• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.546-552
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• 2018

Although there are differences in the history of mining development by country, geographical conditions, and economic status, there are various problems such as water pollution caused by acid mine drainage from past mine development, soil and water pollution caused by mine tailing, and landslides caused by slope failure. Thus, human life is threatened by ground subsidence caused by collapses. Some countries have technology and legal systems that are different from those of others. In countries where mine reclamation is underway, or has to begin, there is a need for institutional arrangements and technical support. Countries trying to start mine reclamation require help from the international community. Technically and institutionally advanced nations need to recover from mine reclamation through cooperation with countries that are beginning to undertake reclamation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2005

Acid Rock Drainage(ARD) is the product formed by the atmospheric(i.e. by water, oxygen and carbon dioxide) oxidation of the relatively common iron-sulphur mineral pyrite($FeS_2$). ARD causes the acidification and heavy metal contamination of water and soil and the reduction of slope stability. In this paper the generation characteristics and the prediction of ARD of various cut slopes were studied. An attempt to classify the rocks into several groups according to their acid generation potentials was made. Acid Base Accounting(ABA) tests, commonly used as a screening tool in ARD predictions, were performed. Fourteen rock samples were classified into PAF(potentially acid forming) group and four rock samples into NAF(non-acid forming) group. The chemical analysis of water samples strongly suggested that ARD with high content of heavy metals and low pH could pollute the ground water and/or stream water.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.66-73
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• 2019

Approximately 80% of the mines are vacated or abandoned mines and are mostly left without suitable environmental treatment facilities. In the area around the abandoned mine site, problems such as drainage of acidic city drainage and leakage of leachate occur, and ground subsidence caused by this can cause a safety accident due to sink hole occurrence. In this study, flow, compressive strength, water uptake, pore and hydration characteristics were investigated to investigate the basic properties of liner and cover material based on the replacement ratio of nano silica and silica fume in the existing blast - furnace slag fine powder. As a result, as the substitution ratio of nano silica and silica fume increased, the flow and compressive strength of nano silica specimens increased and the absorption rate decreased. In the case of pore characteristics, the amount of pores decreased as the substitution ratio of nano silica and silica fume increased. Especially, the capillary porosity of 10-1,000 nm diameter decreased. Ray diffraction analysis and SEM measurement showed that the peak positions of the hydration products were almost the same when compared with the 5% alternative test samples of Plain and silica fume.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.501-510
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• 2003

Several geophysical surveys(electrical resistivity, electromagnetic, seismic refraction, CPR) were conducted to primarily investigate the gallery and the geomembrane at an abandoned mine(Imcheon mine). The subsurface structure mapped from seismic refraction survey mainly consists of three velocity layers(>1000 m/s, 1000∼2000 m/s,＜2000 m/s). Top of the bedrock, whose velocities exceed 2000 m/s, appears to be at depth of 7.5∼10m. Higher resistivities (of ten thousands-hundred of thousands ohm-m) are interpreted to be associated with a open(cavities) gallery. The events at depth of approximately 0.5∼0.7m in GPR sections are probably caused by high-density-poly-ethylene geomembrane. Taking into consideration of the differences in the spatial resolution between georadar and electrical surveys, the events of geomembrane correspond to the top of the high resistivities at depth of about 2m. The segments, characterized with the higher conductivities in the electromagnetic data and the lower resistivities in the electrical resistivity data, are probably associated with surface water or tear zone of geomembrane.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.72-81
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• 2012

We investigated the effects of acid mine drainage (AMD) from abandoned coal mines on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the upper reaches of the Nakdong River from May to October in 2009. Qualitative and quantitative sampling (Surber sampler: $50{\times}50$ cm; mesh size, 0.2 mm) was conducted at 7 study sites and 3 control sites in the study area. We thus sampled 117 species belonging to 53 families, 15 orders, 6 classes, and 5 phyla; the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera group (EPT-group) represented the majority of the benthic macroinvertebrate community (71 species; 64.5%). In the quantitative sampling, a total of 11,575 individuals belonging to 58 species of benthic maroinvertebrates were sampled from the study sites (Sites 1-7), whereas 2,844 individuals belonging to 79 species were sampled from the control sites (Sites A-C). Tolerant species such as oligochaetes, $Epeorus$ $pellucidus$, $Baetis$ $fuscatus$, Hydropsychidae species, and Chironomidae species were predominant in the study sites. The community indices for the study sites, such as MacNaughton's dominance index (DI) (mean${\pm}$SD, $0.52{\pm}0.21$; range, 0.33-0.85) and the Shannon diversity index ($H^{\prime}$) ($2.06{\pm}0.60$; 1.06-2.57), were different from those for the control sites (DI: $0.29{\pm}0.07$, 0.22-0.35; $H^{\prime}$: $3.13{\pm}0.14$; 3.03-3.30). In the study sites, shredders and scrapers were scarce, whereas gathering-collectors (mainly Chironomidae species) were relatively abundant, as were clingers and burrowers. The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and similarity analyses showed that benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the study sites were clearly separated from those of the control sites, with the greatest dissimilarity being noted at the uppermost study site (Site 1), which is located close to an abandoned coal mine. The Korean saprobic index (KSI) and the ecological score using benthic macroinvertebrates (ESB) showed that the uppermost study site (Site 1) was ${\alpha}$-mesosaprobic or heavily polluted, whereas other study sites were in a fair or relatively good condition.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1227-1240
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• 2014

