• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.701-716
• /
• 2023

Microplastics (<5 mm diameter) in aquatic environments adsorb heavy metals, potentially exposing humans to their toxic effects via food chains. We investigated factors influencing the adsorption of heavy metals on microplastics in aquatic environments, examining their adsorption processes and mechanisms. Adsorption characteristics vary with polymer type, crystallinity, particle size, and environmental conditions (pH, temperature, weathering), and the adsorption capacity for heavy metals increases with weathering and reduction in polymer particle size. However, correlations between environment temperature, polymer crystallinity, and adsorption capacity for heavy metals could not be confirmed. The adsorption behavior of heavy metals can be explained in terms of physicochemical adsorption processes and evaluated through adsorption kinetics and isothermal studies, with multiple mechanisms usually being involved. An understanding of the adsorption of heavy metals by microplastics should aid evaluation of the potential risks of microplastics in aquatic environments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.311-319
• /
• 1997

Heavy metal-tolerant microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas putida, P. aeruginosa, P. chlororaphis and P. stutzeri which possessed the ability to accumulate cadmium, lead, zinc and copper, respectively, were isolated from industrial wastewaters and mine wasewaters polluted with various heavy metals. Metal binding sites in the cells were investigated by extracting the components of the cells through pretreatments with hot water, acid, alkli, chloroform-methanol or chloroform-methanol/concentrated alkali. The heavy metal accumulation was drastically decreased by pretreatment with alkali or chloroform-methanol/concentrated alkali, but the heavy metal accumulation was not changed by pretreatment with chloroform-methanol. The amount of heavy metal accumulation was remarkably decreased by decreasing crude protein remaining in the cell. These results suggested that proteins of cell components played an important role on the heavy metal accumulation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.399-422
• /
• 2020

Remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals due to urbanization and industrialization is very important not only for human health but also for ecosystem sustainability. Of the available remediation technologies for heavy metal-contaminated soils, phytoremediation is a relatively low-cost environment-friendly technology which preserves biodiversity and soil fertility. The application of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) during the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils can enhance plant growth against heavy metal toxicity and increase heavy metal removal efficiency. In this study, the sources of heavy metals that have adverse effects on microorganisms, plants, and humans, and the plant growth-promoting traits of PGPB are addressed and the research trends of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation over the last 10 years are summarized. In addition, the effects of environmental factors and PGPB inoculation methods on the performance of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation are discussed. For the innovation of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation, it is necessary to understand the behavior of PGPB and the interactions among plant, PGPB, and indigenous microorganisms in the field.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.97-101
• /
• 2021

Adsorption properties of heavy metals and organics in the mixed packed column of scoria and activated carbon, as well as physicochemical properties and functional groups of scoria were investigated. As the mixing ratio of scoria increased, the average removal ratios of cadmium, nickel, chromium, and lead ions increased, but that of benzene and toluene decreased. The mixed packed column of scoria and activated carbon could be effectively used for the simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organics. Scoria has Si-H and Si-O functional groups, and it was confirmed that Si-O functional groups greatly contributed to the adsorption of heavy metals.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
• /
• 2012.05a
• /
• pp.352-355
• /
• 2012

산성광산배수(Acid Mine Drainage)는 낮은 pH, 높은 Sulfate, 상대적으로 높은 Fe, Al, Mn 등의 중금속 농도가 특징으로 다양한 오염인자를 가지고 있으며, 각각의 오염인자가 오염에 미치는 영향이 매우 다양하게 나타난다. 특히 산성광산배수는 유역 내 시각적, 생태학적 문제를 일으켜 많은 환경오염을 야기하고 있으며, 많은 중금속을 용출시켜 주변 하천의 생태계를 파괴하게 된다. 이러한 산성광산 배수에 의한 환경피해의 심각성은 이미 국 내외에서 널리 인식되고 있으며, 이를 효과적으로 관리하기 위해서 산성광산배수의 거동 매커니즘 조사에 대한 연구가 필요하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 금강수계 거풍광산 유역 장연천을 대상으로 하여 광산주변 표토, 계절별 거리별 하천수 및 저질토에서의 오염특성을 조사하고 그 영향을 평가하고자 하였다. 연구결과 하천수의 경우 대부분의 중금속 농도가 오염물질의 축적이 가장 많을 것으로 예상되는 5월에 높은 농도를 보였으며, 강우가 시작되는 6월, 7월까지 건기에 비해 높은 농도를 유지하다가, 강우가 지속됨에 따라 희석되어 농도가 감소되는 현상을 나타냈다. 저질토의 경우도 비슷한 양상을 타나냈다. 거리별 영향의 경우 하천수는 산성광산배수가 유입되는 상류에서 지속적으로 높은 농도를 나타냈으나, 저질토의 경우 건기에는 비슷한 양상을 나타내다가 우기에 강우의 영향으로 하천 하류에서 전체적으로 농도가 높아지는 경향을 나타냈다.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.375-382
• /
• 1999

