• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.1B
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• pp.125-130
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• 2006

In this research, possibility of sand capping was experimentally evaluated to control phosphorus release from lake sediment into water body. Three acrylic columns without and with 40 and 80 mm of sand capping were prepared. Phosphorus concentrations of overlying water in these columns were measured. Performances of sand capping were evaluated for 0, 40, and 80 mm of capping thickness by measuring DO, ORP, TP, and $PO_4$-P. For the case without capping, the releasing rate of total phosphorus was higher and dissolved oxygen decreased faster, comparing with those of columns with capping. Total phosphorus concentrations in overlying water were inversely proportional to capping thickness, while phosphate concentration showed no significant differences between both cases. The experiment results suggested that sand capping is effective to retard total phosphorus release from sediment.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2008

The most typical capping method for concrete structures is a sulfur-mortar compound capping, provided it satisfied the standard criterion set forth by ASTM C 617, but this conventional bonded-type method has many problems. It exhibits relatively the smaller unreliable value of the strength of high-strength concrete due to the differences of elasticity and strength between the cylinder and the cap, and manifests poor serviceability such as dangerous working tasks or a waste of the working time. To prevent these problems, unbonded-type capping methods have taken the place of the conventional methods in recent years. One of the popular methods is the use of synthetic rubber like a neoprene pad. Serious problems still remain in this method, which include the consideration of its chemical characteristics in consideration of the selection, the safekeeping and the economy of the pads. Moreover, the synthetic rubber pads cannot be used in concrete cylinder with strength greater than 80 MPa according to ASTM C 1231-00. New 'sand-capping method' presented in this study, can be applicable to the compressive strength evaluation of the high strength concrete in the range of $70{\sim}100\;MPa$. This new method has better simplicity and reliability than those of existing 'sand-box', because usual materials such as standard sand and simply-devised apparatus are used for the capping system. The statistical analysis of the test results revealed that the new sand-capping method exhibited the smallest deviation and dispersion, attesting for its much better reliability than other methods specified in ASTM C 1231/1231M.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.438-446
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• 2006

A lab-scale batch test was conducted to develop capping materials to reduce the sediment phosphorus in the stagnant water zone of Gyeongancheon in Paldang Lake. The mean grain size(Mz) of sediment in the investigated area was 7.7 ${\phi}$, which is very fine, and the contents of organic carbon($C_{org}$) was 2.4%, which is very high. For the phosphorous release experiment to select the optimal capping material, sand layer, powder-gypsum($CaSO_4{\cdot}2H_2O$), granule-gypsum, complex layer(gypsum+sand) and the control were compared and evaluated in the 150 L reactor for 45 days. In case of the capping with the sand, it was found that the phosphorous from the sediment could be reduced by around 50%. However, it was found that this caused the reduction of the dissolved oxygen in the water column(by less than 3 mg/L) due to the resuspension of sediment and the organic matter decomposition that comes from the generation of $CH_4$ gas in the 1 cm of the sand layer. Therefore, it is likely that the sand layer has to be thickener in case of the sand capping. Powder-gypsum and granule-Gypsum reduced phosphorous release by more than 80%. However, the concentration of ${SO_4}^{2-}$ in the water column increased, making it difficult to apply it to the drinking water protection zone. We developed Fe-Gypsum and $SiO_2$-gypsum materials to reduce the solubility of ${SO_4}^{2-}$. Powder-Gypsum creates the interception film that does not have any aperture on the sediment layer when it is combined with the water. However phosphorous release caused by the generation of $CH_4$ gas may happen at a time when the gypsum layer has the crack. Capping through the complex layer(granule-Gypsum+sand(1 cm)) found to be suitable for the drinking water protection zone because it was effective to prevent phosphorus release. Moreover, this leads to the lower solubility from the concentration of ${SO_4}^{2-}$ into the water column than the powder-Gypsum and granule-Gypsum. The addition of gypsum($CaSO_4{\cdot}2H_2O$) into the sediment can reduce the progress of methanogensis because fast early diagenesis and sufficient supply of ${SO_4}^{2-}$ to the sediment, stimulate the SRB(sulfate reducing bacteria) highly.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.3 s.117
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• pp.331-339
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• 2006

