• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.43-49
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• 2003

ETS concentrations in the PC game rooms and factors affecting ETS concentrations were measured. Nicotine, 3-EP, respirable dust and UVPM were used as tracers for ETS. ETS concentrations are 2-3 times higher than those of other results. The concentration of ETS at the commercial district was higher than that of the residential district. The correlations between these tracers and SD/ ACH, a factor affecting to ETS concentration, were calculated. The correlation between 3-ethenylpyridine among tracers and SD/ACH was highest. The correlation between respirable dust and SD/ ACH was lowest. It was difficult to recommend respirable dust as a tracer of ETS.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.201-208
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• 2007

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are anthropogenic contaminants found globally in water, ice, soil, air and sediment. Modern analytical techniques allow us to determine these chemicals in environmental matrices at parts per trillion levels or lower. Environmental forensic on PCBs opens up new avenues of investigation such as transport and fate of water masses in oceans, sedimentation, onset of primary production, migration of marine mammals, their population distribution and pharmacokinetics of drugs inside organisms. By virtue of persistence, bioaccumulation, bioconcentration and structure-activity relationship PCBs emerge as unconventional chemical tracers of new sort.

• Geosciences Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1041-1052
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• 2018

A single-well push-drift-pull tracer test using two different tracers ($SF_6$ and salt) was performed at the Environmental Impact Test (EIT) site to determine suitable locations for monitoring wells and arrange them prior to artificial $CO_2$ injection and leak tests. Local-scale estimates of hydraulic properties (linear groundwater velocity and effective porosity) were obtained at the study site by the tracer test with two tracers. The mass recovery percentage of the volatile tracer ($SF_6$) was lower than that of the non-volatile tracer (salt) and increased drift time may make degassing of $SF_6$ intensified. The $CO_2$ leakage monitoring results for both unsaturated and saturated zones suggest that the $CO_2$ monitoring points should be located near points at which a high concentration gradient is expected. Based on the estimated hydraulic properties and tracer mass recovery rates, an optimal $CO_2$ monitoring network including boreholes for monitoring the unsaturated zone was constructed at the study site.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.52-59
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• 2006

This study was conducted to find end-members and tracers which are effective to be applied in the End Member Mixing Analysis (EMMA) model for runoff separation at the Gwangneung coniferous forest catchment (13.6ha), Gyeonggido, Korea. We monitored three successive rainfall events during two weeks from June 26, 2005 to July 10, 2005, and analysed chemical properties of rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, groundwater and soil water considered as main components of storm runoff. The followings are the results of analyses of each component and tracer. Groundwater, soil water and rainfall (or throughfall) were dominant runoff components. Rainfall and groundwater were selected as main components for the two components-one tracer mixing model, and groundwater, soilwater and throughfall were selected as main components for the three components-two tracers mixing model. Tracers were selected from anion ($Cl^-$ and ${SO_4}^{2-}$), cation ($Na^+$, $K^+$, $Mg^{2+}$, and $Ca^{2+}$) and Acid Neutralizing Capacity (ANC) in event 1, 2, and 3. $Na^+$, $Ca^{2+}$ and ANC were selected in the two components-one tracer mixing model and ${SO_4}^{2-}-K^+$, ${SO_4}^{2-}-Na^+$, ${SO_4}^{2-}-Ca^{2+}$, ${SO_4}^{2-}$-ANC, and $Ca^{2+}$-ANC were selected in the three components-two tracers mixing model. Selected main runoff components and tracers can provide basic information to determine the contribution rate of each runoff component and identify the runoff process in a forest watershed.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2021

Several studies investigating the behavior and environmental distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) have been reviewed to determine the geochemical processes that may affect their concentrations and fractionation patterns in groundwater and whether these elements can be used as tracers for groundwater-rock interactions and groundwater flow paths in small catchments. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer and active-film multiplier detector, is routinely used as an analytical technique to measure REEs in groundwater, facilitating the analysis of dissolved REE geochemistry. This review focuses on the distribution of REEs in groundwater and their application as tracers for groundwater geochemistry. Our review of existing literature suggests that REEs in ice cores can be used as effective tracers for atmospheric particles, aiding the identification of source regions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.42-52
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• 2011

