• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.3 s.178
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• pp.213-227
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• 2006

The geochemical evolution of mine drainage and leachate from waste rock dumps and stream water in Pb-As-rich abandoned Sechang mine area was investigated to elucidate mechanisms of trace metals. Total and sequential extractions were applied to estimate the distribution of trace metals in constituent phases of the waste rocks and to assess the mobility of trace metals according to physicochemical conditions. These discharged waters varied largely in chemical composition both spatially and temporally, and included cases with significant]y low pH (in the range 2.1-3.3), and extremely sulphate (up to 661 mg/l and metal contents (e.g. up to 169 mg/l for Zn, 27 mg/l for As, 3.97 mg/l for Pb, 2.99 mg/l for Cu, and 1.88 mg/l for Cd). Arsenic and heavy metal concentrations at the down-stream of Sechang mine have been decreased nearly to the background level in downstream sites (sites 8 and 16) without any artificial treatments. The oxidation of Fe-sulfides and the subsequent hydrolysis, of Fe(II), with precipitation of poorly crystallized minerals, constituted an efficient mechanism of natural attenuation which reduces considerably the transference of trace metals (i.e. Fe and As) to rivers. The dilution of drainage by mixing with pristine waters provoked an additional decrease of trace metal concentrations and a progressive pH increase. On the other hand, the most soluble cations (i.e. Zn) remained significantly as dissolved solutes until the pH was raised to approximately neutral values. With respect to ecotoxicity, it is likely that the Zn pollution is of particular concern in Sechang mine area. This was confirmed by the sequential extraction experiment, where Zn in wet waste-rock samples occurred predominantly in the exchangeable fraction (65-89% of total), while Pb was the highest in the reducible and carbonate fractions, and Cd, Cu and As in the residual fraction. Pb concentration in the readily available exchangeable fraction (34-48% of total) was dominated for dried waste rock samples. Considering the proportion of metals bound to the exchangeable and carbonate fractions, the comparative mobility of metals probably decreased in the order of Zn>Pb>Cd>As=Cu.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.283-296
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• 2014

The distribution of heavy metals in the stormwater runoffs from industrial sites around Shihwa Lake that implements the total pollutant load management system (TPLMS) was studied to characterize the temporal changes of metal concentrations and to assess the ecological risk in dissolved and particulate phases of the selected metals. The dissolved Co and Ni concentration demonstrated first flush and tended to decrease with increasing of the duration of rainfall. The intensity of precipitation was found to be the main controlling factor of particulate metals in the stromwater runoffs. The particulate concentration of Pb accounted for 97.2% so the particulate phase was its main form. Other metals followed the sequence: Pb>Cu>Cd>Co>Zn>Ni. The particulate-dissolved partitioning coefficient ($K_d$) indicated that the $K_d$ of Pb were bigger than that of other metals because the metal Pb in the stormwater runoffs is quickly removed into the particulate phase. In a single day rainfall event, total runoff fluxes for total metals as the sum of dissolved and particulate forms through only two sewer outlets were 2.21 kg for Co, 30.5 kg for Ni, 278.3 kg for Cu, 398.3 kg for Zn, 0.39 kg for Cd and 40.0 kg for Pb, respectively. Given the annual rainfall, the number of rain days and the basin area for total pollutant load management system (TPLMS) of Shihwa area, enormous amount of non-point metal pollutants were entered into Lake with any treatment. The dissolved metals (e.g., Ni, Cu and Zn) in the stormwater runoffs exceeded the acute water quality criteria. Additionally, all metals were significantly enriched in the particulate phase and exceeded the PEL criteria of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). These results indicated that the heavy metals in the stormwater runoffs may pose a very high ecological risk to the coastal environments and ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1230-1236
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• 2012

