• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2017

Arsenic (As) has been considered as the most toxic one among various hazardous materials and As contamination can be caused naturally and anthropogenically. Major forms of arsenic in groundwater are arsenite [(As(III)] and/or arsenate [(As(V)], depending on redox condition: arsenite and arsenate are predominant in reduced and oxidized environments, respectively. Because arsenite is much more toxic and mobile than arsenate, there have been a number of studies on the reduction of its toxicity through oxidation of As(III) to As(V). This study was initiated to develop photocatalytic oxidation process for treatment of groundwater contaminated with arsenite. The performance of two types of light sources (UV lamp and UV LED) was compared and the feasibility of goethite as a photocatalyst was evaluated. The highest removal efficiency of the process was achieved at a goethite dose of 0.05 g/L. Based on the comparison of oxidation efficiencies of arsenite between two light sources, the apparent performance of UV LED was inferior to that of UV lamp. However, when the results were appraised on the basis of their emitting UV irradiation, the higher performance was achieved by UV LED than by UV lamp. This study demonstrates that environmentally friendly process of goethite-catalytic photo-oxidation without any addition of foreign catalyst is feasible for the reduction of arsenite in groundwater containing naturally-occurring goethite. In addition, this study confirms that UV LED can be used in the photo-oxidation of arsenite as an alternative light source of UV lamp to remedy the drawbacks of UV lamp, such as long stabilization time, high electrical power consumption, short lifespan, and high heat output requiring large cooling facilities.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2009

Systematic studies are performed for arsenic adsorption on synthesized lepidocrocite. The synthesized lepidocrocite with high surface area of $94.8\;g/m^2$ has shown that the point of zero charge(PZC) is 6.57 determined by potentiometric titration, suggestive of high capacity of arsenic removal. Results show that arsenite[As(III)] uptake by synthesized lepidocrocite is greater than that of arsenate[As(V)] at pH $2{\sim}12$, indicating that the lepidocrocite has high affinity toward arsenite rather than arsenate. Adsorption of arsenate decreases with increasing pH from 2 to 12, whereas arsenite sorption increases until pH 8.0, and then decreases dramatically with increasing pH, suggesting that changes in surface charge of the lepidocrocite as a function of pH playa important role in aresinc uptake by the lepidocrocite. Upon kinetic experiments, our results demonstrate that both arsenite and arsenate sorption on the lepidocrocite increases rapidly for the first 4 h followed by little changes during the duration of the experiment, showing that adsorption plays a key role in aresenic uptake by the lepidocrocite. Our results also show that power function and elovich models are the best fit for the adsorption kinetics of arsenite and aesenate on the lepidocrocite.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.198-200
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• 2004

Four crop plant species were tested to assess an ecotoxicity in arsenic-amended soils. Test plants were Sorghum bicolor, Cucumis sativus, Triticum aestivum, and Phaseolus radiatus. The presence of arsenic decreased the root and shoot growths. Arsenite was more toxic than arsenate to all test plants. Root growths of Phaseolus radiatus and Cucumis sativus seem to be a good protocol to assess ecotoxicity of soils contaminted by arsenic.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.345-354
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• 2001

The effects on arsenic geochemistry of indigenous microorganisms isolated from an area contaminated with high concentration of arsenic were investigated. Arsenite exerted higher inhibitory effects on the microbes' growth than arsenate. During incubation of the microbes in an arsenate-spiked medium over 24 hours, decrease in microbial growth was observed as arsenate content increased. Arsenate of 150 mM or over apparently inhibited cell growth. However, further incubation for up to 4 days in the high arsenate concentration medium resulted in cell growth, implying that the microorganisms adjusted their biochemical functions to detoxify arsenic and maintain growth. Two types of microbes were observed during 20 hours to reduce arsenate to arsenite in solution through a detoxification mechanism. As well, decrease in the total arsenic content occurred over a 4-day incubation with the same microbes in an arsenate-spiked medium. Therefore it is suggested that microorganisms can influence arsenic speciation in natural settings and this may be applied to efficient bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated sites.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.185-195
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• 2012

