• Title/Summary/Keyword: Heavy Metal Contamination

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Heavy Metal Contamination in Sediments by Herbei Sprit Oil Spill (허베이 스피리트 원유 유출 사고에 의한 퇴적물의 중금속 오염)

  • Song, Yun Ho;Choi, Man Sik;Woo, Jun Sik;Sim, Won Joon
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.70-79
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    • 2013
  • Since crude oil contains various pollutants including heavy metals, the environmental impact should be assessed for heavy metals as well as oil itself. In order to estimate the extent of heavy metal contamination, surface sediments were collected at the intertidal and coastal zone around the Herbei sprit oil spill area during December 2007 and January 2008. Organic carbon, sulfur and heavy metals were determined to assess heavy metal contamination in sediments. The crude oils contained C, S, V and Ni, but little toxic metals such as As, Cd, etc. From organic carbon content, the highest contaminated site was estimated that oils contributed to sediments up to 10%, and this site showed high V concentration. Potentially contaminated sediments by crude oil could be differentiated from unaffected sediments through V/Al and Ni/Al ratios, which can be used as indicators of oil contamination even after the oils were fully degraded.

The Characteristics of Heavy Metal Contamination in Tailings and Soils in the Vicinity of the Palbong Mine, Korea (팔봉광산 선광광미와 주변토양의 중금속 오염 특성)

  • 이영엽;정재일;권영호
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.34 no.3
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    • pp.271-281
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    • 2001
  • The characteristics of the heavy metal contamination in the soils affected by the tailings of the Palbong mine have been studied. The soils in the studied area consist mostly of loam by the particle size analysis, but a little of it, located near the stream, consist of loamy sand to sandy loam, finally to loam downward. The organic contents of soils are significantly low aoom 2 percent and the pH is in acidic ranging 6.0 $\pm$ 0.1. The samples of the parent rocks, the normal soils, the tailings and the channel deposits from the studied area were chemically analysed. From the result, the heavy metal concenlration of the soils is a little Jow compared with that of the parent rocks, shows the hydrologic process of the surface and the groundwater. The contamination of the tailings from the ore mining are high in lead, copper and arsenic. In the channel deposits the concenlrations of lead and copper are abnormally high but that of arsenic is uniquely low. And most of heavy metal contamination are decreased with the distance from the mine. It is caused by the properties of the surface and the ground water during the process of the heavy metal migration. The correlation-coefficient between sand and silt contents and the concentrations of Cd, Cu and Pb are significant but the amounts of As and Hg are increased with the clay contents. The dispersion of the heavy metals with the distance shows that the concentrations of them in the soils sampled at distance of 100 m to 200 m along the stream started near the Palbong mine are extremely high compared with those from other distances. These discrepancies are significant in Cd, Cu, Pb and Hg, but low in As. All the samples contain below detection limit of Cr+6 In the present stream water the concentrations of the heavy metals are not detected. So, it is interpreted that the concentrations in the soils are caused by the activities of the mining during the operation and have been continued by the dispersion from the tailings since after the closure of the mining, especially by the surface and ground water. The concentrations are diminished with the distance from the mining site, but in the interval of 800-2000 m increases abruptly. In the soil samples counted on the dispersion direction by wind, the lowering of the concentration is relatively uniform with the distance from the mining site. So, the rapid increase of the heavy metal concentrations is presumed to have been caused by the ground-water movement. In the migration of the heavy metals, the groundwater conditions, such as pH, Eh, the contents of colloidal particles, and Mn and Fe oxides are closely involveo. Integrating with these factors, it is interpreted that the groundwater conditions which have caused the heavy metal contamination of the studied area are those that the pH is about 3 in oxidized conditions, the contents of the colloidal particles are low, and Mn and Fe oxides are not involved in the migration of the heavy metals. Meanwhile, the vegetables growing on the soils in the studied area are not affected by the contamination of the heavy metals.

