• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.947-956
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• 2018

Trains have been a major means of transport in Korea during these past decades. However, train facilities such as stations and repair shops are contaminated with organic and inorganic substances. There is a high probability of train facility contamination with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study evaluated the PAH and heavy metal contamination of soil near railroads in the Kyungpook area. A total of 18 soil samples were collected from the railroads and analyzed for 16 PAHs and 6 heavy metal species. The contamination level of the top soil was found to be slightly higher than that of the subsoil for contamination with PAHs. The ratio of carcinogenic PAH concentration to the total PAH concentration was relatively high, with a maximum of 0.9. The toxicity equivalent (TEQ) of the PAHs were 500.6 ng/kg in the topsoil and 355.5 ng/kg in the subsoil. The ratio of low molecular PAHs (LPAHs) to high molecular PAHs (LPAHs) ranged from 6.7 to 29.5; this shows that contamination is primarily due to combustion of fuel rather than due to petroleum. The ratio of phenanthrene to anthracene and the ratio of fluoranthene to pyrene also show that contamination occurred due to combustion for transportation. The heavy metal contamination level was lower than the Korean standard, but higher than the background concentration; this indicates that the soil was affected by the operation of the railways.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.5-21
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• 2005

Urbanization rates of population range from about 1% in the developed countries to about 4% in developing countries. For a global population that may reach 10 billion within the next 40 years, pressure has arisen for an increase in the large-scale use of wastes and byproducts in construction. Ironically, most of the wastes that need to be recycled are generated in large cities where the need for constructed facilities to serve large population is high. Waste and recycled materials (WRM) that are used in construction are required to satisfy material strength, durability and contaminant teachability requirements. These materials exhibit a wide variety of characteristics owing to the diversity of industrial processes through which they are produced. Several laboratory-based investigations have been conducted to assess the pollution potential and load bearing capacity of materials such as petroleum-contaminated soils, coal combustion ash, flue-gas desulphurization gypsum and foundry sand. For full-scale systems, although environmental pollution potential and structural integrity of constructed facilities that incorporate WRM are interrelated, comprehensive schemes have not been developed for integrated assessment of the relevant field-scale performance factors. In this presentation, a framework for such an assessment is proposed and presented in the form of a flowchart. The proposed scheme enables economic, environmental, worker safety and engineering factors to be addressed in a number of sequential steps. Quantitative methods and test protocols that have been developed can be incorporated into the proposed scheme for assessing the feasibility of using WRM as partial or full substitutes for earthen highway materials in the field.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.63-72
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• 2012

The main objective of this study is to assess the compatibility between Korean ministry of environment (KME) standard and ISO (KS I ISO) standard for the determination of BTEX and TPH content in soil. We carried out comparison analysis for both methods using CRM and matrix spiked samples. In case of GC-MS analysis for BTEX, we got statistically (significance level: 0.05) the same results from KME standard (ES 07600.1) and ISO standard (KS I ISO 15009). However, it showed statistically (significance level: 0.05) different results when TPH was analyzed by KME standard (ES 07552.1) and ISO standard (KS I ISO 16703). To clarify the reason why both methods produced different results for TPH content, we also did some additional experiments in terms of differences in extraction, clean-up and target hydrocarbon range. Extraction with polar and non-polar compounds mixed solvent (acetone+n-heptane) of KS I ISO 16703 showed higher extraction efficiency than with only non polar solvent (dichloromethane) extraction of ES 07552.1 by about 9%. While column type clean-up of KS I ISO 16703 showed the reduction in TPH content between before and after clean-up, batch type of clean-up of ES 07552.1 did not show any changes in TPH content through clean-up process. The target hydrocarbon range of ES 07552.1 and KS I ISO 16703 is $C_8{\sim}C_{40}$ and $C_{10}{\sim}C_{40}$, respectively. From this point of view, kerosene and JP-8 contaminated soil showed higher RPD (relative producibility deviation) values between results by both method than that of lubricant or diesel contaminated soil. The higher content of hydrocarbon ($C_8{\sim}C_{10}$) in kerosene and JP-8 played an important role in increasing RPD values in addition to the effects caused by different solvents and clean-up method. Consequently, it was concluded that both methods (ES 07552.1 and KS I ISO 16703) were not compatible.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.290-298
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• 2020

