• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to evaluate laboratory experiments on arsenic and cadmium removal from tailings using apatite at the Ulsan Abandoned Iron Mine, and to develop a stabilization technique. The results of this study show that the permeability is decreased proportionally to the amount of apatite when it is added below 8%, while this is almost constant when the amount of apatite is added above 10%. The water extraction test from tailings using deionized water for several days shows that pH (7.4-8.4) is almost constant or slightly increased when apatite is added below 8%, while it is slightly decreased when apatite is added above 10%. According to TCLP test, reduction of concentrations of heavy metals in leachate is proportional to amount of apatite added. It seems that precipitates generated from leachate-apatite chemical reaction are not redissolved. As a result, cadmium and arsenic in leachate is mostly removed when apatite is added above 10%, and it is suggested that a proper technique should be selected for field application because either mixed or layered method shows almost same removal efficiencies of cadmium and arsenic in tailings.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.524-540
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• 2005

This study has focused on the amount of evaporites and geochemical characteritics of evaporites from the acid mine drainage and on the variation of constituents in acid mine drainage during evaporation. The various colors of evaporites are frequently observed at the rock surfaces contacting acid mine drainage. In order to produce evaporites in the laboratory, acid mine drainages were sampled from the abandoned mine areas (GTa, GTb, GH and GB) and air-dried at room temperature. During the evaporation of acid mine drainages, TDS, EC values and the concentrations of major and minor ions increased, whereas ER and DO values decreased with time. The concentration of Fe increased gradually with evaporation time in the GTb and GB, whereas GH founded in one day but rapidly not detected in the other day after due to removal of Fe by formation-precipitation of amorphous Fe hydroxide. The amounts of the evaporites were produced in amounts of 4 g (GTa), 5 g (GB), 15 g (GH), and 24 g (GTb) from 4 liter of acid mine drainage after 80 days of the evaporation, respectively. In linear analysis from the products with the parameters which are the EC, TDS, salinity, ER, DO and pH contents in field, the determination coefficients were 0.98, 0.99, 0.98, 0.88, 0.89, and 0.25 respectively. If we measure the parameters in field, it would be easy to estimate the amount of evaporites in acid mine drainage. Gypsum and epsomite were identified in all of the evaporites by x-ray powder diffraction studies. Evaporite (GTb) was heated at 52, 65, 70, 95, 150, 250, and 350oC for one hour in electrical furnaces. Gypsum, $CaSO_4\cdot1/2H_2O$ and kieserite were identified in the heated evaporite by XRD. With increased heating temperature, the intensity of the peak at $7.66/AA$ (diagnostic peak of gypsum), the peak at 5.59A ($CaSO_4{\cdot}1/2H_2O)$ and the peak at $4.83{\AA}$ (kieserite) decreased in x-ray diffraction due to dehydration. In the SEM and EDS analysis for the evaporite, gypsum of well-crystallized, radiating cluster of fibrous, acicular, and columnar shapes were observed in all samples. Ca was not detected in the EDS analysis of the flower structures of GTb. Because of that, the evaporite with flower structures is thought to be eposmite.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 2016

There are a few thousand abandoned metal mines in South Korea. The abandoned mines cause several environmental problems including releasing acid mine drainage (AMD), which contain a very high acidity and heavy metal ions such as Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, and As. Iron oxides can be formed from the AMD by increasing the solution pH and inducing precipitation. Current study focused on the formation of iron oxide in an AMD and used the oxide for adsorption of heavy metals. The heavy metal adsorbed iron oxide was separated with a superconducting magnet. The duration of iron oxide formation affected on the type of mineral and the degree of magnetization. The removal rate of heavy metal by the adsorption process with the formed iron oxide was highly dependent on the type of iron oxide and the solution pH. A high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system successfully separated the iron oxide and harmful heavy metals.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.70-75
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• 2008

This study was carried out to evaluate the applicability of the full scale soil washing processes for reducing heavy metal contamination level of soil around an abandoned mine. In the results of soil washing of the target soil with $H_2SO_4$ and NaOH, the As concentrations of treated soil continuously increased compared with contaminated raw soil. Also, removal efficiencies of Zn and Ni were low. This problems might be caused by chemical partitioning of As in soil and its geologic origination, soil particle size, and scale up of washing plant.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.33-43
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• 2000

Mining wastes left without any proper treatment are affecting barren or arable lands where are located near and far from source through various pathway Metals are the only hazardous constituents that cannot be destroyed or altered by chemical or thermal methods and must be converted into the most insoluble and harmless form as possible, which have slower leaching rates than the original species, to prevent their reentry into the environment. Three types of chemical additives used in this study to immobilize heavy metals showed high immobilized capacity (q) and the efficiency (k) in the order of CaO, $Na_2$S.$5H_2$O, and $CaCO_3$. In addition, bentonite was considered as a good additive to remedy AM(Acid Mine Drainage) from the results of the physicochemical characteristics and immobilizing capacity. The Freundlich coefficients (n and k) from adsorption isotherm for the heavy metals adsorbed on 50g Benlonite were calculated.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.185-193
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• 2008

