• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.33-41
• /
• 2001

Enormous volumes of mining wastes from the abandoned and closed mines are disposed without a proper treatment in the upper Okdong River basin at Southeastern part of Kangwon Province. Erosion of these wastes contaminates soil, surface water, and sediments with heavy metals. Objectives of this research were to fractionate heavy metals in the mine tailing stored in the Sangdong Tungsten tailing dams and to assess the potential pollution index of each metal fraction. Tailing samples were collected from tailing dams at different depth and analyzed for physical and chemical properties. pH of tailings ranged from 7.3 to 7.9. Contents of total N and organic matter were in the ranges of 3.2~5.5%, and 1.3~9.1%, respectively. Heavy metals in the tailings were higher in the newly constructed tailing dam than those in the old dam. Total concentrations of metals in the tailings were in the orders of Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, exceeded the corrective action level of the Soil Environment Conservation Law and higher than the natural abundance levels reported from uncontaminated soils. Relative distribution of heavy metal fractions was residual > organic > reducible > carbonate > adsorbed, reversing the degree of metal bioavailability. Mobile fractions of metals were relatively small compared to the total concentrations. Distribution of metals in the tailing dam profiles was metal specific. Concentrations of Cu at the surface of tailing dams were higher than those at the bottom. Pollution index (PI) values of each fraction of metals were ranged from 4.27 to 8.51 based on total concentrations. PI values of mobile fractions were lower than those of immobile fractions. Results on metal fractions and PI values of the tailing samples indicate that tailing samples were contaminated with heavy metals and had potential to cause a detrimental effects on soil and water environment in the lower part of the stream. A prompt countermeasure to prevent surface of tailings in the dams from water and wind erosions is urgently needed.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.193-204
• /
• 2000

In order to get some basic data on environmental friendly function by Korean organic farming, the chemical characteristics of soil were determined on 100 farm cultivating site in Paldang watershed area of Great Seoul. The EC and content of $NO_3-N$ and Av. $P_2O_5$ in topsoil(0~30cm) showed $2.30dS\;m^{-1}$, $82mg\;kg^{-1}$, $918mg\;kg^{-1}$ in the soil cultivated chinese cabbage. $2.29dS\;m^{-1}$, $86mg\;kg^{-1}$, $954mg\;kg^{-1}$ in the soil of lettuce, $1.83dS\;m^{-1}$, $66mg\;kg^{-1}$, $1114mg\;kg^{-1}$ in the soil of crown daisy. These salt accumulation(EC) and the high concentration of mineral content in topsoil such as nitrate and phosphate showed the soils of organic farming were contaminated by practice of organic farming for the maintenance strategy of soil fertility. The $NO_3-N$ and Av. $P_2O_5$ in the subsoil(30~60cm) showed $75mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $641mg\;kg^{-1}$, $72mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $466mg\;kg^{-1}$, $42mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $873mg\;kg^{-1}$ in soil cultivated chinese cabbage, lettuce and crown daisy respectively. It indicates eventually the high concentration of nitrate and phosphate in topsoil caused penetration to subsoil, and the high concentration of mineral contents in subsoil indicate the potential risk of leaching of ground water by Korean organic farming. The positive correlation at 1% between EC and $NO_3-N$, $K_2O$, T-C, $P_2O_5$ and T-N show the salt accumulation in the both soil depth of Korean organic farming were caused by minerals such as $NO_3-N$, $K_2O$, T-C, $P_2O_5$ and T-N by overuse of organic fertilizer.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.177-184
• /
• 2012

This experiment was carried out to investigate soil properties and the requirement of livestock manure compost in a large-scale environment-friendly agricultural complex (EFAC), Gosan, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk. Total cultivation area of major crops was 2,353 ha. This complex area included different types of environment-friendly cropping sections (402.9ha) and livestock farming including 21,077 Korean beef cattle, 1,099 dairy cow, and 32,993 hog. Amount of livestock waste carried in to Resource Center for Crop and Livestock Farming (RCCLF) was 32 Mg per day and the production of manure compost was 9,600 Mg per year. The manure contained 1.4% total nitrogen (T-N), 2.7% phosphorus as $P_2O_5$, 2.1% potassium as $K_2O$, 0.9% magnesium as MgO, 2.5% calcium as CaO. Amount of compost used in the EFAC was 6,588 Mg per year. Soil pH values in the EFAC were varied as follows: 78.1% of paddy field soil, 58.2% of upland soil, 60.3% of orchard field soil, and 62.1% of greenhouse soil were in proper range. For the content of soil organic matter, 41.7% of paddy field soil, 46.5% of upland soil, 40.5% of orchard field soil, and 81.4% of greenhouse soil were higher than proper range. The content of available phosphorus was mostly higher than proper value on the different fields except upland soil. The contents of exchangeable $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$ were also exceeded in the orchard field and greenhouse soils. In addition, microbial population, especially aerobic bacteria, in the EFAC was higher than that in regular farming land.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.215-221
• /
• 2005

