• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 2008

The frequency analysis and the probability plot were applied to heavy metal contents of soils collected from the Goseong Cu mine area as a statistic method for the determination of the threshold value which was able to partition a population comprising largely dispersed heavy metal contents into the background and the anomalous populations. Almost all the heavy metal contents of soil showed a positively skewed distributions and their cumulative percentage frequencies plotted as a curved lines on logarithmic probability plot which represent a mixture of two or more overlapping populations. Total Cu, Pb and Cd data and extractable Cu and Pb data could be partitioned into background and anomalous populations by using the inflection in each curve. The others showed a normally distributed population or an largely overlapped populations. The threshold values obtained from replotted frequency distributions with the partitioned populations were Cu 400 mg/kg, Pb 450 mg/kg and Cd 3.5 mg/kg in total contents and Cu 40 mg/kg and Pb 12 mg/kg in extractable contents, respectively. The thresholds for total contents are much higher than the tolerable level of soil pollution proposed by Kloke(Cu 100 mg/kg, Pb 100 mg/kg, Cd 3 mg/kg), but those for extractable contents are not exceeded the worrying level of soil pollution proposed by Ministry of Environment(Cu 50 mg/kg, Pb 100 mg/kg). When the threshold values were used as the criteria of soil pollution in the study area, $9{\sim}19%$ of investigated soil population was in polluted level. The spatial distributions of heavy metal contents greater than threshold values showed that polluted soils with heavy metals are restricted within the mountain soils in the vicinity of abandoned mines.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2020

Copper (Cu), one of the main contaminants in the mine drainage from the closed mine area, needs to be removed before exposed to environment because of its toxicity even in the low concentration. In this study, passive treatment based field pilot experiments using limestone and compost media were conducted during 9 months for enhancing Cu removal efficiency of the mine water treatment facility of S mine located in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do in South Korea. The pH increase and Cu removal efficiency showed high value at Successive Alkalinity Producing System ( SAPS) > Reducing and Alkalinity Producing System (RAPS) > limestone reactor in a sequence. The compost media using in SAPS and RAPS contributed to raise pH by organic material decomposition with generating alkalinity, thus, Cu removal efficiency increased. Also, experimental results showed that Cu removal efficiency was proportional to pH increase, meaning that pH increase is the main mechanism for Cu removal. Moreover, Sulfate Reduction Bacteria (SRB) was identified to be most activated in SAPS. It is inferred that the sulfate reduction reaction also contributed to Cu removal. This study has the site significance in that the experiments were conducted at the place where the mine water generates. In the future, the results will be useful to select the more effective reactive media used in the treatment facility, which is most appropriate to remediate mine water from the S mine.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2015

The aim of this study was leaching valuable metal ions from mine waste rocks which were abandoned mine site using indigenous aerobic bacteria. In order to tolerate the the indigenous aerobic bacteria to the heavy metal ions they were repeatedly adapted in $CuSO_4{\cdot}5H_2O$ environment. As the repeated generation-adaptation progressed, the pH values of the growth-medium were gradually decreased. During bio-leaching experiments with indigenous aerobic bacteria raised in a heavy metal ion environment for 42 days, the pH of the leaching solution was decreased while increasing the adaptation period. The indigeous bacteria were much more active on the surface of Younhwa waste rocks which contained relatively few the chalcopyrite and Cu content than the Goseong mine waste rocks, and also the amount of Cu and Fe ions were leached more in the Younhwa sample(leaching rate of 92.79% and 55.88%, respectively) than the Goseong sample(leaching rate of 66.77% and 21.83%, respectively). Accordingly, it is confirmed that valuable metal ions can be leached from the mine waste rocks, if any indigenous bacteria which inhabits a mine environment site for a long time with heavy metal ions can be used, and these bacteria can be progressively adapted in the growth-solutions containing the target heavy metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.347-360
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• 2007

