• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.62-69
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• 2014

In the results of monitoring nitrate concentration in more than 8,000 groundwater wells around agro-livestock, the average and maximum nitrate concentration was 9.4 mg/L and 101.2 mg/L, respectively. Since about 31% of the monitoring wells was exceed the quality standard for drinking water, nitrate control such as remediation or source regulation is required to conserve safe-groundwater in South Korea. Typical nitrate-treatment technologies include ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and biological denitrification. Among the treatment methods, biological denitrification by indigenous microorganism has environmental and economic advantages for the complete elimination of nitrate because of lower operating costs compared to other methods. Major mechanism of the process is microbial reduction of nitrate to nitrite and nitrogen gas. Three functional genes (nosZ, nirK, nirS) that encode for the enzyme involved in the pathway. In this work, we tried to develop simple process to determine possibility of natural denitrification reaction by monitoring the functional gene. For the work, the functional genes in nitrate-contaminated groundwater were monitored by using PCR with specific target primers. In the result, functional genes (nosZ and nirK) encoding denitrification enzymes were detected in the groundwater samples. This method can help to determine the possibility of natural-nitrate degradation in target groundwater wells without multiplex experimental process. In addition, for field-remediation application we selected nitrate-contaminated site where 200~600 mg/L of nitrate is continuously detected. To determine the possibility of nitrate-degradation by stimulated-natural attenuation, groundwater was sampled in two different wells of the site and nitrate concentration of the samples was 300 mg/L and 616 mg/L, respectively. Fumarate for different C/N ratio was added into microcosm bottles containing the groundwater to examine denitrification rate depending on carbon concentration. In the result, once 1.5 times more than amount of fumarate stoichiometry required was added, the 616 mg/L of nitrate and 300 mg/L of nitrate were completely degraded in 8 days and 30 days. The nitrite, byproduct of denitrification process, was also completely degraded during the experimental period.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2015

Dongchun, one of the representative streams in urban area, is a downstream that is connected to Hogyechun, Bujeonchun, Jeonpochun, Danggamchun, and Gayachun as its upstream. Hogyechun has been mostly covered with concrete structures for decades, causing sewage pollution from the upstream, overflow of the downstream region and other serious pollution that gave rise to many civil complaints from the residents nearby. In this study, we analyzed 3 stations, including control station for water quality and malodor changes of Hogyechun after applying the microbial augmentation (BM-2) for a few months including the rainy season. Amounts (g/h) of DO in the middle site (Middle) and the downstream site (Borim) increased by 1.7 times compared with the upstream site (Chuhae) after augmentation for about 2 months. Amounts (g/h) of COD and $NO_3{^-}N$ decreased by 2 and 1.7 times, respectively, in the middle and downstream sites while SS increased by 7.5 and 22 times in the middle and downstream sites, respectively. Moreover, odor removal efficiencies at the middle and downstream sites were 65% and 19%, respectively, indicating the microbial activity in reduction of malodor in the polluted stream. The dominant microbial species of the sampling sites were Hydrogenophaga caeni, Sphaerotilus natans, Acidovorax radicis, Acidovorax delafieldii, and Cloacibacterium rupense. Densities of the two species Sphaerotilus natans and Acidovorax delafieldii were significantly increased in the middle site after augmentation which possessed potential odor removal and denitrification activity, respectively. Potential pathogens (e.g., Arcobacter cryaerophilus) were also removed from the middle site after the implementation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.19-27
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• 2015

