• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2011

In this study, the soil remediation by landfarming was carried out using microbial activators. Feasibility studies and reduction capacity of TPH(Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) were investigated in order to find out how fast and eco-friendly the contaminated soil can be recovered. The lab-test confirmed not only the performance and degradation efficiency of microbial activators but also the effect of TPH reduction in the contaminated soil. The optimum growth conditions for indigenous microorganisms were identified using microbial activators. Based on the results of TPH removal, although there had been a little of difference in between natural decomposition and microbial activators until 20 days, the sample groups of microbial activators were higher than the control ones after 20 days. Microbial activators were applied to the field experiments on landfarming. Based on the results of removal rate in each floor of soil, it was found that the removal rates were 85.8 % in the upper, 84.4 % in the middle, and 66.10 % in the bottom. Considering that the reduction rate of TPH for the control group averaged 71.1%, the microbial activators might not be fully transferred into the bottom, which resulted from the piles of soil. As the piles have already reached 1 m in the field experiments, the low piles of soil under 0.6 m may enhance the treatment efficiency of TPH.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.9-16
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• 2007

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is an effective and cost efficient method of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and petroleum hydrocarbons from unsaturated soils. Incorporating PVDs in an SVE system can extend the effectiveness of SVE to lower permeability soils by shortening the air flow-paths and ultimately expediting contaminant removal. With this approach, the real bounded system is replaced for the purposes of analysis by an imaginary system of infinite areal extent. The boundary conditions for the contaminant remediation model test include constant head and no flow condition. Due to these parallel boundaries conditions, image wells should be developed in order to maintain the condition of no flow across the impermeable boundary. It is also assumed that the flow is drawdown along the constant head boundary condition. The factors contributing to the difference between the theoretical and measured pressure heads were also analyzed. The flow factor increases as the flow rate is increased. The flow rate is the most important factor that affects the difference between the measured and theoretical pressure heads.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is an effective and cost efficient method of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and petroleum hydrocarbons from unsaturated soils. However, soil vapor extraction becomes ineffective in soils with low gas permeability, for example soils with air permeabilities less than 1 Darcy. The aim of this study is to investigate numerically the performance of a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) as a SVE well, and the pattern of the induced air flow. A validated numerical model for a single PVD extraction well is developed based on the result of a well-designed laboratory model test. The validity of the simple analytical approach to determine air permeability based on the results of model tests is also discussed.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.359-373
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• 2013

Shale is considered as a source rock for conventional oil and gas exploration and development because shale is fine-grained detrital sedimentary rock which can preserve the organic matter better. Shale has a good sealing capacity for the petroleum trap due to its low permeability. Commercial recoveries of gas from shale in the North America based on the development of technologies of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing reveal that shale also function as a effective reservoir rock. Geochemical techniques to evaluate generation potential of the hydrocarbons from organic matter in the source rocks can be applied for the exploration of the shale gas resources. To evaluate shale gas resources, it is important to understand various geochemical processes and shale characteristics controlling generation, storage and estimation of shale gas reserves. In this paper, the generation mechanism of the oil and gas from organic matter is reviewed, and geochemical techniques which can be applied for the evaluation and characterization of shale gas are introduced.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.196-200
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• 2007

This study was to determine long-term changes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in paddy soils. To do this, we analyzed 16 PAHs in soil samples which were stored in the archive of Yeoungnam Agricultural Research Institute, Milyang, Kyeoungnam province, Korea. The samples used in this study were collected every year from 1978 to 2001 at the plough layer (0-12cm). In average, total PAHs accumulated in paddy soil was continuously decreased since 1980 when it peaked to be $237g\;kg^{-1}$. No significant changes were observed for PAHs having 5-6 phenyl rings for the past two decades, whereas PAHs with 3-4 phenyl rings were greatly decreased, reaching at about a half levels of the 1980's. It is worthy to be noted that the large reduction in PAHs with 3-4 phenyl rings has mainly been attributed to the decrease of PAHs in paddy soils for last 20 years. The major compounds accumulated were: phenanthrene > fluoroanthene > chrysene/benzo(b)fluoroanthene. The present results suggest that the switch of main fuels used in Korea from coal to petroleum around at the end of 1970's is likely contributed to decrease in PAH accumulation in paddy soils.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2011

Three bioremediation methods, natural attenuation (NA), biostimulation (BS) and bioaugmentation (BA) were applied to remediate diesel-contaminated soil, with their remediation efficiencies and soil microbial activities compared both with and without surfactant (Tween 80). BA treatment employing Rhodococcus sp. EH831 was the most effective for the remediation of diesel-contaminated soil at initial remediation stage. On the addition of surfactant, no significant effect on the remediation performance was observed. A negative correlation was found between the dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and residual concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) at below 20,000 mg-$TPHs{\cdot}kg$-dry $soil^{-1}$, as follows: DHA (${\mu}g$-TPF(Triphenylformazan)${\cdot}g$-dry $soil^{-1}\;d^{-1}$) = -0.02 ${\times}$ TPHs concentration (mg-$TPHs{\cdot}kg$-dry $soil^{-1}$) + 425.76 (2500 ${\leq}$ TPHs concentration ${\leq}$ 20000, p < 0.01).

