• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Deep geological disposal is the preferred storage method for high-level radioactive waste, because it ensures stable long-term storage with minimal potential for human disruption. Because of the risk of groundwater contamination, a buffer of steel and bentonite layers has been proposed to prevent the leaching of radionuclides into groundwater. Quartz is one of the most common minerals in earth's crust. To understand how deformation and dissolution phenomena affect waste disposal, here we study quartz samples at pressure, temperature, and pH conditions typical of deep geological disposal sites. We perform a dissolution experiment for single quartz crystals under different pressure and temperature conditions. Solution samples are collected and the dissolution rate is calculated by analyzing Si concentrations in a solution excited by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). After completing the dissolution experiment, deformation of the quartz sample surfaces is investigated with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). An empirical formula is introduced that describes the relationship between dissolution rate, pressure, and temperature. These results suggest that bentonite layers in engineering barrier systems may be vulnerable to thermal deformation, even when exposed to higher temperatures on relatively short timescales.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2018

This paper presents results of a compressive investigation conducted on weathered soil stabilized with ground bottom ash (GBA) and red mud (RM). The effects of water/binder ratio, RM/GBA ratio, chemical activator (NaOH and $Na_2SiO_3$) and curing time on unconfined compressive strength of stabilized soils were examined. The results show that the water/binder ratio of 1.2 is optimum ratio at which the stabilized soils have the maximum compressive strength. For 28 days of curing, the compressive strength of soils stabilized with alkali-activated GBA and RM varies between 1.5 MPa and 4.1 MPa. The addition of GBA, RM and chemical activators enhanced strength development and the rate of strength improvement was more significant at the later age than at the early age. The potential environmental impacts of stabilized soils were also assessed. The chemical property changes of leachate from stabilized soils were analyzed in terms of pH and concentrations of hazardous elements. The observation revealed that the soil mixture with ground bottom ash and red mud proved environmentally safe.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.449-456
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• 2014

Ternary blends of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone) (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) were produced with different concentrations of components via melt blending. By leaching the PEO from the samples by water, porous materials were obtained with potential application for bio scaffolds. Sample porosity was evaluated by calculating the ratio of porous scaffold density (${\rho}^*$) to the non-porous material density (${\rho}_s$). Highest porosity (51.42%) was related to the samples containing 50 wt%. of PEO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed the best porosity resulted by decreasing PLLA/PCL ratio at constant concentration of PEO. Crystallization behavior of the ternary blend samples was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results revealed that the crystallinity of PLLA was improved by addition of PEO and PCL to the samples. The porosity plays a key role in governing the compression properties. Mechanical properties are presented by Gibson-Ashby model.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.356-365
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• 2020

The aqueous carbonation efficiencies of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and ladle slags at various pressures, temperatures, and liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratios were investigated to determine optimum conditions. The maximum CO₂ carbonated concentrations in slag (0.584 mmol/g for BOF slag and 1.038 mmol/g for ladle slag) was obtained at 10 bars, 40℃, and L/S = 5 mL/g-dry. The L/S ratio was the most critical parameter for carbonation. The effect of carbonated slag amendment on the immobilization of heavy metals in two field-contaminated soils was also investigated. The immobilization efficiencies evaluated by using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and the Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (SM&T) were above 90% for both raw and carbonated slags for all soils. The TCLP-extractable heavy metals concentrations were below the criteria (5.0, 1.0 and 5.0 g/L for Pb, Cd, and Cr, respectively) after immobilizations with both slags except for Pb in soil B. The SM&T analysis showed the decrease in the exchangeable phase but the increase in residual phase after immobilization with raw and carbonated slags. The results of this study imply the promising potential of the carbonated slags on the immobilization of heavy metals in the field-contaminated soils.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.35-45
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• 2021

Digestate or slurry produced from anaerobic digestion is mostly applied to crop lands for its disposal and recovering nutrients. However, minimizing nitrogen losses following field application of the digestate is important for maximizing the plant's nitrogen uptake and reducing environmental concerns. This study was conducted to assess the effects of three different biogas digestate application techniques (sawdust mixed with digestate (SSD), the hole application method (HA), and digestate injected in the soil (SD)) on nitrate leaching potential in the soil. A pot laboratory experiment was conducted at room temperature of 25 ± 2 ℃ for 107 days. The experimental results showed that sawdust application method turned out to be appropriate for quick immobilization of surplus N in the form of microbial biomass N, reflecting its lower total nitrogen and NH₄-N contents and low pH. The NH₄-N and total nitrogen fate in the soil fertilized with manure showed no statistically significant (p > 0.05) differences between the different methods applied during the incubation time under room temperature. In contrast, NO₃-N concentration indicates significant reduction in sawdust treatment (p < 0.05) compared to the control and other application methods. However, the soil sawdust mixed with digestate was more effective than the other methods, because of the cumulative labile carbon contents of the amendment, which implies soil net N immobilization.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.173-179
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• 2019

