• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.537-543
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• 2003

As pyrite is commonly associated with arsenopyrite, the use of pyrite including arsenopyrite for medicine requires close attention on arsenic toxicity. The toxicity was reduced by traditional processing operations include heating and quenching in vinegar. To verify the scientific effects of this process, pyrite containing many crystals of arsenopyrite was processed at temperatures from 45$0^{\circ}C$ to 85$0^{\circ}C$ and through as many as 5 processing cycles. Arsenopyrite completely disappeared when processed only once at $650^{\circ}C$ while it remained even after 5 processing cycles at 45$0^{\circ}C$. Arsenic was most abundant in medicinal mineral samples processed at 45$0^{\circ}C$ and sharply decreased when processed at $650^{\circ}C$ or 85$0^{\circ}C$ And arsenic extraction test in water was carried out from the processed pyrite medicine on the assumption that pyrite medicines with the lowest As metal content would be most desirable. Arsenic were most abundant in water extracted from medicinal mineral samples processed at 45$0^{\circ}C$ and sharply decreased when processed at $650^{\circ}C$ or 85$0^{\circ}C$. But the extracted As concentrations in water exceeded drinking water standards even when processed at 85$0^{\circ}C$. Increasing temperature promoted elimination of arsenopyrite and reduction of As in medicinal minerals and the extraction solutions. But the effects of processing cycles at the same processing temperature were not clear. Heating temperature is more important than number of processing cycles for the removal of arsenic, and it is necessary to heat pyrite to over $650^{\circ}C$ to remove it.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.307-327
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• 2017

Ecological efficiency is an important index measuring and reflecting the sustainable development level of economy, resources and environment in a region. This paper makes an empirical study on the ecological efficiency of 31 provinces in China in 2014 with the three-stage DEA model. The results show that the three indexes, the total investment in environmental governance (Unit: hundred million Yuan), the second industry proportion(%), and per capita automobile ownership (car/ten thousand people) functioning as the external environmental variables have significantly impacted the regional ecological efficiency. Excluding the impact of the external environment and statistical noise, the technical efficiency of regional ecological efficiency has increased from 0.526 to 0.639, and the pure technical efficiency has increased from 0.650 to 0.858, with the scale efficiency decreased from 0.833 to 0.740, accurately reflecting the regional ecological efficiency level. 31 Chinese provinces are classified into four different types according to the pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. Every region shall, according to the characteristics of its efficiency, emphasize differently on improving the management level or expanding the scale of production so as to improve the ecological efficiency.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.632-640
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• 2017

In order to understand the seasonal and geographical characteristics of environmental factors and distribution of Escherichia coli by salinity gradient due to precipitation, we investigated abiotic and biotic factors during four seasons from February 2013 to November 2015. The study area was divided into three different zones based on salinity gradient and geo-oceanographic characteristics. During the study period, water temperature, salinity, Chlorophyll a, and secchi-depth varied in the range of $8.5-26.1^{\circ}C$, 13.5-34.4 psu, $0.4-74.0{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, and 0.5-10.0 m, respectively. Salinity was low at Zone I, which was influenced by water flux from Tae-hwa River, especially in 2014. Salinity was gradually increased (one-way ANOVA; p < 0.05) toward Zone III located offshore of the bay. The highest colony form of E. coli was detected at Zone I. E. coli maintained a relatively low level at Zone III during all seasons. E. coli was correlated with transparency (r = -0.36; p < 0.05) and salinity (r = -0.53; p < 0.01), implying that those parameters might play important roles in the proliferation of E. coli. These results indicated that E. coli were strongly affected by frequent rain (< 50 mm) around inner stations in Ulsan Bay of Korea.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.315-327
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• 2019

