• 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.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2014

Environmental problems typically occurring in abandoned mine lands (AML) include: contaminated and acidic surface water and groundwater; stockpiled waste rock and mill tailings; and ground subsidences due to mining operations. This study examines the effectiveness of various geophysical techniques for mapping potential hazard and contaminated zones. Four AML sites with sedimentation contamination problems, acid mine drainage (AMD) channels, ground subsidence, manmade liner leakage, and buried mine tailings, were selected to examine the applicability of various geophysical methods to the identification of the different types of mine hazards. Geophysical results were correlated to borehole data (core samples, well logs, tomographic profiles, etc.) and water sample data (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and heavy metal contents). Zones of low electrical resistivity (ER) corresponded to areas contaminated by heavy metals, especially contamination by Cu, Pb, and Zn. The main pathways of AMD leachate were successfully mapped using ER methods (low anomaly peaks), self-potential (SP) curves (negative peaks), and ground penetrating radar (GPR) at shallow penetration depths. Mine cavities were well located based on composite interpretations of ER, seismic tomography, and well-log records; mine cavity locations were also observed in drill core data and using borehole image processing systems (BIPS). Damaged zones in buried manmade liners (used to block descending leachate) were precisely detected by ER mapping, and buried rock waste and tailings piles were characterized by low-velocity zones in seismic refraction data and high-resistivity zones in the ER data.

• 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.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.367-377
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the source of U anomaly formed in stream water of the drainage system around the Shinbo talc mine area based on the O, H, S and Sr isotopic characteristics of water masses and wall rocks. The ${\delta}$D and ${\delta}^{18}O$ of surface and ground waters show highly restricted range and plotted on the same meteoric water line, indicating that they are all originated from the meteoric water. The ${\delta}^{34}S$value of the ground water containing high U shows slightly negative (-0.2${\textperthousand}$) and quite distinct from those of the other surface and ground waters that are similar to those of wall rocks (>5.8${\textperthousand}$), indicating that they have a different S isotopic fractionation or less probably, source. The $^{87}Sr/^{86}{Sr}$ratios of water masses around the Shinbo talc mine area show a variable range from 0.724325 to 0.744928, but tend to increase with increasing U concentration of water mass. Although it is not possible to determine precisely the source rock of U anomaly formed in the hydrologic system around the Shinbo talc mine, the evidence obtained from the Sr isotopic compositions strongly suggests that coal schist and/or pegmatite vein could be the most likely candidate for the source rock.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.4
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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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.394-398
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• 2004

This study was carried out to plan the prevention of the generation and discharge of acid mine drainage (AMD). Hydraulic characteristics were tested with the disk tension infiltrometer around the waste rock dump of the Imgi abandoned pyrophyllite mine in Busan, Korea. Because the waste rock dump of the Imgi mine have very low infiltration rate, most of rain was expected flowing into adjoined stream through the slope or plane as surface flow rather then throughflow or ground water. But slopes of the waste rock dump have many 'V' type erosion gullies and consist multi-layers. These gullies and multi-layers have coarse clastic particle layer which have very large hydraulic conductivity. So through these coarse clastic particle layers a large part of rain flow into ground. And also these layers could be played a function of aeration path, which induced oxidation of sulfide minerals and generation of AMD continuously.tinuously.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2003

The objective of this study is to investigate the physical and chemical properties for environmental assessment of water system affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) from coal mining activities in the Youngwol, Jungseon and Pyungchang areas in Korea. During November 2000 to July 2002, 6 times of water samples were collected season-ally from acid mine drainage and nearby streams at 13 coal mines in the study area. The physical and chemical properties including pH, Eh, TDS, salinity, bicarbonates and DO were measured in the field. Eighteen cations includ-ing Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn, and 6 anions including nitrates and sulfates were also analyzed by ICP-AES and If, respectively. Acid water from the Jungam coal mine has typical characteristics of AMD with very low pH(3∼4) and high TDS(1,000∼5,000 mg/1). Relatively high concentrations(mg/kg) of heavy meals, especially for Al(380), Fe(80), Mn(44) and Zn(8), were found in water samples from the Jungam coal mine area. Water samples from the Seojin, Sebang and Sungjin coal mines also contained over 50 mg/l of Al, >100 mg/1 of Fe and )10 mg/1 of Mn. In addition to anioins, over 1,000 mg/l of sulfate was found in several water samples. Seasonally, the concentrations of metals and sulfates varied; wet season samples were relatively higher in metals and sulfates than dry season samples. It is needed to establish the proper remediation and environmental monitoring of the AMD continuously.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.100-101
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• 2004