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A Study on Isolation of Mixed Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soil and the Waste in Railroad Workshop (철도 정비창의 폐기물과 혼합된 중금속 오염토 분리에 관한 연구)

  • Son, Woohwa;Lee, Seungho
    • Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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    • v.13 no.12
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    • pp.59-66
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    • 2012
  • In this study, it was sampling from heavy metal-contaminated soil with the waste in railroad workshop. And, the pollution concentration and analysis of particle-size distribution were conducted to design efficient purification process that it was aimed at high contaminated area, low contaminated area and samples containing waste foundry sand. But, it was the other signs of general soil contamination, as construction waste of waste concrete and waste wood, waste foundry sand, incinerator ash, etc is overall buried on the grounds. Thus, the common heavy metal purification technology has not decreased the pollution. However, heavy-metal contamination was reduced by magnetic separation utilizing the magnetic component of the mixed waste.

Distribution of Heavy Metals in Sediment Cores Collected from the Nakdong River, South Korea

  • Magalie, Ntahokaja;Lee, Jiyeong;Kang, Jihye;Kim, Jeonghoon;Park, Ho-Jin;Bae, Sang Yeol;Jeong, Seok;Kim, Young-Seog;Ryu, Jong-Sik
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.42 no.4
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    • pp.412-424
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    • 2021
  • Understanding the distribution of heavy metals in sediment is necessary because labile heavy metals can partition into the water column and bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Here we investigated six heavy metals (Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in sediment cores using a five-step sequential leaching method to examine the occurrence of heavy metals in the sediment. The results showed that all elements, except Mn, are depleted in the exchangeable and carbonate fractions. However, heavy metal concentrations are much higher in the Fe-Mn oxide and organic matter fractions, especially for Cu, indicating enrichment in the organic matter fraction. Furthermore, contamination parameters (contamination factor and geoaccumulation index) indicate that Mn contamination is high, primarily derived from anthropogenic sources, presenting a potential risk to ecosystems in the Nakdong River.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Biological Toxicity of Mine Drainages and Sediments from Abandoned Mines (폐광산 배수와 퇴적물의 중금속 오염과 생물독성 평가)

  • Lee, Hyun-Joon;Kim, Hyo-Jin;Oh, Hyun-Ju;Cho, Kijong;Kim, Jeong-Gyu;Jung, Jinho
    • Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.287-293
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    • 2007
  • Heavy metal contamination and biological toxicity of mine drainages and sediments in abandoned mines were studied. Mine drainages had pH at a range of 2.94~7.86, and contained heavy metals at a toxic level. For coal mines, toxicity of mine drainage to Daphnia magna was attributable to acidic pH. In addition to the low pH, suspended heavy metals such as Zn and Cu contributed to toxicity of mine drainages at abandoned metalliferous mines. All mine sediments studied in this work showed biological toxicity to Chironomus riparius, having mortality at a range of 15~60%. However, its relationship with physicochemical properties including heavy metal content of the sediments was not statistically explained. Exceptionally clay ($< 2{\mu}m$ particle) content was negatively correlated with the biological toxicity for sediment samples collected at the same abandoned mines.

Evaluation of contamination for the Andong-dam sediment and a magnetic separation for reducing the contamination level

  • Hong, H.P.;Kwon, H.W.;Kim, J.J.;Ha, D.W.;Kim, Young-Hun
    • Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.31-35
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    • 2019
  • Andong-dam was built up in 1967 and it is one of the biggest dams in Korea. Previous studies showed that the sediments are highly contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Many research projects are going on to find out the source of the contamination, to evaluate the toxicities to ecosystem, to estimate the volume of sediment to be treated and to find out a good remediation method. Reports show that the sediment is highly contaminated and the main contamination source is supposed to be abandoned mines and a zinc refinery located upper stream of the river. A magnetic separation has been tested as a treatment method for the dredged sediment. Lab scale test showed that the magnetically captured portion is about 10% in weight but the contamination of heavy metal is much higher than the contamination of the passed portion. This indicates that a magnetic separation could be applied for the purpose of reduction of sediment to be treated and for increasing the volume of low toxic sediments which can be dumped as general waste. A magnetic separation using a HGMS has been tested for the sediment with variable magnetic field and the results showed the higher magnetic field increase the captured portion but the concentrating effect of heavy metal was weakened. Further study is needed to establish a useful technology and optimization between decontamination and reduction of sediment volume.