Back analysis has been used to evaluate the factor of safety and circular failure plane at the landfill failure site. However, the estimated circular failure plane by back analysis is quite different from what is observed in the field. Thus, this study was conducted to estimate an actual shear failure plane inside the ground which gives a more accurate failure plane. Cone penetration test (CPT), boring test, soft X-ray image scan, density logging, and ultrasonic logging were conducted at the field and laboratory. The result of CPT showed significantly lower cone resistance, pore pressure, and undrained shear strength at a particular part. This part is a possible shear failure plane inside the ground. To validate, the soft X-ray scan images were analyzed and found the disturbed (inclined) bedding plane induced by shear activity at the estimated shear failure plane. Density and ultrasonic logging tests also found a similar result. Thus, the method in this study is possible to estimate the shear failure plane inside the ground.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.381-393
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• 2021

Physical, mechanical, hydraulic, and geophysical tests were applied to validate methods of inspecting the effectiveness of grouting on an agricultural reservoir dam. Data obtained from series of in situ and laboratory tests considered four stages: before grouting; during grouting; immediately after grouting; and after aging the grouting for 28 days. The results of SPT and triaxial tests, including the unit weight, compressive strength, friction angle, cohesion, and N-value, indicated the extent of ground improvement with respect to grout injection. However, they sometimes contained errors caused by ground heterogeneity. Hydraulic conductivity obtained from in situ variable head permeability testing is most suitable for identifying the effectiveness of grouting because the impermeability of the ground increased immediately after grouting. Electric resistivity surveying is useful for finding a saturated zone and a seepage pathway, and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) is suitable for analyzing the effectiveness of grouting, as elastic velocity increases distinctly after grouting injection. MASW also allows calculation from the P- and S- wave velocities of dynamic properties (e.g., dynamic elastic modulus and dynamic Poisson's ratio), which can be used in the seismic design of dam structures.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.127-136
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• 2021

This study was carried out to understand China's earthquake governance and role-sharing, and to strategically use it for research cooperation in related fields with China. The characteristics of China's national earthquake governance and role-sharing are detailed in this study. First, unlike Korea, China's geoscience and earthquake research fields are separate, and are clearly distinguished from other fields of science and technology. They hold a higher status compared to other fields in China. Second, China's provincial earthquake agencies simultaneously carry out related tasks under the dual supervisory management system of the central and provincial governments. Third, the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) has the authority to do research and development, manpower training, and degree conferment, which are centered on directly affiliated institutions. Fourth, China carries out similar functions in directly affiliated institutions of the CEA and the China Geological Survey (CGS), and affiliated institutions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), respectively. Fifth, the CEA is continuously expanding the seismic observation network that connects the vast land of the country. Sixth, China is considered to have detailed structures of earthquake-related laws and regulations. Given China's earthquake governance and role-sharing, it is considered that the possibility of success in research cooperation is high if Korea first determines whether it is under the jurisdiction of the CGS, CEA, and CAS, depending on the specific field.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.121-132
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• 2021

Green facade has a significant impact on building's energy performance by controlling the absorption of solar radiation and improving outdoor thermal comfort through shading and evapotranspiration. In particular, since high-density building does not enough green space, green facade, and rooftop greening using artificial ground plants are highly utilized. However, the level of cooling effect according to plant traits and irrigation control is different. Therefore, in this study, the cooling effect analyzed for a total of 4 cases by controlling the irrigation condition based on hedera and spurge. Although hedera under sufficient water had the highest cooling effect(-2℃~-4℃), had the lowest cooling effect under non-irrigation(+1.1℃~+4.4℃). In addition, hedera under sufficient water had cooling effect than hedera under non-irrigation(-1℃~-8.1℃) and in the case of spurge, it had cooling effect(-0.3℃~-7.8℃) more than non-irrigation. As a result of measuring the amount of transpiration according to the light intensity (PAR) and carbon dioxide concentration conditions, transpiration of hedera was higher than the spurge (respectively 0.63204mmolm^-2s^-1, 0.674367mmolm^-2s^-1). The difference in the cooling effect of the green facade under irrigation condition was significant. But the potential cooling effect of green facade according to plants species was different. Therefore, in order to maximize and continuously provide the cooling effect of green facade in urban areas, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of plants and the control of water supply through the irrigation system.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.207-219
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• 2021

