• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.61-62
• /
• 2000

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2001.09a
• /
• pp.75-89
• /
• 2001

There are 334 coal mines and about 900 metal mines abandoned. The environmental problems such as acid mine drainage from adits etc. and the subsidence has occurred in the abandoned mines. In addition, soil has been contaminated by tailings. According to analysis of mine drainages, some of them from adits in the abandoned coal and metallic mines were acidic and polluted by heavy metals. Especially, water quality of coal mine drainages were different by areas. Treatment of mine drainage by conventional chemical treatment has the drawback because the operating cost is very expensive. The treatment system used in mine drainage is the natural treatment system such as anoxic limestone drain in adits and the constructed wetland. The method of reclamation for abandoned waste rocks and tailings impoundments are mainly landfilling.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
• /
• 1999.04a
• /
• pp.8-10
• /
• 1999

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
• /
• 1999.04a
• /
• pp.21-23
• /
• 1999

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.57-66
• /
• 2015

A numerical analysis was performed of the seepage from and stability of a mine waste-dump slope in Imgi, Busan, considering rainfall intensity. The 40-45° slope angle of the waste dump is relatively steep, and the depth of the waste dump down to bedrock is 7-8 m. The groundwater level was 6.6 m below the surface. Various laboratory tests on samples obtained from the waste dump were performed to determine the input data for seepage and stability analyses of the waste-dump slope during rainfall. The results of seepage analysis for various rainfall intensities using the SEEP/W program show that the wetting front moved down with increasing rainfall duration. When the rainfall intensity was > 50 mm/ hour and the duration was > 24 hours, the waste dump became fully saturated because the wetting front reached the groundwater level. The results of slope stability analysis coupled with seepage analysis using the SLOPE/W program show that the safety factor of the slope decreased as the wetting front moved down due to rainfall infiltration. After continuous rainfall for 5-6 hours, the safety factor of the slope suddenly decreased but then recovered and converged. The sudden decrease was induced by an increase in pore-water pressure and a decrease in matric suction down to a certain depth as the wetting front approached the potential sliding surface.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 2004

Mineral wastes are generated by the minerals, mining, and metal industries. These are generally inorganic waste streams of mainly waste rock or residues from refining during extraction of metals or minerals from the ore. There are many plants where minerals are recovered in secondany circuits, treating tailings, where the feed grades are much lower than would be economic on a mined ore. The world is now becoming aware of the finite nature of its resources at a price, and of the ever-increasing development costs of large new mines. Reprocessing of old tailings on a large scale must be worth examining very seriously by those with access to sufficient material of this type. In the present paper, mineral separation techniques to recover valuable metals and resources from the old tailings are reviewed, and new trends for future developments are also discussed.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.92-101
• /
• 2021

The status of waste generation and recycling in 32 countries in the European Union (EU), Japan, and the United States was investigated and summarized to encourage overseas market expansion for domestic urban mining industries. Among the 32 EU countries, Germany has the highest amount of material consumption and generates the largest quantity of waste. Minerals such as mine and soil wastes constitute the largest type of waste in the EU. With respect to waste treatment techniques, landfill and recycling are applied to 39% and 38% of the waste, respectively, implying the necessity to promote recycling. Japan's total waste generation declined recently to less than 400 million tons. The largest amount of waste is generated by the manufacturing industries. The proportion of total recycled waste is estimated to be slightly over 50%, but the proportions are greater than 90% for metal scrap and 60% for waste plastics. The amount of waste produced in the United States recently exceeded 265 million tons; 52.1% of the waste is landfilled, while only 25.1% is recycled. Therefore, the recycling industry has to be developed further.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
• /
• 2003.04a
• /
• pp.93-96
• /
• 2003

국내 휴ㆍ폐금속광산 주변지역을 대상으로 광산활동으로 인한 독성 중금속 원소들의 주변 환경 유출과정 및 정도를 규명하여 생활에 미치는 환경오염의 가능성을 조사하는 환경지구 화학적 연구가 지속적으로 이루어지고 있다. 이들 중의 대부분은 적절한 환경복원시설이 설치되지 않아, 방치된 광미와 폐석에 의해 주변지역의 환경오염이 발생되는 것으로 보고되고 있다. 국외의 경우 광산활동의 주요한 폐기물인 광미와 폐석에 대한 매립 및 처리 모델 개발, 침출수 관리 등 다양한 환경오염 방지 및 복구 연구가 수행되고 있다. (중략)

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.189-200
• /
• 2016

The Republic of Tajikistan has ten former uranium mining sites. The total volume of all tailings is approximately 55 million tonnes, and the covered area is more than 200 hectares. The safe management of legacy uranium mining and tailing sites has become an issue of concern. Depending on the performance requirements and site-specific conditions (location in an arid, semiarid or humid region), a cover system for uranium tailings sites could be constructed using several material layers using both natural and man-made materials. The purpose of this study is to find a feasible cost-effective cover system design for the Degmay uranium tailings site which could provide a long period (100 years) of protection. The HELP computer code was used in the evaluation of potential Degmay cover system designs. As a result of this study, a cover system with 70 cm thick percolation layer, 30 cm thick drainage layer, geomembrane liner and 60 cm thick barrier soil layer is recommended because it minimizes cover thickness and would be the most cost-effective design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.588-595
• /
• 2018

This study has focused on evaluation of heavy metal contamination in seepage from 23 mine waste dumping sites in Korea. Seepage samples from the sites were taken and analyzed for heavy metals. The maximum levels (mg/L) in the samples were Al 53.98, As 16.19, Cd 1.15 Cu 37.30, Fe 28.64, Mn 39.00, Ni 0.097, Pb 0.750, and Zn 80.18. Among the sites, six mines were selected as continuous monitoring sites. As results of three months' monitoring of the sites, over the water guidelines for As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Al in seepage samples were found at two abandoned Au-Ag mines, Cd, Mn, Zn and Al at two Pb-Zn mines, and As, Fe and Mn at two other Fe-W mines. Therefore, those six mines need continuous monitoring on contamination assessment of seepage due to mining activities.