• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.384-389
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• 2010

Outbreak of contagious diseases to livestock animals is becoming prevalent worldwide and consequently, tremendous numbers of the infected or culled stocks are buried on the ground as the most common disposal method. The buried animals can generate a wide range of detrimental components such as leachate, nutrient salts, and pathogenic bacteria, consequently contaminating the surround environment. This implies that regular investigations are required to monitor any possible detrimental environmental aspect occurred around burial sites. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate whether the soil and groundwater nearby the burial sites had been contaminated by the substances originated from the burial sites, which can be applied for the establishment of the ideal burial site construction design and post management scheme. For this, two different burial sites located in Cheonan and Pyeongtaek were selected. Cheonan and Pyeongtaek sites were constructed in 2004 and 2008, respectively and both contained dead poultry infected by avian influenza (AI). Soil and groundwater samples were collected around the sites followed by determination of the nutrient concentrations and bacteria (Salmonella, Camphylobacter, and Bacillus) existence in both soil and groundwater. Some of the soil samples showed higher EC, $NH_4$-N, $NO_3$-N concentration compared to those of the background (control) soils. Also the concentration of $NH_4$-N in some of the groundwater samples appeared to exceed the USEPA guideline value for drinking water (10 mg $L^{-1}$). These results indicated that the soil and groundwater were influenced by the burial site originated nutrients. In the soil, Bacillus was isolated in most soil samples while there were no detections of Salmonella and Camplylobacter. Due to the Bacillus existing mainly as a spore in the soils, it was considered that the frequent detection of Bacillus in the soil samples was attributed to the nutrients originated from the burial sites.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.861-866
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the biodegradation of dissolved organic matter derived from animal carcass disposal soil using soil inhabited bacteria and to identify the bacteria involved in the biodegradation. The two soils were obtained from the animal carcass burial sites located in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The results indicated that during the biodegradation experiments (56 days), 48% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was mineralized within 13 days in soil-derived solution 1 (initial DOC = 19.88 mgC/L), and the DOC concentration at 56 days was $8.8{\pm}0.4$ mg C/L, indicating 56% mineralization of DOC. In soil-derived solution 2 (initial DOC = 19.80 mgC/L), DOC was mineralized drastically within 13 days, and the DOC concentration was decreased to $6.0{\pm}0.4$ mg C/L at 56 days (76% mineralization of DOC). Unlike DOC value, the specific UV absorbance ($SUVA_{254}$) value, an indicator of proportion of aromatic structures in total organic carbon, tended to increase until 21 days and then decreased thereafter. The $SUVA_{254}$ values in soil-derived solutions 1 and 2 were the highest at 21 days. The microbial analysis demonstrated that Pseudomonas fluorescens, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Nocardioides simplex, Pseudomonas mandelii, Bosea sp. were detected at 14 days of incubation, whereas Pseudomonas veronii appeared as a dominant species at 56 days.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.338-347
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigation of the decomposition characteristics in a pilot-scale burial site of livestock in three kinds of typical soils in Korea: sandy loam soil, clay loam soil, and sandy soil. In this study, we confirmed that most of the animals in the condition were decomposed within three years as mentioned in the "Livestock burial regional environmental research guidelines." We also determined that the decomposition rate of dead cows was higher than that of dead pigs, and that the biodegradation rate depends on the soil types in the following order: sandy soil > clay loam soil > sandy loam soil. The various external environment factors, such as temperature, moisture, pH, earthiness, nutrient, and the burial depth, should be managed properly for appropriate decomposition of dead animals.