• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.445-455
• /
• 2009

Microbiological sulfate reduction is the transformation of sulfate to sulfide catalyzed by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria using sulfate as an electron acceptor. Low solubility of metal sulfides leads to precipitation of the sulfides in solution. The effects of microbiological sulfate reduction on in-situ precipitation of arsenic and copper were investigated for the heavy metal-contaminated soil around the Songcheon Au-Ag mine site. Total concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb were 1,311 mg/kg, 146 mg/kg, and 294 mg/kg, respectively, after aqua regia digestion. In batch-type experiments, indigenous sulfate-reducing bacteria rapidly decreased sulfate concentration and redox potential and led to substantial removal of dissolved As and Cu from solution. Optimal concentrations of carbon source and sulfate for effective microbial sulfate reduction were 0.2~0.5% (w/v) and 100~200 mg/L, respectively. More than 98% of injected As and Cu were removed in the effluents from both microbial and chemical columns designed for metal sulfides to be precipitated. However, after the injection of oxygen-rich solution, the microbial column showed the enhanced long-term stability of in-situ precipitated metals when compared with the chemical column which showed immediate increase in dissolved As and Cu due to oxidative dissolution of the sulfides. Black precipitates formed in the microbial column during the experiments and were identified as iron sulfide and copper sulfide. Arsenic was observed to be adsorbed on surface of iron sulfide precipitate.

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

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.102-108
• /
• 2023

This study applied a hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) method to carbonize sewage sludge in order to satisfy the criteria of the Waste Management Act for recycled products and to explore the possibility of recycling sludge into modification blocks. Cement was mixed with carbonized sludge generated at the optimal temperature and reaction time during HTC. After that, the compressive strengths of the modification blocks were measured by conducting both a performance and leaching test. The results of the leaching test showed that heavy metals were not detected, and the specific gravity and absorption rates were less than 1.7 and 10%, respectively, indicating that all species satisfied the criteria. The results of the compressive strength test showed that a mixing ratio of 5% and 7% with cement cured for 28 days satisfied the criteria of A, B, and C type blocks but a mixing ratio of 3% with cement did not satisfy the criteria of A type blocks after 28 days. However, after additional curing for 42 days, the mixing ratio of 3% also satisfied the A type block criteria. Therefore, the optimal mixing ratio of carbonized sludge and cement was considered to be between 3% and 5% and confirmed that the modified blocks could be utilized as aggregates.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 2023

In this study, microstructure and basic property analysis of DG (Desulfurization gypsum) and CCMs (Carbondioxide conversion capture materials) made by reacting CO₂ with DG were conducted to analyze applicability as a cement admixture. The main crystalline phases of DG were CaO and CaSO₄, and CCMs were CaSO₄, CaCO₃, Ca(OH)₂ and CaSO₄·H₂O. As a result of particle size analysis, the difference in average particle sizes between the two materials was about 7 ㎛. No major heavy metals were detected in the CCMs, and as a result o f TGA, the CO₂ decomposition of CCMs was more than twice as high as that of DG. Therefore, it was judged that CCMs could be used as a cement admixture through optimization of manufacturing conditions. As a results of measuring the strength behavior of DG and CCMs mixture ratios, the long-term strength of CCMs-mixed mortar was higher, and this is due to the filler effect of CaCO₃ in CCMs.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.308-314
• /
• 2001

This study was conducted to determine the content of heavy metals in canned foods and soft drinks available on the Korean markets. Trace metals (Pb, Cr, Cd, and Sn) were detected in 24 kinds, 120 samples by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The average concentration of heavy metals in canned foods was in the order of Sn (6.930 ppm)>Cr (0.050 ppm)>Pb (0.030 ppm)>Cd (0.008 ppm), which was the same order in soft drinks as Sn (3.519 ppm)>Cr (0.080 ppm)>Pb (0.024 ppm)>Cd (0.001 ppm). The total contents of heavy metals in canned fruits and fruit juices were relatively higher than those in cans and drinks made of vegetable and fish. It can be supposed that the high acidity owing to the organic acid of fruit itself promotes to extract metals from can materials, and although fish usually contains more heavy metals than vegetables, canned fish revealed low level because internal organs and most of skin which had more heavy metals than meat were removed throughout canning process. Because processed foods such as canned foods and soft drinks are very popular with the children and adolescence according to the change of life style and eating habit, and the possibility of exposure to heavy metals by the habitual intake of these is increasing simultaneously, it is suggested that more practical study about the process of exposure and the amount in each step is needed fur the assessment of safety.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.37-45
• /
• 2006