A large residual fraction of aliphatic components of diesel prevails in soil, which has adverse effects on the environment. This study identified the most bio-recalcitrant aliphatic residual fraction of diesel through total petroleum-hydrocarbon fractional analysis. For this, the strain Acinetobacter sp. K-6 was isolated, identified, and characterized and investigated its ability to degrade diesel and n-alkanes (C₁₈, C₂₀, and C₂₂). The removal efficiency was analysed after treatment with bacteria and nutrients in various soil microcosms. The fractional analysis of diesel degradation after treatment with the bacterial strains identified C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons as the most bio-recalcitrant aliphatic fraction of diesel oil. Acinetobacter sp. K-6 degraded 59.2% of diesel oil and 56.4% of C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons in the contaminated soil. The degradation efficiency was further improved using a combinatorial approach of biostimulation and bioaugmentation, which resulted in 76.7% and 73.7% higher degradation of diesel oil and C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons, respectively. The findings of this study suggest that the removal of mid-length, non-volatile hydrocarbons is affected by the population of bio-degraders and the nutrients used in the process of remediation. A combinatorial approach, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation, could be used to effectively remove large quantities of aliphatic hydrocarbons persisting for a longer period in the soil.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 1999

Naturally-occurring iron minerals, goethite, magnetite, and hydrogen peroxide were used to catalyze and initiate Fenton-like oxidation of silica sand contaminated with mixture of diesel and kerosene in batch system. Optimal reaction conditions were investigated by varying pH(3, 7), $H_2O_2$ concentration(0%, 1%, 7%, 15%, 35%), initial contaminant concentration(0.2, 0.5, 1.0 g-mixture of diesel and kerosene/ kg-soil), and iron mineral contents(1, 5, and 10 wt % magnetite or goethite). Contaminant degradations in silica sand-iron mineral-$H_2O_2$ systems were identified by determining total petroleum hydrocarbon(TPH) concentration. The optimal pH of the system was 3. The system which iron minerals were the only iron source was more efficient than the system with $FeSO_4$ solution due to lower $H_2O_2$ consumption. In case of initial contaminant concentration of 1g-contaminant/kg-soil with 5 wt % magnetite, addition of 0%, 1%, 7%, 15%, and 35% of $H_2O_2$ showed 0%, 24.5%, 44%, 52%, and 70% of TPH reduction in 8 days, respectively. When the mineral contents were varied 0, 1, 5, and 10wt%, removal of contaminants were 0%, 33.5%, 50%, and 60% for magnetite and 0%, 29%, 41%, and 53% for goethite, respectively. Reaction of magnetite system showed higher degradation than that of goethite system due to dissolution of iron and mixed presence of iron(II) and iron(III); however, dissolved iron precipitated on the surface of iron mineral and seemed to cause reducing electron transfer activity on the surface and quenching $H_2O_2$. The system using goethite has better treatment efficiency due to less $H_2O_2$ consumption. When cach system was mixed by shaker, removal of contaminants increased by 41% for magnetite and 30% for goethite. Results of this study showed catalyzed $H_2O_2$ system made in-situ treatment of soil contaminated with petroleum possible without addition of iron source since natural soils generally contain iron minerals such as magnetite and goethite.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.77-87
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• 2001

Composting is a cost-effective and environmentally-sound technology to treat soils contaminated with hazardous organic pollutants. Pollutants to be treated are as follows: explosives, phenolic compounds, PAHs, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, and etc. Composting systems are windrow, static pile, and in-vessel. Design and operational parameters of composting are aeration modes, temperature, moisture content, nutrient supplement, amendment added, and etc. Appropriate oxygen concentration of composting for contaminated soils are 5~15%, while some compounds are degraded well at the low $O_2$ concentration of 2~5%. The most diverse microorganisms live in the temperature of $25{\sim}40^{\circ}$. 50~90% of the soil field capacity is the moisture content not to make a problem in composting. Assuming a bacterial chemical equation is $C_{60}H_{87}O_{23}N_{12}P$, theoretical C : N : P from bacterial chemical portion is approximately 20 : 5 : 1. It should be noted that the ratio does not apply to the total organic carbon measured in a waste because not all carbon metabolized by bacteria is synthesized to new cellular material. Initial C/N ratio of 25~40 is optimum. It is more economical to recycle soils or composts than to add commercial microbes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2011

The environmental impacts of 95% remediation of a total petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil were evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA of two remediation systems, soil vapor extraction (SVE) and biopile, were conducted by using imput materials and energy listed in a remedial system standardization report. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results showed that the environmental impacts of SVE were all higher than those of biopile. Prominent four environmental impacts, human toxicity via soil, aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity via surface water and human toxicity via air, were apparently found from the LCIA results of the both remedial systems. Human toxicity via soil was the prominent impact of SVE, while aquatic ecotoxicity was the prominent impact of biopile. This study also showed that the operation stage and the activated carbon replacement stage contributed 60% and 36% of the environmental impacts of SVE system, respectively. The major input affecting the environmental impact of SVE was electricity. The operation stage of biopile resulted in the highest contribution to the entire environmental impact. The key input affecting the environmental impact of biopile was also electricity. This study suggested that electricity reduction strategies would be tried in the contaminated-soil remediation sites for archieving less environmental impacts. Remediation of contaminated soil normally takes long time and thus requires a great deal of material and energy. More extensive life cycle researches on remedial systems are required to meet recent national challenges toward carbon dioxide reduction and green growth. Furthermore, systematic information on electricity use of remedial systems should be collected for the reliable assessment of environmental impacts and carbon dioxide emissions during soil remediation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.44-50
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• 2012

