• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.79-86
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• 2015

Korean territories has formed about 70% of mountainous areas that have acidified serious level to average pH 4-5. There are a number of abandoned metal mines about 1,000 in Korea. However, mine tailings and waste rock included heavy metals are exposed to long-term environment without prevention facility or treatment system. Thus, ongoing management and monitoring of soil environment are required. Most of abandoned mine scattered in forest areas of slopes. Soil erosion due to continuous rainfall in the slopy areas can cause the secondary pollution by the influence eutrophication of water system and the productivity loss of the plant. Therefore, this study would like to estimate pH leaching rate by artificial rainfall using waste neutralization-agent in lysimeter. Moreover, the potentially of secondary pollution related to precipitation is figured out through the experiments, and the optimal planting methods would examinate after neutralizing treatment in soil. Experiments composed three kinds of lysimeter; lysimeter 1 had filled only acidic soil, lysimeter 2 had neutralized soil, and lysimeter 3 had planting plants after neutralized soil. In the results, lysimeter 2 showed the lowest pH leaching, and there is not specific relativity with pH leaching of the seasonal characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.195-206
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• 2014

In this study, soil contamination maps related to Cu and Pb were created at the Busan abandoned mine in Korea using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence(XRF) and Geographic Information Systems(GIS). Hydrological analysis was performed using the Digital Elevation Model(DEM) of the study area to identify the flow directions of surface runoff where pollutants can be dispersed from the soil contamination sources. 24 locations for measuring the soil contamination related to Cu and Pb were selected by considering the result of hydrological analysis. The results measured at the 24 locations using the handheld XRF showed that the highest value of Cu contamination is 8,255ppm and that of Pb is 2,146ppm. The field investigation data were entered into ArcGIS software, and then soil contamination maps regarding Cu and Pb with a 5m grid-spacing were created after performing spatial interpolations using the ordinary kriging method. As a result, we could know that high concentrations of Cu and Pb are presented at the waste and tailings dumps around the abandoned mine openings. This study also showed that the handheld XRF and GIS can be utilized to create soil contamination maps related to Cu and Pb in the field.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.101-113
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• 1994

Geochemical investigations based on measurements of water parameters and sampling of stream sediments have been carried out, in the Okdongcheon stream and its tributaries in the Sangdong area of South Korea. There are two main problems occurring in the Okdongcheon stream: an acid mine drainage in the upper reaches and toxic trace metal contamination of the stream sediments mainly in the lower reaches. Acid mine water originating from coal mining was neutralized at the confluence of the Cheonpyongcheon stream whilst suspended solids due to flocculation of iron in water caused turbidity which was undesirable. Sediments in the Okdongcheon stream have been contaminated by mining activites. Iron was heavily concentrated in sediments in the upper Okdongcheon whilst toxic trace metals including Pb, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, As and Bi were accumulated in sediments at stations draining metallic mining areas and near the tailings dam. There is now a requrement to neutralise the acid mine drainage and to use site-specific analysis of biological communities to ensure the conservation and preservation of aquatic organisms.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.3-15
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• 2008

Different toxic wastes are disposed of in our surroundings and these will ultimately threaten the existence of living organisms. Biohydrometallurgy, which includes the processes of bioleaching and bioremediation through the activities of microorganisms such as bacterial or fungal species, is a technology that has the potential to overcome many environmental problems at a reasonable economic cost. Bioleaching were carried out for dissolution of metals from different materials using most important metal mobilizing bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Laptospirillum ferrooxidans. According to the reaction, bioleaching is parted as direct and indirect mechanism. In direct mechanism the bacteria oxidize the sulphides minerals by accepting electron and producing sulphuric acid in leaching media for their growth and metabolism. In other hand the indirect bioleaching is demonstrated as the oxidation of sulphides mineral by the oxidant like $Fe^{3+}$ produced by the iron oxidizing bacteria. Through this process, substantial amount of metal can be recovered from low-grade ores, concentrates, industrial wastes like sludge, tailings, fly ash, slag, electronic scrap, spent batteries and spent catalysts. This may be alternative technology to solve the high deposition of waste, which moves toward a healthy environment and green world.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2014

