• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.690-698
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• 2010

Contamination of groundwater resources by organic chemicals has become an issue of increasing environmental concern. Surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR) is widely recognized as one of the most promising techniques to remediate organic contaminations in-situ. Solutions of surfactant or surfactant with polymer are used to dramatically expedite the process, which in turn, may reduce the treatment time of a site compared to use of water alone. In the design of surfactant-based technologies for remediation of organic contaminated aquifers, it is very important to have a considerable analysis using extensive numerical simulations prior to full-scale implementation. This study investigated the formation and flow of microemulsions during SEAR of organic-contaminated aquifer using the finite difference model UTCHEM, a three-dimensional, multicomponent, multiphase, compositional model. The remediation process variables considered in this study were the sequence of injection fluids, the injection and extraction rate, the concentrations of polymer in surfactant slug and chase water, and the duration of surfactant injection. For each variable, temporal changes in injection and production wells and spatial distributions of relative saturations in the organic phase were compared. Cleanup time and cumulative organic recovery were also quantified. The study would provide useful information to design strategies for the remediation of nonaqueous phase liquid-contaminated aquifers.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.33-51
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• 2013

Spatial and temporal characteristics of nitrate contamination and hydrogeochemical parameters were investigated for springs and surficial and bedrock groundwaters in northeastern part of Hongseong. Two field investigations were conducted at dry and wet seasons in 2011 for 120 sites including measurement of field parameters with chemical analyses of major dissolved constituents. Nitrate concentrations were at background levels in springs while 45% of bedrock groundwater and 49% of surficial groundwater exceeded the drinking water standard of nitrate (10 mg/L as $NO_3$-N). The difference in nitrate concentrations between surficial and bedrock groundwater was statistically insignificant. Cumulative frequency distribution of nitrate concentrations revealed two inflection points of 2 and 16 mg/L as $NO_3$-N. Correlation analysis of hydrogeochemical parameters showed that nitrate had higher correlations with Sr, Mg, Cl, Na, and Ca, in surficial groundwater in both dry and wet season. In contrast, nitrate had much weaker correlations with other hydrogeochemical parameters in bedrock groundwater compared to surficial groundwater and had significant correlations only in wet season. Temporally, nitrate and chloride concentrations decreased and dissolved oxygen (DO) increased from dry season to wet season, which indicates that increased recharge during the wet season affected groundwater quality. Aerobic conditions were predominant for both surficial and bedrock groundwater indicating low natural attenuation potential of nitrate in the aquifers of the study area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 1998

This study was initiated to identify the general groundwater quality and the effects of heavy-metal enrichments in the black shales and coal materials in Dukpyung area. Groundwater quality could be divided into three groups based on the major weathering processes in the groundwater system; Group I of carbonate weathering, Group II of silicate weathering with the probable effects of acidic mine drainage, and Group III of silicate weathering with relatively high concentrations of chloride components in anions. Metal contamination of groundwater was not observed. Locally, however, acidic mine drainage appeared to be produced and recharged into the groundwater system. In addition, contamination by NO$_3$-N ranged 2 to 3 times higher than the drinking water standards, probably due to infiltration of domestic sewage and/or fertilizers into the shallow aquifer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.511-514
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• 2003

Nowadays, wells tapping the deep aquifers become general because water quality of the shallow groundwater has been gradually degraded over the last 30 years as a result of rapid industrialization and intensive agricultural activities. However, many of the deep wells also suffer problems of water-quality degradation in several years after the well installation, nevertheless those were properly completed and managed. It is believed that the heavy pumping from deep wells causes the doward movement of the contaminated, shallow groundwaters and introduces them into the deep aquifers. In this study, we introduces a shallow capture well system, which could effectively prevent the shallow groundwaters of poor water duality from moving into the deep aquifers by pumping of deep production wells. Even though additional costs are required to apply this system, we believe that this method could be appropriate for the deep wells that are important for the public health.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.467-470
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• 2003

