• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09c
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• pp.117-124
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• 2010

In the field of soil and groundwater remediation, sustainability was merged into remediation process and green remediation was initiated within the concept of sustainable development. Green remediation was defined and has been already applied to the remediation fields in U.S. In the case of Europe, green remediation has been evaluated for the application of green technology in the remediation industry and they especially defined sustainable remediation following idea of sustainable development. Although green and sustainable remediation is global trends, there are only a few cases about application of green remediation in South Korea. It is needed to develop soil and groundwater remediation technology towards green remediation, considering "Green Growth" as policy direction in South Korea.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

Groundwater development and use have been increasing in Korea causing frequent occurrences of related hazards such as groundwater level decline, land subsidence, and groundwater contamination. To tackle these groundwater problems, central and local governments have set-up and maintained many groundwater monitoring programs such as the National Groundwater Monitoring Network and the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network, which collect very valuable data on the overall status of domestic groundwater to aid proper groundwater management. However, several problems mainly related to the remediation of contaminated groundwater remain unresolved. Recently, there have been some incidents related to the contamination of groundwater, and these have drawn the concern of the Korean people. Although groundwater contamination has been investigated in detail, actual groundwater remediation work has not yet been implemented. The remediation of the contaminated groundwater must begin immediately in order to sustain the eco-system service of clean groundwater and enhance the welfare of the Korean people.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.104-114
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• 2021

Petroleum-contaminated soil is considered among the most important potential anthropogenic atmospheric methane sources. Additionally, various rhizoremediation factors can affect methane emissions by altering soil ecosystem carbon cycles. Nonetheless, greenhouse gas emissions from soil have not been given due importance as a potentially relevant parameter in rhizoremediation techniques. Therefore, in this study we sought to investigate the effects of different plant and soil amendments on both remediation efficiencies and methane emission characteristics in diesel-contaminated soil. An indoor pot experiment consisting of three plant treatments (control, maize, tall fescue) and two soil amendments (chemical nutrient, compost) was performed for 95 days. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal efficiency, dehydrogenase activity, and alkB (i.e., an alkane compound-degrading enzyme) gene abundance were the highest in the tall fescue and maize soil system amended with compost. Compost addition enhanced both the overall remediation efficiencies, as well as pmoA (i.e., a methane-oxidizing enzyme) gene abundance in soils. Moreover, the potential methane emission of diesel-contaminated soil was relatively low when maize was introduced to the soil system. After microbial community analysis, various TPH-degrading microorganisms (Nocardioides, Marinobacter, Immitisolibacter, Acinetobacter, Kocuria, Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, Alcanivorax) and methane-oxidizing microorganisms (Methylocapsa, Methylosarcina) were observed in the rhizosphere soil. The effects of major rhizoremediation factors on soil remediation efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions discussed herein are expected to contribute to the development of sustainable biological remediation technologies in response to global climate change.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.36-43
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• 2012

Various methods are used to remediate soil contaminated with heavy metals or petroleum. In recent years, harsh physical and chemical remediation methods are being used to increase remediation efficiency, however, such processes could affect soil properties and degrade the ecological functions of the soil. Effects of soil washing, thermal desorption, and land farming, which are the most frequently used remediation methods, on the physicochemical properties of remediated soil were investigated in this study. For soils smaller than 2 mm, the soil texture were changed from sandy clay loam to sandy loam because of the decrease in the clay content after soil washing, and from loamy sand to sandy loam because of the decrease in the sand content and increase in silt content during thermal desorption, however, the soil texture remained unchanged after land farming process. The water-holding capacity, organic matter content, and total nitrogen concentration of the tested soil decreased after soil washing. A change in soil color and an increase in the available phosphate concentration were observed after thermal desorption. Exchangeable cations, total nitrogen, and available phosphate concentration were found to decrease after land farming; these components were probably used by microorganisms during as well as after the land farming process because microbial processes remain active even after land farming. A study of these changes can provide information useful for the reuse of remediated soil. However, it is insufficient to assess only soil physicochemical properties from the viewpoint of the reuse of remediated soil. Potential risks and ecological functions of remediated soil should also be considered to realize sustainable soil use.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2005

