• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.469-480
• /
• 2003

Laboratory leaching experiment study carried out to estimate a extent of heavy metals that could be leached out when acid rain(pH 5.0-3.0) and strong acidic solution(pH 2.5-1.0) reacted with tailings and contaminated soils from abandoned metal mines. In slightly to moderately acid conditions(pH 5.0-3.0), As, Pb and Zn dissolutions became significantly increased with decreased pH in tailing, while dissolution of these elements was very limited in contaminated soil. These results suggested that moderately acid rainwater leaches Pb, As and Zn from the tailings, while these elements would remain fixed in contaminated soil. In the pH range of 2.5-1.0(strongly acid condition), Zn, Cd and Cu concentrations of leachate rapidly increased with decreased pH in contaminated soil, while Pb, As and Co dissolutions became importantly increased in tailings. The experimental solubility of Zn. Cd and Cu was very low even at very low pH values(up to pH 1), except for CY4(Cheongyang mine). These can result from an incomplete dissolution or the presence of less soluble mineral phases. So, the solubility of heavy metals depends not only on the pH values of leachate but also on the speciation of metals associated with contaminated soils and tailings. The relative mobility of each element within failings at the pH 5.0-3.0 of the reaction solution was in the order of Pb>Zn>Cd>Co=Cu>As. In case of pH 2.5-1.0 of the reaction solution, the relative mobility of each element within contaminated soils and tailings were in the order of Zn＞Cd>Cu>Co>Pb=As for contaminated soils, and Pb>Zn>Cd>hs>Co>Cu for tailings. The obtained results could be useful for assessing the environmental effects and setting up the restoration plan in the areas.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.235-246
• /
• 1996

Placer gold in collected heavy minerals from several localities in Huongkhe area, is consistently very finegrained (${\leq}100$ to $400{\mu}m$). The size and size distribution show somewhat differences at Dongdo and Hoahai : at Dongdo, predominant relatively larger and wide distribution; at Hoahai, characteristic relatively finer and narrow distribution range. The morphology of gold grains is divided into the four groups assumed by the dimension ratio : spherical, subprismoidal, prismoidal, and irregular. The gold grains at Dongdo show wide morphological distribution, whereas, at Hoahai, spherical form is predominant (${\approx}75%$). Three main types of gold are classified based on their chemical composition and mode of occurrence: type I (electrum; fineness=568~931), type II (amalgam; fineness=671~927), and type III (native gold; fineness=923~999). Type I gold contains, relatively high and variable silver contents (${\approx}11$ to 58 atomic % Ag), and has been classified into two subtypes based on their silver contents (type IA, ${\approx}11{\sim}39$ atomic % Ag; type IB, ${\approx}40{\sim}58$ atomic % Ag). However, type I gold would have been generally original compositions of electrum which originated at the provenance deposits. Mercury reacts with gold and silver to form amalgam (type II gold) which has variable Hg contents (1.2~30.5 atomic % Hg). The mercury contents in gold grains at Hoahai (10.9~30.5 atomic % Hg) are higher than those at Dongdo (5.8~21.1 atomic % Hg). The gold grains from the area generally exhibit a high-purity gold (type III) rim. The individual rims on the various grains range from <1 to $80{\mu}m$ in thickness and have silver contents of <10 atomic percent Ag, even though the core compositions range from ${\approx}11$ to 58 atomic percent Ag. The rim of gold most likely is responsible for the commonly cited cases of gold from placer deposits assaying at higher values of fineness than the gold in the corresponding source lode. The gold-rich rim in the Huongkhe area apparently forms by a combination of self-electrorefining and preferential dissolution of silver under oxidizing nature during the weathering and transport process. All data of gold grains in the Huongkhe area suggest that the transport distances and/or time of placer gold at Hoahai are generally farther than those at Dongdo. The mercurian gold bearing provenance deposits at Dongdo and Hoahai would be suggest nearest epithermal gold-silver vein-type.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.161-172
• /
• 2011