Leaking underground storage tanks are a major source of groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons. Aerobic bioremediation has been highly effective in the remediation of many fuel releases. However, Bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments is ofen limited by the inability to provide sufficient oxygen to the contaminated zones due to the low water solubility of oxygen. Nitrate can also serve as an electron acceptor and results in anaerobic biodegradation of organic compounds via the processes of nitrate reduction and denitrification. Because nitrate is less expensive and more soluble than oxygen. it may be more economical to restore fuel-contaminated aquifers using nitrate rather than oxygen. And denitrifying bacteria are commonly found in the subsurface and in association with contaminated aquifer materials. These studies have shown that BTEX and MTBE can be degraded by the nitrate-amended microcosms under aerobic and anaerobic conditons. Biodegradation of the toluene and ethylbenzne compounds occurred very quickly under denitrifying conditions. MTBE, benzene and p-xylene were recalcitrant under denitrifying conditions in this study, But finally Biodegradaton was observed for all of the test compounds.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.302-302
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• 2006

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.368-371
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• 2003

Leaking underground storage tanks are a major source of groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons. Bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments is often limited by dissolved oxygen. Aerobic bioremediation has been highly effective in the remediation of many fuel releases, but Many aromatic hydrocarbons degrade very slowly under anaerobic conditions. Nitrate is a good alternative electron acceptor to oxygen and denitrifying bacteria are commonly found in the subsurface and in association with contaminated aquifer materials. Because nitrate is less expensive and more soluble than oxygen. it may be more economical to restore fuel-contaminated aquifers using nitrate rather than oxygen. This study show that biodegradation of BTEX and MTBE is enhanced by the nitrate-amended microcosms under aerobic/anaerobic conditons. Although aromatic hydrocarbons degrade very slowly under anaerobic conditions. Biodegradaton was observed for all of the test compounds.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1992.12a
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• pp.1-18
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• 1992

The contaminatlon of soil and groundwater by leachate from impmperly managed landfills, or by cheiicals and gasoline leaked flu underground storage tanks has buou a serious urldwide environmental problei. Most of those contaminants are adsorptive and absorptive into soul, while they are hardly soluble in water. Thus, the rate of self purification is very slow, causing persistent problems in water use and environmental protection when the contamination is left untreated. Biological remediatlon technologies utilize the ertraordlnary caperbllity of microorganisms In degrading a tilde spectrum of organic compounds. Among them, an in situ bioremediation technology Involves injection of supplementary materials into the subsurfce in order to bring about a significant Increase in the microbial activity. The Increased microbial activity helps remove the pollutants in situ, that is, without digging out contaminants, soil, or water. This paper focused on the features, possibilities, and limitations of the bioremedition technology.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

A modified model was developed for solute transport in porous media that can consider the movement of an LNAPL above the water table. From the results of sensitivity analyses with and without considering LNAPL movement, there are some differences according to the hydraulic gradient, the quantity of oil leakage and dispersivity. The mean deviation between the model in this study and a conventional model without LNAPL movement increases as the hydraulic gradient decreases and the quantity of oil leakage increases. Variation of dispersivity has no influence on the magnitude of the mean deviation. However, the spatial distribution of the deviation between the two models is wider as dispersivity increases. Furthermore, groundwater is at high risk of contamination in the vertical direction in the case that transverse dispersion value is large. A conventional model underestimates the concentration of solute in an aquifer where the movement of an LNAPL cannot be negligible: Based on the study results, it is important to understand how fast the LNAPL moves on the water table for realistic prediction of solute transport in an aquifer with the movable LNAPL on the water table.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.244-254
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• 2018

The first geophysical technique applied to the agricultural sector in Korea was electrical resistivity sounding and conducted in purpose of groundwater exploitation in the 1970s. According to the diversity of agricultural activities since the 1990s, various geophysical methods including electrical resistivity, electromagnetic induction, and self-potential method were applied to several agricultural fields such as soil characterization with saline concentration in vast reclaimed area, delineation of seawater intrusion regions in costal aquifer, safety inspection of embankment dikes with leakage problem, detection of ground subsidence from overpumping and tracing of groundwater aquifer contamination by leachate from livestock mortality burial or waste burial site. This paper introduces representative geophysical techniques that have been utilized in various agricultural fields and suggests several ways to develop the geophysical methods required for the precision agriculture field in the near future based on the past achievements.