Permissible soil concentrations for explosives (i.e., TNT and RDX) and heavy metals (i.e., Cu, Zn, Pb, and As) heve been derived from human risk and ecotoxicity, respectively. For TNT and RDX, human risk based-permissible soil concentrations were determined as 460 mg-TNT/kg-soil and 260 mg-RDX/kg-soil. Ecotoxicity based-permissible soil concentrations for Cu and Zn were determined from species sensitivity distribution (SSD) and uncertainty factor of 1 to 5, yielding 18.0-40.0 mg-Cu/kg-soil and 46.0-100 mg-Zn/kg-soil. For Pb and As, ecotoxicity data were not enough to establish SSD so that a deterministic method was used, generating 13.8-30.8 mg-Pb/kg-soil and 2.10-4.60 mg-As/kg-soil. It is worth noting that the methodology used to derive permissible concentrations in soil can differ depending on ecotoxicity data availability and socio-economic situations, which results in different permissible concentrations. The permissible concentrations presented in this study have been derived from conservative assumptions for exposure parameters, and thus should be considered as soil standards. In the light of remediation and pollution management of a site of interest, the site-specific and receptor-specific permissible soil concentrations should be derived considering potential receptors, current and future land use, background concentrations, and socio-economic consultation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.914-919
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• 2008

This present was carried out to evaluate the adaptability of stabilization method which was used industrial byproducts as the stabilization agency in the abandoned mine site. In order to investigate stabilization effect on As-contaminated soils treated by industrial by-products, batch tests and column tests were carried out with As-contaminated soils collected from farmland around the abandoned mine site. ZVI(zero valent iron) and SRS(steel refining slag) was shown a good treatment effect. After the column test, sequential extraction test and simple bioavailability extraction test(SBET) were carried out to analysis of the soil, and scanning electron micrograph(SEM) analysis was carried out to compare the morphology and structure of ZVI and SRS before and after reacting with arsenic in the soil. As a result, ZVI and SRS were shown 93%, 62% reduction of As concentration respectively by comparison with untreated soils. Therefore, if ZVI and SRS are used as treatment materials in As-contaminated soils, it is expected that the As leaching from soils is reduced effectively.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.27-32
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• 2017

In this study, a remedial investigation using reductive stabilization was conducted to treat Cr(VI)-contaminated soil. The influences of various operational parameters, including reaction time and the mass of ferrous iron, were also evaluated. The study site was contaminated with a large amount of Cr(III) and Cr(VI), and the selected treatment method was to stabilize Cr(VI) with ferrous iron, which reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and stabilized the chromium, although a greater mass of ferrous iron than the stoichiometric amount was required to stabilize the Cr(VI). However, some Cr(III) re-oxidized to Cr(VI) during the drying process, and addition of a strong reducing agent was required to maintain reducing conditions. With this reducing agent, the treated soil met the required regulatory standard, and the mass of Cr(III) re-oxidized to Cr(VI) was significantly reduced, compared to the use of only Fe(II) as a reducing agent.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.2_spc
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• pp.1-15
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• 2020

Monitoring and assessing terminal electron accepting processes (TEAPs) are one of the most important steps to remediate contaminated sites via various in-situ techniques. TEAPs are a part of the microbial respiration reactions. Microorganisms gain energy from these reactions and reduces pollutants. Monitoring TEAPs enables us to predict degradability of contaminants and degradation rates. In many countries, TEAPs have been used for characterization of field sites and management of groundwater wells. For instance, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided strategies for groundwater quality and well management by applying TEAPs monitoring. Denmark has also constructed TEAPs map of local unit area to develop effective groundwater managing system, particularly to predict and assess nitrogen contamination. In case of Korea, although detailed soil survey and groundwater contamination assessment have been employed, site investigation guidelines using TEAPs have not been established yet. To better define TEAPs in subsurface environments, multiple indicators including ion concentrations, isotope compositions and contaminant degradation byproducts must be assessed. Furthermore, dissolved hydrogen concentrations are regarded as significant evidence of TEAPs occurring in subsurface environment. This review study introduces optimal sampling techniques of groundwater and dissolved hydrogen, and further discuss how to assess TEAPs in contaminated subsurface environments according to several contamination scenarios.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.2_spc
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• pp.86-100
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• 2020