Heavy Metal Contents In Tissues of Carassius auratus In Andong and Imha Reservoir (안동.임하호에 서식하는 붕어(Carassius auratus) 조직 내 중금속 함량)

  • Kim, Jeong-Sook;Shin, Myung-Ja;Lee, Jong-Eun;Seo, Eul-Won
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.19 no.11
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    • pp.1562-1567
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    • 2009
  • Heavy metal contamination levels in Andong reservoir and Imha reservoir were measured with heavy metal contents in both water and sediment, and analyzed with heavy metal accumulation level in inhabitant fish, Carassius auratus, using an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer and an atomic absorption spectrometer. High levels of heavy metal contents in water, sediment and the tissues of C. auratus were detected. Likewise, relatively high levels of As were detected in water and sediment from Andong reservoir. In addition, higher levels of Cr, Cu, Cd and As content were detected in muscle and bone tissues of fish from Andong reservoir than those from Imha reservoir. As a result, the heavy metal content of water, sediment and inhabitant fish, C. auratus, in Andong reservoir was higher than Imha reservoir. We proposed that heavy metal contamination in water and inhabitant fish is attributed to various metals derived from abandoned mines and farmlands that are upstream of Andong reservoir.

Geochemical Approaches for Investigation and Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Abandoned Mine Sites (폐광산지역의 오염특성 조사와 평가를 위한 지구화학적 접근방법)

  • 이평구;조호영;염승준
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.37 no.1
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    • pp.35-48
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    • 2004
  • This paper provides a comprehensive overview of geochemical approaches for investigating and assessing heavy metal contamination in abandoned mine sites. Major sources of contaminants at the abandoned mine sites are mine water, waste rocks, tailings, and chemicals used in beneficiation and mineral processing. Soil, sediment, surface and ground water, and ecological system can be contaminated by heavy metals, which are transported due to erosion of mine waste piles, discharge of acid mine drainage and processed water, and dispersion of dust from waste rocks and tailings. The abandoned mine sites should be characterized using various methods including chemical analysis, mineralogical analysis, acid generation prediction tests, leaching/extraction tests, and field tests. Potential and practical environmental impacts from the abandoned mines should be assessed based on the site characterization.

Application of Hot Spot Analysis for Interpreting Soil Heavy-Metal Concentration Data in Abandoned Mines (폐금속 광산의 토양 중금속 오염 조사 자료 해석을 위한 핫스팟 분석의 적용)

  • LEE, Chae-Young;KIM, Sung-Min;CHOI, Yo-Soon
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.24-35
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    • 2019
  • In this study, a hotspot analysis was conducted to suggest a new method for interpreting soil heavy-metal contamination data of abandoned metal mines according to statistical significance level. The spatial autocorrelation of the data was analyzed using the Getis-Ord $Gi{\ast}$ statistic in order to check whether soil heavy metal contamination data showing abnormal values appeared concentrated or dispersed in a specific space. As a result, the statistically significant data showing abnormal values in the mine area could be classified as follows: (1) the contamination degree and the hotspot value (z-score) were both high, (2) the contamination degree was high but the z-score was low, (3) the contamination degree was low but the z-score was high and (4) the contamination degree and the z-score were both low. The proposed method can be used to interpret the soil heavy metal contamination data according to the statistical significance level and to support a rational decision for soil contamination management in abandoned mines.