• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2005년도 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOIL & GROUNDWATER ENVIRONMENT
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• pp.59-61
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• 2005

In Korea, hundreds of abandoned and closed coal and metallic mines are present in the steep mountain valleys due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From these mines, enormous amounts of coal waste were dumped on the slopes, which causes sedimentation and acid mine drainage (AMD) to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on soil and water environments. A limestone slurry by-product (lime cake) is produced from the Solvay process in manufacturing soda ash. It has very fine particles, low hydraulic conductivities ($10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-9}cm/sec$), high pH, high EC due to the presence of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components, and traces of heavy metals. Due to these properties, it has potential to be used as a neutralizer for acid-producing materials. A field plot experiment was used to test the application of lime cake for reclaiming coal wastes. Each plot was 20 x 5 m (L x W) in size on a 56% slope. Treatments included a control (waste only), calcite ($CaCO_3$), and lime cake. The lime requirement (LR) for the coal waste to pH 7.0 was determined and treatments consisted of adding 100%, 50%, and 25% of the LR. The lime cake and calcite were also applied in either a layer between the coal waste and topsoil or mixed into the topsoil and coal waste. Each plot was hydroseeded with grasses and planted with trees. In each plot, surface runoff and subsurface water were collected. The lime cake treatments increased the pH of coal waste from 3.5 to 6, and neutralized the pH of the runoff and leachate of the coal waste from 4.3 to 6.7.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2005년도 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOIL & GROUNDWATER ENVIRONMENT
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• pp.254-256
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• 2005

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.191-198
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• 2003

The ochreous precipitates, reddish brown and brownish yellow in color, are pre- cipitated in the stream bottom of acid mine drainage (AMD) in the Donghae coal mine area. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the reddish brown precipitate consists mainly of ferrihydrite with small amount of goethite, while the brownish yellow precipitate of schwertmannite. Thermal experiments show that ferrihydrite and schwertmannite partially convert to poorly-crystallized hematite at $400^{\circ}C$ and to well-crystallized hematite at $700^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.324-329
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• 2008

A coal mine drainage sludge(designated as CMDS) is mainly generated during physicochemical treatment or electrical purification of the drainage abandoned mine that include dissolved heavy metal. To understand the possibility of an application of the dehydrated CMDS as the landfill cover medium of hygienic a reclaimed ground, an laboratory experiment was performed to investigate the physicochemical and geoengineering characteristics of the dehydrated CMDS. To improve the geoengineering characteristics of the dehydrated CMDS, the liquid limit, plasticity limit test, compaction method test, strength test, and hydraulic conductivity test ware performed with the lithification material mixed sludge. When the mixed ratio of the sludge and the lithification material was more than 1:06, the compaction method was A method, the moisture content less than 33.5%, the strength of mixed sludge was $8.2kg\;cm^{-2}$, the hydraulic conductivity was $2.7\times10^{-6}cm\;sec^{-1}$, the sludge was up to the landfill standard of US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).

• Resources Recycling
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.80-88
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• 2017

Globally, there has been a lot of research related to recycling coal ash from power plant stations. This research is happening because there is a considerable shortage of sites for reclamation of increased coal ash every year. In addition, a variety of environmental pollutants have appeared because of mining activity. Abandoned coal mine, pits, and mine tailing piles caused pollutants to come to the surface resulting in serious damage for humans and the environment. Therefore in this study, we investigated whether or not coal ashes have the ability to prevent several environmental problems by mining in Korea and a manageable form recycling coal ashes. In overseas countries, there is a sufficient field of applicable cases where coal ash is used for neutralizing AMD (Acid Mine Drainage), covering of the waste materials, grouting, and soil amendments. However in Korea, since the coal ash is classified as a 'waste', there is an insufficient field applicable cases so far. Therefore it is necessary to establish a specific standard and management system for the utilization of coal ash based on the relevant precedent cases applied abroad in order to prevent environmental pollution caused by mining activity in Korea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.499-508
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• 1998

The Imgok Creek is located in the Gangreung coal field, which has been known that sulfides are more abundant than other coal fields in Korea, and it has been severly contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD) discharging from the abandoned coal mines, such as the Youngdong, the Dongduk and the Waryong coal mines. The purposes of this study are to synthetically assess the contamination of natural water, stream sediment and cultivated soils, and to provide the basic data for AMD treatment. Geochemical samples were collected in December, 1996 (dry season) and April, 1997 (after three day's rainfall). TDS of the Youngdong mine water was remarkably higher than those of other mine waters. In the Imgok Creek, concentrations of most elements, except Fe decreased with distance by dilution caused by the inflow of uncontaminated tributaries. From the results of NAMDI and $I_{geo}$ calculation, the Youngdong coal mine was the main contamination source of the study area. Groundwater pollution was not yet confirmed in this study and the paddy and farm land soils were also not yet contaminated by mining activity based on the pollution index ranging from 0.27 to 0.47.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.209-222
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• 1997