Due to the high reduction and sorption capacity as well as the large specific surface area, nanosized mackinawite (FeS) is useful in reductively transforming chlorinated organic pollutants and sequestering toxic metals and metalloids. Due to the dynamic nature in its colloid stability, however, nanosized FeS may be washed out with the groundwater flow or result in aquifer clogging via particle aggregation. Thus, these nanoparticles should be modified such as to be built into permeable reactive barriers. This study employed coating methods in efforts to facilitate the installation of permeable reactive barriers of nanosized mackinawite. In applying the methods, nanosized mackinawite was coated on non-treated silica sand (NTS) and chemically treated silica sand (CTS). For both silica sands, the maximum coating of mackinawite occurred around pH 5.4, the condition of which was governed by (1) the solubility of mackinawite and (2) the surface charge of both silica and mackinawite. Under this pH condition, the maximum coating by NTS and CTS were found to be 0.101 mmol FeS/g and 0.043 mmol FeS/g respectively, with such elevated coatings by NTS likely linked with impurities (e.g., iron oxides) on its surface. Arsenite sorption experiments were performed under anoxic conditions using uncoated silica sands and those coated with mackinawite at the optimal pH to compare their reactivity. At pH 7, the relative sorption efficiency between uncoated NTS and coated NTS changed with the initial concentration of arsenite. At the lower initial concentration, uncoated NTS showed the higher sorption efficiency, whereas at the higher concentration, coated NTS exhibited the higher sorption efficiency. This could be attributed to different sorption mechanisms as a function of arsenite concentration: the surface complexation of arsenite with the iron oxide impurity on silica sand at the low concentration and the precipitation as arsenic sulfides by reaction with mackinawite coating at the high concentration. Compared to coated NTS, coated CTS showed the lower arsenite removal at pH 7 due to its relatively lower mackinawite coating. Taken together, our results indicate that NTS is a more effective material than CTS for the coating of nanosized mackinawite.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2013

Due to the large specific surface area and great reactivity toward environmental contaminants, nanocrystalline mackinawite (FeS) has been widely applied for the remediation of contaminated groundwater and soil. Furthermore, nanocrystalline FeS is rather thermodynamically stable against anoxic corrosion, and its reactivity can be regenerated continuously by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, nanocrystalline mackinawite is prone to either spread out along the groundwater flow or cause pore clogging in aquifers by particle aggregation. Accordingly, this mineral should be modified for the application of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). In this study, coating methods were investigated by which mackinawite nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of alumina or activated alumina. The amount of FeS coating was found to significantly vary with pH, with the highest amount occurring at pH ~6.9 for both minerals. At this pH, the surfaces of mackinawite and alumina (or activated alumina) were oppositely charged, with the resultant electrostatic attraction making the coating highly effective. At this pH, the coating amounts by alumina and activated alumina were 0.038 and 0.114 $mmol{\cdot}FeS/g$, respectively. Under anoxic conditions, arsenite sorption experiments were conducted with uncoated alumina, uncoated activated alumina, and both minerals coated with FeS at the optimal pH for comparison of their reactivity. Uncoated activated alumina showed the higher arsenite removal compared to uncoated alumina. Notably, the arsenite sorption capacity of activated alumina was little changed by the coating with FeS. This might be attributed to the abundance of highly reactive hydroxyl functional groups (${\equiv}$AlOH) on the surface of activated alumina, making the arsenite sorption by the coated FeS unnoticeable. In contrast, the arsenite sorption capacity of alumina was found to increase substantially by the FeS coating. This was due to the consumption of the surface hydroxyl functional groups on the alumina surface and the subsequent occurrence of As(III) sorption by the coated FeS. Alumina, on the surface area basis, has about 8 times higher FeS coating amount and higher As(III) sorption capacity than silica. This study indicates that alumina is a better candidate than silica for the coating of nanocrystalline mackinawite.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2002