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.82-88
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• 2017

Contaminated sediment can be treated in order to reuse the treated sediment. Even though the chemical criteria are satisfied, the treated sediment could still impose toxic effects. Therefore, this study investigated the changes in the ecological toxic effects of the contaminated sediment from the J region in Singapore after treatment. The contaminated sediment was subject to sequential soil washing and thermal treatment, followed by pH neutralization. Toxic effects of the contaminated and treated sediments were determined by using Vibrio fischeri ($Microtox^{(R)}$), Triticum aestivum (wheat), and Eisenia foetida (earthworm). After treatment, the concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals were decreased by 98% and 59-93%, respectively, and satisfied the Industrial Maximum Values of the Dutch Standard, which were used as the remedial goal. The bioluminescence reduction of V. fischeri decreased significantly, and the earthworm survival increased from 0% to 90% after treatment. The germination rate increased from $0{\pm}0%$ to $75{\pm}13%$ after treatment, but the treated sediment may need additional treatment such as nutrient addition for better plant growth. Overall, this study showed that the treatment of the contaminated sediment satisfactorily removed mixed contaminants, and this led to reduction in toxic effects, suggesting improved potentials for reuse of the treated sediment.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.124-130
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• 2000

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of gas retention time and filling depth of a compost-based biofilter on removal of vapor phase gasoline and to suggest operational improving method. Gas empty bed retention times(EBRTs) were 4, 10, and 20 minutes, respectively. EBRT of over 10 minutes was required in both cases of TPH(total petroleum hydrocarbons) and BTEK (bezene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene). Filling depths were 25, 50, 75, and 100cm, respectively. To treat gasoline TPH effectively, controlling other operational parameters including EBRT and gas loading rate was more important than increasing filling depth simply. 1m filling depth was sufficient in treating BTEX without controlling other operational parameters greatly.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.116-125
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• 2014

Pyrolysis oil (PO), derived from biomass through fast pyrolysis process have the potential to displace significant amounts of petroleum fuels. The PO derived from wood has been regarded as an alternative fuel to be used in diesel engines. However, the use of PO in a diesel engine is very limited due to its poor properties like low energy density, low cetane number, high acidity and high viscosity of PO. Therefore, one of the easiest way to adopt PO to diesel engine without modifications is blended with other fuels that have high centane number. However, PO that has high amount of polar chemicals is immiscible with non polar hydrocarbons of diesel or biodiesel. Thus, to stabilize a homogeneous phase of diesel/biodiesel-PO blends, a proper surfactant should be used. Nevertheless, PO which was produced from different biomass type have varied characteristics and this complicates the selection of a suitable additive for a specific PO-diesel emulsion. In this regard, a more simple approach such as the use of a co-solvent like ethanol or butanol to induce a more stable phase of the PO-diesel mixture could be a promising alternative. In this study, a diesel engine operated with diesel/biodiesel-PO-butanol blends was experimentally investigated. Performance and gaseous & particle emission characteristics of a diesel engine were examined under the engine loads of IMEP 0.2 ~ 0.8MPa.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.65-73
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• 2020

Exposure assessment methodology for outdoor air inhalation pathways (i.e., inhalation of volatile compounds and fugitive dust in outdoor air) was investigated. Default values of several parameters currently used in Korea (e.g., Q/C; inverse value of concentration per unit flux, and frs; soil fraction in PM10) may not be suitable and lack site-specificity, as they have been adopted from the risk assessment guidance of the United States or the Netherlands. Such limitation can be addressed to a certain degree by incorporating the volatilization factor (VF) and the particulate emission factor (PEF) with Box model. This approach was applied to an exposure assessment of a site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons in Korea. The result indicated that the suggested methodology led to more accurate site-specific exposure assessment for outdoor inhalation pathways. Further work to establish methodology to determine site-specific Q/C values in Korea needs to be done to secure the reliability of the exposure assessment for outdoor air inhalation pathways.