• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.213-220
• /
• 1995

Geochemistry of stream water and sediment collected in the vicinity of the Donghae coal mine in the Samchuk coalfied were investigated in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of acid mine drainage. The pH of stream water ranges from 2.85(at 2 km away from the mine) to 7.92(at uncontaminated tributary). The main cation and anion species in the upper stream are $Ca^{2+}$ and $SO_{4}{^2-}$, respectively. The level of pH and the amount of $HCO^{3-}$ in stream water increase to the downstream and where uncontaminated small tributaries are joining, and in the area covered with limestone. From the results of thermodynamic calculation, the main forms of iron in stream water are estimated as $Fe^{2+}$ and $FeSO_{4}{^0}$, and most of them could be precipitated as FeO(OH) with increase of pH. The white precipitates in stream sediments particularly found around the coal mine are proved to be $Al(OH)_3$ by XRD and XRF analysis. As a result of investigation for seasonal variation of AMD, the level of pH decreased and conductivity increased in dry season.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.295-302
• /
• 2017

In this study, a new quantitative instrumentation and measurement standards applicable to the field of mining has been proposed to improve the problems of the current measurement practices that apply the measuring standards of the civil engineering field (road, railway, etc.). With the data coordination of the mine reclamation corporation, we collected data on ground subsidence in the abandoned mine area, and studied various techniques for establishing a new management reference value based on the manual measurement data measured in the field. As a result, new instrumentation and measurement standards is set up and proposed by using statistics like the average value, the third quartile, the 95% confidence, and the maximum value.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.83-91
• /
• 2015

Mine soil contamination by high levels of metal ions that prevents the successful vegetation poses a serious problem. In the study presented here, we used the microbial biocatalyst of urease producing bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii or plant extract based BioNeutro-GEM (BNG) agent. The ability of the biocatalysts to bioremediate contaminated soil from abandoned mine was examined by solid-state composting vegetation under field conditions. Treatment of mine soil with the 2 biocatalysts for 5 months resulted in pH increase and electric conductivity reduction compared to untreated control. Further analyses revealed that the microbial catalysts also promoted the root and shoot growth to the untreated control during the vegetation treatments. After the Sporosarcina pasteurii or plant extract based BNG treatment, the microbial community change was monitored by culture-independent pyrosequencing. These results demonstrate that the microbial biocatalysts could potentially be used in the soil bioremediation from mine-impacted area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 1999

The objectives of this study are to investigate soil contamination in the vicinity of abandoned Au-Ag mine and to apply a remediation technique of liming to tailings. In the study area of the Imcheon Au-Ag mine, soils were sampled in and around the mine the analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry extracted by both 0.1N HCl and aqua regia. Elevated levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations extracted by 0.1N HCl were found in soils taken from tailings site. These high contents directly influenced metal concentrations in soils taken in the vicinity of the site. This is mainly due to clastic movement by wind and effluent of mine waste water. In addition, relatively enriched concentrations of the metals were found in soils extrated by aqua regia due to strong decomposition of the samples compared with 0.1N HCl extration. According to the statistical approach, metal concentrations in soils by 0.1N HCl had a positive correlation with those by aqua regia extraction. Mine waste waters and stream waters were also sampled around the mine in spring and summer and analyzed by AAS for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, and by Ion Chromatography for anions. Like soils developed over tailings, significant levels of metals and sulphates were found in the mine waste waters ranging of 0.2~0.3, 0.5~2.0, 0.2~2.8, 30~50 and 1,240~4,700 mg/l of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and $SO_4^{2-}$, respectively. These elevated levels influenced in the stream waters in the vicinity of the tailings site. In seasonal variation of metal and anion contents, relatively high levels were found in waters sampled on summer due to leaching the metals and anions from tailings by rain. This study also examined the possibility of lime treatment for remediation of acid mine tailings and assumed to be 46 tones of pulverized lime for neutralization of the tailings.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.38 no.2 s.171
• /
• pp.135-142
• /
• 2005

In order to investigate the contamination level and seasonal variation of heavy metals and evaluate the bioavailability of toxic elements, environmental geochemical survey was undertaken at the Dogok Au-Ag-Cu mine area. The main pollution sources in the area were suggested as tailings, mine waste materials and mine water. Elevated levels of $140{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}As,{\;}107{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Cd,{\;} 3017{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Cu,{\;}12926{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg{\;}Pb,{\;}9094{\cal}mg/{\cal}kg$ Zn(before rainy season) were found in mine tailings. Concentrations of heavy metals in farmland soils exceeded normal level in nature soil (Bowen, 1979). The highest level of heavy metals was found in water samples near the mine tailing dumps regarded as a main pollution source of toxic elements in the area. These concentrations decreased to downstream due to the effect of dilution. From the results of sequential extraction analyses for tailings and soils, non-residual forms of heavy metals were found, which indicate the contamination to be progressing by continuing weathering and oxidation. Cadmium and Zn would be of the highest mobility in all samples. The bioavailability of Cd, Cu, Zn and As using SBET analysis from paddy soils was $53.3{\%},{\;}46.5{\%},{\;}41.0{\%}$ and $37.0\%$, respectively. The farmland soil sample(S3) showed the highest total concentration and bioavailability of heavy metals.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.520-525
• /
• 2019