This study has been carried out to examine the feasibility of soil washing process for reducing arsenic contamination level of soil around $Dalch\hat{e}n$ Mine. The results of physicochemical tests of the target soil showed that pH was weak alkalic ($pH{\simeq}7.8$), soil texture was coarse sand, and organic contents (5.7%) and CEC (Cation exchange capacity; 21.5 meq/100 g) were similar with those of soils generally found in Korea. Contamination levels of arsenic were found to over 201 mg/kg which exceed the Korea standard levels of countermeasure and concern. To investigate chemical partitioning of heavy metals, sequential extraction procedures were adopted and it was found that arsenic was predominantly associated with the residual fraction among five fractional forms as much as over 85%, which is demonstrating that only less than 15% of all might be vulnerable to a selected washing agents. Among 6 kinds of washing agents applied on the screening for arsenic-contaminated soil, HCl and $H_3PO_4$ solution were selected as promising washing agents. In comparison with HCl and $H_3PO_4$ solutions for arsenic washing by kinetic experiment in the change of pH, soil-solution ratio, temperature, and washing solution concentration, $H_3PO_4$ solution was determined to best one of agents tested, which showed faster washing rate than HCl to accomplish regulatory goal.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2008

The application of constructed subsurface-flow wetlands for treatment of wastewater from abandoned mines is being increased. Crushed limestone, oak chips, and mushroom composites are often employed in a bulk form, as the substrates in the bed media. Efficiency of the subsurface-flow treatment system drops with time as the hydraulic conductivity of the wetland soil decreases significantly, presumably due to chemical reactions with the wastewater. The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of immobilized beads carrying sulfate reducing bacteria for acid mine drainage treatment system. The ingredients of immobilized beads are organic materials such as mushroom composite and oak chips, limestone powder for a pH buffer, mixed with a modified Coleville Synthetic Brine. It was found that immobilized beads are more efficient than the bulk form for pH recovery, sulfate and heavy metal removal.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.5 s.174
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• pp.513-523
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• 2005

The contamination of soils and groundwaters in the Dalcheon mine area, Ulsan, is investigated, and a natural attenuation capacity on redox and pH is evaluated. Arsenopyrite, the major source of arsenic pollution in the Dalcheon mine area, is contained up to $2\%$ in tailings. Furthermore, As-bearing minerals such as loellingite, nicolite, rammelsbergite, gersdorffite cobaltite and pyrite are also source of arsenic contamination, which show various concentration of arsenic each other. Surface of pyrite and arsenopyrite in tailings partly oxidized into Fe-arsenates and Fe-oxides, which means a progressive weathering process. There is no relationship between pH and arsenic content in groundwaters, otherwise Eh and arsenic concentration in unsaturated and saturated groundwater shows positive relationship. RMB (Red Mud Bauxite) could be useful as a trigger on natural attenuation due to superior ability of removal capacity of arsenic when contaminated soil and groundwater in the Dalcheon mine area are remediated.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.55-61
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• 2014

Froth flotation was performed to study the effect of phosphate addition in the experiment to remove As from tailing of Sang-dong Mine. The experiment without Trisodium phosphate (T.S.P) showed that the removal rate of As was 88.7% and weight-ratio of floating material was 2.52%. By contrast, the experiment with T.S.P showed that the removal rate of As was 92.74% and weight-ratio of floating material was 2.26%. In flotation without T.S.P, the average particle size of float material was 19.34 um and the amount less than 10um was 40.2%. On the other hand, in flotation with T.S.P the average particle size of float material was 176.8 um and the amount less than 10um was 6.5%. The result of X.R.F analysis presented that contents of $SiO_2$ was 42.74% in float material of the experiment without T.S.P. In contrast, contents of $SiO_2$ was 29.56% in float material of the experiment with T.S.P.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 2011

An active apatite drainage system has been developed at the Goro abandoned mine, comprising a grit cell, a reaction cell, and a precipitation pond. Leachate from an abandoned adit and tailing ponds is collected in a pipeline and is transported to the apatite drainage system under the influence of the hydraulic gradient. The results of a laboratory experiment performed in 2004 indicate that the reaction cell requires 38.8 ton/year of apatite and that precipitate will have to be removed from the precipitation pond every 3 months. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a laboratory test on the efficiency of limestone and apatite in removing arsenic from ARD (acid rock drainage), and to evaluate the suitability of materials for use as a precipitant for the leachate treatment disposal system. The laboratory tests show that the arsenic removal ratios of limestone and apatite are 67.4%-98.3%, and the arsenic removal ratio of apatite is inversely proportional to its grain size. The arsenic compounds are assumed to be Johnbaumnite and Ca-arsenic hydrate. Therefore, apatite and phosphorous limestone can be used as a precipitant for the removal of arsenic, although it is difficult to remove arsenic from ARD when it occurs in low concentrations.