• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.32-42
• /
• 1999

Microbial mats, the yellow and reddish brown deposits formed from the mine drainage, occur on the bottom of drain and mine tailing pond of the Ilkwang mine in Pusan, Korea. The constituents of microbial mats and their biomineralization were studied by using XRD, IR, and SEM-EDX. The upper part of the microbial mat is yellow-colored and composed of tube-shaped and small spheroid bacterial materials, which are mainly made up of amorphous and poor-crystalline iron-oxide minerals. The shape and composition of bacterial materials suggest that they are probably belong to iron-oxide mineral aggregates. The iron-oxide minerals of the yellow microbial mats are mainly goethite, but those of the reddish brown microbial mats contain abundant hematite along with goethite. This implies that with the evolution of biomats, goethite may be transformed to hematite.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.95-105
• /
• 2011

Total extraction method and environmental standards for heavy metals in soils were revised in regulation recently. In case of Area 3, as the law amended, the soil pollution level has gone up to 4 to 13 times higher depending on the type of heavy metal. In this study, it compares the properties of heavy metals of soil by sequential extraction and total extraction methods depending on the analysis method, using the soil around mine. In case of arsenic, the soil pollution level has gone up to 4 times higher, but 6 to 10 times in the sample soil. Also, according to the results of portability evaluation depending on the type of existence form of heavy metal it exists as residual form in mine waste rock, which is less likely to move, while it exists as migrated form in tailing. Therefore, it should be considered to evaluate the soil pollution and decide the contaminated bounds depending on the existence form of heavy metals on soil to restore the polluted soil.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.15 no.5 s.72
• /
• pp.826-833
• /
• 2005

This study was conducted to inform basic data for management of abandoned mine that was based on soil heavy metal concentration of the non-rearing and the rearing sites in Guundong Mine which had been completed of improve contamination soils, and examined into standard plant which had tolerances about pollution that analyzed into its accumulated heavy metals contents in the wild plant of naked soil. Consider form the result of contents by depth of soils heavy metals in the non-rearing sites, S1 point judged by contaminated to heavy metals of tailing leach after weathering caused by rainfall and permeate in S1 point soils when restored rest of tailing in 1996 restoration project. Lead of S2 point was not contaminated seriously by restoration and S3 point considered that heavy metals which leach by rainfall in the contaminated soils in mine vicinity accumulated in the abandoned paddy through river When heavy metals of rearing sites soils were examined from the view point of upside of mine point (SP1, SP2, and SP3) of same above the sea level, zinc (537.5 mg/kg) content of SP1 point was highest, and copper (535 mg/kg) and lead (141.5 mg/kg) in the SP3 point were high. To considered as orderly plenty of heavy metals in the plant were respectively in order, Perilla frutescens var. cauta KUDO (SP1 and SP4) >Artemisia princeps PAMPAN (SP2) > Miscanthus sinensis ANDERSSON(SP5) > Vicia angustifolia var. segetilis (THUILL.) K. KOCH. (SP2). Especially, there were plenty of heavy metals in P. frutescens var. acuta, so it judged as a standard plant which have tolerances about heavy metals pollution sites. Therefore, we need more study about the heavy metals accumulate ability of P frutescens var. acuta in future.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.63-79
• /
• 2008