Recently, wood-framed houses has been built in the Korea for pension. Wood is good material for human healthy, while the construction lumbers are treated with preservative such as CCA (chromated copper arsenate), which contain some toxic elements for human body. However, if the waste woody biomass treated with various heavy metals, which has been collected from house construction or demolition, was fired in the field, and incinerated or landfilled after mass collection, such components will result in the toxic air pollutants in the burning or land fills, and spreaded into other areas. So the careful selection of wood and chemicals are required in advance for house construction, in particular, for environment-friendly housings. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the content of toxic heavy metals in woody materials such as domestic hinoki and imported hemlock treated with CCA for housing materials, and the post-treated wood components such as organic fertilizer, sludge, dry-distilled charcoal and carbonized charcoal, to be returned finally into soil. The results are as follows. 1) The chemical analysis of toxic trace elements in various solid biomass required accurate control and management of laboratory environment, and reagents and water used, because of the error of data due to various foreign substances added in various processing and transporting steps. So a systematic analyzers was necessary to monitor the toxic pollutants of construction materials. 2) In particular, the biomass treated with industrial biological or thermal conditions such as sludge or charcoals was not fully dissolvable after third addition of $HNO_3$ and HF. 3) The natural woody materials such as organic fertilizer, sludge. and charcoals without any treatment of preservatives or heavy metal components were nontoxic in landfill because of the standard of organic fertilizers, even after thermal or biological treatments. 4) The CC A-treated wood for making the construction wood durable should not be landfilled, because of its higher contents of toxic metals than the criterion of organic fertilizer for agriculture or of natural environment. So the demolished waste should be treated separately from municipal wastes.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-20
• /
• 2004

This study focuses on the hydrochemical characteristics in goundwater affected by reclamation at 2000 Sydney Olympic Games site, Sydney, Australia. The Olympic Games site can be divided into three areas, i.e. reclaimed areas; landfill areas and non-infilled areas. In the current work, 'reclaimed areas' were previously estuarine, and were filled with waste materials and are now above present high tide level, whereas 'landfill areas' are areas where deposition of waste materials occurred above sea level. No deposition of waste took place in 'non-infilled areas'. This study was also evaluated by three different types such as deep boreholes, shallow boreholes and standpipes. The hydrochemishy of groundwaters in reclaimed and non-in-filled areas is characterized by Mg- and Ca-enrichment, whereas groundwaters in landfill areas are elevated in K and NO₃. Na, K and Mg are the dominant cations in groundwater from reclaimed areas and Na and K are the dominant cations in groundwater in landfill areas. Na and Mg are the dominant cations in groundwater in deep boreholes, whereas Na and K are the dominant cations in groundwater in shallow boreholes and standpipes. There is no distinct trend in heavy metals with electrical conductivity in the groundwater between the re-claimed, landfill and non-infilled areas. Fe and Mn in landfill areas with respect to reclaimed areas and non-infilled areas show a distinct increase in concentration with declining pH. Mean electrical conductivity values in the deep and shallow boreholes are higher than that of standpipes, but the minimum and maximum value of electrical conductivity in groundwater in standpipes shows remarkably different value, probably due to perched pond. There is no correlation between Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr concentrations in groundwater with pH, from deep boreholes, shallow boreholes and standpipes, except for Fe and Mn, which demonstrate increasing concentrations with declining pH. The results revealed a close association between elevated concentrations in groundwater and the presence of fill materials at the site. Trace metals teachability from re-claimed soils adjacent to estuary plays a significant role in determining their potential environmental risk to surrounding environment.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.58 no.3
• /
• pp.29-38
• /
• 2016

There have been only a few studies focused on the stabilization of metal (loid)s in anaerobic soils such as paddy soils. In this study, laboratory-scale column tests were conducted to artificially manipulate anoxic conditions in submerged paddy fields and we observed the release behavior of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn, as well as to examine the stabilization effect of steel refining slag (SRS) on the metal(loid)s. The leachate samples were collected and chemical parameters were monitored during the test period. Results suggest that anoxic conditions were developed during submersion, and that As or heavy metals (particularly Cd) fractions bound to ferrous (Fe) /manganese (Mn) oxides were easily dissociated. Moreover, As is also reduced by itself to a trivalent form with higher mobility in the reducing environment of rice paddy soil. However, it was also shown that SRS significantly decreased the dissolution of Zn, Pb, Cd, and As in the the leachates; their removal rates in the SRS-treated soil were 66 %, 45 %, 24 %, and 84 %, respectively, of those in the control soil.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.23-31
• /
• 2016

It was found that there was no problem in recycling by-products (waste rock and tailings) from Yangyang iron mine themselves through matter conversion because they are not hazardous according to results of KSLT method. In case of using tailings as sub-materials of cement, it recommended the use of less than 3% tailings dosage not to exceed 0.6% of total alkali ($R_2O$) content based on standard quality of portland cement (KS L 5201). Non sintered eco-brick corresponding to class 1 quality of recycled clay brick (KS I 3013) can replace 15% of cement with tailings and 100% of general fine aggregate with waste rock from iron mine. As mentioned above, recycling the by-products (waste rock and tailings) as sub-materials of cement and non sintered eco-brick could gain both environmental and economic benefits, that is, reduction of scale and maintenance cost of tailing ponds, decrease of energy use and $CO_2$ emission.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.16 no.3 s.81
• /
• pp.383-390
• /
• 2004

This study has focused on the possibility for recycling tailings from the Sangdong tungsten mine as admixture for concrete. The XRD(X-ray diffraction analysis) and PSA(Particle size analysis) were performed to find mineralogical characteristics. As a result of XRD analysis, the tailings from the Sangdong tungsten fine were composed of quartz, chlorite, anorthite and cordierite etc. As a result of KSLT for cement mortar mixed with tailings from the Sangdong tungsten mine, most of heavy metals were determined as below the guide line for waste material. In addition, the setting time and compressive strength of cement mortar mixed with tailings from the Sangdong tungsten mine were investigated. It was indicated that the initial and final set were retarded according to increasing replacement of tailings from the Sangdong tungsten mine. The compressive strength of mortar was decreased with increasing replacement of failings from the Sangdong tungsten mine.