To verify that the electrokinetic remediation is effective for decreasing salinity of fields of the plastic-film house, field tests for physical property, chemical property, and crop productivity of soils have been conducted. The abridged result of those tests is as follows. In the EK treatment, the electrokinetic remediation has been treated at the constant voltage (about 0.8 V $cm^{-1}$) for fields of the farm household. At this time, an alternating current (AC) 220 V of the farm household was transformed a direct current. The HSCI (High Silicon Cast Iron) that the length of the stick for a cation is 20cm, and the Fe Plate for an anion have been spread out on the ground. As the PVC pipe that is 10 cm in diameter was laid in the bottom of soils, cations descend on the cathode were discharged together. For soil physical properties according to the EK treatment, the destruction effect of soil aggregate was large, and the infiltration rate of water was increased. However, variations of bulk density and porosity were not considerable. Meanwhile, in chemical properties of soils, principal ions of such as EC, $NO_3{^-}$-N, $K^+$, and $Na^+$ were better rapidly reduced in the EK treated control plot than in the untreated control plot. And properties such as pH, $P_2O_5$ and $Ca^{2+}$ had a small impact on the EK. For cropping season of crop cultivation according to the EK treatment, decreasing rates of chemical properties of soils were as follows; $NO_3{^-}$-N 78.3% > $K^+$ 72.3% > EC 71.6% $$\geq_-$$ $Na^+$ 71.5% > $Mg^{2+}$ 36.8%. As results of comparing the experimental plot that EK was treated before crop cultivation with it that EK was treated during crop cultivation, the decreasing effect of chemical properties was higher in the case that EK was treated during crop cultivation. After the EK treatment, treatment effects were distinct for $NO_3{^-}$-N and EC that a decrease of nutrients is clear. However, because the lasting effect of decreasing salinity were not distinct for the single EK treatment, fertilization for soil testing was desirable carrying on testing for chemical properties of soils after EK treatments more than two times. In the growth of cabbages according to the EK treatment, the rate of yield increase was 225.5% for the primary treatment, 181.0% for the secondary treatment, and 124.2% for third treatment compared with the untreated control plot. The yield was increased by a factor of 130.0% for the hot pepper at the primary treatment (Apr. 2011), 248.1% for the lettuce at the secondary treatment (Nov.2011), and 125.4% for the young radish at the third treatment (Jul. 2012). In conclusion, the effect of yield increase was accepted officially for all announced crops.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2011

In compliance with an international law about the ocean dumping of the sludge, the proper sewage treatment process which occurs from the wastewater treatment process has been becoming problem. Generally the sewage and the sludge are controlled from anaerobic condition when the sewage is treated and land filled, where the methane$(CH_{4})$ and the nitrous oxide $(N_{2}O)$ from this process are discharged. Because these gases have been known as one of the responsible gases for global warming, the wastewater treatment process is become known as emission sources of green house gases(GHG). This study is to suggest a new approach of estimate and environmental assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and sludge emissions from wastewater treatment processes. It was carried out by calculating the total amounts of GHG emitted from biological wastewater treatment process and the amount of the sludgegenerated from the processes. Four major biological wastewater treatment processes which are Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxidation$(A_{2}O)$, Bardenpho, Virginia Initiative Plant(VIP), University of Cape Town(UCT)are used and GPS-X software is used to model four processes. Based on the modeling result of four processes, the amounts of GHG emissions and the sludge produced from each process are calculated by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) 2006 guideline report. GHG emissions for water as well as sludge treatment processes are calculated for environmental assessment has been done on the scenario of various sludge treatments, such as composting, incineration and reclamation and each scenario is compared by using a unified index of the economic and environmental assessment. It was found that Bardenpho process among these processes shows a best process that can emit minimum amount of GHG with lowest impact on environment and composting emits the minimum amount of GHG for sludge treatment.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3 s.49
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• pp.171-187
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• 2006

The status of heavy metal contamination was investigated using chemical analyses of stream waters and sediments obtained from Samsanjeil and Sambong Cu mining area in Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. In addition, the degree and the environmental risk of heavy metal contamination in stream sediments was assessed through pollution index (Pl) and danger index (DI) based on total digestion by aqua regia and fractionation of heavy metal contaminants by sequential extraction, respectively. Not only the degree of heavy metal contamination was significantly higher in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area, but its environmental risk was also revealed much more serious in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area. The differences in status and level of contamination and environmental risk between both two mining areas may be attributed to existence of contamination source and geology. Acid mine drainage is continuously discharged and flows into the stream in Samsanjeil mining area, and it makes the heavy metal contamination in the stream more deteriorated than in Sambong mining area in which acid mine drainage is not produced. In addition, the geology of Samsanjeil mining area is mainly comprised of andesitic rocks including a small amount of calcite and having lower pH buffering capacity fer acid mine drainage, and it is likely that the heavy metal contamination cannot be naturally attenuated in streams. On the contrary, the main geology of Sambong mining area consists of pyroclastic sedimentary Goseong formation containing a high content of carbonates, particularly calcite, and it seems that these carbonates of high pH buffering capacity prevent the heavy metal contamination from proceeding downstream in stream within that area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.257-268
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• 2012