Physicochemical characteristics of stream water, leachate, mine water and groundwater were investigated to estimate the influences of the tailing and waste rock from the abandoned Uljin mine area. Total extraction analysis and mineralogical studies were carried out to understand sulfide weathering and to determine the distributions of trace elements in the soil affected by mine waste (tailing, waste rock and leachate). The pH and EC value of the leachate from the tailing disposal ranged 2.9-6.0, $99{\sim}3,990{\mu}S/cm$, respectively, and the concentrations of dissolved major (up to 492 mg/l Ca; 83.8 mg/l Mg; 45.2 mg/l Na; 44.7 mg/l K, 50.8 mg/l Si) and trace elements (up to $826,060{\mu}g/l$ Fe; $131,230{\mu}g/l$ Mn; $333,600{\mu}g/l$ Al; $61,340{\mu}g/l$ Zn; $2,530{\mu}g/l$ Cu; $573{\mu}g/l$ Cd; $476{\mu}g/l$ Pb) were relatively high. The stream water showed the variation of dissolved metal concentrations in seasonally and spatially. The dissolved metal contents of the stream water increased by influx the leachate from the tailing disposal, but these of the down stream have been considerably decreased by mixing of dilute tributaries. The dissolved metal concentrations of the stream water at dry season (as February) were lower than these at rainy season (as May and July). These represent that the amounts of the leachate varied with season. However, stream water could not be effectively diluted by confluence with uncontaminated tributaries, because the flux of tributaries and streams reduced at dry season. Thus attenuations by dilution had been dominantly happened in rainy seasons. The order of accumulations of trace element in soils compared with background values revealed Mn>Fe>Pb>Cu>Zn. Sulfide minerals were mainly pyrrhotite, sphalerite and galena and chalcopyrite. Pyrrhotite was rapidly weathered along the edge and fractures, and results in the formation of Fe-(oxy)hydroxides, which absorbed a little amount of Zn.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.717-726
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to assess the geochemical contamination degree of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb, and Zn in the soil and water samples from an abandoned gold mine. Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Load Index (PLI) were carried out to assess the geochemical contamination degree of the soil samples. Variations of sulfate and heavy metals concentration in water samples were determined to identify the geochemical distribution with respect to the distance from the mine tailing dam. Geochemical pollution indices indicated significant contaminated with As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in the soil samples that areas close to the mine tailing dam, while, Sb showed similar indices in all soil samples. These results indicated that the As, Cd, Pb, and Zn dispersion has occurred via anthropogenic sources, such as mining activities. In terms of water samples, anomalies in the concentrations of As, Cd, Zn, and SO₄^2- was determined at specific area, in addition, the concentrations of the elements gradually decreased with distance. This result implies the heavy metals distribution in water has carried out by the weathering of sulfide minerals in the mine tailing and soil. The study area has been conducted the remediation of contaminated soil in the past, however, the geochemical dispersion of heavy metals was supposed to be occurred from the potential contamination source. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the soil and water is necessary after the completion of remediation.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.522-525
• /
• 2003

Mine waters, surface waters and groundwaters were sampled around seven Au-Ag mine areas (Dongil, Okdong, Dongjung, Songcheon, Ssangjeon, Dogok and Gubong Au-Ag mines). The main contamination sources of As in these abandoned Au-Ag mines can be suggested as mine tailings and waste rocks including the sulfide gangue minerals (arsenopyrite). The relatively high concentration of As in mine waters was shown in the Dongil (524 ${\mu}g/L$) and the Dogok (56 ${\mu}g/L$) mine areas. Arsenic concentrations in stream waters from the Dongil ($0.9\~118{\mu}g/L$), the Songchon ($0.8\~63{\mu}g/L$), the Ssangjeon ($1.6\~109{\mu}g/L$) and the Gubong ($3.6\~63{\mu}g/L$) mine areas exceeded the permissible level for stream water in Korea. Groundwaters collected from the Dongil ($0.9\~64{\mu}g/L$ ), the Okdong ($0.2\~69{\mu}g/L$) and the Gubong ($0.5\~101{\mu}g/L$) mine areas contained high As concentration to cause the arsenicosis in these areas. In As speciation, the concentration ratios of As(III) to As(total) present up to $75\%$ and $100\%$ in stream waters from the Okdong and the Songcheon mines, and $70\%$ in groundwaters from the Okdong and the Dongjung mines. Arsenic concentration decreases downstream from the tailing dump correlatively with pH and Fe concentration. Highly elevated As concentrations are found in the dry season (such as April and March) than in the wet season (September) due to the dilution effect by heavy rain during summer in stream waters from the Dongil and the Songcheon mine areas.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.129-143
• /
• 2009

