• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.515-517
• /
• 2003

In order to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to arsenic and heavy metals influenced by past mining activities, environmental geochemical surveys were undertaken in the abandoned metal mine areas (Dongil Au-Ag-Cu-Zn, Okdong Cu-Pb-Zn, Songcheon Au-Ag, Dongjung Au-Ag-Pb-Zn, Dokok Au-Ag-Cu and Hwacheon Au-Ag-Pb-Zn mines). Arsenic and other heavy metals were highly elevated in the tailings from the Dongil, the Songcheon and the Dongjung mines. High concentrations of heavy metals except As were also found in tailings from the Okdong, the Dokok and the Hwacheon mines. These significant concentrations can impact on soils and waters around the tailing dumps. Risk compounds deriving from mine sites either constitute a toxic risk or a carcinogenic risk. The hazard index (H.I.) of As in the Dongil, the Okdong, the Songcheon and the Hwacheon mine areas was higher value more than 1.0. In the Okdong and the Songcheon mine areas, H.I. value of Cd exceeded 1.0. These values of As and Cd were the highest in the Songcheon mine area. Therefore, toxic risks for As and Cd exist via exposure (ingestion) of contaminated soil, groundwater and rice grain in these mine areas. The cancer risk for As in stream or ground water used for drinking water from the Songcheon, the Dongil, the Okdong, the Dongjung and the Hwacheon mine areas was 3E-3, 8E-4, 7E-4, 2E-4 and 1E-4, respectively.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.529-531
• /
• 2003

In order to investigate the level of heavy metal contamination and the seasonal variation of metal concentrations in soils and sediments influenced by past mining activities, tailings, soil and sediment samples were collected from the Hwacheon mine in Korea. The main pollution sources in this mine site are suggested as tailings and mine waste rocks. Elevated levels of Cd, Pb and Zn were found in soils and sediments. In a study of seasonal variation on the heavy metals in soils and sediments, heavy metals were higher enriched collected from before rainy season ($2^{nd}$ sampling) than after rainy season ($1^{st}$ sampling). Also, in order to estimate the microbial effects on Cd speciation in sediments, bacteria which can adsorb Cd was isolated and Cd adsorption characteristics of isolated bacteria in Cd solution was evaluated. The Cd bioremoval efficiency in Cd solution (5 ppm) by bacteria was more than $90\%$. Bioremoval efficiency in single metal solution was higher than that in mixed metal solution of Pb and Zn.

• Journal of the Speleological Society of Korea
• /
• no.92
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 2009

A number of closed metal mines act as point sources of contamination on nearby streams, soils and plants in our country. The contamination of twelve decomposed samples had earned from nine closed metal mines had been evaluated by TEA-3000. The contents of heavy metal with ion fraction exchange and carbonate fraction forms had been showed that the speciation of heavy metals represented with easy solubility, mobility and bioavailable of plants, and in case of sulfide compounds and organic residuals forms are related with the speciation of metals which may be stable forms because of strong bindable capacity. Also heavy metals elements in mosts of mines got with relative stable within crystal lattice, but results of trace element analyser showed that, in the most of tailings from mine areas, large portions of concentration of heavy metals were explained as stable from, sulfides/ organics and residual. In tailing from Imchun mines, the concentrations extracted by water were relatively high as compared with other mine areas whose total concentrations were very high because of large quantities of exchangeable ions and carbonates and low soil pH. Danger Index (D.I.) suggested in this study was based on the cumulative concentrations of step 1 and 2 from the result of trace element analyser. When the soil pH was considered, this index became better indicator to determine the priority for the remediation of mine area.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.55-69
• /
• 2015

Tailing Material (TM) and Fly Ash (FA) are obtained as waste products from the mining and thermal industries. Studies were carried out to explore the possibility of utilizing TM as a part replacement to fine aggregate and FA as a part replacement to cement, in concrete mixes. The effect of replacing fine aggregate by TM and cement by FA on the standard sized specimen for compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strengths are evaluated in this study. The concrete mix of M40 grade was adopted with water cement ratio equal to 0.40. Concrete mix with 35% TM and 65% natural sand (TM35/S65) has shown superior performance in strength as against (TM0/S100, TM30/S70, TM40/S60, TM50/S50, and TM60/S40). For this composition, studies were performed to propose the optimal replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) by FA (Replacement levels studied were 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%). Replacement level of 20% OPC by FA, has shown about 0-5% more compressive strength as against the control mix, for both 28 day and 56 days of water curing. Interestingly results of split tensile and flexural strengths for 20% OPC replaced by FA, have shown strengths equal to that of no replacement (control mix).

