• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.339-352
• /
• 2022

As environmental criteria items are increased or strengthened, cases of heavy metal contamination by geogenic origin are increasing, and the need to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic origins in soil or groundwater exceeding the standard is increasing. In this study, geochemical occurrences of geogenic heavy metals were identified through statistical processing of the national geochemical map data and evaluation of geochemical characteristics of regions with high geoaccumulation indices. Cobalt, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were targeted for which the national geochemical maps were prepared, and Co, Cr, Ni, and V derived from ultrabasic or ultramafic rocks were classified as factor 1. Copper, Pb and Zn of non-ferrous sulfide origin were classified as factor 2. In particular, enrichment of heavy metals by factor 1 occurs mainly in the serpentine distribution areas of the Chungcheong region, and there is a risk of contamination in neighboring areas. In the case of factor 2, geogenic occurrence is concerned not only in non-ferrous metal mineralization areas such as Taebacksan and Gyeongnam mineralization zones, but also in Au-Ag mineralization areas distributed nationwide.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.5-13
• /
• 2012

For the last decade the amount of waste has rapidly been increased in South Korea and many waste landfills have been built according to government guidelines specifying required systems such as landfill liner, leachate collecting facilities, final cover system, etc. This effort has led the recently constructed landfills to be under well managed sanitary condition. In a meanwhile closed waste-landfill sites in the past before the adoption of the government guidelines exits under unsanitary condition. In these cases untreated leachate flew out to the surroundings due to the absence of liner and leachate collecting facilities and caused groundwater and soils to be contaminated. Waste generated odor and gas also brought civil complaints. Because environmental influences bring serious problems nearby sites, it is required to have unsanitary waste-landfills to be appropriately treated and managed. A study to evaluate environmental influence and contamination level of surroundings nearby and on the unsanitary landfills is necessary before the establishment of "Management guide of closed landfill site." This paper presents an environmental evaluation for the closed site, Doil-dong landfill, according to "Closed landfill management regulation" by Ministry of Environment. "D" landfill, located in Pyeongtaek city, has possobility to contaminate surrounding surfacewater and groundwater by leakage of leachate. The in-situ stabilization carried out to build the DMW(deep soil mixing cutoff wall) wall and drainage systems.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2000

Adsorption onto the surfaces of solid particles is a well known phenomenon that causes the retardation effect of heavy metals in soils. For adequate remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, it is important to investigate the mobility of heavy metals that largely depends on pH conditions in the soil water since adsorption of heavy metals is pH-dependent. In this study, we investigated the transport of Zn ion under various pH conditions in a sandy soil by conducting batch and column tests. The batch test was performed using the standard procedure of equilibrating fine fractions collected from the soil with eleven different initial $ZnCl_2$ concentrations, and analysis of Zn ion in the equilibrated solutions using ICP-AES. The column test consisted of monitoring the concentrations of soil solutions exiting the soil column with time known as a breakthrough curve (BTC). We injected respectively $ZnCl_2$ and KCl solutions with the concentration of 10 g/L as a tracer in a square pulse type under three different pH conditions (7.7, 5.8, 4.1) and monitored the flux concentration at the exit boundary using an EC meter and ICP-AES. The resident concentration was also monitored at the 10cm-depth by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR). The results of batch test showed that ion exchange process between Zn and other cations (Ca, Mg) was predominant. The retardation coefficients obtained from adsorption isotherms (Linear, Freundlich, Langmuir) resulted in the various values ranging from 1.2 to 614.1. No retardation effect but ion exchange was found for the BTCs under all pH conditions. This can be explained by the absence of other cations to desorb Zn ion from soil exchange sites under the conditions of ETC experiment imposing blank water as leachate in steady-state flow. As pH decreased, the peak concentration of Zn increased due to the competition of Zn with hydrogen ions ($H^+$) and the concentrations of other cations decreased. The peak concentration of Zn was increased by 12.7 times as pH decreased from 7.7 to 4.1.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2008

As household and industrial wastes continue to rapidly increase every year, the demands for landfill sites are also increasing. However, the construction of landfill sites causes many problems due to the high costs of liners, while the leachate from the landfills generates secondary contamination of surrounding lands and groundwater. The purpose of this study is to determine the proper mixing ratio to meet the liner conditions (must be less than $1{\times}10^{-7}cm/sec$), using the local soil as the main material and using fly ash, bentonite, and cement as the mixing materials. The possibility of using this mixture as the liner for landfill sites was examined. To determine the proper mixing ratio, this study conducted basic physical properties tests, compaction tests, consolidation tests, and uniaxial compression tests. It was found that the higher the ratio of bentonite, the lower the coefficient of permeability, and the higher the ratio of fly ash, the higher the coefficient of permeability. The reason for this is that, while bentonite expands and fills pores, fly ash cannot fill the pores because the particles have a round shape and do not have adhesion. In conclusion, the optimum coefficient of permeability that meets the landfill liner condition was obtained when the ratio of bentonite was 15% or higher. If fly ash was mixed, the landfill liner condition was met when the ratio of bentonite was 15% or higher and the ratio of fly ash was 20% or lower.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.31-44
• /
• 1998

