• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.734-744
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• 2011

A soil stabilization method is an effective and practical remediation alternative for arsenic (As) and heavy metal contaminated farmland soils nearby abandoned metal mine in Korea. This method is a technique whereby amendments are incorporated and mixed with a contaminated soil. Toxic metal bind to the amendments, which reduce their mobility in soil, so the successful stabilization of multi-element contaminated soil depends on the combination of critical elements in the soil and the type of amendments. The objective of this study is to investigate the treatment effects and applicability of limestone (LS) and steel refining slag (SRS) as the amendment for farmland soil contaminated with As and heavy metals, and a lab-column test was conducted for achieving this purpose. The result showed that soil treated with LS and SRS maintained pH buffer capacity and, as a result, the heavy metal leaching concentration was quite low below the water quality standard compared to untreated soil which leachate exceeding the water quality standard was observed, however, the arsenic concentration rather increased with increasing mixture ratio of SRS. This was believed to be related to phosphorus (P) contained in SRS, and dominancy in the competitive adsorption relation between As and P binding strongly to iron might be different according to soil characteristic. We suggested that LS is a effective amendment for reducing heavy metals in soil, and SRS should be used after investigating its applicability based on the adsorption selectivity of arsenic and phosphorus in selected soil.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.433-445
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• 2021

Plasma blasting by high voltage arc discharge were performed in laboratory-scale soil samples to investigate the fluid penetration efficiency. A plasma blasting device with a large-capacity capacitor and columnar soil samples with a diameter of 80 cm and a height of 60 cm were prepared. Columnar soil samples consist of seven A-samples mixed with sand and silt by ratio of 7:3 and three B-samples by ratio of 9:1. When fluid was injected into A-sample by pressure without plasma blasting, fluid penetrated into soil only near around the borehole, and penetration area ratio was less than 5%. Fluid was injected by plasma blasting with three different discharge energies of 1 kJ, 4 kJ and 9 kJ. When plasma blasting was performed once in the A-samples, penetration area ratios of the fluid were 16-25%. Penetration area ratios were 30-48% when blastings were executed five times consecutively. The largest penetration area by plasma blasting was 9.6 times larger than that by fluid injection by pressure. This indicates that the higher discharge energy of plasma blasting and the more numbers of blasting are, the larger are fluid penetration areas. When five consecutive plasma blasting were carried out in B-sample, fluid penetration area ratios were 33-59%. Penetration areas into B-samples were 1.1-1.4 times larger than those in A-samples when test conditions were the same, indicating that the higher permeability of soil is, the larger is fluid penetration area. The fluid penetration radius was calculated to figure out fluid penetration volume. When the fluid was injected by pressure, the penetration radius was 9 cm. Whereas, the penetration radius was 27-30 cm when blasting were performed 5 times with energy of 9 kJ. The radius increased up to 333% by plasma blasting. All these results indicate that cleaning agent penetrates further and remediation efficiency of contaminated soil will be improved if plasma blasting technology is applied to in situ cleaning of contaminated soil with low permeability.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to determine the order of priority for the use of amendments, matching the optimal amendment to the specific site in Korea. This decision-making process must prioritize the stabilization and economic efficiency of amendment for heavy metals and metalloid based on domestic site contamination scenarios. For this study, total 5 domestic heavy metal contaminated sites were selected based on different pollution scenarios and 13 amendments, which were previously studied as the soil stabilizer. Batch extraction experiments were performed to quantify the stabilization efficiency for 8 heavy metals (including As and Hg) for 5 soil samples, representing 5 different pollution scenarios. For each amendment, the analyses using XRD and XRF to identify their properties, the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) test, and the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) test were also conducted to evaluate the leaching safety in applied site. From results of batch experiments, the amendments showing > 20% extraction lowering efficiency for each heavy metal (metalloid) was selected and the top 5 ranked amendments were determined at different amount of amendment and on different extraction time conditions. For each amendment, the total number of times ranked in the top 5 was counted, prioritizing the feasible amendment for specific domestic contaminated sites in Korea. Mine drainage treatment sludge, iron oxide, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcite, iron sulfide, biochar showed high extraction decreasing efficiency for heavy metals in descending order. When the economic efficiency for these amendments was analyzed, mine drainage treatment sludge, limestone, steel making slag, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide were determined as the priority amendment for the Korean field application in descending order.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.689-698
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• 2021

