• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.10-21
• /
• 2022

In the South Korea, 47% of abandoned mines are suffering from the mining hazards such as the mine drainage (MD), the mine tailings and the waste rocks. Among them the mine drainage which has a low pH and the high concentration of heavy metals can directly contaminate rivers or soil and cause serious damages to human health. The natural/artificial treatment facilities by using neutralizers and coagulants for the mine drainage have been operated in domestic and most of heavy metals in mind drainage are precipitated and removed in the form of metal hydroxide, alumino-silicate or carbonate, generating a large amount of mine drainage treated sludge ('MDS' hereafter) by-product. The MDS has a large surface area and many functional groups, showing high efficiency on the fixation of heavy metals. The purpose of this study is to develop a ingenious heavy metal stabilizer that can effectively stabilize arsenic (As) and heavy metals in soil by recycling the MDS (two types of MDS: the acid mine drainage treated sludge (MMDS) and the coal mine drainage treated sludge (CMDS)). Various analyses, toxicity evaluations, and leaching reduction batch experiments were performed to identify the characteristics of MDS as the stabilizer for soils contaminated with As and heavy metals. As a result of batch experiments, the Pb stabilization efficiency of both of MDSs for soil A was higher than 90% and their Zn stabilization efficiencies were higher than 70%. In the case of soil B and C, which were contaminated with As, their As stabilization efficiencies were higher than 80%. Experimental results suggested that both of MDSs could be successfully applied for the As and heavy metal contaminated soil as the soil stabilizer, because of their low unit price and high stabilization efficiency for As and hevry metals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2003.09a
• /
• pp.501-504
• /
• 2003

Sulfur isotope composition was used to identify the sources of groundwater contamination near abandonded coal mines. From the analysis of mine adit drainages, tailing seepages, and spring waters near the abandonded Hambaek and Hanchang coal mines in Kangwon Province, it was inferred that it the highly possible source of the contamination of spring water is acid mine drainage(AMD). Sulfur isotope composition showed that seepage from tailings seemed to have more effect on the groundwater contamination than mine adit drainage, which suggests the remediation and anti-contamination methods of tailing seepages not only mine adit drainage are required.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.38-47
• /
• 1995

This study was carried out in order to provide basic information on neutralization processes of acid mine drainage (AMD) from the abandoned Donghae coal mine in the Samchuk coalfield. The contents of potentially toxic elements in stream water increase and the level of pH decreases during dry season. Hydrated lime is turned out to be the best neutralizer of the acid mine water from a technical and economic viewpoint. From the results of equilibrium calculation, Fe and Al could be precipitated as FeOOH, and Al(OH)$_3$, respectively, in the neutralization process. The sites of holding basins necessary to equalize quantity and quality of AMD are recommended by GIS analysis, and the capacities of holding basins are determined by hydrological calculation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.477-484
• /
• 2013

In order to recover gold from iron-hydroxide in acid mine drainage, a lead-fire assay has been used. Acid mine drainage is generated from mining waste rocks, and iron-hydroxide precipitates from acid mine drainage, which severely contaminates the area surrounding the mine. Iron-hydroxide samples contain on average 520.29 mg/kg of Fe, 4,414.62 mg/kg sulfur, and 16.19 mg/kg Au. In an XRD analysis, quartz and goethite were observed along with the iron-hydroxide. Using a lead-fire assay, the recovery of pure gold was on average 0.174 g/ton from the iron-hydroxide, whereas the gold not recovered in the process was on average 1.37 mg/kg. This unrecovered gold was lost to the glass slag due to the galena and lead formation. The galena and lead in the glass slag was identified through XRD.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.17 no.1 s.50
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 2007

AMD (Acid mine drainage) from disused mines is one or the most significant pollutant problems to make harmful effect to human health. We demonstrated the mechanism of resolution and adsorption reaction for arsenic, manganese and zink from the soil and mine tailings which were located in the vicinity of a disused mine in Kyoungnam area. The resolution experiments were carried with a column test f3r 45 days continuously. Metal chemical forms in water were changed with the condition of solution pH and ORP (oxidation-reduction potential). Metal chemical forms affected on the reaction of resolution and adsorption of metals in water environments. Even though the sampling was carried in very closed location, there was significant different results of pollution level and ORP changes in terms of column operations. Hence It was important to note the pH and ORP in AMD to evaluate a risk assessment and a soil management using monitoring metals. When we operate AMD management with the mechanism of resolution and adsorption it can be achieved better economic solution.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.11-21
• /
• 1986

