• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.31-38
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• 1999

The purpose of this study were to determine the optimum mixing ratio of sewage sludge and papermill sludge as carbon source required to SRB in treating abandoned mine drainage with natural purification wetland. If mixing sewage sludge/papermill sludge 2.0 SO42- reduced 46.2%, and then 30% in mixing ratio 0.5.Because sewage sludge was faster biodegradability than papermill sludge, effluent SCOD was 40mg/L in mixing ratio 0.5, and after that was all but regular. pH and ORP were almost neutral and -160mV, but after that was all but regular and it indicated that SRB activity was suitable. Fe removal rate was 60% in mixing ratio 2.0, and 54% in mixing ratio 0.5. In point of carbon source supply, It indicated that mixing ration 0.5 was considered as the most appropriate, because degradability of swewage sludge under short time was higher than that of papermill sludge.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.411-429
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• 2018

Daeyoung mine (also called "Daema mine") produced gold and silver from mainly gold- and silver-bearing quartz veins. The mine tailings are a waste hazard, but most of the tailings were swept away or dispersed throughout the area around the mine long before the tailing dump areas were transformed into agricultural land. Soil liner and protection facilities, such as retaining walls, were constructed in the mine area to prevent the loss of tailings. The content of the tailings is 3,424.41~3,803.61 mg/kg, which exceeds the safety standard by a factor of 45. In addition, contamination was detected near agricultural areas and in the sediments in downstream drainage channels. A high level of As contamination was concentrated near the waste tailings yard; comparaable levels were detected in agricultural areas close to streams that ran through the waste dump yard, whereas the levels were much lower in areas far from the streams. The contamination in stream sediments showed a gradual decrease with distance from the mine waste yard. Based on these contamination patterns, we concluded that there are two main paths that affect the spread of contaminants: (1) loss of mine waste, and (2) the introduction of mine waste into agricultural areas by floods after transportation by streams. The agricultural areas contaminated by mass inflow of mine waste can act as contamination sources themselves, affecting other agricultural areas through the diffusion of contaminants. At present, although the measured effect in minimal, sediments in streams are contaminated by exposed mine waste and surface liners. It is possible for contaminants to diffuse or spread into nearby areas if heavy elements trapped in soil grains in contaminated agricultural areas leach out as soil solution or contaminant particles during diffusion into the water supply.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2003

The objective of this study is to investigate the physical and chemical properties for environmental assessment of water system affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) from coal mining activities in the Youngwol, Jungseon and Pyungchang areas in Korea. During November 2000 to July 2002, 6 times of water samples were collected season-ally from acid mine drainage and nearby streams at 13 coal mines in the study area. The physical and chemical properties including pH, Eh, TDS, salinity, bicarbonates and DO were measured in the field. Eighteen cations includ-ing Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn, and 6 anions including nitrates and sulfates were also analyzed by ICP-AES and If, respectively. Acid water from the Jungam coal mine has typical characteristics of AMD with very low pH(3∼4) and high TDS(1,000∼5,000 mg/1). Relatively high concentrations(mg/kg) of heavy meals, especially for Al(380), Fe(80), Mn(44) and Zn(8), were found in water samples from the Jungam coal mine area. Water samples from the Seojin, Sebang and Sungjin coal mines also contained over 50 mg/l of Al, >100 mg/1 of Fe and )10 mg/1 of Mn. In addition to anioins, over 1,000 mg/l of sulfate was found in several water samples. Seasonally, the concentrations of metals and sulfates varied; wet season samples were relatively higher in metals and sulfates than dry season samples. It is needed to establish the proper remediation and environmental monitoring of the AMD continuously.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.25-36
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• 2005

