• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.551-561
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• 2007

This case study is about the sampling and interpretation of soil pore water in order to understand and to predict the diffusion and behavior of soil pollution. For the measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in two representative hydrocarbon-contaminated sites, the extraction system of the soil pore water was set up with respect to soil depths and the behavior of contaminants was interpreted. The soil solution extraction system consisted of peristaltic pump, and extraction and sampling compartment, and can measure simultaneously the soil water pressure. The concentration of PAHs with respect to extraction pressure and time decreased due to dilution through soil pore water. Particularly, the concentration of PAHs was more reduced under the unsaturated oxic condition than saturated anoxic condition. Therefore, the soil solution extraction with respect to soil water pressure can interpret the extent of equilibrium between porewater and soil surface.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.869-883
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• 2019

China is currently facing great challenges in protecting its arable soil from contamination by heavy metals, especially Cd in paddy soil. China enacted the first soil environmental quality standards (SEQS) for ten pollutants in 1995, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the results of the first nationwide soil survey in 2014. The soil survey showed that as much as 16% of China's soil and 19% of the agricultural soils were contaminated mainly with heavy metals and metalloids beyond the environmental quality limits. The exceeded rate of the contaminant limits in food crops was widespread in China, and the most severe regions were East and Southwest China. Heavy metals and metalloids accounted for 82.4% of the contaminants in soils while organic pollutants accounted for 17% of the contaminants in the soil. Among the heavy metals and metalloids exceeding the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) limit, cadmium (Cd) was highest at 7.0%, followed by nickel (4.8%), arsenic (2.7%), cobalt (2.1%), mercury (1.6%) and lead (1.5%). However, all the average concentrations of the pollutants were lower than the recommended values for the contaminants except for Cd for three levels of pH (< 6.5, 6.5 - 7.5, and > 7.5). According to the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution released by the State Council in 2016, 90% of contaminated farmland will be made safe by 2020 with an increase to 95% by 2030. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the soil quality to meet the environmental quality standard for soils and heavy metal standards for food safety.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2024

Phytoremediation presents a low-carbon and eco-friendly solution for heavy metal-contaminated soils, which pose great health and environmental risks to humans and ecosystems. A hydroponic culture was used to quantitatively assess the phytoremediation potential of plant species to remediate As or Cd-contaminated soil in field application. This study examined the growth, uptake, and distribution of Cd in the roots and shoots of Phalaris arundinacea and Brassica juncea in hydroponic conditions with Cd concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 mg/L for 10 days. Additionally, Aster koraiensis and Pteris multifida were cultivated in hydroponic conditions containing As concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg/L for 10 days. The concentrations of Cd in the above-ground part and root tissues of P. arundinacea and B. juncea reached a maximum of 147.7 and 1926.7 mg/kg-D.W.(Dry Weight), and 351.6 and 11305.5 mg/kg-D.W., respectively. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) for P. arundinacea and B. juncea were 68.9 and 122.3, respectively. Both species exhibited a translocation factor (TF) of less than 0.1, indicating their eligibility for phytostabilization. Aster koraiensis exhibited significant As accumulation of 155.1 and 1306.7 mg/kg D.W. in the above-ground part and root, respectively. However, this accumulation resulted with substantial weight loss and the manifestation of toxic symptoms. P. multifida exhibited higher accumulation of As (345.1 mg/kg-D.W.) in the fronds than in the roots (255.4 mg/kg-D.W.), corresponding to BCF values of 18.6 and 7.6, respectively, and a TF greater than 1.2. A TF value greater than 1.0 indicates that P. multifida is a viable option for phytoextraction.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.350-362
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• 2020

In this study, nano Fe°-impregnated biochar (INPBC) was prepared using pruning residues and one-pot synthetic method and evaluated its performance as an amendment agent for the stabilization of arsenic-contaminated soil. For the preparation of INPBC, the mixture of pruning residue and Fe (III) solution was heated to 220℃ for 3hr in a teflon-sealed autoclave followed by calcination at 600℃ under N₂ atmosphere for 1hr. As-prepared INPBC was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM. For the stabilization test of as-prepared INPBC, As-contaminated soils (Soil-E and Soil-S) sampled from agricultural sites located respectively near E-abandoned mine and S-abandoned mine in South Korea were mixed with different of dosage of INPBC and cultivated for 4 weeks. After treatment, TCLP and SPLP tests were conducted to determine the stabilization efficiency of As in soil and showed that the stabilization efficiency was increased with increasing the INPBC dosage and the concentration of As in SPLP extractant of Soil-E was lower than the drinking water standard level of Ministry of Environment of South Korea. The sequential fractionation of As in the stabilized soils indicated that the fractions of As in the 1st and 2nd stages that correspond liable and known as bioavailable fraction were decreased and the fractions of As in 3rd and 4th stages that correspond relatively non-liable fraction were increased. Such a stabilization of As shows that the abundant nano Fe° on the surface of INPBC mixed with As-contaminated soils played the co-precipitation of As leaching from soil by surface complexation with iron. The results of this study may imply that INPBC as a promising amendments for the stabilization of As-contaminated soil play an important role.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.349-356
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• 2003

