• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.3 s.184
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• pp.277-293
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• 2007

Seasonal and spatial variations in the concentrations of trace elements, pH and Eh were found in a creek watershed affected by mine drainage and leachate from several waste rock dumps within the As-Pb-rich Indae mine site. Because of mining activity dating back to about 40 years ago and rupture of the waste rock dumps, this creek was heavily contaminated. Due to the influx of leachate and mine drainage, the water quality of upstream reach in this creek was characterized by largest seasonal and spatial variations in concentrations of Zn(up to $5.830 mg/{\ell}$), Cu(up to $1.333 mg/{\ell}$), Cd(up to $0.031 mg/{\ell}$) and $SO_4^{2-}$(up to $173 mg/{\ell}$), relatively acidic pH values (3.8-5.1) and highly oxidized condition. The most abundant metals in the leachate samples were in order of Zn($0.045-13.909 mg/{\ell}$), Fe($0.017-8.730mg/{\ell}$), Cu($0.010-4.154mg/{\ell}$) and Cd($n.d.-0.077mg/{\ell}$), with low pH(3.1-6.1), and high $SO_4^{2-}$(up to $310 mg/{\ell}$). The mine drainage also contained high concentrations of Zn, Cu, Cd and $SO_4^{2-}$ and remained constantly near-neutral pH values(6.5-7.0) in all the year. While the leachate and mine drainage might not affect short-term fluctuations in flow, it may significantly influence the concentrations of chemicals in the stream. The abundance and chemistry of Fe-(oxy)hydroxide within this creek indicated that the Fe-(oxy)hydroxide formation could be responsible for some removal of trace elements from the creek waters. Spatial and seasonal variations along down-stream reach of this creek were caused largely by the influx of water from uncontaminated tributaries. In addition, the trace metal concentrations in this creek have been decreased nearly down to the background level at a short distance from the discharge points without any artificial treatments after hydrologic mixing in a tributary. The nonconservative(i.e. precipitation, adsorption, oxidation, dissolution etc.) and conservative(hydrologic mixing) reactions constituted an efficient mechanism of natural attenuation which reduces considerably the transference of trace elements to rivers.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.579-598
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• 2019

We investigated geochemical contaminants and Fe, Al behavior in precipitates of acid mine drainage (AMD) from the Donghae abandoned coal mine, Taebaek, Gangwon Province using aqueous chemical analyses, XRD, IR, and ²⁷Al NMR, Our results showed that water chemistry changed with pH and Eh, and saturation indices of chemical species in the AMD. According to saturation calculated by visual MINTEQ, the AMD was saturated with various Fe-, Al-oxyhydroxide minerals. Reddish brown precipitates are composed of schwertmannite, ferrihydrite, and goethite, whereas whitish precipitates are composed mostly of alumimous minerals such as poorly crystallized basaluminite with trace Al₁₃-Tridecamer. It is important to apply active treatment methods rather than simple storage pond and to control the precipitation and solubility of iron species and aluminous species for ensuring remediation and control for the AMD discharged from the Donghae abandoned coal mine.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.2 s.52
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• pp.125-134
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• 2007

This study has been carried out in order to examine the precipitation characteristics of Fe, Mn and Al ions in coal mine drainage before removing heavy metals by using the froth flotation method. The removal rate of Fe(III), Mn(II) and Al(III) within 1 h accounted for over 99% in pH 5.0, 10.0, and $6.0{\sim}9.0$ respectively, and residual concentrations of which were under $1mgL^{-1}$. When sodium oleate as a collector was added to the solution of Fe, Mn, and Al ions, insoluble salts was not formed by the reaction of heavy metal and sodium oleate. So, we must remove the metals from coal mine drainage by using not the ion flotation method, but the precipitation flotation method

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.2 s.52
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• pp.187-196
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• 2007

The Dalseong acid mine drainage were studied focused on the characters of schwertmannite that controls geochemistry of the stream. Besides chemical analysis of stream water, particle size analysis, XRD SEM and TEM were performed on precipitates of streams and on wasted metalliferous ores. The AMD discharged from the abandoned mine reveals a decrease of pH and EC downward stream. Euhedral sulfur occurs as equigranular aggregates on the altered pyrite while fine acicula goethite coalesces to form cross, star, or starfish-like shapes. Water chemistry plotted on the Eh-pH diagram shows that schwertmannite and ferrihydrite are stable phases. Reddish brown precipitates consist of mostly schwertmannite with less goethite, whereas yellowish brown precipitates are composed of geothite with less schwertmannite. The particle size of precipitates ranges $d(0.1)\;0.861{\mu}m{\sim}3.769{\mu}m,\;d(0.5)\;3.984{\mu}m{\sim}15.255{\mu}m,\;and\;d(0.9)\;9.875{\mu}m{\sim}56.726{\mu}m$. Schwertmannite is characterized by equigranular spheric form. Pincushion or spicule with 100nm width and $200{\sim}300nm$length form on schwertmannite sphere with radial growth patterns. It is highly probable that reddish or yellowish brown precipitates formed in many AMDs may contain schwerhnannite. Because it can serve as sink for removing heavy elements by adsorption in AMD system, there is a need to correctly identify schwertmannite in precipitates and to characterize its phase stability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.23-43
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• 2002