Several additives are used to enhance the geotechnical properties (e.g., shear wave velocity, shear modulus) of soils to provide sustainable, economical and eco-friendly solutions in geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering. In this study, piezoelectric ring actuators are used to measure the shear wave velocity of unreinforced, fiber, cemented, and fiber reinforced cemented Toyoura sand. One dimensional oedometer tests are performed on medium dense specimens of Toyoura sand-cement-fiber-silica flour mixtures with different percentages of silica flour (0-42%), fiber and cement (e.g., 0-3%) additives. The experimental results indicate that behavior of the mixtures is significantly affected by the concentration of silica flour, fiber and cement additives. Results show that with the addition of 1-3% of PVA fibers, the shear wave velocity increases by only 1-3%. However, the addition of 1-4% of cement increases the shear wave velocity by 8-35%. 10.5-21% increase of silica flour reduces the shear wave velocity by 2-5% but adding 28-42% silica flour significantly reduces the shear wave velocity by 12-31%. In addition, the combined effect of cement and fibers was also found and with only 2% cement and 1% fiber, the shear wave velocity increase was found to be approximately 24% and with only 3% cement and 3% fibers this increased to 35%. The results from this study for the normalized shear modulus and normalized mean effective stress agree well with previous findings on pure Toyoura sand, Toyoura silty sand, fiber reinforced, fiber reinforced cemented Toyoura sand. Any variations are likely due to the difference in stress history (i.e., isotropic versus anisotropic consolidation) and the measurement method. In addition, these small discrepancies could be attributed to several other factors. The potential factors include the difference in specimen sizes, test devices, methods of analysis for the measurement of arrival time, the use of an appropriate Ko to convert the vertical stresses into mean effective stress, and sample preparation techniques. Lastly, it was investigated that there is a robust inverse relationship between α factor and 𝞫₀ exponent. It was found that less compressible soils exhibit higher 𝜶 factors and lower 𝞫₀ exponents.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 2022

In line with the megatrend of 2050 carbon neutrality, the amount of critical minerals used in clean-energy technology is expected to increase fourfold and sixfold, respectively, according to the Paris Agreement-based scenario as well as the 2050 carbon-neutrality scenario. And, in the case of Korea, in terms of the battery supply chain used for secondary batteries, the midstream that manufactures battery materials and battery cell packs shows strength, but the upstream that provides and processes raw materials is experiencing difficulties. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has established a strategy to secure lithium, nickel, and cobalt and is conducting surveys to respond to the upstream risk of these types of battery raw materials. In the case of lithium, exploration has been carried out in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do since 2020, and by the end of 2021, the survey area was selected for precision exploration by synthesizing all exploration data and building a 3D model. Potential resources will be assessed in 2022. In the case of nickel, the prospective site will be selected by the end of 2022 through a preliminary survey targeting 10 nickel sulfide deposits that have been prospected in the past. In the case of cobalt, Boguk cobalt is known only in South Korea, but there is only a record that cobalt was produced as a minor constituent of hydrothermal deposit. According to the literature, a cobalt ore body was found in the contact area between serpentinite and granite, and a protocol for cobalt exploration in Korea will be established.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.585-596
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• 2022

This study determined major factors influencing landslide occurrence along a forest road near Sangsan village, Sancheok-myeon, Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. Within a 2 km radius of the study area, landslides occur intensively during periods of heavy rainfall (August 2020). This makes study of the area advantageous, as it allows examination of the influence of only geological and tomographic factors while excluding the effects of rainfall and vegetation. Data for 82 locations (37 experiencing landslides and 45 not) were obtained from geological surveys, laboratory tests, and geo-spatial analysis. After some data preprocessing (e.g., error filtering, minimum-maximum normalization, and multicollinearity), structural equation model (SEM) and logistic regression (LR) analyses were conducted. These showed the regolith thickness, porosity, and saturated unit weight to be the factors most influential of landslide risk in the study area. The sums of the influence magnitudes of these factors are 71% in SEM and 83% in LR.