• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.51-52
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• 2004

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.603-610
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• 2008

A mathematical model was developed to understand how the presence of plants affects vertical profiles of electron acceptors, their reduced species, and trace metals in the wetland sediments. The model accounted for biodegradation of organic matter utilizing sequential electron acceptors and subsequent chemical reactions using stoichiometric relationship. These biogeochemical reactions were affected by the combined effects of oxygen release and evapotranspiration driven by wetland plants. The measured data showed that $SO_4{^{2-}}$ concentrations increased at the beginning of the growing season and then gradually decreased. Based on the measured data, it was hypothesized that the limitation of the solid phase sulfide in direct contact with the roots may result in the gradual decrease of $SO_4{^{2-}}$ concentrations. With the dynamic formulation for the limitation of the solid phase sulfide, model simulated time variable sulfate profiles using published model parameters. Oxygen release from roots produced divalent metal species (i.e. $Cd^{2+}$) as well as oxidized sulfur species (i.e. $SO_4{^{2-}}$) in the sediment pore water. Evapotranspiration-induced advection increased flux of divalent metal species from the overlying water column into the rhizosphere. The increased divalent metal species were converted to the metal sulfide with sufficient FeS around the rhizosphere, which contributed to the decrease of bioavailability and toxicity of divalent metal activity in the pore water. Since the divalent metal activity is a good predictor of the metal bioavailability, this model with a proper simulation of solid phase sulfide plays an essential role to predict the dynamics of trace metals in the wetland sediments.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.173-179
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• 2005

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the composition of organic acids on the bioavailability of heavy metals in the rhizosphere of corn (Zea mays L.) over 12 weeks after treatment of biosolids. After planting the plants were sampled at 12th week and analyzed for heavy metals in shoot and root and organic acids in the rhizosphere. Results showed that biomass yields of Zea mays L. grown on biosolids-treated media were significantly higher than those grown on standard media. The effect of biosolids on biomass yields of Zea mays L. was in order of Riverside ${\approx}$ Los Angeles ${\approx}$ MWRDGC > Milorganite > Nu-earth > standard media. Metal uptake by Zea mays L. was closely related with the contents contained on biosolids treated. In the plot treated with Nu-earth the uptake of Cd and Zn by shoot was significantly higher than those at the plots treated with other biosolids. The uptake patterns of Cd and Zn by root were similar to those of shoot. The uptake of Cr and Ni was significantly higher with application of Nu-earth over other biosolids. In all cases, the major organic acids in the rhizoshpere were lactic, acetic, propionic, butyric, and oxalic acids. Other organic acids were glutaric and succinic and occasionally, pyruvic and tartaric acids were also found. And the organic acid compositions did not vary significantly with the treatments of biosolids. Butyric and acetic acids were distinctively dominant both in the standard and the biosolids treatments.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.23-30
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• 2011

Risk based pollution level of Pb and Cd in metal contaminated soils depending on physicochemical properties of soil in a target site was assessed using biotic ligand model. Heavy metal activity in soil solution defined as exposure activity (EA) was assumed to be toxic to Vibrio fischeri and soil organisms. Predicted effective activity (PEA) determined by biotic ligand model was compared to EA value to calculate risk quotient. Field contaminated soils (n = 10) were collected from a formes area and their risk based pollution levels were assessed in the present study using the calculated risk quotient. Concentrations of Pb determined by aqua regia were 295, 258, and 268 mg/kg in B, H and J points and concentrations of Cd were 4.73 and 6.36 mg/kg in G and I points, respectively. These points exceeded the current soil conservation standards. However, risk based pollution levels of the ten points were not able to be calculated because concentrations of Pb and Cd in soil solution were smaller than detection limits or one (i.e., non toxic). It was because heavy metal activity in soil solution was dominant toxicological form to organisms, not a total heavy metal concentration in soil. In addition, heavy metal toxicity was decreased by competition effect of major cations and formation of complex with dissolved organic carbon in soil solution. Therefore, it is essential to consider site-specific factors affecting bioavailability and toxicity for estimating reliable risk of Pb and Cd.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.177-189
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• 2013

Studies were carried out on the speciation of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Cr) during rotary drum composting of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) for a period of 20 days. Five different proportions of cattle manure, water hyacinth and sawdust were prepared for composting. This study concluded that, rotary drum was very efficient for the degradation of organic matter as well as for the reduction of mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals during water hyacinth composting. The results from the sequential extraction procedure of heavy metals shows that rotary drum composting changed the distribution of five fractions of Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Cr. The highest reduction in the bioavailability factors of Pb and Cd was observed during the process. The total concentration of Cu, Cr, and Cd was very low compared to the other metals (Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Pb); however, the percentage of exchangeable and carbonate fractions of these metals was similar to other metals. These results confirmed that the bioavailability of metals does not depend on the total concentration of metals. From this study, it can be concluded that the addition of an appropriate proportion of cattle manure significantly reduced the mobile and easily available fractions (exchangeable and carbonate fractions) during water hyacinth composting in rotary drum.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2000