This research was carried out to understand the impacts of thickness of sand capping to control phosphorus release from sediment into overlying water. As capping effectively retards release flux, phosphorus concentration in water body can be maintained if phosphorus release rate was kept under microbial degradation rate. With capping thickness increases, deaeration rate become less, while reaeration coefficient become higher. Phosphorus release rate and capping thickness were linearly correlated. The results of regression analysis indicated that phosphorus release can be controlled effectively by sand capping of least 20${\sim}$40 mm thickness.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 2020

The effectiveness of in situ sediment capping as a technique for heavy metal risk mitigation in Hyeongsan River estuary, South Korea was studied. Sites in the estuary were found previously to show moderate to high levels of contamination of mercury, methylmercury and other heavy metals. A 400 m x 50 m section of the river was selected for a thin layer capping demonstration, where the total area was divided into 4 sections capped with different combinations of capping materials (zeolite, AC/zeolite, AC/sand, zeolite/sand). Pore water concentrations in the different sites were studied using diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) probes. All capping amendments showed reduction in the pore water concentration of the different heavy metals with top 5 cm showing %reduction greater than 90% for some heavy metals. The relative maxima for the different metals were found to be translated to lower depths with addition of the caps. For two-layered cap with AC, order of placement should be considered since AC can easily be displaced due to its relatively low density. Investigation of methylmercury (MeHg) in the site showed that MeHg and %MeHg in pore water corresponds well with maxima for sulfide, Fe and Mn suggesting mercury methylation as probably coupled with sulfate, Fe and Mn reduction in sediments. Our results showed that thin-layer capping of active sorbents AC and zeolite, in combination with passive sand caps, are potential remediation strategy for sediments contaminated with heavy metals.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.60-70
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• 2022

We evaluated the performance of in-situ capping to prevent the release of phenol, one of hazardous chemicals of concern for their impact on sediment. Sediment near the estuary of Hyeongsan River, Korea, and commercially-available sand were collected to evaluate their physical properties and phenol sorption characteristics. Biodegradation kinetics of phenol spiked into the sediment was evaluated under freshwater and estuarine salinity conditions. These experimental measurements were parameterized and used as input parameters for executing CapSim, a software predicting the performance of in-situ capping. The CapSim simulation demonstrated that capping with 50-cm sand reduced the phenol release by several orders of magnitude over 0.25- and 1-year duration for almost all simulation scenarios. The variables tested, i.e., cap thickness, pore-water movement, and biodegradation rate, showed high correlation to each other to influence the extent of phenol release from sediment to the water column. The findings and the framework employed to evaluate the performance of in-situ capping in this study can be adopted to determine whether in-situ capping is appropriate remedial approach at sediment sites impacted by hazardous chemicals due to accidental spills.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.781-790
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• 2014

Contaminants such as organic matters, nutrients and toxic chemicals in rivers and lakes with a weak flow rate are first removed from the water and accumulated in the sediments. Subsequently, they are released into the water column again, posing direct/indirect adverse effects on the water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In particular, phosphorus is known to accelerate the eutrophication phenomenon when it is released into the water column via physical disturbance and biological/chemical actions as one of important materials that determine the primary production of aquatic ecosystems and an element that is stored mainly in the sediments in the process of material circulation in the body of water. In this study, the effect on reducing phosphorus release in sediments was analyzed by applying different capping materials to lake water, where the effect of aquatic microorganisms is taken into account, and to distilled water, where the effect of microorganisms is excluded. The experimental results showed that capping with chemical materials such as Fe-gypsum and $SiO_2$-gypsum further reduced the phosphorus release by at least 40% compared to the control case. Composite materials like granule gypsum+Sand showed over 50% phosphorus release reduction effect. Therefore, it is determined that capping with chemical materials such as granule-gypsum and eco-friendly materials such as sand is effective in reducing phosphorus release. The changes in phosphorus properties in the sediments before and after capping treatment showed that gypsum input helped to change the phosphorus that is present in lake sediments into apatite-P, a stable form that makes phosphorus release difficult. Based on the above results, it is expected that the application of capping technology will contribute to improving the efficiency of reducing phosphorus release that occurs in river and lake sediments.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2020

