles
with sizes larger than 2 mm were removed using a standard
10-mesh sieve. The soil was then thoroughly mixed. The mixed soil
was stored properly before sample characterization and thermal
decontamination tests. Mercury concentration in the soil was
determined to be 69 mg kg1.