Mines are an important infrastructure for securing resources, but safety problems can arise in the course of operation. Recently, the mining process is very complicated due to the large scale and mechanization. Therefore, it is necessary to construct accurate geospatial information on mine for systematic and safe mine operation. The geospatial information construction using the existing total station has a disadvantage that a lot of work time is required because the target must be collimated and measured. In this study, the data of the mines were acquired with the total station and the 3D laser scanner, and the mine spatial information was constructed by using the shape based registration method. By using the static scanner data of some area applying the reference point surveying result of the total station, it was possible to construct the accurate result on the wide area acquired by the mobile scanner effectively. Also, the accuracy of the constructed geospatial information was evaluated and the deviation of mean 0.083m was shown. Point cloud products constructed through the research can contribute to the efficiency improvement of mine management by enabling quantitative analysis such as visualization of mine shape, distance, area and slope, and automation of drawing creation for cross section shape.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.235-244
• /
• 2020

Copper (Cu), one of the main contaminants in the mine drainage from the closed mine area, needs to be removed before exposed to environment because of its toxicity even in the low concentration. In this study, passive treatment based field pilot experiments using limestone and compost media were conducted during 9 months for enhancing Cu removal efficiency of the mine water treatment facility of S mine located in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do in South Korea. The pH increase and Cu removal efficiency showed high value at Successive Alkalinity Producing System ( SAPS) > Reducing and Alkalinity Producing System (RAPS) > limestone reactor in a sequence. The compost media using in SAPS and RAPS contributed to raise pH by organic material decomposition with generating alkalinity, thus, Cu removal efficiency increased. Also, experimental results showed that Cu removal efficiency was proportional to pH increase, meaning that pH increase is the main mechanism for Cu removal. Moreover, Sulfate Reduction Bacteria (SRB) was identified to be most activated in SAPS. It is inferred that the sulfate reduction reaction also contributed to Cu removal. This study has the site significance in that the experiments were conducted at the place where the mine water generates. In the future, the results will be useful to select the more effective reactive media used in the treatment facility, which is most appropriate to remediate mine water from the S mine.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.253-265
• /
• 2016

In this study, travel time data collection of mine equipments was conducted in an underground mine using a reverse Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) system. In the reverse RFID system, RFID readers and antennas are mounted on mine equipments, and RFID tags are attached to the underground mine gallery. Indoor experiments were performed to analyze how RFID reader transmission power levels affect tag readable area and tag recognition rates. The results showed that travel time measurement become precise when the reader transmission power was reduced, however tag recognition rates were reduced. The field experiments indicated that setting the reader transmission power to 28 dBm maintained the tag recognition rate while minimizing the tracking location error. In addition, the results revealed that the reverse RFID system can be used successfully in an underground mine to collect the travel time data of haulage trucks.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.123-133
• /
• 2002

In the construction of the road tunnel in mine area, old mine gangways can cause the instability of the tunnel. In this case study, the field investigation is carried out to figure out the location of old gangways adjacent to the tunnel, and their influence on the tunnel stability is estimated according to the location pattern and rock condition by FLAC analysis. The grouting reinforcement of tunnel crown region and old gangway is suggested and its role on assurance of the tunnel stability is also verified. It can be said from this study that the effect of the old gangway on the stability of tunnel varies with the dimension of gangway, distance from the tunnel, rock condition and groundwater, and therefore these paramerter should be compositively considered in the assessment of the tunnel stability.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.367-377
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the source of U anomaly formed in stream water of the drainage system around the Shinbo talc mine area based on the O, H, S and Sr isotopic characteristics of water masses and wall rocks. The ${\delta}$D and ${\delta}^{18}O$ of surface and ground waters show highly restricted range and plotted on the same meteoric water line, indicating that they are all originated from the meteoric water. The ${\delta}^{34}S$value of the ground water containing high U shows slightly negative (-0.2${\textperthousand}$) and quite distinct from those of the other surface and ground waters that are similar to those of wall rocks (>5.8${\textperthousand}$), indicating that they have a different S isotopic fractionation or less probably, source. The $^{87}Sr/^{86}{Sr}$ratios of water masses around the Shinbo talc mine area show a variable range from 0.724325 to 0.744928, but tend to increase with increasing U concentration of water mass. Although it is not possible to determine precisely the source rock of U anomaly formed in the hydrologic system around the Shinbo talc mine, the evidence obtained from the Sr isotopic compositions strongly suggests that coal schist and/or pegmatite vein could be the most likely candidate for the source rock.