Open beaker digestion method is routinely used as the sample preparation technique for trace element determination of rock samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, With this method, however, dissolution of Zr and Hf is not always guaranteed especially when the samples contain refractory minerals. In this study, glass bead digestion technique was compared with conventional open beaker digestion technique for the sample preparation of three USGS rock standards such as AGV-2, BHVO-2, and G-3. Thirty trace elements including rare earth elements were analysed by ICP-MS and ICP-AES. There were no clear differences in analytical results for the AGV-2 and BHVO-2 standards between the two techniques, but Zr, Hf, Y, and middle- to heavy- rare earth element concentrations of the G-3 standard prepared by open beaker digestion technique were significantly lower than the recommended values. This can be attributed to the presence of refractory mineral zircon. On the contrary, all the analytical results of the G-3 standard prepared by glass bead digestion technique were in good agreement with the recommended values, indicating complete dissolution of zircon. The analytical results show that the volatile elements such as Pb and Zn were not lost during the preparation of glass bead. Low dilution glass bead digestion technique described here will be very helpful to enhance precision and accuracy of trace element analysis for geological samples containing refractory minerals.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.243-250
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study is to find out the possibility of applying microwave-hypochlorous acid leaching to effectively leaching Au in hydrothermal minerals on board. The comparative leaching experiment were confirmed that the leaching rate of Au with(T1)/with out(T2) of microwave nitric acid leaching. In addition, the leaching rate of Au on the conventional leaching by mechanical agitation(T3) and microwave leaching was compared. The result of microwave nitric acid leaching(solid-liquid ratio; 10%, leaching temperature; 90 ℃, leaching time; 20 min) confined that the metal leaching rate was high in the order of As>Pb>Cu>Fe>Zn, and the content of Au in the leaching residue was increased from 33.77 g/ton to 60.02 g/ton. As a result of the comparative leaching experiment using a chloride solvent, the dissolution rate of Au was high in the order of T1(61.10%)>T3(53.30%)>T2(17.30%). Therefore, chloride, which can be manufactured using seawater and that can be recycled by collecting chlorine gas generated in the leaching process, is expected to be an optimal solvent for Au leaching. In addition, the application of microwaves is believed to be effective in terms of time, efficiency and energy.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.328-334
• /
• 2014

This study reviewed the usability of sludge, a material that is additionally created when polysilicon (a solar light material) is produced, as the raw material for cement clinker. It was evaluated that when cement clinker is produced, the chloric component of polysilicon acted as a mineralizer in the firing process. In addition, the physical features of the produced cement were measured. The setting time of the produced cement was reduced as the amount of content of polysilicon sludge increased. Such results were drawn because the chloric component acted as hydration accelerator and enhanced the dissolution of calcium hydroxide that was formed by hydration of $C_3S$. Furthermore, for such reason, on the day 1, the compression strength of mortar increased as the content of polysilicon sludge increased. In day 3, 7, and 28, the tendency in which the compression strength increasing up to 5% of the amount of added polysilicon sludge was shown. It is because when clinker was produced, the chloric component increased the amount of $C_3S$ mineral created, thus enhancing the compression strength after day 3.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.83-105
• /
• 2003

Geochemical studies on the alluvial aquifer system near the Nakdong River were carried out for the basic investigation of the estimation of artificial recharge for the river bank filtration. In-situ data do not show any distinct difference between the pumping well and river. Most of waters belong to $_3$ and Ca-$SO_4$ types and show high Mn concentration. In the borehole installed with Multi-Ca-HCOPacker (MP) system, Na, Ca, Mg, $HCO_3$ contents of the groundwater are increased with depth increasing. Cl and $SO_4$ contents of the groundwater show the lowest values at the bottom level (18m depth) and Mn content is very high at the middle level (13.5 m depth) of MP system. There is no distinct difference in the ${\delta}^{18}O$ and D values and tritium content between MP, borehole and surface water samples. The sulfur isotope data indicate that the possible sulfur source is dissolution of sulfate mineral from sedimentary rock. Strontium isotope ratio shows a little differences between the pumping well and observation borehole samples. Nitrogen isotope data indicate that the nitrogen of water samples is originated from fertilizer or organic materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.73-88
• /
• 2000

