• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.111-121
• /
• 2003

The objective of this study is to investigate the physical and chemical properties for environmental assessment of water system affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) from coal mining activities in the Youngwol, Jungseon and Pyungchang areas in Korea. During November 2000 to July 2002, 6 times of water samples were collected season-ally from acid mine drainage and nearby streams at 13 coal mines in the study area. The physical and chemical properties including pH, Eh, TDS, salinity, bicarbonates and DO were measured in the field. Eighteen cations includ-ing Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn, and 6 anions including nitrates and sulfates were also analyzed by ICP-AES and If, respectively. Acid water from the Jungam coal mine has typical characteristics of AMD with very low pH(3∼4) and high TDS(1,000∼5,000 mg/1). Relatively high concentrations(mg/kg) of heavy meals, especially for Al(380), Fe(80), Mn(44) and Zn(8), were found in water samples from the Jungam coal mine area. Water samples from the Seojin, Sebang and Sungjin coal mines also contained over 50 mg/l of Al, >100 mg/1 of Fe and )10 mg/1 of Mn. In addition to anioins, over 1,000 mg/l of sulfate was found in several water samples. Seasonally, the concentrations of metals and sulfates varied; wet season samples were relatively higher in metals and sulfates than dry season samples. It is needed to establish the proper remediation and environmental monitoring of the AMD continuously.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.46-52
• /
• 2010

Acid mine drainage occurs when sulfide minerals are exposed to an oxidizing environment. The objective of this study was to inhibit the oxidation of pyrite by applying various coating agent such as $KH_2PO_4$, MgO and $KMnO_4$ over its surface as an oxidation inhibitors. Experiments were conducted for 8 days to test the feasibility of oxidation inhibitors. The optimal condition of coating agent for standard pyrite and IK mine was the combination of 0.01M $KH_2PO_4$, 0.01M NaOAc and 0.01M NaClO. Otherwise, for YD mine the combination of 0.01M $KMnO_4$, 0.01M NaOAc and 0.01M NaClO. The $SO_4^{2-}$ reduction efficiency of pyrite, IK and YD mine samples was 70, 92 and 84%, respectively. For 8 days, no significant increase of $SO_4^{2-}$ from pyrite sample coated with inhibitor was observed. The pH of solution remains in between 4 to 6 for the reaction conditions.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.65-81
• /
• 1996

Friar Tuck, an Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) site, is located on the Greene-Sullivan county line in southwest Indiana. Prior to the on-going reclamation, Friar Tuck was one of the Indiana's largest and most environmentally adverse abandoned mine lands. The direct vegetation method was used to reclaim tailing ponds. Grading, capping, and revegetalon using agricultural limestone, fertilizer, mulch and seed were applied to the gob piles to abate acid mine drainage (AMD) and off-side sedimentaion. Erosion control structures such as terrace, diversion ditch, and gabion structures were also constructed to minimize erosion at slopes. A new method for treatment of AMD using apatite was tested in the laboratory and field. Apatite effectively removed iron, aluminum and sulfate while maintaining an almost constant pH. Apparently, this method can be applied to control AMD from mining refuse materials, even those containing high concentrations of iron and aluminum ions.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.19-27
• /
• 2002

Geophysical surveys(self-potential, electromagnetic, electrical resistivity, and seismic refraction methods) were performed to delineate the flow channel of leachate from a AMD (acid mine drainage) by correlating the anomalies to geochemical characteristics at an abandoned mine (Jangpoong mine). The geophysical responses attempted to be correlated with water sample analysis data(pH, EC, heavy metals, ${SO_4}^{-2}$). Electrical dipole-dipole resistivity sections represent the low-resistivity zone trending northwest, which indicates the leachate flow by AMD along the contact of the mine waste rock dump and the bedrock. From the overall points of geophysical and geochemical anomalies, it is summarized that the flow channel of leachate by AMD can be successfully imaged with composite interpretations on the geophysical and geochemical studies.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.133-142
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a laboratory test on arsenic removal effciency for ARD(Acid Rock Drain-age) using limestone and apatite, and on heavy metals removal efficiencies for AMD(Acid Mine Drainage) using apatite and fish bone. As a result of the laboratory test, pH, arsenic removal rate of limestone & apatite are inversely proportional to flow rates and apatite removes 100% of arsenic while limestone removes 37% of arsenic at 0.6$m{ell}$/min/kg flow rate in case of ARD treatment. And the dissolution amount of apatite is twenty five times higher than that of limestone. In case of AMD treatment, fish bone shows higher dissolution rate than apatite, and pH of outlet water reacted with fish bone is higher than that reacted with apatite. The heavy metal removal rates of fish bone are also higher than that of apatite except arsenic removal rate. The precipitate resulted from fish bone reaction with AMD seems to be biological sludge type while that resulted from apatite with AMD is inorganic solid which can settle easily compared with the biological sludge and can be cemented by gypsum. As the results, apatite can be used as a precipitant for the polluted mine waters showing wide range of pH and fish bone can be used for highly contaminated AMD.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.409-419
• /
• 2023

