• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.781-792
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• 2020

Mine tailings, which are inevitably formed by the development of manganese nodules, manganese crusts, and hydrothermal seafloor deposits, have attracted attention because of their quantity and potential toxicity. However, there is a lack of data on the quantity of mine tailings being generated, their physicochemical properties, and their effects as environmental hazards and on marine ecosystems in general. The importance of treating mine tailings in an environmentally friendly manner has been recognized recently and related reduction/treatment methods are being considered. In the case of deep-sea mineral resource development, if mine tailings cannot be treated aboard a ship, the issue becomes one of the cost of transporting them to land and solving the problem of environmental pollution there. Therefore, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology conducted research on the harmfulness of mine tailings, their effect on marine ecosystem, the diffusion model of contaminated particles, and candidate purification treatment technologies based on five representative controlling factors: 1) effects of pollution /on the environment, 2) effects of environmental/ biological hazards, 3) diffusion of particles, 4) mineral dressings, and 5) reducing/processing mine tailings. The results of this study can provide a basis for minimizing environmental problems by providing scientific evidences of the environmental effects of mine tailings. In addition, it is also expected that these results could be applied to the treatment of pollutants of different origins and at land-based mining waste sites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 1994.03a
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• pp.89-101
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• 1994

기 발표된 보문에서, 정수두압이 작용하는 수갱측벽의 두께 산정과 수갱굴하의 특성을 간략하게 설명하였다. 이 두 부문에 대해서는 계속 다루어 나갈 예정이며, 본 회부터는 수갱굴하의 원론적인 문제도 다루기도 한다. 광산이나 탄광의 수갱은, 심부에 부존하는 광체 또는 탄층에서 채굴된 광물과, 갱도굴진에서 나온 버럭을 권양하고, 작업인원, 제반 자재, 압기동력원이 되는 전기, 급수 등을 공급하여 안전한 갱내작업을 유지하기 위한 통기회로를 형성시키고, 또한 갱내수를 배출하는 다목적의 대동맥과 같은 역할을 하는, 말하자면 광산의 가장 핵심체이다. (중략)

• Resources Recycling
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.37-45
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• 2024

Molybdenum is used in various industries because of its high heat and corrosion resistance. It was selected as a critical mineral in Korea. However, there have been recent challenges in production because of the increased depth and decreased grade of molybdenum veins. Consequently, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the molybdenum beneficiation process. In this study, a basic evaluation of beneficiation characteristics was conducted to enhance the effectiveness of the domestic molybdenum ore beneficiation process. The properties of the beneficiation process were assessed using mineralogical analysis, work index, and flotation kinetics. The results revealed that the allowable particle size of the molybdenum ore for liberation was ~100 ㎛. In addition, the work index was calculated to be 14.57 kWh/t. The operating conditions in the flotation units were achieved by determining the optimal flotation time for each process based on flotation kinetics. Finally, the characteristics of molybdenum ore beneficiation provided in this study can be utilized to diagnose the grinding and flotation processes of large-scale molybdenum beneficiation plants.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.323-336
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• 2023

We investigated the nickel potential and genesis of ultramafic rocks in the Yugu area to secure nickel resources in South Korea. The Yugu ultramafic rocks, located in the southwest of the Gyeonggi Massif, are characterized by spinel peridotite and exhibit strong serpentinization along their boundaries. The serpentinization is observed as olivine transformed to antigorite and chrysotile, while pentlandite, the nickel sulfide mineral, altered into millerite and awaruite. Serpentine displays distinct foliation, aligning subparallel to the ultramafic rock boundaries and foliation of Yugu gneiss. This suggests that the uplift of ultramafic rocks resulted in hydrothermal infiltration likely sourced from the Yugu gneiss metamorphism. The Yugu ultramafic rocks are residues after 5~18% partial melting of abyssal peridotite. Enriched light rare earth elements and Eu imply secondary metasomatism. Geochemistry suggests a link between the formation of Yugu ultramafic rock and the Triassic collision of the North and South China continents. The nickel content is around 0.17~0.21%, mainly contained in olivine and serpentine. Hence, in addition to the mineral processing study on the sulfide minerals, focused studies on oxide minerals for enhanced nickel recovery within the Yugu ultramafic rock are strongly suggested.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.29-41
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• 2024

The increasing demand for metallic minerals due to global growth and the continued exploitation of near-surface minerals requires safe and efficient ways to mine ores present in deep mines. In deep mines, stresses concentrated around the cavity increase, which can lead to problems such as induced seismicity and rockbursts. In addition, the transfer of energy from blasting to deeply located faults can cause fault slip, which can lead to earthquakes, and controlling these events is key to deep mining methods. In this technical report, we will introduce the Underhand Closed Bench (UCB) mining method, which can control possible accidents and increase productivity when mining in deep mines.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.553-563
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• 2018