In order to investigate the extent and degree of arsenic and heavy metal contamination and the bioavailability of toxic elements around the abandoned mine in Korea, an environmental geochemical survey was undertaken in the Daduk mine. After appropriate preparation, tailings, soil, stream sediment, crop plant and fingernail samples were analysed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Elevated levels of 8,782 mg/kg As, 8.3 mg/kg Cd, 489 mg/kg Cu, 3,638 mg/kg Pb and 919 mg/kg Zn were found in tailings from the Daduk mine. These significant concentrations can impact on soils and sediments around the tailing ponds. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in soils are significantly higher than those in world average soil, especially for As and Pb. Element concentrations in sediments decrease with distance from the tailing ponds due to a dilution effect by the mixing of uncontaminated sediments. Arsenic and Cd are elevated in rice grains and stalks, and Cu and Zn concentrations in chinese cabbage, sesame and bean leaves are higher than the upper limit values for normal plant. Arsenic concentration in fingernails of farmers are higher than the normal level with a maximum value of 1.5 mg/kg. The post-ingestion bioavailability of toxic heavy metals in some paddy and farmland soils has been also investigated using the SBET (simple bioavailability extract test) method. The method utilises synthetic leaching fluids closelyanalogous to those of the human stomach. The quantities of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn extracted from paddy soils after 1 hour indicated 15.9, 65.4, 46.2, 39.4 and 29.4% bioavailability, respectively and for farmland soils, 12.4, 26.0, 31.2, 29.3 and 19.4% bioavailability, respectively. The results of the SBET indicate that regular ingestion of soils by the local population could pose a potential health threat due to long-term toxic element exposure.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Recent studies using many amendments for heavy metal stabilization in soil were conducted in order to find out new materials. But, the studies accounting for the use of appropriate amendments considering soil pH remain incomplete. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of initial soil pH on the efficiency of various amendments. METHODS AND RESULTS: Acid soil and alkali soil contaminated with heavy metals were collected from the agricultural soils affected by the abandoned mine sites nearby. Three different types of amendments were selected with hypothesis being different in stabilization mechanisms; organic matter, lime stone and iron, and added with different combination. For determining the changes in the extractable heavy metals, water soluble, Mehlich-3, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, Simple Bioavailability Extraction Test method were applied as chemical assessments for metal stabilization. For biological assessments, soil respiration and root elongation of bok choy (Brassica campestris ssp. Chinensis Jusl.) were determined. CONCLUSION: It was revealed that lime stone reduced heavy metal mobility in acid soil by increasing soil pH and iron was good at stabilizing heavy metals by supplying adsorption sites in alkali soil. Organic matter was a good source in terms of supplying nutrients, but it was concerning when accounting for increasing metal availability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2005

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2011

Potential risk of heavy metals to various receptors including humans depends on the bioavailability of the heavy metals in soil. In this study, the heavy metal extraction methods using 0.1N HCl and aqua regia were compared with the Tessier's sequential extraction method to assess whether these two methods can be used to determine the plant-available heavy metal concentrations. The contamination characteristics of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) found in soils collected from 75 sites around the closed Janghang smelter were analyzed by extracting heavy metals using 0.1 N HCl, aqua regia, and the Tessier's sequential extraction method. The portion of metals bioavailable to plants is considered as the sum of the fraction 1 (exchangeable) and the fraction 2 (carbonates binding) of the Tessier's 5-step sequential extraction method, which were determined to be 3.1 ${\pm}$ 3.82, 0.6 ${\pm}$ 0.15, 20.6 ${\pm}$ 18.78, and 7.0 ${\pm}$ 6.48 mg/kg for Cu, Cd, Pb, and As, respectively, in this study. When the extraction using aqua regia and the Tessier's extraction method were compared, the extracted Cu and Pb concentrations did not show significant differences, whereas the extracted Cd and As concentrations showed significant differences. These results indicate that the portion of Cd and As in the fraction 5 of the Tessier's sequential extraction can not be extracted using aqua regia. Using aqua regia, which is the official test method, higher concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb and As were extracted than the sum of the fraction 1 and 2. The results show that only 9, 40, 39 and 10% of Cu, Cd, Pb and As using aqua regia can be uptaken by plants (i.e., plant-available). Using 0.1N HCl, the portion of Cd equivalent to about 66% the fraction 1 could be extracted, while, with Pb, the portion of the fraction 1 and about 90% of the fraction 2 could be extracted. With As, the portion equivalent to the fraction 1, 2 and 79% of the fraction 3 was extracted, while with Cu, the portion equivalent to the fraction 1, 2, 3 and 20% of the fraction 4 was extracted using 0.1N HCl.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.404-408
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• 2003

In this study, we examined the influences of pH and total concentration on the speciation of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn) in acid mine drainage. Their labile concentrations were analyzed by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) at both natural pH and adjusted pHs (from 2 to 8). We obtained regression equations for predicting labile concentrations as a function of the water pH and contamination level (total dissolved metal concentration). Our data show that labile Cu depends on both the total concentration and pH, while labile Cd and Zn concentrations are controlled mainly by their total concentration rather than pH. Therefore, the pH variation of AMD may significantly change the toxicity and bioavailability especially of Cu, owing to its speciation change.