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.271-281
• /
• 2001

The characteristics of the heavy metal contamination in the soils affected by the tailings of the Palbong mine have been studied. The soils in the studied area consist mostly of loam by the particle size analysis, but a little of it, located near the stream, consist of loamy sand to sandy loam, finally to loam downward. The organic contents of soils are significantly low aoom 2 percent and the pH is in acidic ranging 6.0 $\pm$ 0.1. The samples of the parent rocks, the normal soils, the tailings and the channel deposits from the studied area were chemically analysed. From the result, the heavy metal concenlration of the soils is a little Jow compared with that of the parent rocks, shows the hydrologic process of the surface and the groundwater. The contamination of the tailings from the ore mining are high in lead, copper and arsenic. In the channel deposits the concenlrations of lead and copper are abnormally high but that of arsenic is uniquely low. And most of heavy metal contamination are decreased with the distance from the mine. It is caused by the properties of the surface and the ground water during the process of the heavy metal migration. The correlation-coefficient between sand and silt contents and the concentrations of Cd, Cu and Pb are significant but the amounts of As and Hg are increased with the clay contents. The dispersion of the heavy metals with the distance shows that the concentrations of them in the soils sampled at distance of 100 m to 200 m along the stream started near the Palbong mine are extremely high compared with those from other distances. These discrepancies are significant in Cd, Cu, Pb and Hg, but low in As. All the samples contain below detection limit of Cr+6 In the present stream water the concentrations of the heavy metals are not detected. So, it is interpreted that the concentrations in the soils are caused by the activities of the mining during the operation and have been continued by the dispersion from the tailings since after the closure of the mining, especially by the surface and ground water. The concentrations are diminished with the distance from the mining site, but in the interval of 800-2000 m increases abruptly. In the soil samples counted on the dispersion direction by wind, the lowering of the concentration is relatively uniform with the distance from the mining site. So, the rapid increase of the heavy metal concentrations is presumed to have been caused by the ground-water movement. In the migration of the heavy metals, the groundwater conditions, such as pH, Eh, the contents of colloidal particles, and Mn and Fe oxides are closely involveo. Integrating with these factors, it is interpreted that the groundwater conditions which have caused the heavy metal contamination of the studied area are those that the pH is about 3 in oxidized conditions, the contents of the colloidal particles are low, and Mn and Fe oxides are not involved in the migration of the heavy metals. Meanwhile, the vegetables growing on the soils in the studied area are not affected by the contamination of the heavy metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.137-142
• /
• 1997

At the tailings dam of the disused Brukunga pyrite mine in South Australia, reaction of groundwater with the tailings causes the formation and discharge of sulphuric acid. There is a need to improve remediation efforts by decreasing groundwater flow through the tailings dam. Geophysical methods have been investigated to determine whether they can be used to characterise variations in depth to watertable and map preferred groundwater flow paths. Three methods were used: transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings, direct current (DC) soundings and profiling, and self potential (SP) profiling. The profiling methods were used to map the areal extent of a given response, while soundings was used to determine the variation in response with depth. The results of the geophysical surveys show that the voltages measured with SP profiling are small and it is hard to determine any preferred channels of groundwater flow from SP data alone. Results obtained from TEM and DC soundings, show that the DC method is useful for determining layer boundaries at shallow depths (less than about 10 m), while the TEM method can resolve deeper structures. Joint use of TEM and DC data gives a more complete and accurate geoelectric section. The TEM and DC measurements have enabled accurate determination of depth to groundwater. For soundings centred at piezometers, this depth is consistent with the measured watertable level in the corresponding piezometer. A map of the watertable level produced from all the TEM and DC soundings at the site shows that the shallowest level is at a depth of about 1 m, and occurs at the southeast of the site, while the deepest watertable level (about 17 m) occurs at the northwest part of the site. The results indicate that a possible source of groundwater occurs at the southeast area of the dam, and the aquifer thickness varies between 6 and 13 m. A map of the variation of resistivity of the aquifer has also been produced from the TEM and DC data. This map shows that the least resistive (i.e., most conductive) section of the aquifer occurs in the northeast of the site, while the most resistive part of the aquifer occurs in the southeast. These results are interpreted to indicate a source of fresh (resistive) groundwater in the southeast of the site, with a possible further source of conductive groundwater in the northeast.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.33-41
• /
• 2001