Mine drainage from coal mines is mostly acidic, polluted and/or contaminated, even if its quantity has increased substantially during recent days. This causes two kinds of problems arising at mining districts; one is the environmental disruption and the other is insufficient water supply for living, employee's bathing and industrial purposes. In order to mitigate the aforementioned problems, a specific equipment of Korea type for mine drainage purification has been developed and its prototype manufactured, followed by its applicability tests implemented at mine site. The results of the tests indicates that the new equipment developed is much lower than and economical compared to, other existing neutralization facilities at home and abroad in capital investment at installation stage, the consumption of neutralizing chemicals at operation stage and the requirements of installation site. Whangji area where the prototype water treatment equipment is installed has been sustaining a short supply of usable water, especially in dry seasons and supplementing about 40㎥ of water brought from a location farther than 4km in distance to meet water requirements. The prototype water treatment equipment is however considered capable of providing compressor cooling water in sufficient amount from winter season In the future.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.647-652
• /
• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the heavy metal removal and biomass productivity in the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) using eggshell and microalgae. The experiment was operated 6 days in the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system, and using eggshell powder and microalgae as Chlorella vulgaris. The obtained result indicated that the biomass productivity of 2.82 g/L/d from 1.12 g/L initial concentration in 6 days was reached with light transmittance of 97% at a 305 mm depth in the optical panel photobioreactor (OPPBR). The total removal efficiency of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and Cd was found to be 98.92%, 99.91%, 98.78%, 88.99% and 98.00% in the AMD using eggshell and Chlorella vulgaris hybrid system, respectively. Additionally, there were significant relationships between biomass and concentration of each heavy metal ($R^2$ = 0.8771, 0.8643, 0.8669, 0.9134 and 0.6277 for Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and Cd). These results indicated that the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system was highly effective for heavy metal removal when compared to the conventional biological process in the AMD. Therefore, the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system was effective for heavy metal removal and biomass productivity and can be applied to treat AMD in treatment plant.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.173-182
• /
• 2018

The precipitation and phase transformation processes of iron minerals in acid mine drainage have a great influence on the behavior of trace elements in drainage. However, it is not easy to accurately trace these processes in natural environments, and therefore, most studies have carried out in the laboratory to obtain the information on the precipitation and transformation of those minerals. In this study, the precipitation of minerals and the changes of trace elements in drainage water were investigated at different pH values in actual acid mine drainage collected from the Dalsung mine. The amount of some precipitated minerals was not enough for the mineral identification. However, from the minerals identified, amorphous minerals were formed first, and then goethite was precipitated probably from schwertmannite. When the pH of the sample was high (10), amorphous phases of minerals were still observed at even high pH (pH 10). With increasing time, the pH values decreased by precipitation and transformation of minerals. All the elements showed low concentrations at high pH (8, 10), which might be due to the precipitation of minerals at high pH and the effect of surface charge, and the concentrations of elements gradually increased with time. In the case of sulfur, it also increased in water due to the transformation of schwertmannite to goethite.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
• /
• 2004.12a
• /
• pp.9-28
• /
• 2004

Concern about arsenic is increasing throughout the world, including areas of the United States. Elevated levels of arsenic above current drinking-water regulations in ground and surface water can be the result of purely natural phenomena, but often are due to anthropogenic activities, such as mining and agriculture. The current study correlates arsenic speciation in acid mine drainage and mining influenced water with the important water-chemistry properties Eh, pH, and iron(III) concentration. The results show that arsenic speciation is generally in equilibrium with iron chemistry in low pH AMD, which is often not the case in other natural-water matrices. High pH mine waters and groundwater do not 짐ways hold to the redox predictions as well as low pH AMD samples. The oxidation and precipitation of oxyhydroxides depletes iron from some systems, and this also affects arsenite and arsenate concentrations differently through sorption processes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.529-539
• /
• 2019

In this study, heavy metal removal and precipitation characteristics with pH change were studied for artificial acid mine drainage. Artificial acid mine drainage was prepared using sulfates of iron, aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese which contained in acid mine drainage from abandoned mines. The single and mixed five heavy metal samples of Fe, Al, Cu, Zn, and Mn were prepared at initial concentrations of 30 and 70 mg/L. Fe and Al were mostly removed at pH 4.0 and 5.0, respectively, and other heavy metals gradually decreased with increasing pH. Concentration changes with increasing pH show generally similar trend for single and mixed heavy metal samples. The effect of removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions is not related to the initial concentration and depends on the pH change. XRD were used for mineral identification of precipitates and crystallinity of the mineral tended to increase with increasing pH. The precipitates that produced by decreasing the concentration of heavy metals in the aqueous solution composed of Fe-goethite(FeOOH), Al-basaluminite(Al₄(SO₄)(OH)₁₀·4H₂O), Cu-connellite(Cu₁₉(OH)₃₂(SO₄)Cl₄·3H₂O) and tenorite(CuO), Zn-zincite(ZnO), and Mn-hausmannite(Mn₃O₄).