In South Korea, Mine industries were encouraged to obtain the natural resource from 1960 to 1980. However, the depletion of natural resource and decreasing price have been caused by the voluntary closure of non-economical mines and a cut of their production since 1990. Harmful wastewater containing such heavy metals as iron, aluminum, arsenic, and cadmium are being discharged from abandoned pits and waste stone and tailing dumping sites following the closure of mines. Therefore, the objective of this paper suggests a policy of mine hazard prevention(PMHP) and method that allows the combination of new spatial data and as well as collected data on resources for the sustainable mine reclamation and management using EGIS/MGIS technique to develop an integrated plan and management techniques.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.173-185
• /
• 2015

Janggun mine (longitude $129^{\circ}$ 03'38.91" Latitude $36^{\circ}$ 51'31.59") had been operated as an underground mine for last few decades. As the part of the remediation process, the surface of tailing dump was covered with uncontaminated soil about 20 cm in depth and acacia trees were planted. Heavy metal uptake of acacia from tailing soil has continued for the past 15 years. Heavy metal concentration ranges of tailing soil that contaminated with As (66.43-9325.34 mg/kg), Cd (0.96-1.09 mg/kg), Cu (16.90-57.60 mg/kg), Pb (57.33-945.67 mg/kg), and Zn (154.48-278.61 mg/kg) have higher than those of control soil As (38.98 mg/kg), Cd (0.42 mg/kg), Cu (10.26 mg/kg), Pb (8.21 mg/kg), Zn (46.74 mg/kg). The As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations of leaf of acacia in highly contaminated tailing dump were 165.95, 0.04, 10.68, 3.18, 48.11 mg/kg, respectively. The metal contents of leaf of acacia tree that obtained from uncontaminated control soil are 1.31 of As, 3.90 of Cu, 0.22 of Pb and 11.01 mg/kg of Zn. It was investigated that in the acacia tree, heavy metals such as As, Cu, Pb and Zn tend to be more highly concentrated in bark and leaf, compared with sapwood and heartwood.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.37-42
• /
• 1999

Ths sludy was canied out to recover gold and sllics from abandoned gold mine talings with about 4.5 ghonAu and 84.88 wt% SOz. Tl~bee nef~cialiop~ro~c esses including crushing, screening, magnelic and gravity (humprey sp~rals,h aking table) separation \ulcornervex employed. Results were Feasible to rccovn h e gold concentrates (307.1 gltoilon .4u . 0.60 wr%, 97.7 giton Au : 0.27 wl%, 15.3 &/ton Au . 5.23 wt%, 21.2 g/ton Au : 2.42 wl%) and silica (96.40 wi% SiO\ulcorner yield 60 65 ~ 1 % )

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.273-282
• /
• 2000

In order to investigate the extent and degree of arsenic and heavy metal contamination and the bioavailability of toxic elements around the abandoned mine in Korea, an environmental geochemical survey was undertaken in the Daduk mine. After appropriate preparation, tailings, soil, stream sediment, crop plant and fingernail samples were analysed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Elevated levels of 8,782 mg/kg As, 8.3 mg/kg Cd, 489 mg/kg Cu, 3,638 mg/kg Pb and 919 mg/kg Zn were found in tailings from the Daduk mine. These significant concentrations can impact on soils and sediments around the tailing ponds. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in soils are significantly higher than those in world average soil, especially for As and Pb. Element concentrations in sediments decrease with distance from the tailing ponds due to a dilution effect by the mixing of uncontaminated sediments. Arsenic and Cd are elevated in rice grains and stalks, and Cu and Zn concentrations in chinese cabbage, sesame and bean leaves are higher than the upper limit values for normal plant. Arsenic concentration in fingernails of farmers are higher than the normal level with a maximum value of 1.5 mg/kg. The post-ingestion bioavailability of toxic heavy metals in some paddy and farmland soils has been also investigated using the SBET (simple bioavailability extract test) method. The method utilises synthetic leaching fluids closelyanalogous to those of the human stomach. The quantities of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn extracted from paddy soils after 1 hour indicated 15.9, 65.4, 46.2, 39.4 and 29.4% bioavailability, respectively and for farmland soils, 12.4, 26.0, 31.2, 29.3 and 19.4% bioavailability, respectively. The results of the SBET indicate that regular ingestion of soils by the local population could pose a potential health threat due to long-term toxic element exposure.