The geochemical experiments were carried out to investigate a removal effect of heavy metals in abdndoned metallic mine wastes, and to conceive a treatment techniques of them. In order to prevent contamination, experiment appature was made of acrylic acid resin and polyethylene which resist to acid and alkali. Experiment models are devided into four groups based on the system environments, distribution patterns and a kind of filling materials. The first group is background model(model I ) which is filled with waste only and opened to air. The second one is four layer group which is subdivided into two models, opened and closed systems, and the third mix group which is subdivided into three models based on mixing ratio of filling materials and system environment like a layered group. The forth is composed of two layer model, lower one composed of waste and upper one limestone chips. Solution drained from Model Ishows a high contents of heavy metals on the all terms of experiments. Among the models, however, the closed mix model V and Ⅶ show the most effective removal of heavy metals liberated from wastes. Models having different mixing ratios of filling materials on closed systems does not affect in heavy metal removal effect. But, the distribution patterns of filling materials affect very much on removal effect of heavy metals. The closed models with same constitution ratios and distribution patterns of filling materials show more and less effective removal to the open models.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.23 no.9
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2022

Using cement as a road subbase is economical, easily modified and supplemented and has excellent road pavement quality control. In addition, cement adheres well to sandy soils without adhesion, and it plays a role of permanently preserving adhesion in viscous soils with adhesion, so it can be widely applied as stable treatment with the advantages of increased strength, reduced compressibility. and improved durability. However, while cement is excellent in terms of strength for a road subbase, the material properties mean that it is difficult to maintain and reinforce when cracks or fractures occur due to dry shrinkage, and the pH increases in the ground due to hexavalent chromium eluting from cement. which can cause environmental problems such as groundwater contamination. Therefore, this study evaluates the usability of alternatives in the road base layer such as environmentally cementitious stabilizer and on-site soil generated from the site. We intend to reduce the environmental damage and evaluate the durability. To evaluate the applicability of the site, Environmental stability test and freeze-thaw test and wetting-drying test was conducted to evaluate the strength characteristics of alternative materials on the road through the limited performance evaluation of environmentally cementitious stabilizer. The test ranges were set at mixing ratios of 10%, 20%, and 30% and ages of three days, and 28 days old to evaluate the early strength and reference strength according to the mixing ratio of the environmentally cementitious stabilizer.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.253-260
• /
• 2005

Salt accumulation in the plastic film house soils under continuous cultivation condition causes problems such as salt damages to plants, nitrate accumulation in vegetables, groundwater contamination, etc. due to excess application of fertilizers. Objective of this research was to find an optimum adsorbent to reduce salt concentration in the soil solution of plastic film house soils, where crop injuries have been observed due to the salt accumulation. The soils were significantly high in available P $(1,431{\sim}6,516mg\;kg^{-1}),\;NO_3-N\;(117.60{\sim}395.73mg\;kg^{-1})$, exchangeable Ca $(4.06{\sim}11.07\;cmol_c\;kg^{-1})$ and Mg $(2.59{\sim}18.76\;cmol_c\;kg^{-1})$, as compared to those of the average upland soils in Korea. Soils were treated with each of adsorbent such as ion-exchange resin, zeolite, rice bran, etc. at 2% level and prepared into saturated-paste samples. After equilibrium, soil solution was vacuum-extracted from the soil and measured for changes of the pH, EC, and concentrations of $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;K^+,\;Na^+,\;{NH_4}^+,\;{PO_4}^{3-}\;and\;{NO_3}^-$. Rice bran effectively removed ${PO_4}^{3-}\;and\;{NO_3}^-$ in the soil solution up to 100%. Efficiency was decreased in the orders of rice bran > ion-exchange resin > zeolite. Removal efficiencies of zeolite and ion-exchange resin for $Ca^{2+}$ were ranged from 1 to 65% and from 7 to 61%, respectively. Ion-exchange resin was also effective for removing $Mg^{2+},\;K^+,\;Na^+,\;and\;{NH_4}^+$. Overall results demonstrated that rice bran and ion-exchange resin could be applicable for salt accumulated soil to remove the respective anion and cation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.10-20
• /
• 1998