Abandoned mines often cause environmental problems, such as alteration of landscape, metal contamination, and landslides due to a heavy rainfall. Geotechnical and rheological tests were performed on waste materials corrected from Imgi waste rock dump, located in Busan Metropolitan City. Debris flow mobility was examined with the help of 1-D BING model which was often simulated in both subaerial and subaqueous environments. To determine flow curve, we used a vane-penetrated rheometer. The shear stress (${\tau}$)-shear rate (${\dot{\gamma}}$) and viscosity(${\eta}$)-shear rate (${\dot{\gamma}}$) relationships were plotted using a shear stress control mode. Well-known rheological models, such as Bingham, bilinear, Herschel-Bulkley, Power-law, and Papanastasiou concepts, were compared to the rheological data. From the test results, we found that the tested waste materials exhibited a typical shear shinning behavior in ${\tau}$-${\dot{\gamma}}$ and and ${\eta}$-${\dot{\gamma}}$ plots, but the Bingham behavior is often observed when the water contents increased. The test results show that experimental data are in good agreement with rheological models in the post-failure stage during shearing. Based on the rheological properties (i.e., Bingham yield stress and viscosity as a function of the volumetric concentration of sediment) of waste materials, initial flowing shape (5 m, 10 m, and 15 m) and yield stress (100 Pa, 200 Pa, 300 Pa, and 500 Pa) were input to simulate the debris flow motion. As a result, the runout distance and front velocity of debris flow are in inverse propositional to yield stress. In particular, when the yield stress is less than 500 Pa, most of failed masses can flow into the stream, resulting in a water contamination.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.391-407
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• 1987

To understand the effects of the cooling water system of the power plant on the succession of sessile zoobenthos, a series of experiments were carried out at the cooling water system of Samchonpo Power Plant from Hay 1985 to May 1986. The lowest species diversity of the zoobenthos was observed at the discharge canal. This is probably caused by both increased velocity and temperature of circulating water. It is also noticeable that species composition of the zoobenthos, to a certain degree, was affected due to the impingement of meroplankton during the entrainment process. While the number of species attached on the experimental substrata installed in the thermally altered area is smaller than that in the intake canal, the biomass is increased as the increased temperature eliminates some species and in turn stimulates reproduction and growth of the others. It is interesting that relatively high similarity exists between the summer communities in the intake canal and the spring communities in the thermally altered area, and the same relationship is also found between the fall communities in the intake canal and the winter communities in the thermally altered area. Ecological index curves of the zoobenthos of the intake canal follows the fluctuation pattern of the thermally altered area in one or two months of elapsed time, probably due to temperature increase by the inflow of heated water discharged from the power plant.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2020

This study assessed the feasibility of coal mine drainage sludge (CMDS) as a stabilizing agent for mercury contaminated soil through pot experiments and batch tests. In the pot experiments with 43 days of lettuce growth, the bioavailability of mercury in the amended soil and mercury content of the lettuce were decreased by 46% and 50%, respectively. These results were similar to those of the soil amended with the sulfide compound (FeS) generally used for mercury stabilization. Thus, CMDS could be an attractive mercury stabilizer in terms of industrial by-product recycling. Batch tests were conducted to examine mercury fractionation including reactions between the soil and acetic acid. The result showed that some elemental fraction changed to strongly bounded fraction rather than residual (HgS) fraction. This made it possible to conclude that mercury adsorption on oxides in CMDS was the major mechanism of stabilization.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.26-32
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• 2000

A period of widespread damage to the surroundings by acid mine drainage was examined by modeling using column device, and the method to solve this problem was worked out. the underlying principle is to let the tailings permanently maintain a stable state not being reacted with the underground water, and the method is that the tailings and limestone are piled up alternatively. This reclamation method is economic and environmentally useful because of practical use of a large amount of low-grade natural limestone.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.315-323
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• 1996

An apatite drain was constructed on September 30, 1994 at the Green Valley Abandoned Coal Mine site near Terre Haute in west central Indiana. The primary objective of this experiment is to evaluate the long-term ability of the apatite drain to mitigate acid mine drainage (AMD) under field conditions. The drain 9 m long, 3.3 m wide, and 0.75 m deep, contain 95 rum to No. 30 mesh-size apatite ore (francolite) and receive AMD seepage from reclaimed gob piles, and designed according to the laboratory testing. The apatite drain was covered with limestone riprap and filter fabric to protect the drainage system from stormwater and siltation. The drain consists of about 50 metric tons of apatite ore obtained from a phosphate mine in Florida. A gabion structure was constructed downstream of the apatite drain to create a settling pond to collect precipitates. Apatite effectively removed iron up to 4,200 mg/l, aluminum up to 830 mg/l and sulfate up to 13,430 mg/l. The pH was nearly constant for the influent and effluent, ranging between 3.1 and 4.3. Flow rate measured at the gabion structure ranged from 3 to 4.5 l/m. Precipitates of iron and aluminum phosphate (yellow and white suspendid solids) continued to accumulate in the settling pond.