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2002

There are several abandoned coal mines around Donghae mine area in the Taebaek coal field. Two major creeks, Soro and Sanae, are contaminated with the colored precipitates formed from the coal mine drainages. Bed rocks of the study area consist of limestone, shale, and sandstone. Limestone consisted mainly of calcite and dolomite, and shale of quartz, pyropyllite and chlorite, and sandstone of quatz and illite. Coal coal spoil dumps composed mainly of pyrite and chlorite. The oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals leads to acid mine drainage and adds the metal ions in the stream water. The ion concentrations of Fe, Ca, Mg, Al, Si, SO$_{4}$in the stream polluted by AMD are generally higher than those in the unpolluted stream water. High concentrations of Ca and Mg, Al and Si can be resulted from dissolution of carbonate minerals such as calcite, dolomite and aluminosilicates such as chlorite, pyrophyllite. Although the Fe, Al, Si, SO$_{4}$ contents are considerbly high in the acid water released from the mine adits, they become decreased downstream due to dilution of unpolluted water and precipitation of oxide/hydroxide and sulfate minerals on the bottom of stream.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.385-389
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• 2004

임기납석광산 폐석적치장 상부의 계곡수로부터 폐석적치장 하부인 수영강 합수지점까지 수계를 따라 물시료 12개 지점을 대상으로 수질 및 안정동위원소 분석을 수행하였다. 폐석적치장으로부터 pH가 2.83이고 Fe, Al, Mn 등으로 심하게 오염된 산성배수가 유출되어 계곡수를 오염시키며 수계의 수질은 $Ca^{2＋}$-SO$_{4}$$^{2－}$ 형태로 변화되고 폐석적치장 주변 수로에 적화현상을 유발하고 있다. 또한 안정동위원소 분석결과 임기납석광산 인근 수계에 가장 큰 오염부하를 유발하는 요소인 침출수(산성배수)의 기원은 강수기원으로 판단된다. 이는 폐석침출수 오염원 평가 및 처리에 유용한 자료로 이용 될 수 있을 것이다.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2020

Copper (Cu), one of the main contaminants in the mine drainage from the closed mine area, needs to be removed before exposed to environment because of its toxicity even in the low concentration. In this study, passive treatment based field pilot experiments using limestone and compost media were conducted during 9 months for enhancing Cu removal efficiency of the mine water treatment facility of S mine located in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do in South Korea. The pH increase and Cu removal efficiency showed high value at Successive Alkalinity Producing System ( SAPS) > Reducing and Alkalinity Producing System (RAPS) > limestone reactor in a sequence. The compost media using in SAPS and RAPS contributed to raise pH by organic material decomposition with generating alkalinity, thus, Cu removal efficiency increased. Also, experimental results showed that Cu removal efficiency was proportional to pH increase, meaning that pH increase is the main mechanism for Cu removal. Moreover, Sulfate Reduction Bacteria (SRB) was identified to be most activated in SAPS. It is inferred that the sulfate reduction reaction also contributed to Cu removal. This study has the site significance in that the experiments were conducted at the place where the mine water generates. In the future, the results will be useful to select the more effective reactive media used in the treatment facility, which is most appropriate to remediate mine water from the S mine.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2003

The mineralogy of material left after evaporation of acid mine drainage water is generally dependent on the chemical composition of the source water. The residues formed by the evaporation of acid mine water in the Dong-hae coal mine area consists mainly of gypsum (CaSO$_4${\circ}$2$H_2O$) with mine. amounts of alunogen (Al$_2$(SO$_4$)$_3$${\circ}$17$H_2O$) and hexahydrite (MgSO$_4$${\circ}$<.TEX>6$H_2O$). Gypsum was identified from both of the bottom precipitates and the evaporation residues of acid mine water. Alunogen, an aluminum sulfate hydrate, was also formed by evaporation and occurred as needle-like crystals. Aluminum is derived from chemical dissolution of alumine-silicate mineral such as pyre-phyllite, illite and chlorite in wasted rocks. Hexahydrite in evaporation residues occured as needle-like, fibrous, and acicular crystals and was associated with gypsum and alunogen.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.267-272
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• 2005

Geophysical surveys were performed in three abandoned mines: Jangpoong, Kwangyang, Imchon. The main objectives of the researches include delineating the pathways of leachate from acid mine drainage(AMD), mapping buried rock wastes and tailings, detecting drainage pipes, and investigating the gallery and membrane, if they exist, Geophysical responses were well correlated with the results from water sample data(i.e., pH, EC, heavy metal contents, $SO_4^{-2}$). Main pathways of the leachate were successfully detected in electrical resistivity sections and self-potential(SP) profiles, whereas waste rocks, drainage pipes, and membranes were effectively located by incorporating seismic refraction, electrical resistivity and GPR methods.