The geochemistry of the $CO_2$-rich waters ($Pco_2\leq$about 1 atm) in NE part of the Kangwon province was investigated. The $CO_2$-rich waters can be divided to three types based on chemical compositions: Na-$HCO_3$, Ca-Na-$HCO_3$and Ca-$HCO_3$types. The water chemistry indicates that these type waters were evolved through reaction with host rocks by supply of deep-seated $CO_2$during deep circulation, and their geochemical environments in depth might have been different each other. The dissolution process of plagioclase is important in water/granite interactions and its solubility change according to reaction temperature played an important role in the determination of chemical compositions. The higher reaction temperature coincides with the lower different in solubility between albite and anorthite. It means that calcium is mainly released to the water in the lower temperature, whereas sodium in the higher temperature due to high Na/Ca ratio in plagioclase. The application of various chemical geothermometries on the $CO_2$-rich waters shows that the calculated reservoir temperature of Na-$HCO_3$type (about 15$0^{\circ}C$) is higher than those of Ca-$HCO_3$type. Therefore, we now interpret the recognized chemical difference was mainly due to the difference of reaction temperature. Considering normal thermal gradient, we can understand that the Na-$HCO_3$type was evolved from deeper crustal depth than the Ca-$HCO_3$type.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.14 no.3 s.40
• /
• pp.259-272
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of hydrochemical variation of groundwater on the gas tigtness in an unlined oil storage cavern. The groundwater chemistry is greatly influenced by the seawater mixing, the water curtain and the dissolution of grounting cements. The chemical composition of groundwater greatly varies ac-cording to both the location of monitoring wells and the sampling period. Most of groundwater shows alkaline pH and high electrical conductivity. The chemical types of groundwater show the dominant order as follows : Na-Cl type > Ca-Cl type > $Ca-HCO_3(CO_3)$ type. Thermodynamic equilibrium state between chemical composition of groundwater and major minerals indicates that carbonate minerals except clay minerals can be precipitated as a secondary mineral. It means that the secondary precipitates can not greatly exerts the clogging effect into fracture aperture in rock mass around oil storage cavern. The content of total organic carbon (TOC) shows a slightly increasing trend from initial stage to late stage. The $EpCO_2$ was computed so as to assess the gas contribution on the $CO_2$ in groundwater. The $EpCO_2$ of 0$\~$41.3 indicates that the contribution of oil gas on $CO_2$ pressure in groundwater system can be neglected.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.114-121
• /
• 2002

Buffer capacities for two Bo horizon soils or Andisols developed from different parent materials have been investigated. The titration curves from column leaching experiment show that buffering occurred at pH 4.0 and 6.0. The buffer intensity or soil developed from pyroclastic materials (P-soil) is higher than that from basalts (B-soil). From batch test we have found that proto-imogolite and/or imogolite may control Al solubility as well as $Al(OH) _3$in the moderate acid condition. The buffer intensities ($\beta$) of P-soils were plotted on the theoretical buffering curve of $Al(OH)_3$, while $\beta$ of B-soils approached to that of proto-imogolite, which shows the solubility of short-range-order materials in P-soil control the buffer capacity. Buffering at pH 6.0 is thought to be the result of dissolution of some silicate clays and exchange reactions between $H^{+ }$and base-forming cations. Considering the amount of annual acid precipitation, aluminum solubility of Andisols, and the low BS (Base Saturation percentage), it can be predicted that prolonged acid precipitation will reduce the buffer capacity of soils and lead to soil acidification.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.549-563
• /
• 2010

The environmental behaviors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mainly governed by their solubility and partitioning properties on soil media in a subsurface system. In surfactant-enhanced remediation (SER) systems, surfactant plays a critical role in remediation. In this study, sorptive behaviors and partitioning of naphthalene in soils in the presence of surfactants were investigated. Silica and kaolin with low organic carbon contents and a natural soil with relatively higher organic carbon content were used as model sorbents. A nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, was used to enhance dissolution of naphthalene. Sorption kinetics of naphthalene onto silica, kaolin and natural soil were investigated and analyzed using several kinetic models. The two compartment first-order kinetic model (TCFOKM) was fitted better than the other models. From the results of TCFOKM, the fast sorption coefficient of naphthalene ($k_1$) was in the order of silica > kaolin > natural soil, whereas the slow sorbing fraction ($k_2$) was in the reverse order. Sorption isotherms of naphthalene were linear with organic carbon content ($f_{oc}$) in soils, while those of Triton X-100 were nonlinear and correlated with CEC and BET surface area. Sorption of Triton X-100 was higher than that of naphthalene in all soils. The effectiveness of a SER system depends on the distribution coefficient ($K_D$) of naphthalene between mobile and immobile phases. In surfactant-sorbed soils, naphthalene was adsorbed onto the soil surface and also partitioned onto the sorbed surfactant. The partition coefficient ($K_D$) of naphthalene increased with surfactant concentration. However, the $K_D$ decreased as the surfactant concentration increased above CMC in all soils. This indicates that naphthalene was partitioned competitively onto both sorbed surfactants (immobile phase) and micelles (mobile phase). For the mineral soils such as silica and kaolin, naphthalene removal by mobile phase would be better than that by immobile phase because the distribution of naphthalene onto the micelles ($K_{mic}$) increased with the nonionic surfactant concentration (Triton X-100). For the natural soil with relatively higher organic carbon content, however, the naphthalene removal by immobile phase would be better than that by mobile phase, because a high amount of Triton X-100 could be sorbed onto the natural soil and the sorbed surfactant also could sorb the relatively higher amount of naphthalene.