Agricultural soils surrounding mine areas in South Korea are often contaminated with multiple metals such as Cd, Pb and Zn. It poses potential risks to plants, soil organisms, groundwater, and eventually human health. The aim of this study was to examine the changes in phytoavailability of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn after application with calcined eggshell (CES; 0, 1, 3, and 5% W/W) in an agricultural soil contaminated by mine tailings. The contents of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils were 8.79, 65.4, 1602, and $692mgkg^{-1}$ (aqua regia dissolution), respectively. The experiments were conducted with lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) grown under greenhouse conditions during a 30-d period. $NH_4NO_3$ solution was used to examine the mobile fraction of these metals in soil. The application of CES dramatically increased soil pH and inorganic carbon content in soil due to CaO and $CaCO_3$ of CES. The increased soil pH decreased the mobile fraction of Cd, Pb, Zn: from 3.49 to < $0.01mgkg^{-1}$ for Cd, from 79.4 to $1.75mgkg^{-1}$ for Pb, and from 29.6 to $1.13mgkg^{-1}$ for Zn with increasing treatment of CES from 0 to 5%. In contrast, the mobile fraction of Cu was increased from 0.05 to $3.08mgkg^{-1}$, probably due to the formation of soluble $CuCO_3{^0}$ and Cu-organic complex. This changes in the mobile fraction resulted in a diminished uptake of Cd, Pb and Zn by lettuce and an increased uptake of Cu: from 4.19 to < $0.001mgkg^{-1}$ dry weight (DW) for Cd, from 0.78 to < $0.001mgkg^{-1}$ DW for Pb, and from 133 to $50.0mgkg^{-1}$ DW for Zn and conversely, from 3.79 up to $8.21kg^{-1}$ DW for Cu. The increased contents of Cu in lettuce shoots did not exceed the toxic level of $>25mgkg^{-1}$ DW. The mobile contents of these metals in soils showed a strong relationship with their contents in plant roots and shoots. These results showed that CES effectively reduced the phytoavailability of Cd, Pb, and Zn to lettuce but elevated that of Cu in consequence of the changed binding forms of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in soils. Based on these conclusions, CES can be used as an effective immobilization agent for Cd, Pb and Zn in contaminated soils. However, the CES should be applied in restricted doses due to too high increased pH in soils.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2003

Geophysical surveys(electrical resistivity, self-potential, seismic refraction, GPR) were conducted to investigate the physical properties of the subsurface, and to delineate the flow channel of leachate from a AMD(acid mine drainage), buried rock wastes and tailings, and drainage pipes at an abandoned mine(Kwangyang mine). Especially in rainy season the sites appear to be abundant in AMD leachate, characterized by electrical conductivities of 0.98-1.10 ms/S. Electrical resistivity sections indicate that the leachate flows running in two directions at southern part rise up through the narrow fracture zones at the central part and contaminates the surrounding soil and stream. Such schematic features at the anomalous zone are well correlated with negative peaks in self-potential data, the limited penetration depth in GPR data and low velocity zone in seismic refraction data. Shallow high-resistivity zone is associated with the buried rock wastes which cause the diffractions in GPR image. In addition, the events at depth of approximately 1-1.25 m in GPR sections must be the metal pipes through which AMD is drained off to the inner bay.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.63-83
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• 2001

