• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.43-51
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• 2000

This study was carried out to develop technologies of restoration and revegetation through monitoring the change of vegetation after setting up 3 type experimental sites on abandoned coal-mine lands. According to the results of 7 month's monitoring, sown species and a variety of invading species appeared at experimental sites. Moreover, the number of species, individuals and the ratio of coverage increased as time passed on. After 5 months, each experiment sites showed the result of successful revegetation. The most effective sites was treated by overspreading 1 cm loam soil on coal minesoil. As a result of this study, it is considered that the revegetation of abandoned coal-mine lands can be achieved effectively by making the minimum of foundation layer and improving the efficiency through mechanized construction. Besides, it is recommended to use native and early stage-succession species adapting themselves to coal minesoil, such as Gramineae, Leguminosae, Compositae and etc.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.59-61
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• 2005

In Korea, hundreds of abandoned and closed coal and metallic mines are present in the steep mountain valleys due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From these mines, enormous amounts of coal waste were dumped on the slopes, which causes sedimentation and acid mine drainage (AMD) to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on soil and water environments. A limestone slurry by-product (lime cake) is produced from the Solvay process in manufacturing soda ash. It has very fine particles, low hydraulic conductivities ($10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-9}cm/sec$), high pH, high EC due to the presence of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components, and traces of heavy metals. Due to these properties, it has potential to be used as a neutralizer for acid-producing materials. A field plot experiment was used to test the application of lime cake for reclaiming coal wastes. Each plot was 20 x 5 m (L x W) in size on a 56% slope. Treatments included a control (waste only), calcite ($CaCO_3$), and lime cake. The lime requirement (LR) for the coal waste to pH 7.0 was determined and treatments consisted of adding 100%, 50%, and 25% of the LR. The lime cake and calcite were also applied in either a layer between the coal waste and topsoil or mixed into the topsoil and coal waste. Each plot was hydroseeded with grasses and planted with trees. In each plot, surface runoff and subsurface water were collected. The lime cake treatments increased the pH of coal waste from 3.5 to 6, and neutralized the pH of the runoff and leachate of the coal waste from 4.3 to 6.7.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.7-13
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• 2007

When the structure such as roadway, railway are constructed on abandoned coal mine area, the countermeasure to prevent settlements is necessary. In this study, numerical analyses are performed to evaluate the effect of the various countermeasures. As a results, the method which is filling the coal mine is more effective than that of reinforcing the ground above the coal mine. The ground settlement decreases hyperbolically with increasing the filling ratio of the coal mine. Also, the relationship between the filling ratio and the settlement reduction ratio is discussed precisely.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.189-192
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• 2005

We tested the field adaptation of Betula schmidtii on the abandoned coal-mine soil with sludge amendment methods for promoting physiological activity of B. schmidtii seedlings under several environmental stress. Sewage sludges were amended to coal-mine soil with B. schmidtii seedlings which grown in the mixture of artificial soil and composted sludge soil before transplanting (before-fertilized treatment, BF) and fertilized with composted sludge after transplanting (after-fertilized treatment, AF). The percent of establishment of seedlings for AF (80.7%) was lower than that for BF (92.7%). Nitrate reductase activity and photosynthetic pigment content were higher in AF than in BF, but malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were lower in AF than in BF These results represent that after-fertilized seedlings increase resistance against physiological stress at field condition using nitrogen source of composted sludge. On the contrary, before-fertilized seedlings were susceptible to environmental stress on abandoned coal-mine soil by exhausting of nitrogen source from composted sludge.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.365-373
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• 1996

A survey was carried out to investigate the contamination of streams by the acid mine drainage originated from the abandoned coal mines and coal refuse piles. The physico-KDICical characteristics such as pH, sulfate and elements concentrations in the water and sediment in streams were analyzed. Microbial activity in the sediment was evaluated by measuring dehydrogenase activities. At sites contaminated by acid mine drainage, the pH of the water and sediment declined to acidic range from neutral due to the accumulation of sulfate. The dehydrogenase activity ranged from 12 to $170{\mu}g-TPF{\cdot}g-dry\;soil^{-1}{\cdot}24h^{-1}$ at the contaminated sites, whereas uncontaminated sites had activities of 1,176~4,259 ${\mu}g-TPF{\cdot}g-dry\;soil^{-1}{\cdot}24h^{-1}$. The dehydrogenase activity was significantly affected by low pH of the sediment, indicating that high concentration of sulfate inhibited microbial activity. The concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb and Fe in contaminated sdeiment (37~46 ppm Pb; 46,000~464,000 ppm Fe) were much higher than those in the uncontaminated sediment. The concentration of Al in the contaminated water acidfied by coal mine drainage was in the range of 11 to 42 ppm. Compared with those in the uncontaminated sediment, the concentrations of Mn, Mg and Ca in contaminated sediment were low because of the leaching from soil to water by the acidfied stream water.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2003