Numerous abandoned or closed mines are present in the steep mountain valleys in Korea due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From the mines, enormous amounts of wastes were dumped on the slopes causing sedimentation and acid mine drainage to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on surrounding environment. Objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of the lime cake by-product from the soda ash production (Solvay process) to neutralize the pyrophyllite mine wastes, which have discharged the acid drainage to soil and stream in the watershed. The pH of mine wastes was strongly acidic at pH 3.67 containing over 16% of $Al_2O_3$ and 11% of $Fe_2O_3$. Whereas the lime cake by-product was strongly basic at pH 9.97 due to high contents of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components. Column experiments were conducted to test the neutralizing capacity of the lime cake by-product for the acidic pyrophyllite mine wastes. The column packed with the wastes (control) was treated with the lime cake by-product, calcium carbonate, the dressing soil or combination. The distilled water was eluted statically through the column and the leachate was collected for the chemical analyses. Treatments of the mine wastes with the lime cake by-product (or calcium carbonate) as mixtures increased pH of the leachate from $3.5{\sim}4.0\;to\;7{\sim}8$. Concentrations of Fe and Al in the leachate were also decreased below 1.0 mg $L^{-1}$. A Similar result was observed at the combined treatments of the mine waste, the lime by-product (or calcium carbonate) and the dressing soil. The results indicated that the lime cake by-product could sufficiently neutralize the acid drainage from the pyrophyllite mine wastes without dressing soils.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.93-104
• /
• 2002

A field survey and experiment was conducted from 1996 to 1998 to develop rational technology for turfgrass vegetation of runway side of Incheon International Airport on the reclaimed tidal land in Young-Jong Island. Backfill of the experimental site was finished on August 1995. The experimental site was 8 ha located in the middle of the construction place for the main parking lot in front of the terminal building construction. The experimental field was drained by main open ditch, and divided three main plots, no subsurface tile drain, subsurface tile drain spacing with 22.5m, and with 45 m, respectively. The 17 sub plots were designed to test the effect of soil covering with red earth loam by 5 cm and 20 cm depth, application of chemical compound fertilizers and livestock manures, dressing of artifical soils and hydrophylic soil conditioners. The tested turfgrasses were three transplanting indigenous turfgrasses, Zoysia koreana, Zoysia sinica and Zoysia japonica, and two hydroseeding mixed exotic turgrasses, cool type I(tall fescue 30%, kentucky blue grass 40%, perenial ryegrass 30%), and cool type II(tall fescue 40%, perenial ryegrass 20%, fine fescue 20%, alkaligrass 20%). The soil backfilled with dredged seasand was sand textured with high salt concentration and low fertility. The soil showed high pH, low organic matter and low available phophate contents. The percolation rate was fast with high hydraulic conductivity. Desalinization was fast after installation of the main open drainage system. No subsurface tile drainage effect was found showing little difference in turfgrass growth. The covering and visual growth of turfgrasses were the best in the 20-cm soil covering with compound fertilizer treatment. The covering and visual growth of turfgrasses were satisfactory in the 5 cm soil covering with compound fertilizer treatment and with livestock manure treatments. The hydrophillic soil conditioner treatments were effective but expensive at present. The coverage and visual quality of turfgrasses were good for Zoysia koreana and Zoysia japonica. The coverages of turfgrasses by the hydroseeding with the mixed exotic turfgrasses were less than transplanting of native turfgrasses. In conclusion, for the runway side vegetation purposes, the subsurface tile drainage might not necessary as main open ditch drainage be sufficient due to fast percolation rate of the backfilled dredged seasand. The 5 cm soil covering with red earth might be sufficient for the runway side, but the 20 cm soil covering might be necessary for the runway side where high density of turfgrass coverage was necessary to protect from the airplance air blow.