Analyzing and monitoring environmental contaminants based on geophysical exploration techniques have become important and it is now widely applied to delineate spatial distribution geophysical characteristics in wide area. Among the techniques, induced polarization (IP) method, which measures polarization effects on electrical potential distribution, has drawn much attention as an effective tool for environmental monitoring since IP is sensitive to changes in biochemical reactions. However, various reactions stemming from the presence of multiple contaminants have greatly enhanced heterogeneity of polluted sites to result in highly variable electrical characteristics of the site. Those contaminants influence chemical and physical state of soil and groundwater to alter electrical double layer, which in turn influences polarization of the media. Since biochemical reactions between microbes and contaminants result in various IP effects, IP laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate IP responses of the contaminated soil samples under various conditions. Field IP surveys can delineate the spatial distribution of contamination, while providing additional information about electrical properties of a target medium, together with DC resistivity. Reviewing IP effects of contaminants as well as IP surveys can serve as a good starting point for the application of IP survey in site assessment for environmental remediation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.395-408
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• 2023

This study presents a novel method for addressing the issue of high-concentration contaminants (ammonium, phosphate, antibiotics) in leachate arising from decomposing livestock carcasses. Antibiotics, developed to eliminate microorganisms, often have low biodegradability and can persist in the ecosystem. This research proposes design elements to prevent contamination spread from carcass burial sites. The adsorbents used were low-grade charcoal (an industrial by-product), Alum-based Adsorbent (ABA), and Zeolite, a natural substance. These effectively removed the main leachate contaminants: low-grade charcoal for antibiotics (initial concentration 1.05 mg/L, removal rate 73.4%), ABA for phosphate (initial concentration 2.53 mg/L, removal rate 99.9%), and zeolite for ammonium (initial concentration 38.92 mg/L, removal rate 100.0%). The optimal mix ratio for purifying leachate is 1:1:10 of low-grade charcoal, ABA, and zeolite. The average adsorbent usage per burial site was 1,800 kg, costing KRW 2,000,000 per ton. The cost for the minimum leachate volume (about 12.4 m³) per site is KRW 2,880,000, and for the maximum volume (about 19.7 m³) is KRW 4,620,000. These findings contribute to resolving issues related to livestock carcass burial sites and suggest post-management strategies by advocating for the effective use of adsorbents in leachate purification.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.167-177
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• 2013

We investigated that removal of aqueous U(VI) by nano-sized Zero Valent Iron (nZVI) and Fe(II) bearing minerals (controls) in this study. Iron particles showed different U(VI) removal efficiencies (Mackinawite: 99%, green rust: 95%, nZVI: 91%, magnetite: 87%, pyrite: 59%) due to their different PZC (Point of Zero Charge) values and surface areas. In addition, noticeable amount of surface Fe(II) (181 ${\mu}M$) was released from nZVI suspension in 6 h and it increased to 384 ${\mu}M$ in the presence of U(VI) due to ion-exchange of U(VI) with Fe(II) on nZVI surface. Analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD) showed that breakdown probabilities in both filtrates by 20 and 200 nm sizes was almost 24% in nZVI suspension with U(VI), while 1% of the probabilities were observed in nZVI suspension without U(VI). It indicated that Fe(II) colloids in the range under 20 nm were generated during the interaction of U(VI) and nZVI. Our results suggest that Fe(II) colloids generated via ion-exchange process should be carefully concerned during long-term remediation site contaminated by U(VI) because U could be transported to remote area through the adsorption on Fe(II) colloids.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to highlight the National Classification System related to cleanup the soil contaminated sites and to provide some guidance to address the priority management rank system before the remediation for Busan metropolitan city. Based on the previous soil investigation data, the quantitative classification of vulnerable areas for soil pollution was performed to successfully manage the contaminated sites in Busan. Ten evaluation factors indicating the high soil pollution possibility were used for the priority management ranking system and 10 point was assigned for each factor which was evenly divided by 10 class intervals. For 16 Gu/Guns in Busan, the score of each evaluation factor was assigned according to the ratio of the area (or the number) between in each Gu (or Gun) and in Busan. Ten scores for each Gu (or Gun) was summed up to prioritize the vulnerable Gu or Guns for soil pollution in Busan. Results will be available to determine the most urgent area to cleanup in each Gu (or Gun) and also to assist the municipal government to design a successful and cost-effective site management strategy in Busan.