• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.87-101
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• 1999

This study has been carried out to examine the feasibility of washing technique for reducing the heavy metal contamination level of tailing wastes and agricultural soil surrounding abandoned metal mines. Some organic acids with low molecular weight were used as washing solution. Initial contamination levels of copper and lead for some soil samples were found to exceed the standard levels of countermeasure and concern, and those of cadmium to approach the standard level of countermeasure. Experimental results using sequential extraction method revealed that more than half of copper and lead existing in tailing wastes are adsorbed forms available for plants. There are some proportional relationships between metal concentrations determined by using 0.1N HCI solution and those determined by sequential extractions. Citric acid was turned out to be superior to oxalic acid and acetic acid with low molecular weight in washing above three metals. When citric acid is used for washing heavy metals from soil, it is desirable to operate at pH less than 5.5 for better washing effect. Metal removal effect by citric acid solution has been proved to depend upon solution concentration and the mass ratio of solution to soil. Addition of SDS(Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) to citric acid improved the washing effect of cadmium among three metal most significantly. while copper removal did not change. Washing technique using citric acid for removal of heavy metals from agricultural soil or tailing wastes is recognized to be an effective remediation method.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.37-44
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• 2004

In this study, neodymium oxalate powders were prepared by injecting oxalic acid to the neodymium chloride solution resulted from the acid leaching solution of NdFeB magnet scrap. The effect of experimental conditions on the characteristics of neodymium oxalate powders were investigated. Neodymium oxalate was aggregated by primary particles formed by nucleation, and average size of aggregates was affected by experimental conditions. In a constant volume, increase of reactants affected the average size of aggregate formed by collision of primary particles. In a constant concentration of reactants, agitation speed decreased the size of aggregate due to breakage of particles attached on the surface of aggregate. The number of primary particles decreased with increasing reaction temperature, and the size of aggregates decreased due to the decrease of collision probability. From the results of decomposition behavior of neodymium oxalate, oxalate decomposed from $400^{\circ}C$, and neodymium oxide began to crystallize at above $620^{\circ}C$.