Enormous volumes of mining wastes from the abandoned and closed mines are disposed without a proper treatment in the upper Okdong River basin at Southeastern part of Kangwon Province. Erosion of these wastes contaminates soil, surface water, and sediments with heavy metals. Objectives of this research were to fractionate heavy metals in the mine tailing stored in the Sangdong Tungsten tailing dams and to assess the potential pollution index of each metal fraction. Tailing samples were collected from tailing dams at different depth and analyzed for physical and chemical properties. pH of tailings ranged from 7.3 to 7.9. Contents of total N and organic matter were in the ranges of 3.2~5.5%, and 1.3~9.1%, respectively. Heavy metals in the tailings were higher in the newly constructed tailing dam than those in the old dam. Total concentrations of metals in the tailings were in the orders of Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, exceeded the corrective action level of the Soil Environment Conservation Law and higher than the natural abundance levels reported from uncontaminated soils. Relative distribution of heavy metal fractions was residual > organic > reducible > carbonate > adsorbed, reversing the degree of metal bioavailability. Mobile fractions of metals were relatively small compared to the total concentrations. Distribution of metals in the tailing dam profiles was metal specific. Concentrations of Cu at the surface of tailing dams were higher than those at the bottom. Pollution index (PI) values of each fraction of metals were ranged from 4.27 to 8.51 based on total concentrations. PI values of mobile fractions were lower than those of immobile fractions. Results on metal fractions and PI values of the tailing samples indicate that tailing samples were contaminated with heavy metals and had potential to cause a detrimental effects on soil and water environment in the lower part of the stream. A prompt countermeasure to prevent surface of tailings in the dams from water and wind erosions is urgently needed.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.38 no.2 s.171
• /
• pp.135-142
• /
• 2005

In order to investigate the contamination level and seasonal variation of heavy metals and evaluate the bioavailability of toxic elements, environmental geochemical survey was undertaken at the Dogok Au-Ag-Cu mine area. The main pollution sources in the area were suggested as tailings, mine waste materials and mine water. Elevated levels of $140{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}As,{\;}107{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Cd,{\;} 3017{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Cu,{\;}12926{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Pb,{\;}9094{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg$ Zn(before rainy season) were found in mine tailings. Concentrations of heavy metals in farmland soils exceeded normal level in nature soil (Bowen, 1979). The highest level of heavy metals was found in water samples near the mine tailing dumps regarded as a main pollution source of toxic elements in the area. These concentrations decreased to downstream due to the effect of dilution. From the results of sequential extraction analyses for tailings and soils, non-residual forms of heavy metals were found, which indicate the contamination to be progressing by continuing weathering and oxidation. Cadmium and Zn would be of the highest mobility in all samples. The bioavailability of Cd, Cu, Zn and As using SBET analysis from paddy soils was $53.3{\%},{\;}46.5{\%},{\;}41.0{\%}$ and $37.0\%$, respectively. The farmland soil sample(S3) showed the highest total concentration and bioavailability of heavy metals.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.98-104
• /
• 2008

This research was performed to evaluate the extraction characteristics of heavy metals for soil washing of mine tailings-contaminated soil according to particle size distribution and the chemical distributional existence of the metals. As the soil particle size was decreased, the extracted concentrations of heavy metals was increased except Fe and Mn. Most of all heavy metals were extracted within 6 h by soil washing with 0.05 M EDTA. Extraction efficiency of metals was decreased for Pb, Cu, and Zn with decreasing of particle size. Significant difference was not observed in extraction efficiency for Cd according to particle size distribution. Extraction efficiency for Cd was the highest as 86~91%, while the lowest as 5~14% for Fe. Most metals of the soil without soil washing was distributed as reducible, oxidizable, and residual fractions. Pb, Zn, and Cd existed as reducible (Fe/Mn oxide) and residual fractions and Cu existed as oxidizable and residual fractions after soil washing treatment with 0.05 M EDTA. As the soil particle size was decreased, residual fraction was increased for Pb and Cu. About 90% of reducible fraction in Pb, Zn, and Cd was removed by soil washing with 0.05 M EDTA. As the results, it was founded that soil particle size was the important parameter to effect on distributional fraction and extraction efficiency of metals in mine tailings-contaminated soil.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2008

The geochemical partitioning of arsenic in contaminated soils from a of wet land and tailing of the abandoned mine is examined. Chemical analysis and sequential extraction method by ultrasound-sonication extraction are applied to investigate the mobility and chemical existence conditions of arsenic as well as heavy metals. The results of this study showed that heavy metals concentration of tailings showed as a following order: Fe > As > Cu > Pb > Cr. The highest metal concentration was recognized in samples less than $63\;{\mu}m$ fraction in their particle sizes. Exchangeable and carbonate fractions in soil samples showed following Cu > As > Pb > Fe > Cr for tailings, and Fe > Pb > Cu > As > Cr for reservoir soils, respectively. Arsenic was bound as exchangeable fraction in tailings and its concentration appeared higher than those of the other metals. Thus, As can be easily dispersed into soil and water environments. The obtained results can be used to design soil remediation plan in the study area and require further detailed study to investigate severe environmental pollution of surface water as well as rivers with respect to heavy metals in terms of speciation analysis of toxic elements such as As and Cr.