The EFDC model with find grid resolution system connecting the Gyeong-Gi bay and Han River estuary was constructed to study on spring-neap variability of net volume transport at each channel of the Han River estuary. The simulation time of numerical model is 124 days from May to August, 2009 with freshwater discharge at Han, Imjin and Yeseong River. The calibration and verification of model results was confirmed using harmonic components of water level and tidal current. The net volume transport was calculated during 30 days with normal freshwater conditions at Seokmo channel and Yeomha channel around Ganghwado. The ebbing net volume transport of 44% and 56% is drained into Gyeong-Gi bay through Yeomha and Seokmo channel, respectively. The ebbing net volume transport nearby Seodo at Yeomha channel convergence flooding net volume transport at Incheon harbor, and drain (westward direction) through channel of tidal flat between Ganghwado and Yeongjongdo to the Gyeong-Gi bay. The averaged net volume transport during 4 tidal cycles was compared to variation of spring-neap periods of the Yeomha channel. The convergence position is moved up- and down-ward according to spring-neap variability. The movement of the convergence zone is appeared because 1) increasing of discharged rate tidal flat channel between Ganghwado and Yeongjongdo at the spring period, 2) The growth of barotropic forcing with downward direction at the spring tide, and 3) The strength of the baroclinic pressure gradient is greater than spring with mixing processes.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.139-154
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• 2008

The nearly 75% of animal feed materials used for livestock production are imported every year in Korea. Most of imported feed ingredients are concentrated feeds such as com, wheat, soybean, soybean meal, etc. and they are used as the source materials for the production of assorted feed. The imported concentrated feeds are high in nitrogen and phosphorus. Therefore, the consistent import of feed ingredients may cause an increase of nutrient deposit in our agricultural ecosystem. In the current review, it was discussed with the situation of the feed importation and its nutritional composition to evaluate the nutrient load by the imported feeds onto agricultural ecosystem. The nutrient load caused by imported feeds in agricultural environment was compared with the nutrient demand for crop production. The amounts of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ introduced by the imported fteds in Korea were 371, 140 and 143 Ktons. And, the N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ loads excreted from imported feeds in livestock were 148, 84 and 86 Ktons of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ and These nutrient loads by the imported feeds are at the percentage of N 52%, $P_2O_5$ 52% and $K_2O$ 42% in the comparison of total nutrient amounts excreted from livestock animals in Korea. The 82.3% of nutrients excreted from livestock was recycled to crop land as compost and liquid fertilizer, and the others were discharged to river after water treatment processing or disposed to ocean. Also, passing through the recycling process far the production of compost and liquid fertilizer, the amount of nutrients was reduced by the ammonia vaporization of livestock feces and urine. Accordingly, N 81, $P_2O_5$ 74 and $K_2O$ 76 Ktons in the nutrients excreted from livestock were estimated to be utilized in the crop land. Consequently, it was estimated that 44, 48 and 69 Ktons of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ were taken up with crops in the consideration of the ratio of mineralization, and the amounts of leached or deposited N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ in crop land were estimated to be 37, 27 and 7 Ktons, respectively. It is estimated that 12%, 34% and 48% of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ introduced by the imported feeds were used by crops, and 10%, 34% and 5% of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ were leached or deposited in agricultural ecosystem. Therefore, considering the leached and deposited amounts of N, $P_2O_5\;and\;K_2O$ originated from the imported feed ingredients, the consistent import of feeds may gradually increase the nutrient load onto agricultural ecosystem.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.143-156
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• 2014