Heavy metals are extracted from stream sediments, roadside soils and sediments and soils and tailings from mining area using partial extraction, acid digestion and HF-digestion. Compared to amounts of heavy metals extracted using partial extraction, those extracted using acid digestion are higher by 2.0∼221 times in Cu, 2.4∼2806 times in Pb, 1.3∼121 times in Cd, 14. 1∼1300885 times in Fe, 1.2∼272 times in Mn, 1.3∼373 times in Zn, 2.2∼1735 times in Cr. There is no special relationship between the extracted amounts of heavy metals using partial extraction and those using acid digestion. However, it is possible that there is a certain relationship between those using acid digestion and those using HF-digestion. Although partial extraction, which extracts less amounts of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb) from soil compared to acid digestion, is used in domestic standard method for examination of soil, domestic soil standard for heavy metals in non-agricultural and industrial areas is higher than soil standard in foreign countries which use acid digestion. For improvement of the domestic standard method for assessment of soil, it is suggested to lower the domestic soil standard for heavy metals or to change pretreatment method for extracting heavy metals from partial extraction to acid digestion with modifying the soil standard.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2020

One-dimensional analytical solutions were used for forward and back diffusion of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in a single system with high- and low-permeability layers. Concentration profiles in a low-permeability layer, diffusive fluxes at the interface between the high- and low-permeability layers, and contaminant persistence in the high-permeability layer due to back diffusion were simulated with a comparison of semi-infinite and finite analytical solutions. In order to validate the analytical solutions used in this study, the results of one-dimensional analytical solutions developed by Yang et al. (2015) were compared with Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE). When compared with Yang et al. (2015), the analytical solutions used in this study showed good agreements (NSE = 0.99). When compared with semi-infinite analytical solutions, TCE and PCE concentration profiles in the low-permeability layer, the diffusive fluxes, and the contaminant tailings of the high-permeability layer were underestimated. In order to determine the appropriate analytical solutions based on the effective diffusion coefficient, the thickness of the low-permeability layer, and the diffusion time in the TCE and PCE contaminated site, a term of dimensionless diffusion length (Z_d) was used. If the Z_d is less than 0.7, the semi-infinite solutions can be used to simulate accurate concentration profiles in low-permeability layers. If the Z_d is greater than 0.7, the reliability of simulations may be improved by using the finite solutions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.1
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• pp.124-130
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• 2006

To explore the development of photoprotective mechanisms, chlorophyll a fluorescence, chlorophyll and carotenoid content and antioxidant enzyme activity in leaves were investigated at different vitality and leaf development stage of Alnus firma Sieb. et Zucc under tailing condition. The lowest maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) in leaves of high- and low-vitality plants were observed at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm, respectively, and the decrease of Fv/Fm in leaves of all plants were almost completely restored at 6:00 pm. Fv/Fm of full-expansion leaves was higher than that of emergence leaves at all measurement time. Chlorophyll, ${\beta}$-carotene and xanthophyll content in leaves of high-vitality plants and in full-expansion leaves were higher when compared to those of low-vitality plants and emergence leaves. Especially xanthophyll contents in both stage leaves of high-vitality plants were higher than 8.7 times and 18.8 times those of low-vitality plants. Only SOD activity was seen significant difference between leaf stage in leaves of high-vitality plants.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2007

An environmental survey from three abandoned metal mine areas was undertaken on to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to heavy metals influenced by past mining activities. Tailings contained high concentrations of heavy metals may have a impact on soils and waters around the tailing piles. In order to perform the human risk assessment, chemical analysis data of soils, rice grains and waters for As, Cd, Cu and Pb have been used. The HQ values for heavy metals via the rice consumption were significantly higher compared with other exposure pathways in all metal mine areas. The resulting HI values in three mine areas were higher than 9.0, and their toxic risk due to rice ingestion was strong in these mine areas. The cancer risk of being exposed to As by the rice consumption from the A, B and C mine areas was $5.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, $6.8\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$ and $3.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, respectively. The As cancer risk via the exposure pathway of rice ingestion from these mine areas exceeds the acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set for regulatory purposes. Thus, the daily intakes of rice by the local residents from these mine areas can pose a potential health threat if exposed by long-term As exposure.