Several metalliferous and coal mines, including Myungjin, Seojin and Okdong located at the upper watershed of Okdong stream, were abandoned or closed since 1988 due to the mining industry promotion policy. Thus these disposed an enormous amount of mining wastes without a proper treatment facilities, resulting in water pollution in the downstream areas. Acid mine drainage (AMD) and waste water effluents from the closed coal mines were very strongly acidic showing pH ranges of 2.7 to 4.5 and had a high level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) showing the ranges of 1,030 to 1,947 mg/L. Also heavy metal concentrations in these samples such as Fe, Cu, Cd and anion such as sulfate were very high. Concentrations of water soluble heavy metals in the Okdong streams were in the orders of Fe>Al>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd, indicating Fe from the AMD and waste water effluents contributed greatly to the quality of water and soil in the lower watershed of Okdong stream. Copper concentrations in the effluents from the tile drainage of mine tailings dams were highest during the raining season. Water Pollution Index (WPI) of the surface water at the upper stream of Okdong river where AMD of the abandoned coal mines was flowed into main stream were in the ranges of 16.3 to 47.1. On the other hand, those at the mid stream where effluents from tailings dams and coal mines flowed into main stream were in the WPI ranges of 10.6 to 19.5. However, those at the lower stream were ranged from 10.6 to 14.9. These results indicated that mining wastes such as AMD and effluents from the closed mines were the major source to water pollution at the Okdong stream areas.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2016

There have been found mine tailings, wastes, and mining drainage scattered in the area of Nakdong River due to the improper maintenance of the abandoned mines. These contaminants can flow into rivers during the heavy rain periods in summer. Along the study area beginning Seokpo-myeon, Bonghwa-gun of Gyeongsangbuk-do untill Dosan-myeon, Andong-si, there are one hundred five mines including sixty metalliferous mines and forty-five nonmetal mines, which can adversely affect the adjacent rivers. To verify the contamination, we collected sediments, seepage water and surface water for a year both in rainy season and dry season. This study found that sediments, containing high concentrations of heavy metals caused by mining activities, are dispersed throughout the entire river basin (68 sample points with pollution index, based on the concentration of trace element, (PI) >10 among the total of 101 samples). The results of river water analysis indicated the increased concentrations of arsenic and cadmium at branches from Seungbu, Sambo, Okbang and Janggun mine, which concerns that the river water may be contaminated by mining drainage and tailing sediments. However, it is difficult to sort out the exact sources of contamination in sediments and waters only by using the chemical compositions. Thus the control of mining pollution is challenging. To prevent water from being contaminated by mining activities, we should be able to divide inflow rates from each origin of the mines. Therefore, there should be a continued study about how to trace the source of contaminants from mining activities by analyzing stable isotopes.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2020

Various types of amendments have been studied for heavy metal stabilization in soil. However, researches on the effect of amendments on alkali soil and their effects on the plants at various edible parts are insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stabilization efficiency of heavy metals and their transfer into edible parts of food crops. Abandoned mine area was selected and 3 types of amendments (lime stone, LS; steel slag, SS; acid mine drainage sludge, AMDS) was applied with 3% (w/w). in field. After 6 month aging, Chinese cabbage (leafy), bok choy (leafy), garlic (root) and red pepper (fruit) were transplanted and cultivated. For chemical assessment, total concentration and bioavailability using Mehlich-3 solution were determined. For biological assessment, fresh weight and heavy metal uptakes were analyzed. It was revealed that AMDS reduced bioavailability most effectively, resulting in the decrease in heavy metal concentration in edible parts of all crops. When explaining the heavy metal uptake of plants, the bioavailability was more appropriate than the total contents of soil heavy metals. Therefore, bioavailability-based further research and management practices should be carried out continuously for the sustainable environment management, safe crop production, and human health risk reduction.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.5-15
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• 2014

Abandoned mine deposits are exposed to various physico-chemical geo-environmental hazards and disasters, such as acid mine drainage, water contamination, erosion, and landslides. This paper presents the ring shear characteristics of waste materials. The ring shear box with a rotatable O-ring was used in this study. Three tests were performed: (i) Shear stress-time relationship for given normal stress and shear speed, (ii) shear stress as a function of shear speed, and (iii) shear stress as a function of normal stress. For a given normal stress (50 kPa) and speed (0.1 mm/sec), the materials tested exhibit a strain softening behavior, regardless of drainage condition. The peak and residual shear stresses were determined for each normal stress and shear speed. The shear stress was measured when shear speed is equal to 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100 mm/sec or when normal stress is equal to 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150 kPa. From the test results, we found that the shear stress increases with increasing shear speed. The shear stress also increases with increasing normal stress. However, different types of shearing mode were observed in drained and undrained conditions. Under drained condition, particle crushing was observed from the shearing zone to the bottom of lower ring. Under undrained condition, particle crushing was observed only at the shearing zone, which has approximately 1 cm thick. It means that a significant high shear speed under undrained condition can result in increased landslide hazard.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2001