Bacteria have evolved various types of resistance mechanism to toxic heavy metals, such as arsenic and antimony. An arsenical and antimonial resistant bacterium was isolated from a shallow creek draining a coal-mining area near Taebaek City, in Kangwon-Do, Korea. The isolated bacterium was identified and named as Pseudomonas sp. KM20 after biochemical and physiological studies were conducted. A plasmid was identified and its function was studied. Original cells harboring the plasmid were able to grow in the presence of 15 mM sodium arsenite, while the plasmid-cured (plasmidless) strain was sensitive to as little as 0.5 mM sodium arsenate. These results indicated that the plasmid of Pseudomonas sp. KM20 does indeed encode the arsenic resistance determinant. In growth experiments, prior exposure to 0.1 mM arsenate allowed immediate growth when they were challenged with 5 mM arsenate, 5 mM arsenite, or 0.1 mM antimonite. These results suggested that the arsenate, arsenite, and antimonite resistance determinants of Pseudomonas sp. KM20 plasmid were indeed inducible. When induced, plasmid-bearing resistance cells showed a decreased accumulation $of\;73^As$ and showed an enhanced efflux $of\;^73As$. These results suggested that plasmid encoded a transport system that extruded the toxic metalloids, resulting in the lowering of the intracellular concentration of toxic oxyanion. In a Southern blot study, hybridization with an E. coli R773 arsA-specific probe strongly suggested the absence of an arsA cistron in the plasmid-associated arsenical and antimonial resistance determinant of Pseudomonas sp. KM20.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.35-40
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• 2006

Background: Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen that can target the liver, but its carcinogenic mechanisms are still unknown. Inorganic arsenic induces a spectrum of tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma in mice. Methods: Pregnant C3H mice were supplied with drinking water containing 50 ppm sodium arsenite during their pregnancy. The protein expression profile in the liver of 0.5-day-old. male offsprings exposed transplacentally to sodium arsenite was analyzed using protein 2D gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Results: Expression of proteins such as hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase mitochondrial precursor (HMG-CoA synthase), ${\beta}$-actin (cytoplasmic 1) and apolipoprotein A-IV precursor (Apo-AIV) were induced in mouse liver by sodium arsenite, while uricase (urate oxidase), guanine nucleotidebinding protein beta subunit 2-like 1 (RACK1) and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase B (Aldolase 2) were down-regulated. Summary: Expression of proteins that have been implicated in carcinogenesis, such as HMG-CoA, ${\beta}$-actin, and RACK1, was regulated in the liver of mice transplacentally exposed to inorganic arsenic.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluated seawater bacteria and their seasonal characteristics in the arsenic contaminated coastal seawater of Yeosu Bay, the Republic of Korea. Arsenite-oxidizing bacteria play an important role in the seawater of the arsenic contaminated bay, with a variety of arsenic resistance system (ars) genotypes being present during summer. Specifically, Bacillus sp. strain SeaH-As22w (FJ607342), isolated from the bay, were found to contain the arsB, arrA and aoxR type operons, which are involved in arsenic resistance. The isolated bacteria showed relatively high tolerance to sodium arsenite (III; $NaAsO_2$) at concentrations as high as 50 mM. Additionally, batch seawater experiments showed that Bacillus sp. strain SeaH-As22w completely oxidized 1 mM of As (III) to As (V) within 10 days. Ecologically, the arsenic-oxidizing potential plays an important role in arsenic toxicity and mobility in As-contaminated coastal seawater of Yeosu Bay during all seasons because it facilitates the activity of Bacillus sp. groups.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.257-261
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• 2010

While it's been shown that arsenic impairs male reproductive function, it remains unclear whether the mechanism involves an effect on testosterone (T) production. We examined plasma T and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in mice given water containing either 20 or 40 mg/L sodium arsenite (SA). The plasma T levels were lower in SA-treated mice than in controls and correlated well with testicular T levels within individuals. However, SA treatment did not significantly affect plasma LH levels. The ratio of plasma T to LH was reduced by the treatment with 40 mg/L SA. These results suggest arsenic-induced defect in testicular testosterone production in mice.