Heavy metal contamination in subsurface soils and stream sediments at the Suggok mine area were investigated on the basis of major, trace and rare earth elements geochemistry and mineralogy. The Sanggok mine area is mainly composed of Cambro-Ordovician carbonate rocks. The mine had been mined for Pb-Zn-Fe and Au- Ag, but already closed in past. For major elements, especially Fe (mean value=18.58 wt.%) and Mn (mean value=4. 18 wt.%) are enriched in soils, and the average enrichment indices of soils and sediments are 6.84 and 1.54, respectively. The average enrichment index of rare earth elements are 0.92 of mining drainage sediments and 0.52 of subsurface soils on the tailing dam. Concentrations of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in those samples range from 29 to 3400 for As,1 to 11 for Cd, 35 to 292 for Cu, 50 to 1827 for Pb, 1 to 22 for Sb and 112 to 2644 for Zn. Extremely high concentrations (mean values) are found in subsurface soils on the tailing dam (As=2278, Cd=7, Cu=206, Pb=1372, Sb=14 and Zn=2231 ppm, respectively). Average enrichment index normalized by composition of non-mining drainage sediments is 2.42 in mining drainage sediments and 25.47 in subsurface soils on the tailing dam. Based on EPA value, enrichment index of toxic elements is 0.53 in non-mining drainage sediments, 1.84 in mining drainage sediments and 23.71 in subsurface soils on the tailing dam. As a results from X-ray powder diffraction method, mineral composition of soils and sediments near the mine area varied in part, and are calcite, dolomite, magnesite, quartz, mica, chlorite and clay minerals. With the separation of heavy minerals, soils and sediments of highly concentrated toxic elements included some pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, goethite and hydroxide minerals on the polished sections.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.3-21
• /
• 1997

The remediation of contamiated sites using currently available remediation technologies requires long term treatment and huge costs, and it is uncertain to achieve the remediation goal to drop contamination level to either back-ground or health-based standards by using such technologies. Intrinsic remediation technology is the remediation technology that relies on the mechanisms of natural attenuation for the containment and elimination of contaminants in subsurface environments. Initial costs for the intrinsic remediation may be higher than conventional treatment technologies because the most comprehensive site assessment for intrinsic remediation is required. Total remediation cost, however may be the lowest among the presently employed technologies. The applicability of intrinsic remediation in the contaminated sites should be theroughly investigated to achieve the remedial goal of the technology. This paper provides the frame of the extended site assessment procedure based on knowledge of biodegradability to evaluate the applicability of intrinsic remediation. This site assessment procedure is composed of 5 steps such as preliminary site screening, assessment of the current knowledge of biodegradability, selecting the appropriate approach, analyzing the contaminant fate and transport and planning the monitoring schedule. In the step 1, followings are to be decided 1) whether to go on the the detailed assessment or not based on the rules of thumb concerning the biodegradability of organic compounds, 2) which protocol document is selected to follow for detailed site assessment according to the site characteristics, contaminants and the relative distance between the contamination and potential receptors. In the step 2, the database for biodegradability are searched and evaluated. In the step 3, the appropriate biodegradability pathways for the contaminated site is selected. In the step 4, the fate and transport of the contaminants at the site are analyzed through modeling. In the step 5, the monitoring schedule is planned according to the result of the modeling. Through this procedure, users may able to have the rational and systematic informations for the application of intrinsic remediation. Also the collected data and informations can be used as the basic to re-select the other remediation technology if it reaches a conclusion not to applicate intrinsic remediation technology at the site from the site assessment procedure.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.107-117
• /
• 2007

Dispersion characteristics and envirounmental impactes of the stream sediments were investigated and geochemical disaster in the Namhae-Hwagye area was predicted. Stream sediments having no possibility of contamination effect and representing drainage basins were collected. Major and hazardous elements concentrations were determined by XRF, ICP-AES and NAA analysis methods. Acid decomposition for the ICP-AES have been used $HClO_4$ and HF with $200^{\circ}C$ heating at 1'st and after that $HClO_4$, HF and HCl with $200^{\circ}C$ heating at 2'nd stage. Hazardous elements concentrations for the stream sediments in the Namhae area were Cu $5.66{\sim}168\;ppm$, Pb $18.0{\sim}40.7\;ppm$, Cr $21.6{\sim}147\;ppm$, Co $4.86{\sim}25.3\;ppm$. Hazardous elements concentrations for the stream sediments in the Hwagye area were Cu $16.4{\sim}41.2\;ppm$, Pb $26.5{\sim}37.5\;ppm$ Cr $79.6{\sim}153\;ppm$, Co $15.7{\sim}29.5\;ppm$. Concentration of Cu and Co in the stream sediments show a negative correlation with $SiO_2$ in all study area. According to E.I.(Enrichment Index) of stream sediments was not enriched in study area. And average E.I. was 0.35 (Namhae) and 0.56 (Hwagye) respectively. The stream sediments were enriched as in order of Pb > Cr > Co > Cu. And the average of Enrichment Factor (E.F.) was 0.46 to 2.84, respectively. E.F. concentration of Cu and Co were nearly similar enrichment characteristic but E.F. concentration of Cr were higher enrichnent characteristic in Namhae than Hwagye area. Pb was highly enriched in all study area but the tolerable level that used to investigate the enrichment degree of hazardous elements, was not exposed to harmful hazardous elements.