Stream water chemistry in the abandoned Boeun Jeil coal mine area was studied for a period of 3 months, including rainy and dry season. The stream waters were a nearly neutral and slightly alkali condition, and $Mg-SO_4$ type with Mg>Ca>Na>K and $SO_4>HCO_3>Cl>NO_3$. Chemical composition of the stream water was quite irregular during the experimental period. Concentrations of Na, K, $HCO_3$, U, Sr, and Cr decreased by $10{\sim}30%$ during rainy season, caused by dilution effects with rain. The concentration of Ca, Mg, $NO_3$, Cd, and Co increased during the rainy season, caused by more easily dissolved from bedrocks or mine drainage with slightly acidic condition than dry season. The stream water was enriched in Mg, Ca, $HCO_3$, $SO_4$, Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd, Sr and U. Concentrations of Na, Mg, Ca, $SO_4$, $HCO_3$, Fe, Zn, Ni, Sr, and U decreased linearly with distance from the mine adit. These elements were strongly controlled by dilution of unpolluted water influx and/or adsorption on the clay minerals and iron oxyhydroxide precipitates. This mine area exhibited two main weathering processes ; 1) oxidation with acidification derived from Fe sulphides, and 2) pH buffering due to Ca and Mg carbonate dissolution. This weathering processes were followed by adsorption of metals on iron oxyhydroxides and precipitation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.297-302
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• 2011

Acid drainage generated by pyrite oxidation has caused the acidification of soil and surface water, the heavy metal contamination and the corrosion of structures in abandoned mine and construction sites. The applicability of Na-acetate (Na-OAc) buffer and/or Na-silicate solution was tested for suppressing pyrite oxidation by reacting pyrite containing rock and treating solution and by analyzing solution chemistry after the reaction. A finely ground Mesozoic andesite containing 10.99% of pyrite and four types of reacting solutions were used in the applicability test: 1) $H_2O_2$, 2) $H_2O_2$ and Na-silicate, 3) $H_2O_2$ and 0.01M Na-OAc buffer at pH 6.0, and 4) $H_2O_2$, Na-silicate and 0.01M Na-OAc buffer at pH 6.0. The pH in the solution after the reaction with the andesite sample and the solutions was decreased with increasing the initial $H_2O_2$ concentration but the concentrations of Fe and $SO_4^{2-}$ were increased 10 - 20 times. However, the pH of the solution after the reaction increased and the concentrations of Fe and $SO_4^{2-}$ decreased in the presence of Na-acetate buffer and with increasing Na-silicate concentration at the same $H_2O_2$ concentration. The solution chemistry indicates that Na-OAc buffer and Na-silicate suppress the oxidation of pyrite due to the formation of Fe-hydroxide and Fe-silicate complex and their coating on the pyrite surface. The effect of Na-OAc buffer and Na-silicate on reduction of pyrite oxidation was also confirmed with the surface examination of pyrite using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The result of this study implies that the treatment of pyrite containing material with the Na-OAc buffer and Na-silicate solution reduces the generation of acid drainage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2002

There are several abandoned coal mines around Donghae mine area in the Taebaek coal field. Two major creeks, Soro and Sanae, are contaminated with the colored precipitates formed from the coal mine drainages. Bed rocks of the study area consist of limestone, shale, and sandstone. Limestone consisted mainly of calcite and dolomite, and shale of quartz, pyropyllite and chlorite, and sandstone of quatz and illite. Coal coal spoil dumps composed mainly of pyrite and chlorite. The oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals leads to acid mine drainage and adds the metal ions in the stream water. The ion concentrations of Fe, Ca, Mg, Al, Si, SO$_{4}$in the stream polluted by AMD are generally higher than those in the unpolluted stream water. High concentrations of Ca and Mg, Al and Si can be resulted from dissolution of carbonate minerals such as calcite, dolomite and aluminosilicates such as chlorite, pyrophyllite. Although the Fe, Al, Si, SO$_{4}$ contents are considerbly high in the acid water released from the mine adits, they become decreased downstream due to dilution of unpolluted water and precipitation of oxide/hydroxide and sulfate minerals on the bottom of stream.