• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.626-634
• /
• 2005

The objectives of this study was to assess pollution level and contamination status on tailings and soil in the vicinity of four disused metal mines in Kangwon province. As the result of total metal concentrations analysis, the pollution degree of tailings and soil decreased in the order of Wondong > Second Yeonhwa > Sinyemi ${\fallingdotseq}$ Sangdong mines. Total metal concentrations of mine tailings in this study were $1.2{\sim}78.2$ and $1.1{\sim}80.6$ times higher than those in the background soil and the tolerable levels suggested by Kloke, respectively. From these results, we found that tailings served as contamination source of nearby soil. According to sequential extraction of metals, large proportion of heavy metals in all mine tailings existed in the form of a residual fraction, and heavy metals in non-residual form was mainly associated with Fe-Mn oxide fraction and sulfidic-organic fraction. Fe-Mn oxide fraction and sulfidic-organic fraction of heavy metals may be released into and contaminated the nearby environment under the oxidation or reduction condition in long-term. In particular, the proportions of the exchangeable and carbonate fraction of Cd in mine tailings from Second Yeonhwa mine were relatively high. This suggests that Cd may be easily released into and contaminated the nearby environment in the near time. Concentrations of heavy metals in mine tailings and the nearby soil exceeded the standard (agricultural area) of Soil Environment Conservation Law. So it was thought that remediation for mine tailings and the nearby soil is needed. The pollution indices of the samples in this study were for higher than 1.0 and the pollution degree was very serious. Priority remediation site for these mines was Wondong. As Results of danger indices, it was showed that exchangeable form in Wondong and Fe-Mn oxide form in the rest mines should be removed preferentially.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.19 no.3 s.49
• /
• pp.171-187
• /
• 2006

The status of heavy metal contamination was investigated using chemical analyses of stream waters and sediments obtained from Samsanjeil and Sambong Cu mining area in Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. In addition, the degree and the environmental risk of heavy metal contamination in stream sediments was assessed through pollution index (Pl) and danger index (DI) based on total digestion by aqua regia and fractionation of heavy metal contaminants by sequential extraction, respectively. Not only the degree of heavy metal contamination was significantly higher in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area, but its environmental risk was also revealed much more serious in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area. The differences in status and level of contamination and environmental risk between both two mining areas may be attributed to existence of contamination source and geology. Acid mine drainage is continuously discharged and flows into the stream in Samsanjeil mining area, and it makes the heavy metal contamination in the stream more deteriorated than in Sambong mining area in which acid mine drainage is not produced. In addition, the geology of Samsanjeil mining area is mainly comprised of andesitic rocks including a small amount of calcite and having lower pH buffering capacity fer acid mine drainage, and it is likely that the heavy metal contamination cannot be naturally attenuated in streams. On the contrary, the main geology of Sambong mining area consists of pyroclastic sedimentary Goseong formation containing a high content of carbonates, particularly calcite, and it seems that these carbonates of high pH buffering capacity prevent the heavy metal contamination from proceeding downstream in stream within that area.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.274-283
• /
• 2015

The reservoir shores seem to be vulnerable to biological invasion. The purpose of this research was to find out the floristic composition of alien plants and their relationship between environmental factors on reservoir shorelines in Korea. We investigated flora of alien plants and environmental factors of geomorphology, hydrology, water quality and soil on the shoreline of a total of 35 reservoirs with different water level managements. There were 56 species of alien plants, which was 15% of the total plant species identified in the study of reservoirs. A total of 57% of these alien species were the species which were introduced shortly after opening the port from 1876 to 1921 in Korea. More than 80% of the alien plants on the reservoir shores originated from America and Europe. The current distribution of Ambrosia trifida and Paspalum distichum were restricted in the central part and the southern region of the Korean Peninsula, respectively. The water level fluctuation, flood frequency at the median water level, water pollution index, coverage of rock exposure and mean degree of shoreline slope were determined as important environmental factors that have an effect on the characteristics of shoreline alien flora. Our results suggest that the reservoir shore was in danger of being invaded by alien plants due to the water level management and other human disturbances. For effective conservation of the reservoir ecosystem, periodic monitoring systems are required for the early detection of alien species on the reservoir shore.