The Hoenam area, up the Taecheong lake, composed mainly of low grade coal-bearing metapelites within the Ogcheon Supergroup. These coal formations are developed discontinuously several hundred meters and swelling from 10 to 300 cm along the host metapelites. Although the formations have been mined for coal, but already mined out, and the formations were higher content (mean value of 42 samples) of environmental toxic elements as As (13 ppm). Ba (1.81 wt. %), Cd (2 ppm), Cr (188 ppm), Cu (87 ppm), Mo (214 ppm), Pb (25 ppm), Sb (3 ppm), Se (12 ppm), U (55 ppm), V (2124 ppm) and Zn (234 ppm) than the host metapelites and the NASC. The Al, Ti, Mg, K and Na contents in stream sediments derived from the Hando and Bugook mine area were highly concentrations than the samples from the Samseongjeil mine area. The mean value (wt. %) of Fe (10.07), Mn (0.15), Ca (0.84), P (0.18) and Ba (0.77) influenced by the Samseongjeil mine were higher than the other mine drainage sediments. The mean content (ppm) of environmental toxic elements in drainage sediments from the Samseongjeil mine were taken As (2083), Cu (447), Mo (202), Ni (720), Pb (42), U (250), V (1070) and Zn (2632), which are extremely high concentrations against NASC and EPA. Characteristics of elemental behavior and dispersion of the all toxic elements are the same as increased with increasing U, V, and Cu. Rare earth elements in the sediments are enriched with LREE (La, Ce and Nd) from the drainage on strong concentration of toxic elements. The pH of stream water is neutral, but pH of the sediments ranged from 4.92 to 6.93 (mean 6.22), those are slightly acid in the Hando mine area. Major elements in the host rocks at the Hoenam area are mostly depleted especially Ca, excepting Ti and Ba, normalized with NASC. The sediments were highly enriched of Ti, Fe, Mg, Mn and Ba, but depleted of Al, K, Ca, Na and P on the basis of host rocks and NASC. Minor and environmental toxic elements in the host rocks were strongly enriched all elements (As, Cd, Mo, Se, D, V and Zn), excepting Co, Ni and Sr. Enrichment index (mean value) about toxic elements (As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) of the sediments in this area have taken 41.35 (Hando mine drainage; 2.73, Samseongjeil mine drainage; 113.14 and Bugook mine drainage; 8.19), those are seriously contaminated by environmental toxic elements.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.72-80
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• 2010

Possibility of the usage of sludge generated in coal mine drainage treatments as a briquette additive was investigated by the combination of industrial, elemental, and combustion experiments. A series of briquettes having 2% and 6% of sludge were used for the experiments. Compared to the control sample, our results show that all experimental values for the briquettes are very similar. In particular, it is worthy to note that there is no obvious difference in calorific values for the briquettes containing 2% or 6% of sludge. The calorific values are 4,250~4,360 kcal/kg, 4,240~4,250 kcal/kg, 4,180~4,210 kcal/kg, and 4,270~4,360 kcal/kg for the control sample, briquette containing 6% of Hambaek sludge, briquette containing 6% of Hamtae sludge, and briquette containing 2% of Hambaek sludge, respectively. Results of ash fusion temperature show that the temperature is greater than $1,550^{\circ}C$ for the control sample. However, the temperature for the briquettes with 6% of Hambaek sludge and 2% of Hambaek or Hamtae sludge is $1,510^{\circ}C$. For a briquette containing 6% of Hamtae sludge, the temperature of ash fusion is $1,530^{\circ}C$. After combustion, environmental impacts of the briquettes with sludge were tested. Little environmental influence was observed for the combusted briquettes with sludge.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.579-598
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• 2019

We investigated geochemical contaminants and Fe, Al behavior in precipitates of acid mine drainage (AMD) from the Donghae abandoned coal mine, Taebaek, Gangwon Province using aqueous chemical analyses, XRD, IR, and ²⁷Al NMR, Our results showed that water chemistry changed with pH and Eh, and saturation indices of chemical species in the AMD. According to saturation calculated by visual MINTEQ, the AMD was saturated with various Fe-, Al-oxyhydroxide minerals. Reddish brown precipitates are composed of schwertmannite, ferrihydrite, and goethite, whereas whitish precipitates are composed mostly of alumimous minerals such as poorly crystallized basaluminite with trace Al₁₃-Tridecamer. It is important to apply active treatment methods rather than simple storage pond and to control the precipitation and solubility of iron species and aluminous species for ensuring remediation and control for the AMD discharged from the Donghae abandoned coal mine.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.163-183
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• 2019

We investigated acid mine drainage (AMD) of Bongyang abandoned coal mine, Danyang, Chungbuk Province with emphasis on geochemical contaminants in AMD and precipitates using chemical analyses, XRD, SEM, IR, and $^{27}Al$ NMR. Water chemistry changes with pH and oversaturation of chemical species. According to calculation of saturation index, the AMD is saturated with various Fe, Al minerals. Orange or orcher precipitates are composed of schwertmannite and goethite, associated with Leptothrix orchracea bacteria, whereas whitish precipitates are composed mostly of alumimous minerals such as basaluminite with poor crystallinity. The whitish precipitates include trace $Al_{13}$-Tridecamer. It is important to control the precipitation and solubility of aluminous species for ensuring remediation and control for the AMD discharged from the Bongyang abandoned coal mine.