We reviewed investigation status on turbidity plume in the statement of marine environmental survey(2008 to 2012) associated with marine sand extraction projects. The survey statement from seven marine sand extraction sites (extraction area of Southern EEZ, extraction area of Western EEZ, relocation zone in the Western EEZ, sea area under jurisdiction of Taean-gun, sea area under jurisdiction of Ansan City, and two discrete sea areas under jurisdiction of Ongjin-gun) in the nearshore and offshore of Korea showed that in situ observations were carried out for the dispersion and transport of suspended sediments on two areas (One is a extraction area in the EEZs, the other is an area of coastal sites). However, sampling station and range have not been selected considering physical, geographical factors (tide, wave, stratification, water depth, etc.) and weather conditions (wind direction and velocity, fetch, duration, etc). Especially turbidity plumes originating from three sources, which include suspended sediments in overflow(or overspill) discharged from spillways and reject chutes of dredging vessel, and resuspended sediments from draghead at the seabed, may be transported to a far greater distance outside the boundary of the extraction site and have undesirable impacts on the marine environment and ecosystem. We address that behaviour of environmental pollutants such as suspended solids, nutrients, and metals should be extensively monitored and diagnosed during the dispersion and transport of the plume. Finally we suggest the necessity to supplement the current system of the sea area utilization consultation and establish the combined guidelines on marine sand extraction to collect basic data, to monitor cumulative effects, and to minimize environmental damages incurred by the aftermath of sand extraction.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.56-65
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• 2022

Copper is one of the non-ferrous metals used in the electrical/electronic manufacturing industries due to its superior properties particularly the high conductivity and less resistivity. The effluent generated from the surface finishing process of these industries contains higher copper content which gets discharged in to water bodies directly or indirectly. This causes severe environmental pollution and also results in loss of an important valuable metal. To overcome this issue, continuous R & D activities are going on across the globe in adsorption area with the purpose of finding an efficient, low cost and ecofriendly adsorbent. In view of the above, present investigation was made to compare the performance of a plant root (Datura root powder) as a bio-adsorbent to that of the synthetic one (Tulsion T-42) for copper adsorption from such effluent. Experiments were carried out in batch studies to optimize parameters such as adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, feed concentration, etc. Results of the batch experiments indicate that 0.2 g of Datura root powder and 0.1 g of Tulsion T-42 showed 95% copper adsorption from an initial feed/solution of 100 ppm Cu at pH 4 in contact time of 15 and 30 min, respectively. Adsorption data for both the adsorbents were fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm. Experimental results were also validated with the kinetic model, which showed that the adsorption of copper followed pseudo-second order rate expression for the both adsorbents. Overall result demonstrates that the bio-adsorbent tested has a potential applicability for metal recovery from the waste solutions/effluents of metal finishing units. In view of the requirements of commercial viability and minimal environmental damage there from, Datura root powder being an effective material for metal uptake, may prove to be a feasible adsorbent for copper recovery after the necessary scale-up studies.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.134-144
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• 2024

In this study, the mechanical stability of red mud was improved for its commercial use as a catalyst to effectively decompose HFC-134a, one of the seven major greenhouse gases. Red mud is an industrial waste discharged from aluminum production, but it can be used for the decomposition of HFC-134a. Red mud can be manufactured into a catalyst via the crushing-preparative-compression molding-firing process, and it is possible to improve the catalyst performance and secure mechanical stability through calcination. In order to determine the optimal heat treatment conditions, pellet-shaped compressed red mud samples were calcined at 300, 600, 800 ℃ using a muffle furnace for 5 hours. The mechanical stability was confirmed by the weight loss rate before and after ultra-sonication after the catalyst was immersed in distilled water. The catalyst calcined at 800 ℃ (RM 800) was found to have the best mechanical stability as well as the most catalytic activity. The catalyst performance and durability tests that were performed for 100 hours using the RM 800 catalyst showed thatmore than 99% of 1 mol% HFC-134a was degraded at 650 ℃, and no degradation in catalytic activity was observed. XRD analysis showed tri-calcium aluminate and gehlenite crystalline phases, which enhance mechanical strength and catalytic activity due to the interaction of Ca, Si, and Al after heat treatment at 800 ℃. SEM/EDS analysis of the durability tested catalysts showed no losses in active substances or shape changes due to HFC-134a abasement. Through this research, it is expected that red mud can be commercialized as a catalyst for waste refrigerant treatment due to its high economic feasibility, high decomposition efficiency and mechanical stability.