In this laboratory study, the changes in gas-exposed perchloroethene (PCE) saturation in sand during a PCE removal process were measured using gaseous tracers. The flux of fresh air through a glass column packed with PCEcontaminated, partially water-saturated sand drove the removal of PCE from the column. During the removal of PCE, methane, n-pentane, difluoromethane and chloroform were used as the non-reactive, PCE-partitioning, water-partitioning, and PCE and water-partitioning tracers, respectively. N-pentane was used to detect the PCE fraction exposed to the mobile gas. At water saturation of 0.11, only 65% of the PCE was found to be exposed to the mobile gas prior to the removal of PCE, as calculated from the n-pentane retardation factor. More PCE than that detected by n-pentane was depleted from the column due to volatilization through the aqueous phase. However, the ratio of gas-exposed to total PCE decreased on the removal of PCE, implying gas-exposed PCE was preferentially removed by vaporization. These results suggest that the water-insoluble, PCE-partitioning tracer (n-pentane in this study), along with other tracers, can be used to investigate the changes in fluid (including nonaqueous phase liquid) saturation and the removal mechanism during the remediation process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.1372-1377
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• 2009

For the remediation of the subsurface contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids(NAPLs), it is important to characterize the NAPL zone properly. Conventional characterization methods provide data at discrete points. To overcome the weak points of conventional characterization methods, the partitioning tracer method has been developed and studied. The average saturation of NAPL($S_n$), which is the representative and continuous saturation value within contaminated site, can be calculated by comparing the transport of the partitioning tracers to that of the conservative tracer in the partitioning tracer method. In this study, the application of the partitioning tracer method in heterogeneous media was investigated. To represent the heterogeneous condition of subsurface, a two-dimensional soil box was divided into four layers and each layer contained different sized soils. Soils in the soil box were contaminated by the mixture of kerosene and diesel, and partitioning tracer tests were conducted before and after the contamination using methanol as conservative tracer and 4-methyl-2-pentanol, 2-ethyl-1-butanol, and hexanol as partitioning tracers. The response curves of partitioning tracers from contaminated soils were separated and retarded in comparison with those from non-contaminated soils. The contamination of soils by NAPLs, therefore, can be detected by partitioning tracer method considering these retardations of tracers. From our experiment condition, the average saturation of NAPLs calculated by partitioning tracer method using the methanol as conservative tracer and hexanol as partitioning tracer showed the highest accuracy, though all results were underestimated. Further studies, therefore, were needed for improving the accuracy using the partitioning tracer test in heterogeneous media.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.159-162
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• 2002

Innovative and nondestructive characterization techniques have been developed to locate and quantify nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the vadose and saturated zones in the subsurface environment. One such technique is the partitioning interwell tracer test (PITT). The PITT is a simultaneous displacement of partitioning and non-partitioning tracers through a subsurface formation. Partitioning tracers will partition into the NAPL during their transport through NAPL-contaminated formations. Mean travel times of partitioning and non-partitioning tracers are used to estimate the quantity of NAPL encountered by the displaced tracer pulse. Travel times are directly proportional to the partitioning coefficient and the volume of NAPL contacted in the subsurface environment. This paper discusses the conceptual background, design and implementation of PITTs. (This document has not been subjected to Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.)

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.59-61
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• 2002

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.13-21
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• 2008

Partitioning tracer method is a useful tool to characterize large domains of the aquifers contaminated with light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs). Sorption of the partitioning tracers to the organic matter content of soil can potentially influence the efficacy of partitioning tracer method. LNAPL-water partitioning coefficients of tracers ($K_{nw}$), measured by static method, showed linear relationship. Sorption isotherm tests were conducted to evaluate the sorption capacity of the soils packed in the columns and the results were appropriately represented by Freundlich sorption isotherm. The sorption of tracers proportionally increased with the increase of the organic matter content of the soil. Laboratory experiments were conducted in four columns each packed with soils of different organic matter contents to determine the potential interference effects of sorption to soil organic matter content and correction factors for the errors in estimation of LNAPLs by partitioning tracer method. Though there were no contaminants added, breakthrough curves from columns packed with mixture of Jumunjin standard sand and organic matter showed separation of tracers. Columns were then contaminated to residual saturation with kerosene and breakthrough curves were obtained. The results show that sorption of tracers to soil organic matter leads to an increase in the retardation factor (R) and hence, to an overestimation of the saturation of LNAPLs. A relation between the percentage of organic matter content and the corresponding percentage error in the estimation of NAPLs has been developed.