Many researches in Korea have been performed to understand the pollution of stream waters by acid mine drainage. However, few studies have been conducted regarding the effect of particulate and colloidal fractions on the transport of trace metals. To estimate harmful effects of trace metals, it is important to evaluate the particulate and colloidal metals as well as dissolved metals, because particulate and colloidal fractions of trace metals play an important role in transport of trace metals and may adversely affect habitats and organisms in riverine system. Colloids are solids with effective diameters in size range from 0.001 $\mu$m to 1 $\mu$m. According to Jone et al. (1974), metals in surface water, like Al, Fe, and Mn, require filtration with pore-size membranes smaller than 0.45 $\mu$m to define dissolved concentrations. The main objective of this study is to understand the effects of particulate, colloidal, and truly dissolved fractions on the transport and fate of trace metals in acid mine drainage. This study was conducted for the Onjeong creek in the Uljin mine area. Sampling was carried out in 13 sites, spatially covering the area from mine dumps to the downstream Onjeong reservoir. To examine the metal partitioning between particulate, colloidal, and truly dissolved fraction, we used successive filtration techniques consisting of conventional method (using 0.45 $\mu$m membranes) and tangential-flow ultrafiltration (using 0.001 $\mu$mm membranes). Ultrafiltration may seperate much smaller particles from aqueous phase (Josephson, 1984; Hernandez and Stallard, 1988). The analysis of metals were performed by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES: model Perkin Elmer OPTIMA3000XL). Anions such as SO$_4$, Cl and NO$_3$ were measured with ion chromatograph (IC: model Dionex 120). Sample analysis is still in progress. The preliminary data show that the studied creek is severely polluted by Al, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn. Toward upstream sites with relatively lower pH, less than 50% of Al and Fe occur in the sorbed form on particles or colloids, whereas more than 80% of Al and Fe occur in the sorbed form in downstream sites or tributaries with relatively higher pH. Less than 30% of Zn is present in particle or colloidal forms in the whole range of creek. Truly dissolved fraction of trace metals is negatively correlated with pH. The Kd values for Al, Fe and Zn consistently increase with increasing pH and decrease with increasing particle concentration.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.26-32
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• 2000

A period of widespread damage to the surroundings by acid mine drainage was examined by modeling using column device, and the method to solve this problem was worked out. the underlying principle is to let the tailings permanently maintain a stable state not being reacted with the underground water, and the method is that the tailings and limestone are piled up alternatively. This reclamation method is economic and environmentally useful because of practical use of a large amount of low-grade natural limestone.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.304-314
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• 2010

This study was carried out to find out potential use of ochre as an agent to reduce phosphorus content in water. Ochre is a by-product from treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) which is composed mostly of $Fe_2O_3$, $Fe_2O_3{\cdot}H_2O$, $FeO{\cdot}OH$ and $Fe(OH)_3$. Three ochre samples (ochre-H, ochre-D and ochre-S) were collected from three treatment facilities in Gangwon province. Physico-chemical characteristics of three ochre samples including pH, electrical conductivity, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, particle size distribution were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis were also carried out. In addition, experiments for phosphorus removal from water was performed. Calcium content of ochre-H was higher than that of ochre-D and ochre-S, whereas iron content of ochre-H was lower than that of ochre-D and ochre-S. All the phosphorus in water up to maximum 191,411 mg $kg^{-1}$ per unit mass of ochre was removed with ochre-H. Ochre has immense potential as an agent to reduce phosphorus content in water.