Since the mine reclamation scheme was implemented from 2007 in Korea, various remediation programs have been decontaminated the pollution associated with mining and 254 mines were managed to reclamation from 2011 to 2015. However, as the total amount of contaminated mine drainage has been increased due to the discovery of potential hazards and contaminated zone, more efficient and economical treatment technology is required. Therefore, in this study, the adsorption properties of arsenic was evaluated according to the adsorbents which were derived from water treatment sludge(Alum based adsorbent, ABA-500) and granular ferric hydroxide(GFH), already commercialized. The alum sludge and GFH adsorbents consisted of aluminum, silica materials and amorphous iron hydroxide, respectively. The point of zero charge of ABA-500 and GFH were 5.27 and 6.72, respectively. The result of the analysis of BET revealed that the specific surface area of GFH(257 m²·g^-1) was larger than ABA-500(126~136 m²·g^-1) and all the adsorbents were mesoporous materials inferred from N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm. The adsorption capacity of adsorbents was compared with the batch experiments that were performed at different reaction times, pH, temperature and initial concentrations of arsenic. As a result of kinetic study, it was confirmed that arsenic was adsorbed rapidly in the order of GFH, ABA-500(granule) and ABA-500(3mm). The adsorption kinetics were fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model for all three adsorbents. The amount of adsorbed arsenic was increased with low pH and high temperature regardless of adsorbents. When the adsorbents reacted at different initial concentrations of arsenic in an hour, ABA-500(granule) and GFH could remove the arsenic below the standard of drinking water if the concentration was below 0.2 mg·g^-1 and 1 mg·g^-1, respectively. The results suggested that the ABA-500(granule), a low-cost adsorbent, had the potential to field application at low contaminated mine drainage.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.633-640
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• 2022

Recently, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) has been highlighted due to its rapid growth in dry, infertile land and its versatile applications in textiles, paper, feed, food, medicine, and phyto-remediation. In Korea, a new cultivar, 'Jangdae', which has the merit of feasible seed-gathering, was established in 2013. However, most of the kenaf seeds used are still imported, and a comparison study of useful bio-activities between Jangdae and imported seeds has not been conducted. In this study, anti-thrombosis, antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities of the ethanol extracts of the Jangdae seed (E-JS) and 8 imported cultivar seeds (E-ICS) were investigated. The E-JS has 14.4 mg/g of total polyphenol and 5.3 mg/g of total flavonoids, whereas the E-ICS has 5.9~8.7 mg/g and 0.7~1.5 mg/g, respectively. Among the 9 kenaf seed extracts, IT 181215 and IT 207877 seed extracts showed 1.92 and 1.88-folds extended thrombin time (TT), and IT 207886 seed extracts showed 3.04-folds extended activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). All extracts, except Hong-ma seed, showed 1.36~1.56-folds extended prothrombin time (PT). The E-JS showed strong anti-thrombosis activities with 1.46-folds (TT), 1.38-folds (PT) and 2.37-folds (aPTT) compared to those of solvent controls. The E-JS has the strongest antioxidant activities among the seed extracts, with 0.48 mg/ml of RC₅₀ for ABTS cation and 0.27 mg/ml of RC₅₀ for nitrite scavenging. Meanwhile, the E-JS and IT 181215 extracts showed strong inhibition against α-glucosidase with 10.3~10.6% inhibition at 0.5 mg/ml. Our results suggest the E-JS has potential as an anti-thrombosis, antioxidant and anti-diabetic agent.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.511-519
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• 2022

In order to develop an air-stripping based remediation process to remove the TOC (Total Organic Carbon) in groundwater around the underground LPG storage cavern, the laboratory scale experiments at various conditions (change of air injection volume and temperature, the application of ultrasonic treatment, etc.) for two types of groundwater (initial TOC concentration of 608 mg/L and 153 mg/L, respectively). From results of experiment, as the air injection rate for stripping into groundwater increased from 2 L/min to 11 L/min and as the air-stripping time increased from 1 hour to 24 hour, the TOC removal efficiency of air-stripping increased. However, the TOC concentration of treated groundwater was higher than the discharge tolerance limit (100 mg/L) even after 24 hour stripping at the maximum air injection rate of 11 L/min. The main compounds of the TOC in groundwater were identified as methanol and propane and the long stripping time (more than 24 hour) was needed to separate the methanol from groundwater because of the affinity between water and methanol. At 20℃ and 4 L/min of air injection, the TOC removal efficiency increased to 59.1% after 24 hour air-stripping. When the temperature of groundwater increased to 30℃ and 40℃, the TOC removal efficiency increased up to 80.0% and 82.8%, suggesting that more than 24 hour air-stripping at 40℃ is needed to lower the TOC concentration to below 100 mg/L and the additional TOC removal process as well as the air-stripping is necessary. When the temperature increased to 60℃ and the ultrasonic treatment was conjugated with the air-stripping, the TOC removal efficiency increased to 87.8% within 5 hour stripping and the final TOC concentration (72.4 mg/L) was satisfied with the TOC discharge tolerance limit. The TOC removal efficiency for groundwater having low TOC concentration (153 mg/L) also showed similar removal efficiency of 89.7% (the final TOC concentration: 18.9 mg/L). Results in this study supported that the air-stripping conjugated with the ultrasonic treatment could remove successfully the TOC in groundwater around the underground LPG strorage cavern.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.229-236
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• 2022