The effectiveness of in situ sediment capping as a technique for heavy metal risk mitigation in Hyeongsan River estuary, South Korea was studied. Sites in the estuary were found previously to show moderate to high levels of contamination of mercury, methylmercury and other heavy metals. A 400 m × 50 m section of the river was selected for a thin layer capping demonstration, where the total area was divided into 4 sections capped with different combinations of capping materials (zeolite, AC/zeolite, AC/sand, zeolite/sand). Pore water concentrations in the different sites were studied using diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) probes. All capping amendments showed reduction in the pore water concentration of the different heavy metals with top 5 cm showing %reduction greater than 90% for some heavy metals. The relative maxima for the different metals were found to be translated to lower depths with addition of the caps. For two-layered cap with AC, order of placement should be considered since AC can easily be displaced due to its relatively low density. Investigation of methylmercury (MeHg) in the site showed that MeHg and %MeHg in pore water corresponds well with maxima for sulfide, Fe and Mn suggesting mercury methylation as probably coupled with sulfate, Fe and Mn reduction in sediments. Our results showed that thin-layer capping of active sorbents AC and zeolite, in combination with passive sand caps, are potential remediation strategy for sediments contaminated with heavy metals.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.135-143
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• 2016

We investigated the effectiveness of natural zeolite (NZ) and sand (SD) as a capping material to block the release of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn) from heavily contaminated marine sediments and stabilize these heavy metals in the sediments. The efficiency of NZ and SD for blocking trace metals was evaluated in a flat flow tank attached with an impeller to generate wave. 0, 10, 30, and 50 mm depth of NZ or SD were capped on the contaminated marine sediments and the metal concentration in seawater was monitored. After completion of flow tank experiments, sequential extractions of the metals in the sediment below the capping material were performed. The difference of pH, EC, and DO concentration between uncapped and capped condition was not significant. The release of cations including Cd, Cu, and Zn were effectively blocked by NZ and SD capping but the interruption of Cr release was observed only in 50 mm depth of SD capped condition. However, the stabilization of Cr in 50 mm depth of SD capped condition was not achieved when compared to uncapped condition. NZ and SD capping were effective for stabilizing Cd, Cu, and Zn in marine sediments. It is concluded that the use of NZ with SD as a capping material is recommended for blocking Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn release and stabilizing them in contaminated marine sediments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.470-477
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• 2017

In this study, the applicability of calcite, sand, and zeolite for the remediation of sediments contaminated with organics and nutrients were investigated. Sediments and seawater for water tank experiments were sampled from Pyeongtaek harbor, and 1 cm or 3 cm of calcite, sand, and zeolite were capped on the sampled sediments. pH, electric conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were monitored for 63 days. The sampled sediments were highly contaminated with organic matter and total nitrogen. DO in uncapped condition was exhausted within 10 days but DO in capping condition except 3 cm of zeolite capping was prolonged above 2 mg/L. Capping efficiency for interrupting COD release from sediments was in the following order: zeolite 1 cm > calcite 1 cm > calcite 3 cm > sand 3 cm ${\cong}$ zeolite 3 cm ${\cong}$ sand 1 cm. Zeolite was found to be effective for interrupting nitrogen release. T-P was not observed in both uncapped and capped sediment, i.e., all experimental conditions. It can be concluded that zeolite can be effectively used for the remediation of sediments highly contaminated with organic matter and nitrogen.