In order to evaluate the degree and extent of heavy metal pollution and the environmental impacts of abandoned Cu mines in Goseong-gun, soils and paddies were collected from the mine area and have been analysed for heavy metal contents. The heavy metal contents were much higher in mountain soils than in paddy soils. Total content of heavy metals decreased in order of Cu>Zn>Pb>As>Cr>Cd in mountain soils whereas Zn>Pb>Cu>Cr>As>Cd in paddy soils. The extractable amount of heavy metals by 0.1/1N HCl decreased in order of Cu>Pb>Zn>As>Cd>Cr in mountain soils whereas Pb>Cu>Zn>As>Cd>Cr in paddy soils. Although the extraction ratios were highly various depending on the sampling site, their average values were in order of Cd(16%)>Pb(10%)>Cu(9%)>As(4.5%)>Zn-Cr(${\le}2.5%$). The soils investigated were enriched in heavy metals relative to the averages of earth crust as In order of $As{\ge}Cd$>Pb>Zn>Cu>Cr. Pollution index calculated from total or extractable heavy metals of soils indicated that the heavy metal pollution was restricted to mountain soils around abandoned Cu mines, especially the Samsan I mine. The metal contents of brown rice showed no significantly contaminated level as follows; As $nd{\sim}0.87mg/kg,\;Cd\;0.02{\sim}0.34mg/kg,\;Cu\;1.01{\sim}6.25mg/kg,\;Mn\;13.4{\sim}43.2mg/kg,\;Pb\;0.09{\sim}2.83mg/kg,\;and\;Zn\;16.5{\sim}79.1mg/kg$. From the extraction and dispersion properties of heavy metal with the soil pH ($4.5{\sim}7.8$), it can be deduced the conclusion that the heavy metal pollution is spreading in the study area mainly by the detrital migration of waste ore and gangue minerals rather than the dissolution and circulation of heavy metal.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3 s.49
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• pp.129-138
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• 2006

In this study, we identified the secondary precipitates from Samsan-jeil and Sambong mine, Goseong, Gyeongnam by means of scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and X-ray powder diffraction analysis. Copper sulfide minerals had been produced from the mines during last few decades, however they are not worked. White and blue precipitates were found at the downstream of mine rock dump at Sambong mine and green one was at Samsan-jeil mine. The white precipitate covered the host rock surface with thickness of $30{\mu}m$, and is a kind of diatom with $10{\mu}m$ in length and $3{\mu}m$ in width. It is a species Fragilaria constuens, which is contained a order Pennales(pennate diatom) and lives in fresh water. The blue precipitate is the alteration product of chalcopyrite. It resultes in the increase in the ratio Cu:Fe from 5 to 13. The green precipitate has worm-like morphology with $10{\sim}20nm$ in diameter and $200{\sim}300nm$ in length. It is mainly composed of secondary copper sulfate such as woodwardite. However, it could be formed by the activity of microorganism, because the copper content is more than any secondary copper sulfate reported in copper sulfide mine. In order to identity the green precipitate exactly, the further research is needed.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3 s.49
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• pp.171-187
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• 2006

The status of heavy metal contamination was investigated using chemical analyses of stream waters and sediments obtained from Samsanjeil and Sambong Cu mining area in Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. In addition, the degree and the environmental risk of heavy metal contamination in stream sediments was assessed through pollution index (Pl) and danger index (DI) based on total digestion by aqua regia and fractionation of heavy metal contaminants by sequential extraction, respectively. Not only the degree of heavy metal contamination was significantly higher in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area, but its environmental risk was also revealed much more serious in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area. The differences in status and level of contamination and environmental risk between both two mining areas may be attributed to existence of contamination source and geology. Acid mine drainage is continuously discharged and flows into the stream in Samsanjeil mining area, and it makes the heavy metal contamination in the stream more deteriorated than in Sambong mining area in which acid mine drainage is not produced. In addition, the geology of Samsanjeil mining area is mainly comprised of andesitic rocks including a small amount of calcite and having lower pH buffering capacity fer acid mine drainage, and it is likely that the heavy metal contamination cannot be naturally attenuated in streams. On the contrary, the main geology of Sambong mining area consists of pyroclastic sedimentary Goseong formation containing a high content of carbonates, particularly calcite, and it seems that these carbonates of high pH buffering capacity prevent the heavy metal contamination from proceeding downstream in stream within that area.