In order to investigate the contamination characteristics of the heavy metals in the mine tailings of abandoned gold mine and its surrounding agricultural soils, a sequential extraction procedure of increasing reactivity in the dissolution processes of the heavy metals(Cd, Cu, and Pb) which were associated with solid and/or solution phase in soils was attempted to partition into six particulate fractions : exchangeable, bound to carbonate, bound to Fe-Mn oxides, bound to organic matter, residual, and soluble. Among indigenous heavy metals in the mine tailings, Pb was the most abundant and Cu and Cd were followed by. Fractionation result of Pb obtained from the triplicate samples of the mine tailings were in the order of Fe-Mn oxide> Carbonate> Residual> Organic> Exchangeable> Soluble, while Wolgok series were Exchangeable > Fe-Mn oxide > Carbonate> Organic> Residual> Soluable. However the other heavy metals studied were not followed this trend. The fractionation results of mine tailing and agricultural soils demonstrated that different geochemical fractions were operationally defined by an extraction sequence that generally followed the order of decreasing solubility. Therefore potential mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals as toxic pollution sources can be evaluated when studying the pollution levels of heavy metals in soils.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.51-67
• /
• 2002

In order to understand behaviors of heavy metals around the artificial Lake Shihwa in the vicinity of Kyunggi Bay in Korea in relation with huge environmental changes due to construction of huge artificial lake, water samples were collected from Lake Shihwa and its tributaries from 1996 to 1998 and analyzed. Due to extreme pollutant discharge from various kinds of anthropogenic sources such as the Banweol and Shihwa Industrial Complexes and cities, the Shihwa and its tributaries have been polluted in waters with various heavy metals. The enrichment factors of particulate heavy metals in water of streams and storm sewers were very high. All of the heavy metals observed in the waters showed relatively high temporal and spatial variations. In surface waters of the lake during the desalination after the dike establishment, spatial distributions of heavy metal concentrations were mainly controlled by various biogeochemical factors as well as input of industrial and municipal wastewaters, while, physical mixing was minor factor Pb and Co showed a strong affinity to particle phase, however the affinity to dissolved phase was dominated in Ni, Cu and Cd. Water quality of the artificial Lake Shihwa has been deteriorated by direct discharge of untreated wastewater and heavy metals have been accumulated in the lake system. Therefore, luther environmental improvement plan should be programmed subsequently.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.76-81
• /
• 2006

The leaching behavior of heavy metal ions with pH and colloid/interface property was analyzed by ICP and SEM. The heavy metals in EAF dust are 'amphoteric metal' and the heavy metal ions leached a little at pH 10. And the leaching concentrations of heavy metals at pH 12 were higher than the that at pH 8. The leaching concentrations of heavy metal ion were decreased with adding the clay to the EAF dust. Especially, the leaching concentrations of heavy metal ion were effectively decreased at pH 12. The observation of colloid/interface properties shows that the soluble silicon hydroxide from clay at pH 12 was precipitated at the surface of the heavy metal and clay particles. This silicon hydroxide precipitates were named the PSHP. The leaching concentrations of heavy metal ion were effectively decreased by the formation of PSHP when adding the clay to the EAF dust and controlling the pH of the slurry at 12.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.583-588
• /
• 2003

Cation exchange capacity of clay, white clay and zeolite was measured by the adsorption test for 3 different heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Zn) standard solutions whose concentrations were varied by 10, 20, 30 ppm and pH were varied by 3, 5, 7, 9, respectively. The adsorption rate of Cd and Zn increased with increasing pH and slowly increased with increasing pH above pH 5. However, adsorption rate of Cr did not increase with increasing pH. Especially, Cr adsorption rate of the mixture of clay and white clay at pH 5 showed an half decrease compared to that at pH 3. The adsorption rate of mixed heavy metal solutions was in the order of Cd, Zn > Cr; however, the order was changed by Fe>Pb, Cu>Cr>Zn>Cd in case of Cu, Fe and Pb addition.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2008

The geochemical partitioning of arsenic in contaminated soils from a of wet land and tailing of the abandoned mine is examined. Chemical analysis and sequential extraction method by ultrasound-sonication extraction are applied to investigate the mobility and chemical existence conditions of arsenic as well as heavy metals. The results of this study showed that heavy metals concentration of tailings showed as a following order: Fe > As > Cu > Pb > Cr. The highest metal concentration was recognized in samples less than $63\;{\mu}m$ fraction in their particle sizes. Exchangeable and carbonate fractions in soil samples showed following Cu > As > Pb > Fe > Cr for tailings, and Fe > Pb > Cu > As > Cr for reservoir soils, respectively. Arsenic was bound as exchangeable fraction in tailings and its concentration appeared higher than those of the other metals. Thus, As can be easily dispersed into soil and water environments. The obtained results can be used to design soil remediation plan in the study area and require further detailed study to investigate severe environmental pollution of surface water as well as rivers with respect to heavy metals in terms of speciation analysis of toxic elements such as As and Cr.