Acid mine drainage(AMD) treatment is classified as both passive and active treatment. During the treatment, about 5,000 tons of neutralization sludge is generated as a by-product per year in Korea. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of sludge generated from physico·chemical treatment processes as an active treatment from 5 different sources (D, H, S, T, Y) and the possibility of the sludges being recycled. The sludges have a pH range of 5.86 ~ pH 7.89, and a water content range of 51% ~ 82%. Most of particle sizes were less than 25 ㎛. In analysis of inorganic elements, the concentration of Al, Fe, and Mn were between 1,189 mg/kg ~ 129,344 mg/kg, 106,132 mg/kg ~ 338,011 mg/kg, and 3,472 mg/kg ~ 11,743 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of As and Zn in sludge-T, Cd in sludge-D, Ni in sludge-H, Zn in sludge-S, and Cd in sludge-Y exceeded the soil contamination standards of Korea. The results from 2 separate kinds of leaching test, the Korea Standard Leaching Test(KSLT) and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure(TCLP), showed that all the sludges met the Korea groundwater standards. From the XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, the peaks of calcite and quartz were found in the sludges. The sludge also had a high proportion of Fe and O, and the majority of the composition was amorphous iron hydroxide.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.33-43
• /
• 2000

Mining wastes left without any proper treatment are affecting barren or arable lands where are located near and far from source through various pathway Metals are the only hazardous constituents that cannot be destroyed or altered by chemical or thermal methods and must be converted into the most insoluble and harmless form as possible, which have slower leaching rates than the original species, to prevent their reentry into the environment. Three types of chemical additives used in this study to immobilize heavy metals showed high immobilized capacity (q) and the efficiency (k) in the order of CaO, $Na_2$S.$5H_2$O, and $CaCO_3$. In addition, bentonite was considered as a good additive to remedy AM(Acid Mine Drainage) from the results of the physicochemical characteristics and immobilizing capacity. The Freundlich coefficients (n and k) from adsorption isotherm for the heavy metals adsorbed on 50g Benlonite were calculated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.59-61
• /
• 2005

In Korea, hundreds of abandoned and closed coal and metallic mines are present in the steep mountain valleys due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From these mines, enormous amounts of coal waste were dumped on the slopes, which causes sedimentation and acid mine drainage (AMD) to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on soil and water environments. A limestone slurry by-product (lime cake) is produced from the Solvay process in manufacturing soda ash. It has very fine particles, low hydraulic conductivities ($10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-9}cm/sec$), high pH, high EC due to the presence of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components, and traces of heavy metals. Due to these properties, it has potential to be used as a neutralizer for acid-producing materials. A field plot experiment was used to test the application of lime cake for reclaiming coal wastes. Each plot was 20 x 5 m (L x W) in size on a 56% slope. Treatments included a control (waste only), calcite ($CaCO_3$), and lime cake. The lime requirement (LR) for the coal waste to pH 7.0 was determined and treatments consisted of adding 100%, 50%, and 25% of the LR. The lime cake and calcite were also applied in either a layer between the coal waste and topsoil or mixed into the topsoil and coal waste. Each plot was hydroseeded with grasses and planted with trees. In each plot, surface runoff and subsurface water were collected. The lime cake treatments increased the pH of coal waste from 3.5 to 6, and neutralized the pH of the runoff and leachate of the coal waste from 4.3 to 6.7.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.315-323
• /
• 1996

An apatite drain was constructed on September 30, 1994 at the Green Valley Abandoned Coal Mine site near Terre Haute in west central Indiana. The primary objective of this experiment is to evaluate the long-term ability of the apatite drain to mitigate acid mine drainage (AMD) under field conditions. The drain 9 m long, 3.3 m wide, and 0.75 m deep, contain 95 rum to No. 30 mesh-size apatite ore (francolite) and receive AMD seepage from reclaimed gob piles, and designed according to the laboratory testing. The apatite drain was covered with limestone riprap and filter fabric to protect the drainage system from stormwater and siltation. The drain consists of about 50 metric tons of apatite ore obtained from a phosphate mine in Florida. A gabion structure was constructed downstream of the apatite drain to create a settling pond to collect precipitates. Apatite effectively removed iron up to 4,200 mg/l, aluminum up to 830 mg/l and sulfate up to 13,430 mg/l. The pH was nearly constant for the influent and effluent, ranging between 3.1 and 4.3. Flow rate measured at the gabion structure ranged from 3 to 4.5 l/m. Precipitates of iron and aluminum phosphate (yellow and white suspendid solids) continued to accumulate in the settling pond.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.8
• /
• pp.564-570
• /
• 2013

Domestic treatment facilities for acid mine drainage (AMD) mostly used a passive treatment process. But some passive treatment facility discharged high manganese concentrations because it is required high pH (>9) for abiotic oxidation of Mn(II) to Mn(IV). This study was focused on the feasibility of biological manganese treatment using the manganese-oxidizing bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. MN5) from AMD and economical application method of it. To investigate the various conditions of water quality the most part of the experiments were based on batch test. And result of it showed that maximum manganese oxidation rate were $10.4mg/L{\cdot}h$ at the pH7. We also performed small column tests in which MOB were attached to the functional polyurethane (FPU) media containing alkaline chemicals. Manganese concentration decreased 42 mg/L to below 6 mg/L. But anaerobic condition formed by excessive bacterial respiration in column resulted in increasing effluent manganese concentration.