This review aims to show that industrial sustainable chemistry, minimizing or reducing the ecological impacts by the chemicals, is not an emerging trend, but is already a reality through the application of 'White Biotechnology' such as 'green' chemistry and engineering expertise. A large number of current industrial case studies are presented, as well as new developments from the chemical industry. The case studies cover new chemistry, new process design and new equipment. By articulating the requirements for industrial application of sustainable chemistry, this review also seeks to bridge any existing gap between academia and industry regarding the R & D and engineering challenges needed to ensure green chemistry research enables a more sustainable future chemical industry considering eco-toxicological impacts.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Arsenic (As), which is ubiquitous throughout the environment, represents a major environmental threat at higher concentration and poses a global public health concern in certain geographic areas. Most of the conventional arsenic remediation techniques that are currently in use have certain limitations. This situation necessitates a potential remediation strategy, and in this regard bioremediation technology is increasingly important. Being the oldest representativse of life on Earth, microbes have developed various strategies to cope with hostile environments containing different toxic metals or metalloids including As. Such conditions prompted the evolution of numerous genetic systems that have enabled many microbes to utilize this metalloid in their metabolic activities. Therefore, within a certain scope bacterial isolates could be helpful for sustainable management of As-contamination. Research interest in microbial As(III) oxidation has increased recently, as oxidation of As(III) to less hazardous As(V) is viewed as a strategy to ameliorate its adverse impact. In this review, the novelty of As(III) oxidation is highlighted and the implication of As(III)-oxidizing microbes in environmental management and their prospects are also discussed. Moreover, future exploitation of As(III)-oxidizing bacteria, as potential plant growth-promoting bacteria, may add agronomic importance to their widespread utilization in managing soil quality and yield output of major field crops, in addition to reducing As accumulation and toxicity in crops.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2024

Alizarin dye, a persistent and hazardous contaminant in aquatic environments, presents a pressing environmental concern. In the quest for efficient removal methods, adsorption has emerged as a versatile and sustainable approach. This study focuses on the development and application of Zinc Oxide/Nickel Oxide (ZnO/NiO) nano-composites as adsorbents for alizarin dye removal. These semiconducting metal oxide nano-composites exhibit synergistic properties, offering enhanced adsorption capabilities. Key parameters affecting alizarin removal, such as contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, and temperature, were systematically investigated. Notably, the ZnO/NiO nano-composite demonstrated superior performance, with a maximum alizarin removal percentage of 76.9 % at pH 6. The adsorption process followed a monolayer pattern, as suggested by the Langmuir model. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model provided a good fit to the experimental data. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the process is endothermic and thermodynamically favorable. These findings underscore the potential of ZnO/NiO nano-composites as effective and sustainable adsorbents for alizarin dye removal, with promising applications in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.spc
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• pp.1-17
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• 2023

Sustainability is commonly recognized as one of the new paradigms or norms that will reign the new era after the modern age of revolutionary economic development. This global trend calls for the adoption of the sustainability concept to soil and groundwater management. In fact, there are several such ongoing movements in practicing soil and groundwater management. Through literature review, this paper discusses the concept, practices, and future research needs of sustainable soil and groundwater management. We first discuss the definition of sustainable soil and groundwater management and possible methodologies to gauge or improve the sustainability of soil and groundwater management. Then, we introduce the research topics, exemplary practices, and propose solutions to elaborate sustainability in three representative subfields including soil and groundwater remediation, groundwater management, and soil management. We conclude with suggestions on the future research directions for successful adoption of sustainability concept to soil and groundwater management in the Republic of Korea.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.119-125
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• 2014

This study evaluated the environmental impacts of a soil washing (SW) process, especially, we compared the on-site and off-site remediation of TPH-contaminated soil using green and sustainable remediation (GSR) tool. To assess relative contribution of each stage on environmental footprints in the entire soil washing process, we classified the process into four major stages: site foundation (stage I), excavation (stage II), separation & washing (stage III), and wastewater treatment (stage IV). In on-site SW process, the relative contribution of $CO_2$ emissions and energy consumption were 87.1% and 80.4%, respectively in stage I, and in off-site SW process, the relative contribution of $CO_2$ emissions and energy consumption were 82.7% and 80.5%, respectively in stage II. In conclusion, the major factor contributing environmental impact in the SW process were consumable materials including steel and stainless steel for washing equipment in on-site treatment and fuel consumption for transportation of soil in off-site treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.98-103
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• 2011

Photocatalysis using UV light and catalysts is an attractive low temperature and non-energy- intensive method for remediation of a wide range of chemical contaminants like chloroform (CF). Recently development of environmental friendly and sustainable catalytic systems is needed before such catalysts can be routinely applied to large-scale remediation or drinking water treatment. Titanium dioxide is a candidate material, since it is stable, highly reactive, and inexpensive. Diatoms are photosynthetic, single-celled algae that make a microscale silica shell with nano scale features. These diatoms have an ability to biologically fabricate $TiO_2$ nanoparticles into this shell in a process that parallels nanoscale silica mineralization. We cultivated diatoms, metabolically deposited titanium into the shell by using a two-stage photobioreactor and used this biogenic $TiO_2$ to this study. In this study we evaluated how effectively biogenic $TiO_2$ nanoparticles transform CF compared with chemically-synthesized $TiO_2$ nanoparticlesthe and effect of pretreatment of diatom-produced $TiO_2$ nanoparticles on photocatalytic transformation of CF. The rate of CF transformation by diatom-$TiO_2$ particles is a factor of 3 slower than chemically-synthesized one and chloride ion production was also co-related with CF transformation, and 79~91% of CF mineralization was observed in two $TiO_2$ particles. And the period of sonication and mass transfer due to particle size, evaluated by difference of oxygen tention does not affect on the CF transformation. Based on the XRD analysis we conclude that slower CF transformation by diatom-$TiO_2$ might be due to incomplete annealing to the anatase form.