As industrial activities are growing, pollutants found in the contaminated land are getting diverse. Some contaminated areas are subject to mixed wastes containing both organic and inorganic wastes such as hydrocarbon and heavy metals. This study concerns with the influence of the degradation of organic pollutants on the coexisting heavy metals, expecially for As. As mainly exists as two different oxidation state; As(III) and As(V) and the conversion between the two chemical forms may be induced by organic degradation in the soil contaminated by mixed wastes. We operated microcosm in an anaerobic chamber for 60 days, using sandy loam. The soils in the microcosm are artificially contaminated both by tetradecane and As, with different combination of As(III) and As(V); As(III):As(V) 1:1, As(III) only and As(V) only. Although not systematic, ratio of As(III)/As(Total) increase slightly at the later stage of experiment. Considering complicated geochemical reactions involving oxidation/reduction of organic materials, Mn/Fe oxides and As, the findings in the study seem to indicate the degradation of the organics is connected with the As speciation. That is to say, the As(V) can be reduced to As(III) either by direct or indirect influence induced by the organic degradation. Although Fe and Mn are good oxidising agent for the oxidation of As(III) to As(V), organic degradation may have suppressed reductive dissolution of the Fe and Mn oxides, causing the organic pollutants to retard the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) until the organic degradation ceases. The possible influence of organic degradation on the As speciation implies that the As in mixed wastes may be have elevated toxicity and mobility by partial conversion from As(V) to As(III).

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

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

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.89-101
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• 2003

River deposits and farmland soils were analyzed to investigate the pollution level of heavy metals in the vicinity of the Goro abandoned Zn-mine. Surface (0-40 cm) and subsurface (40-100 cm) soils were collected around a main river located at the lower part of the Goro mine, and analyzed by ICP-MS for Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr after 0. 1N HCI extraction and by AAS for As after IN HCI extraction. Concentrations of cadmium and lead at the surface river deposits close to the mine were over the Soil Pollution Warning Limit (SPWL), and 43% of sample sites (6 of 14 samples) were over SPWL for As suggesting that river deposits were broadly contaminated by arsenic. Results from farmland soil analysis showed that surface soils were contaminated by heavy metals, while only arsenic was over SPWL at 50% of sampling sites. Main pollution mechanism around the Goro mine was the discharge of mine tailing and waste rocks from the storage site to the river and to adjacent farmland during flood season. Pollution Grades for sample locations were prescribed by the Law of Soil Environmental Preservation, suggesting that the pollution level of heavy metals around the Goro mine was serious, and the remediation operation fur arsenic and the isolation of mine tailing and waste rocks from river and farmland should be activated to protect further contamination. The area needed to clean up was estimated from pollution distribution data and the remediation methods such as a soil washing method and a soil improvement method were considered as the further remediation operation for arsenic contaminated soils and river deposits around the Goro abandoned mine.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.799-811
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to evaluate heavy metal contamination and pollution index of agricultural soils around industrial complexes in the Jeon-Buk Regions of Korea. Soil samples near industrial complexes in 2017 were collected at two depths (0 - 15 and 15 - 30 cm) within a 500- and 1000-meter radius before planting. Eight heavy metals (Arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), Cupper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn)) and the pollution index (PI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and soil pollution index (SPI) were evaluated based on soil contamination warning standard (SCWS). Overall, the heavy metal concentrations were below the SCWS. The PI ranged from 0.1 to 0.9 and categorized into Group 1 which is not polluted with any heavy metals. The average Igeo values of all the soil samples ranged from - 2.56 to 3.22. The Igeo values of Cd and Hg may not represent well the pollution index because the heavy metal concentrations in the soil is lower compared to the SCWS. In fact, based on the heavy metal concentrations, the Igeo for monitored soils should be categorized into Group 1, uncontaminated to moderately contaminated. However, the Igeo of Cd and Hg are classified into heavily contaminated. These results suggest that for calculating the Igeo, the heavy metal concentration and background concentration should be used very carefully if the heavy metal concentration in the soil is lower than the background concentration. SPI for all the soil samples ranged from 0.00 to 0.11 which indicates no heavy metal pollution was observed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.125-129
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• 2020

Environmental pollution caused by various heavy metals is a serious global problem. To solve this problem, microbial bioremediation of contaminated metals has developed rapidly as an effective strategy when physical and chemical techniques are not suitable. In this study, cadmium (Cd)-tolerant soil bacteria were isolated via artificial induction in laboratory conditions instead of screening bacteria naturally adapted to metal-contaminated soils. Wild-type (WT) bacteria grown in uncontaminated soils were artificially and sequentially adapted to gradually increasing Cd concentrations of up to 15 mM. The resultant cells, named Soil-CdR15, survived at a Cd concentration of 10 mM, whereas WT cells failed to survive with 4 mM Cd on solid media for 2 d. In liquid media containing Cd, the SoilCdR15 cells grew with 15 mM Cd for 7 d, whereas the WT cells could not grow with 5 mM Cd. Both Soil-CdR15 and WT cells removed approximately 35% of Cd at the same capacity from liquid media containing either 0.5 or 1.0 mM Cd over 2 d. In addition to Cd, the Soil-CdR15 cells showed increased resistance to nickel, zinc, and arsenic compared to WT cells. The Soil-CdR cells were identified as Burkholderia sp. by partial sequencing of 16S rRNA. The data presented in this study demonstrate that isolation of heavy metal-tolerant microorganisms via artificial induction in laboratory conditions is possible and may be useful for the application of the microorganisms for the bioremediation of heavy metals.