• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.431-439
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• 2014

The purposes of this research were to investigate the enrichment of metal-reducing bacteria from KURT groundwater and the identification of the microbial diversity by 16S rRNA as well as to examine microbial Fe(III)/Mn(IV) reduction and to analyze morphological features of interactions between microbes and precipitates and their mineralogical composition. To cultivate metal-reducing bacteria from groundwater sampled at the KURT in S. Korea, different electron donors such as glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate and Fe(III)-citrate as an electron accepter were added into growth media. The enriched culture was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for the diversity of microbial species. The effect of electron donors (i.e., glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate) and electron acceptors (i.e., akaganeite, manganese oxide) on microbial iron/manganese reduction and biomineralization were examined using the 1st enriched culture, respectively. SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses were used to determine morphological features, chemical composition of microbes and mineralogical characteristics of the iron and manganese minerals. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, the four species, Fusibacter, Desulfuromonas, Actinobacteria, Pseudomonas sp., from KURT groundwater were identified as anaerobic metal reducers and these microbes precipitated metals outside of cells in common. XRD and EDX analyses showed that Fe(III)-containing mineral, akaganeite (${\beta}$-FeOOH), reduced into Fe(II)/Fe(III)-containing magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) and Mn(IV)-containing manganese oxide (${\lambda}-MnO_2$) into Mn(II)-containing rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$) by the microbes. These results implicate that microbial metabolism and respiratory activities under anaerobic condition result in reduction and biomineralization of iron and manganese minerals. Therefore, the microbes cultivated from groundwater in KURT might play a major role to reduce various metals from highly toxic, mobile to less toxic, immobile.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.519-528
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• 2019

In 2017, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has excavated a trench at Yongjang-li in the city of Gyeongju to examine the evidence of fault movement related with the 2016 earthquake in unconsolidated sediments. In the trench profile, the author has observed the features of ongoing soil-forming processes and groundwater movement overlapped on the sedimentary layers. The soil formation was in its initial stage, and most of the original sedimentary layers could be observed. The color changes depending on the redox conditions and by the Mn/Fe oxide precipitation, however, were the most significant features obscuring sedimentary records. The dark Mn oxide precipitates formed at the groundwater levels often concealed the sedimentary unit boundaries. The groundwater levels varied depending on the particle sizes of the sedimentary layers contacting the groundwater, and the Mn oxide precipitates have formed at varying depths. The groundwater could move upward along the narrow pores in the fine-textured sedimentary layer more than a few meters showing the gray color indicating a reducing condition for iron.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.1 s.182
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• pp.29-45
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• 2007

Biogeochemical characteristics involving redox processes in groundwater from a riverine alluvial aquifer was investigated using multi-level monitoring wells (up to 30m in depth). Anaerobic conditions were predominant and high Fe ($14{\sim}37mg/L$) and Mn ($1{\sim}4mg/L$) concentrations were observed at 10 to 20 m in depth. Below 20 m depth, dissolved sulfide was detected. Presumably, these high Fe and Mn concentrations were derived from the reduction of Fe- and Mn-oxides because dissolved oxygen and nitrate were nearly absent and Fe and Mn contents were considerable in the sediments. The depth range of high Mn concentration is wider than that of high Fe concentration. Dissolved organics may be derived from the upper layers. Sulfate reduction is more active than Fe and Mn reduction below 20 m in depth. Disparity of calculated redox potential from the various redox couples indicates that redox states are in disequilibrium condition in groundwater. Carbonate minerals such as siderite and rhodochrosite may control the dissolved concentrations of Fe(II) and Mn(II), and iron sulfide minerals control for Fe(II) where sulfide is detected because these minerals are near saturation from the calculation of solubility equilibria.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.296-309
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• 2022

This study investigated the mobility of inorganic elements (As, Cd, Pb, and Zn) that existed as acid extractable and reducible forms in flooded soils with a pot experiment involving rice cultivation. In general, it is known that soil inorganic elements that existed as an acid extractable form which includes exchangeable, carbonates, non-specifically sorbed, and specifically sorbed have mobility. However, the result of the experiment revealed that each inorganic elements of rice roots grown from flooded soils had different characteristics. The concentrations of Arsenic existed as both forms and the concentrations of cadmium and lead existed as a reducible form in the soils showed a high causal relationship with the concentrations of those elements in the roots of rice plants. The concentrations of zinc, an essential plant element, didn't show a causal relationship. Therefore it is necessary to consider the soil's environmental characteristics such as drained/flooded condition, oxidation/reduction condition, etc. for the mobility assessment of inorganic elements. The concentrations of the reducible form of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in flooded environment such as a paddy field should be also considered because the mobility of these elements combined with Fe/Mn increases in the reduction condition.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-484
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• 2002

Alluviums in the Keum River watershed cover an areal extent of $3,029{\;}\textrm{km}^2$ and contain about 8.1 billion tons of groundwater. However, the waters are severely polluted by nitrate, possibly due to the application of nitrogen fertilizer (>250 N kg/ha) on agricultural land. This paper aims to elucidate the pollution status and behaviors of nitrate in alluvial groundwaters in the Keum River watershed area, based on regional hydrogeochemical study. Most of the collected samples (n = 186) are polluted by nitrate (average = 42.2 mg/L, maximum = 295 mg/L). About 29% of the samples have the nitrate concentrations exceeding Korean Drinking Water Standard (44 mg/L $NO_3$). The distribution of nitrate concentrations in the study area is largely dependant on geochemical environments of alluvial aquifers. In particular, the decrease of redox potential of alluvial groundwaters showed a good correlation with the decreases of nitrate, iron, and manganese concentrations. Thus, the change of redox state in alluvial aquifers, likely reflecting their sedimentary environments, controls both the behavior and fate of nitrogen compounds and their natural attenuation (denitrification) in aquifers. A carbon-rich, silty layer within alluvium strata forms a reducing condition and possesses a buffering capacity on nitrate pollution.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2009

This experiment was performed to understand the relationship between uptake of Fe and Mn by plants, red pepper and tomato, and soil physico-chemical properties under different soil conditions at an environmentally controlled chamber in NAAS(National Academy of Agricultural Science) in 2008. After the dipping for 3 days, four treatments, dipping, dipping+aeration, drainage, drainage+aeration, were set up to investigate the changes in soil redox potential and moisture content. Drainage+aeration changed soil to the oxidation condition from 72 hrs of treatment, and soil moisture content was immediately reduced after treatment. Uptake of Fe and Mn of red pepper was investigated with two treatments, soil only and the mixed[soil(50%) : bed soil(35%) : bark(15%)]. Red pepper leaves taken at 30 days after treatment absorbed excessively Mn from the treatment of soil only and the mixed, and thus uptake of iron was strongly reduced. Also, uptake pattern of Fe and Mn of tomato was examined with four treatment, soil only, soil(50%) + rice straw(50%), soil(50%) + compost(50%) and soil + aeration. Contents of Fe and Mn in tomato leaves was measured at 60 days after treatment. Fe content was the greatest in soil(50%) + compost(50%) whereas Mn content was the highest in soil only. As a result of this experiment, plant growth was stronger influenced by soil moisture content than redox potential or porosity, and the oxidation status of soil was likely to promote that plant predominantly absorbed Mn from soil and thus resulted in Fe deficiency.