• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2012

In this study, an electrical resistivity survey and a drilling investigation were conducted at an animal carcass disposal site. Chemical analysis of leachate collected from the site was also performed (sampling times: May 2011 and June 2012). Five lines of dipole-dipole electrical resistivity surveys were carried out, along with drilling investigations at 3 points within the disposal areas and 11 points near the disposal site. Two-dimensional inverse modeling of the collected resistivity data was performed to evaluate the properties (size, depth, and form) of the disposal site. Leachate analysis showed that pH of leachate decreased from 7.4 to 6.7, while Eh changed from -358 mV to -48 mV over time. In addition, dissolved ions increased due to the progression of carcass decomposition. Results of the electrical resistivity survey indicated that low resistivity zones (minimum value, $0.64{\Omega}m$) existed at a depth of 8 m from the surface. Considering the bedrock location and carcass disposal depth, there was no evidence of bedrock contamination by leachate. The results of the electrical resistivity survey are consistent with those of the drilling investigation, which indicates that electrical resistivity effectively depicted the properties of the disposal site. This study demonstrates that electrical resistivity survey is a suitable technique for investigation of animal carcass disposal sites.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.137-147
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• 2013

A lot of burial sites for the disposal of the contagious livestock slaughtered by foot and mouth disease were constructed in a short time for preventing the rapid spread of the virus. More than 4,700 carcass burial sites were constructed in 2011. Approximately 7 million poultry and 3.5 million livestock including head of cattle and swine were buried in farm land. However, the available cost data for a burial site was not provided. This study was to performed in order to understand the economic issues related to carcass burial disposal. The data from a local government was analyzed and the assumption data web based was constructed to evaluate the cost for constructing a carcass burial. The results showed that the local government paid KRW 5,386 for the burial disposal of a mortality (swine). It was estimated that the cost could be reduced through an appropriate measures.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2010

Disposal methods of managing carcass in Korea livestock production systems include burying, digesting, rendering, carcass dumping to manure pile, dead animal disposer and mini-incinerator. Burying was usually the most practical method of carcass disposal in our livestock farms. Burying, carcass dumping to manure pile, dead animal disposer and mini-incinerator may have environmental regulatory and economic liabilities when used as a means of carcass disposal. In many cases in this survey, these disposal methods offer a poor choice for the producer due to individual site conditions, geology, cost, air emissions, rendering plants. A survey questionnaire that addressed the issues to livestock producers was prepared. The questionnaire addressed two main topics as follows: 1) types of livestock and generation amounts of carcass 2) Number of breeding animals and disposal methods of livestock mortality. A total of 36 livestock producers were interviewed. The results of obtained in this survey were summarized as follows: The number of breeding poultry, swine, beef cow and dairy cow was 251,000, 2,600, 142 and 92 heads per year and the generation amounts of annually carcass was 0.46, 15.32, 0.36, 1.36 tons per year of each poultry, swine, beef cow and dairy cow farms, respectively. The disposal methods of carcass were burying (42%), carcass dumping to manure pile (36%), rendering (8%), incineration (6%), digesting (6%), carcass disposer (2%), respectively. These results can be used as basic information to establish the standard of carcass composting facility.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.189-196
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• 2014

In Korea, over 4,700 animal carcass disposal sites were installed until 2011 due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Due to the putrefaction of buried animals, the leachate containing veterinary antibiotics may release into surrounding environments. Antibiotic residues in the environment cause the formation of antibiotic resistance bacteria threatening human and ecosystem health. This study reports the concentrations of five antibiotics, including tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethazine (SMZ), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), in soils from animal carcass disposal site and adjacent agricultural field. Concentrations of antibiotics at animal carcass disposal sites (TC: $144.26-350.73{\mu}g/kg$, SMZ: $17.72-44.94{\mu}g/kg$) were higher than those at agricultural field (TC: $134.16-320.73{\mu}g/kg$, SMZ: $6.48-8.85{\mu}g/kg$) whereas the concentrations of CTC, OTC, and SMX were below detection limit in both sites. Results showed that the antibiotics in animal carcass site might leach to the soil and possibly contaminating the groundwater. Future studies will focus on the transfer of antibiotics residues into food crops.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 2015

Purifying leachate discharged from animal carcass disposal sites requires decisions regarding the locations and numbers of boreholes. An electrical resistivity survey, known to be effective for investigating leachate distribution, was performed to evaluate the range extent of contamination due to local hydrological properties, such as groundwater flow direction, and geological structure. Results of the survey at four sites at a landfill near Icheon and Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, showed low-resistivity zones (20-200 ohm-m) at a depth of 8 m from the surface. Sites 1-4, which contain 5, 2, 4, and 2 boreholes, respectively, were estimated to have a contaminated groundwater acquisition capability of 12.9 m, 13.7 m, 10.1 m, and 18.0 m, and measured pumping capacity of 2,040 m³, 479.8 m³, 1,492.3 m³, and 691.9 m³, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.384-389
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• 2010

Outbreak of contagious diseases to livestock animals is becoming prevalent worldwide and consequently, tremendous numbers of the infected or culled stocks are buried on the ground as the most common disposal method. The buried animals can generate a wide range of detrimental components such as leachate, nutrient salts, and pathogenic bacteria, consequently contaminating the surround environment. This implies that regular investigations are required to monitor any possible detrimental environmental aspect occurred around burial sites. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate whether the soil and groundwater nearby the burial sites had been contaminated by the substances originated from the burial sites, which can be applied for the establishment of the ideal burial site construction design and post management scheme. For this, two different burial sites located in Cheonan and Pyeongtaek were selected. Cheonan and Pyeongtaek sites were constructed in 2004 and 2008, respectively and both contained dead poultry infected by avian influenza (AI). Soil and groundwater samples were collected around the sites followed by determination of the nutrient concentrations and bacteria (Salmonella, Camphylobacter, and Bacillus) existence in both soil and groundwater. Some of the soil samples showed higher EC, $NH_4$-N, $NO_3$-N concentration compared to those of the background (control) soils. Also the concentration of $NH_4$-N in some of the groundwater samples appeared to exceed the USEPA guideline value for drinking water (10 mg $L^{-1}$). These results indicated that the soil and groundwater were influenced by the burial site originated nutrients. In the soil, Bacillus was isolated in most soil samples while there were no detections of Salmonella and Camplylobacter. Due to the Bacillus existing mainly as a spore in the soils, it was considered that the frequent detection of Bacillus in the soil samples was attributed to the nutrients originated from the burial sites.