Prussian blue (PB) is known to be an effective material for radioactive cesium adsorption, but its nano-range size make it difficult to be applied for contaminated water remediation. In this study, a simple and versatile approach to immobilize PB in the supporting matrix via surface functionalization was investigated. The commercially available poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge was functionalized by acrylic acid (AA) to change its major functional group from hydroxyl to carboxylic, which provides a stronger ionic bond with PB. The amount of AA added was optimized by evaluating the weight change rate and iron(III) ion adsorption test. The FTIR results revealed the surface functional group changing to a carboxyl group. The surface functionalization enhanced the attachment of PB, which minimized the leaching out of PB. The $Cs^+$ adsorption capacity significantly increased due to surface functionalization from 1.762 to 5.675 mg/g. These findings showed the excellent potential of the PB-PAA-PVA sponge as a cesium adsorbent as well as a versatile approach for various supporting materials containing the hydroxyl functional group.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.22-36
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• 2022

Cadmium is a class 1 carcinogen classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and has a high potential for leaching into groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to address cadmium contamination by employing adequate treatment methodologies. Although various methods have been suggested to reduce cadmium in groundwater, their applications often suffer from various limitation arising from heterogeneous field conditions and technical difficulties. In this work, several in-situ technologies to treat cadmium contaminated groundwater were reviewed and discussed by separately addressing physicochemical, chemical and biological methods. In particular, the optimum cadmium remediation strategies that involve physical removal of source area → physicochemical and chemical remediation → biological remediation were proposed by considering reduction efficiency, adsorption rate, economic feasibility and ease of field application in groundwater.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.484-491
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• 2012

The hydrological components of a sandy loam soil of nearly level in Chuncheon over 30 years were computed using the E-DiGOR model. Daily simulations were carried out for each year during the period of 1980 to 2009 using standard climate data. Reference evapotranspiration and potential soil evaporation based on Penman-Montheith model were higher during May to August because of the higher atmospheric evaporative demand. Actual soil evaporation was mainly found to be a function of the amount and timing of rainfall, and presumably soil wetness in addition to atmospheric demand. Drainage was affected by rainfall and increased with a higher amount of precipitation and soil water content. Excess drainage occurred throughout rainy months (from July to September), with a peak in July. Therefore, leaching may be a serious problem in the soils all through these months. The 30-year average annual reference evapotranspiration and potential soil evaporation were 951.5 mm and 714.2 mm, respectively. The actual evaporation from bare soil varied between 396.9-528.4 mm and showed comparatively lesser inter-annual variations than drainage. Annual drainage rates below 120 cm soil depth ranged from 477.8 to 1565.9 mm. The long-term mean annual drainage-loss was approximately two times higher than actual soil evaporation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2001

In order to recover Au and Pd from the leaching solution of various electronic wastes by electrowinning, the electrochemical behavior of Au and Pd in hydorchloric acidic solution was investigated by means of voltammetry. The reduction potential of Au ion was 800mV and the limiting current appeared at 470mV in electrolytic solution of gold. The reduction potential of Pd ion was 500mv and the limiting current appeared at 150mV in electrolytic solution of Palladium. However, in Au-Pd electrolytic solution, the Potentials for reduction and the limiting current of Au decreased as the content of Pd in electrolyte increased, and the potentials for the limiting current of Au and Pd closed nearest together when percentage of Pd electrolytic solution was 37v71% in Au-Pd electrolyte.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2008

Biomedical scaffold for tissue regeneration was fabricated by one of rapid prototyping processes, bioplotting system, with a biodegradable and biocompatible poly($\varepsilon$-carprolactone)(PCL). Through dynamic mechanical test, it was observed that the PCL scaffold manufactured by the bioplotting process has the superior mechanical properties compared to the conventional scaffold fabricated by a salt-leaching process, and the plotted scaffold could be employed as a potential scaffold to regenerating hard and soft tissue. The plotted scaffold was consisted of porous structures. which were interconnected with each pore to help cells be easily adhered and proliferated in the wall of pore tunnels, and metabolic nutrients can be transported within the matrix. By using the plotting system, we could adjust the pore size, porosity, strand pitch, and, strand diameter of PCL scaffolds, which were important parameters to control mechanical properties of the scaffolds, and consequently we could determine that the mechanically controlled scaffolds could be used as a matching scaffold for any required mechanical properties of the target organ. The fabricated 3D PCL scaffold showed enough possibility as a 3D biomedical scaffold, which was cell-cultured with chondrocytes.