A new type of chemical oxidation technology utilizing micro bubble ozone oxidizer and a pneumatic fracturing equipment was developed to enhance field applicability of a traditional chemical oxidation technology using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer for in-situ soil remediation. To find an efficient way to dissolve gaseous ozone into hydrogen peroxide, ozone was injected into water as micro bubble form then dissolved ozone concentration and its duration time were measured compared to those of simple aeration of gaseous ozone. As a result, dissolved ozone concentration in water increased by 31% (1.6 ppm ${\rightarrow}$ 2.1 ppm) and elapsed time for which maximum ozone concentration decreased by half lengthened from 9 min to 33 min. When the developed pneumatic fracturing technology was applied in sandy loam, cracks were developed and grown in soil for 5~30 seconds so that the radius of influence got longer by 71% from 392 cm to 671 cm. The remediation system using the micro bubble ozone oxidizer and the pneumatic fracturing equipment for field application was made and demonstrated its remediation efficiency at petroleum contaminated site. The system showed enhanced remediation capacity than the traditional chemical oxidation technology using hydrogen peroxide with reduced remediation time by about 33%.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2014

The amount of TPH contaminated soil treated at off-site remediation facilities is ever increasing. For the recycle of the treated-soil on farmlands, it is necessary to restore biological and physico-chemical soil characteristics and to remove residual TPH in the soil by an economic polishing treatment method such as phytoremediation. In this study, a series of experiments was performed to select suitable plant species and to devise a proper planting method for the phyto-restoration of TPH-treated soil. Rye (Secale cereale) was selected as test species through a germination test, among 5 other plants. Five 7-day-old rye seedlings were planted in a plastic pot, 20 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter. The pot was filled with TPH-treated soil (residual TPH of 1,118 mg/kg) up to 15 cm, and upper 5 cm was filled with horticulture soil to prevent TPH toxic effects and to act as root growth zone. The planted pot was cultivated in a greenhouse for 38 days along with the control that rye planted in a normal soil and the blank with no plants. After 38 days, the above-ground biomass of rye in the TPH-treated soil was 30.6% less than that in the control, however, the photosynthetic activity of the leaf remained equal on both treatments. Soil DHA (dehydrogenase activity) increased 186 times in the rye treatment compared to 10.8 times in the blank. The gross TPH removal (%) in the planted soil and the blank soil was 34.5% and 18.4%, respectively, resulting in 16.1% increase of net TPH removal. Promotion of microbial activity by root exudate, increase in soil permeability and air ventilation as well as direct uptake and degradation by planted rye may have contributed to the higher TPH removal rate. Therefore, planting rye on the TPH-treated soil with the root growth zone method showed both the potential of restoring biological soil properties and the possibility of residual TPH removal that may allow the recycle of the treated soil to farmlands.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.371-388
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• 2023

A stratum with a complex composition and a distributed low-permeability soil layer is difficult to remediate quickly because the soil remediation does not proceed easily. For efficient purification, the permeability should be improved and the soil remediation agent (H₂O₂) should be injected into the contaminated section to make sufficient contact with the TPH (Total petroleum hydrocarbons). This study analyzed a method for crack formation and effective delivery of the soil remediation agent based on pneumatic fracturing, plasma blasting, and vacuum suction (the PPV method) and compared its improvement effect relative to chemical oxidation. A demonstration test confirmed the effective delivery of the soil remediation agent to a site contaminated with TPH. The injection amount and injection time were monitored to calculate the delivery characteristics and the range of influence, and electrical resistivity surveying qualitatively confirmed changes in the underground environment. Permeability tests also evaluated and compared the permeability changes for each method. The amount of soil remediation agent injected was increased by about 4.74 to 7.48 times in the experimental group (PPV method) compared with the control group (chemical oxidation); the PPV method allowed injection rates per unit time (L/min) about 5.00 to 7.54 times quicker than the control method. Electrical resistivity measurements assessed that in the PPV method, the diffusion of H₂O₂2 and other fluids to the surface soil layer reduced the low resistivity change ratio: the horizontal change ratio between the injection well and the extraction well decreased the resistivity by about 1.12 to 2.38 times. Quantitative evaluation of hydraulic conductivity at the end of the test found that the control group had 21.1% of the original hydraulic conductivity and the experimental group retained 81.3% of the initial value, close to the initial permeability coefficient. Calculated radii of influence based on the survey results showed that the results of the PPV method were improved by 220% on average compared with those of the control group.