This study was conducted to assess the physiological tolerance of native tree species for successful restoration and revegetation of abandoned coal-mine spoils. Study sites were two coal-mine spoils (Sododong and Ssarijae) in Taebaek, Kangwon Province, Korea. Five individuals of Betula costata and of B. schmidtii were analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O$$_2$) content, nitrate reductase (NR) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and for carbohydrate concentration in the leaves. Trees in the abandoned coal-mine spoils were influenced by deficiencies expressed by MDA and $H_2O$$_2$ content in the leaves of two species being higher at the coal-mine spoils than in the surrounding forest. Low NR activity indirectly represented nitrogen deficiency in the soil of the coal-mine spoils; an unmanageable SOD activity implied that tolerant functions didn't net against a certain stress of the coal-mine spoils. Decreased glucose and increased starch concentration especially showed the inhibition of the carbohydrate metabolism by inadequate factors. Consequently, low nitrogen content in the real-mine soils might increase damage in trees as a result of inhibiting the expression of tolerance mechanisms against stress. Therefore, trees in coal-mine spoils need ample nitrogen to use as a metabolic energy source in order to prevent damage and increase tolerance against stress.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.733-737
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• 2012

The objectives of this study were to investigate soil chemical properties for forest rehabilitation and suggest design and management in abandoned coal mine areas in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Total study sites were 10 sites, and soil analysis particular were soil pH, TOC, total-N, C/N ratio, A.v. $P_2O_5$, and CEC. Because most of study sites showed soil pH from 5.0 to 7.0, it seems that soil pH does not affect growth of vegetation. But soil pH in Danbong1 was acidic (pH 4.6), so it is needed to improve with ameliorant such as limestone. Most of study sites is necessary to manage for organic matter and Nitrogen, because there sites showed lower value of TOC and total-N than general forest. The values of A.v. $P_2O_5$ and CEC were good in most of study sites, so it seems that they do not have effect on vegetation growth. All of soil factors has no regression according to elapsed time after rehabilitation. TOC, total-N and A.v. $P_2O_5$ among soil properties have positive relationship between each other. It is necessary to fertilizer for organic matter and Nitroge because of value in TOC, total-N and C/N ratio. The results of this study were analyzed only one time. So, long-term monitoring for soil properties is important for the correct forest rehabilitation and management.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.2
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• pp.728-731
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• 2006

Ground subsidence near abandoned underground coal mines has become a serious social problem in Korea. The purpose of this study is to perform a comparative analysis between the ground subsidence area and the electrical resistivity measured by field survey at Samcheok City. A raster database composed of ground subsidence areas and electrical resistivity data was constructed for GIS. To analyze correlation between the two constructed raster datasets, we used a frequency ratio model. The results show that low and high electrical resistivity anomaly zones coincide with the existing subsidence areas. We infer that the high anomaly zone means saturated and low anomaly zone means vacant. It suggests that electrical resistivity might be a useful factor for analyzing ground subsidence hazard zone.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2006

Vegetation structure of Samchang, Bongmyeong, Kabjeong, Danbong coal mine and control site was investigated to provide basic information on vegetation rehabilitation of abandoned coal mine lands in Mungyeong. Gyeongbuk Province. The middle and lower layer consisted of 3 and 10 species for Samchang, 2 and 5 species for Bongmyeong, 7 and 11 species for Kabjeong, 9 and 12 species for Danbong coal mine, and 15 and 17 species appeared for control site, respectively. Importance value of Lespedeza cyrtobotrya in lower layer was the highest for in Samchang, and that of Rubus crataegifolius in other coal mine lands wast he highest. Importance value in herbaceous layer was the highest for Arundinella hirta in Samchang, for Corchoropsis tomentosa in Bongmyeong, for Miscanthus sinensis in Kabjeong, for Carex lanceolata and Artemisia princeps var. orientalis in Danbong coal mines, and Calamagrostis arundinacea in control site was the highest, respectively. Species diversity of middle and lower layer for four coal mine lands ranged from 0.201 to 0.666 and 0.612 to 0.895, respectively. Evenness of lower layer ranged from 0.683 to 0.875 for four coal mine lands, and it was 0.990 for control site.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1010-1015
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• 2011

The objectives of this study were to investigate soil chemical characteristics for forest rehabilitation and suggest management in abandoned coal mine areas in Hwasun-gun, South Jeolla Province. Total study sites were 8 sites, and soil analysis particular were soil pH, TOC, total-N, C/N ratio, Avail. $P_2O_5$, and CEC. Average soil pH was 5.8 (4.7~6.4). Average contents of TOC, total-N and C/N ratio were 1.1% (0.2~2.0%), 0.08% (0.02~0.13%) and 15.0 (7.9~31.4), respectively. Average Avail. $P_2O_5$ was $8.3mg\;kg^{-1}$ (2.7~15.0) and Average CEC was $13.7cmol_c\;kg^{-1}$ ($9.9{\sim}18.5cmol_c\;kg^{-1}$). Soil pH was decreased according to elapsed time from forest rehabilitation, while TOC, total N and CEC were increased. Av. $P_2O_5$ did not show any relationship with elapsed time. Soil pH was stable comparing with general forest soil in South Jeolla Province (5.1), while contents of TOC and total N were lower than general forest soil in South Jeolla Province (4.9% and 0.18%, respectively). Therefore, sustainable managements such as fertilization for TOC and total N are necessary for good rooting and growth of vegetation.