In this study, the location conditions and optimal technologies required for creating urban municipalities that can utilize the space in an abandoned mine area, where there is no infrastructure related to recycling wastes and valuable metals, are investigated. The urban mining industry deals with mineral resources through the processing of high value-added industrial by-products and wastes, and it is a useful linkage industry for the development of mineral resources and prevention of mining hazards. Urban mining technologies targeted at the abandoned mine area constitute screening, extraction, and smelting for recycling waste products. By analyzing the technologies available, an industrial network can be developed for recycling waste batteries and catalysts, which are promising raw materials. It is also important to establish an appropriate location for related industries that can generate value-added resources, rather than the resource supply and demand conditions seen in general urban mines. In order to overcome the accessibility and infrastructure limitations, the economic foundation of the abandoned mine area should consider the linkage of raw material supply, key technologies for recycling useful mineral resources that are derived from urban mines, spatial and site conditions, and industrial characteristics.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 2022

In line with the megatrend of 2050 carbon neutrality, the amount of critical minerals used in clean-energy technology is expected to increase fourfold and sixfold, respectively, according to the Paris Agreement-based scenario as well as the 2050 carbon-neutrality scenario. And, in the case of Korea, in terms of the battery supply chain used for secondary batteries, the midstream that manufactures battery materials and battery cell packs shows strength, but the upstream that provides and processes raw materials is experiencing difficulties. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has established a strategy to secure lithium, nickel, and cobalt and is conducting surveys to respond to the upstream risk of these types of battery raw materials. In the case of lithium, exploration has been carried out in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do since 2020, and by the end of 2021, the survey area was selected for precision exploration by synthesizing all exploration data and building a 3D model. Potential resources will be assessed in 2022. In the case of nickel, the prospective site will be selected by the end of 2022 through a preliminary survey targeting 10 nickel sulfide deposits that have been prospected in the past. In the case of cobalt, Boguk cobalt is known only in South Korea, but there is only a record that cobalt was produced as a minor constituent of hydrothermal deposit. According to the literature, a cobalt ore body was found in the contact area between serpentinite and granite, and a protocol for cobalt exploration in Korea will be established.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.205-217
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• 2017

Mineral carbonation by indirect method has been studied by serpentinite as cation source. Through the carbonation of $CO_2$ and alkaline earth ions (calcium and magnesium) from serpentinite, the pure carbonates including $MgCO_3$ and $CaCO_3$ were synthesized. The extraction solvent used to extract magnesium (Mg) was ammonium sulfate ($(NH_4)_2SO_4$), and the investigated experimental factors were the concentration of $(NH_4)_2SO_4$, reaction temperature, and ratio of serpentinite to the extraction solvent. From this study, the Mg extraction efficiency of approximately 80 wt% was obtained under the conditions of 2 M $(NH_4)_2SO_4$, $300^{\circ}C$, and a ratio of 5 g of serpentinite/75 mL of extraction solvent. The Mg extraction efficiency was proportional to the concentration and reaction temperature. $NH_3$ produced from the Mg extraction of serpentinite was used as a pH swing agent for carbonation to increase the pH value. About 1.78 M of $NH_3$ as the form of $NH_4{^+}$ was recovered after Mg extraction from serpentinite. And, the main step in Mg extraction process of serpentinite was estimated by geochemical modeling.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.489-500
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• 2017

It is not rare that pseudotachylite, dark colored rock with glassy texture, is recognizable in deep core samples drilled up to 900 m from the surface. Pseudotachylite with widths varying few to 20 cm is sharply contacted or interlayered with the host rocks composed of Jurassic granite and Precambrian amphibolite gneiss, showing moderately ductile deformation or slight folding. Pseudotachylite occurring at varying depths in the deep drill core are slightly different in texture and thickness. There is evidence of fault gouge at shallower depths, although brittle deformation is pervasive in most drill cores and pseudotachylite is identified at random depth intervals. Under scanning electron microscope (SEM), it is evident that the surface of pseudotachylite is characterized by a smooth, glassy matrix even at micrometer scale and there is little residual fragments in the glass matrix except microcrystals of quartz with embayed shape. Such textural evidence strongly supports the idea that the pseudotachylite was generated through the friction melting related to strong seismic events. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) quantitative analysis, it consists of primary minerals such as quartz, feldspars, biotite, amphibole and secondary minerals including clay minerals, calcite and glassy materials. Such mineralogical features of fractured materials including pseudotachylite indicate that the fractured zone might form at low temperatures possibly below $300^{\circ}C$, which implies that the seismic activity related to the formation of pseudotachylite took place at shallow depths, possibly at most 10 km. Identification and characterization of pseudotachylite provide insight into a better understanding of the paleoseismic activity of deep grounds and fundamental information on the stability of candidate disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.437-446
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• 2020

The rapid demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems has increased interest in energy storage devices worldwide. New technological alternatives are needed to reliably supply energy storage mineral resources such as lithium and vanadium, which are key materials for energy storage devices. Already, research and development activities are taking place in various countries on technologies that can directly secure lithium and vanadium. Accordingly, it is very important to analyze each country's technological trends through patent and paper analysis to establish effective research and development strategies and to set future technological development directions. This study analyzed trends in the development of new technologies and the current status of research and development at home and abroad through patent data from Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan that were disclosed or registered from 1970 to October 2019, and the data searched for papers from January 2000 to October 2019. According to the analysis, the current growth stage of the technology related to energy storage minerals is in the beginning stage. Therefore, it is believed that a strategy to rapidly upgrade technology by combining the development of new technologies and demonstration of developed technologies is needed in order to lead the technology market and strengthen the competitiveness of technologies.