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of adding the microbial inoculants to silage for reducing mycotoxins in rice straw silage. When a single agent of L. plantarum and a mixed agent of L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae were added in rice straw silage contaminated mycotoxins, it had an effect on silage fermentation and fiber degradation as well as mycotoxin reduction. Among the mycotoxins, only ochratoxin A and zearalenone were found in the test sample. Ochratoxin A and zearalenone showed a decreasing trend with the addition of silage inoculants compared to the control groups (38.11±2.22 and 633.67±50.30 ㎍/kg), and there was a significant difference at the mixed agents; 27.78±2.28 and 392.72±25.04 ㎍/kg, respectively (p<0.05). The pH was lower in the single agent and the mixed agent compared to the control (p<0.05). The concentration of lactic acid was higher in the single agent (11.73±0.31 mM) than in the control group (8.18±0.93 mM), and the highest concentration was 16.01±0.88 mM in the mixed agent (p<0.05). Acetic acid and propionic acid were found to be significantly lowered with the addition of silage inoculants (p<0.05). Total VFA was also lower at the addition of silage inoculants than the control group (p<0.05). The rumen in situ dry matter degradation of NDF and ADF was maintained at the highest levels of the mixed agent during the culture period, followed by the single agent and the control group at the lowest level. NDF and ADF degradation showed a significant difference at all time points after 12 and 24 hours of culture, respectively (p<0.05). The study results showed that the silage inoculants had the positive effects on quality increasing of rice straw silage; fermentative charateristics, fiber degradation and mycotoxins reduction. Ochratoxin A and zearalenone were greater reduction by adding bacterial inoculants of silage. Therefore it is considered that L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae will improve the quality and stability with remediation of mycotoxin in silage.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.168-181
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• 2024

Constructed wetlands (CWs) deliver a range of ecosystem services, including the removal of contaminants, sequestration and storage of carbon, and enhancement of biodiversity. These services are facilitated through hydrological and ecological processes such as infiltration, adsorption, water retention, and evapotranspiration by plants and microorganisms. This study investigated the correlations between microbial populations, soil physicochemical properties, and treatment efficiency in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) treating runoff from roads and parking lots. The methods employed included storm event monitoring, water quality analysis, soil sampling, soil quality parameter analysis, and microbial analysis. The facility achieved its highest pollutant removal efficiencies during the warm season (>15℃), with rates ranging from 33% to 74% for TSS, COD, TN, TP, and specific heavy metals including Fe, Zn, and Cd. Meanwhile, the highest removal efficiency was 35% for TOC during the cold season (≤15℃). These high removal rates can be attributed to sedimentation, adsorption, precipitation, plant uptake, and microbial transformations within the CW. Soil analysis revealed that the soil from HSSF CW had a soil organic carbon content 3.3 times higher than that of soil collected from a nearby landscape. Stoichiometric ratios of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the inflow and outflow were recorded as C:N:P of 120:1.5:1 and 135.2:0.4:1, respectively, indicating an extremely low proportion of N and P compared to C, which may challenge microbial remediation efficiency. Additionally, microbial analyses indicated that the warm season was more conducive to microorganism growth, with higher abundance, richness, diversity, homogeneity, and evenness of the microbial community, as manifested in the biodiversity indices, compared to the cold season. Pollutants in stormwater runoff entering the HSSF CW fostered microbial growth, particularly for dominant phyla such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, which have shown moderate to strong correlations with specific soil properties and changes in influent-effluent concentrations of water quality parameters.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.293-300
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• 2012

This study was to investigate the unsuitable rate of the storage facilities, the changes in corrosion process over time after installation according to the status, the time to install the facilities, years elapsed after facilities installation, inspection of methods and motivation, and so on, based on the results of the inspection at the petroleum storage facilities conducted by domestic soil-relate specialized agency to derive optimal management plans which meet the status of soil contamination facilities. The results showed that the facilities more than 5 years after the initial leak test at the time of the installation need to be inspected periodically by considering costs of leak test and remediation of polluted soil. The inspection period can be decided by cost and leak test methods showing discrepancies for the results obtained from individual test whether it was direct or indirect. To compensate these matters, we suggested that the direct inspection method on regular schedule is recommended. On the other hand, the inspection can be voluntarily completed to ease burden of the results by inspection or equivalent level to this inspection method. Also, it may need improved construction supervision and performance test system to minimize the occurrence of the nature defects in installing the facilities as well as the upgrade program for the facilities during intervals of inspection period.