• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.473-479
• /
• 2014

In this study, chemical characteristics of groundwater around carcass burial areas and those in agricultural and livestock-farming complex areas in South Korea were monitored. Groundwater samples were collected from 166 wells around carcass burial sites and 466 wells around the agricultural areas where carcass burial sites are absent. The chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, oxidation reduction potential, $NO_3$-N, $NH_4$-N, and $Cl^-$) in carcass burial areas and agricultural areas were similar. The $NO_3$-N concentrations exhibited minimal seasonal fluctuations below $30mg\;L^{-1}$ in most of the wells, even in the wells located close to the carcass burial sites; and $Cl^-$ concentrations also showed similar patterns. The chemical characteristics of groundwater monitored in this study indicated that groundwater was widely contaminated by agricultural activities and livestock farming, but probably not by leachates derived from nearby carcass burial sites.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.137-147
• /
• 2013

A lot of burial sites for the disposal of the contagious livestock slaughtered by foot and mouth disease were constructed in a short time for preventing the rapid spread of the virus. More than 4,700 carcass burial sites were constructed in 2011. Approximately 7 million poultry and 3.5 million livestock including head of cattle and swine were buried in farm land. However, the available cost data for a burial site was not provided. This study was to performed in order to understand the economic issues related to carcass burial disposal. The data from a local government was analyzed and the assumption data web based was constructed to evaluate the cost for constructing a carcass burial. The results showed that the local government paid KRW 5,386 for the burial disposal of a mortality (swine). It was estimated that the cost could be reduced through an appropriate measures.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.239-246
• /
• 2013

The foot and mouth disease and AI were highly contagious. The virus can be transmitted in a number of ways, including close-contact animal to animal spread, long-distance aerosol spread and fomites, or inanimate objects, typically fodder and motor vehicles. A lot of burial sites were constructed in a short time for preventing the rapid spread of the virus. The carcass burial sites have a risk potential because the sites were constructed without any appropriate and systematic management. It resulted from lacking of time, equipments and man power. The carcass burial sites more than 4,700 constructed in 2011. Approximately 7 million poultry and 3.5 million livestock including head of cattle and swine were buried in farm land. It is time to be concerned if the secondary pollutions occur from the burial sites. The environmental impacts should be analyzed for managing the burial sites effectively and minimizing damages and risks to the environment and human health. This study was to analyze environmental impacts of the process of carcass burial construction using a life cycle assessment methodology. All input data of raw materials and energy usage were collected and the inventory was constructed. The results showed that 1 ton of carcass burial of the environmental impacts were $0.51yr^{-1}$ for ADP, 0.09 kg of 1,4DCB-eq for FAETP, 31.17 kg of $CO_2-eq$ for GWP, 0.04 kg of $C_2H_4-eq$ for POCP, 0.06 kg of $SO_2-eq$ for AP.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.356-362
• /
• 2015

Many burial sites were constructed in a short time to prevent the rapid spread of foot and mouth disease in infected livestock carcasses in Korea. More than 4,700 carcass burial sites were constructed in 2011. Approximately seven million poultry and 3.5 million livestock, including cattle and swine, were buried on farmland. Some burial sites were suspected of leachate leakage and were excavated and carcasses redisposed in a bioaugmentation process. This study performed interviews in order to understand the economic issues related to carcass burial and redisposal. The internal data from local government and the assumption data from online sites were analyzed to evaluate the costs; the focus was on burial site construction. The results showed that the local government paid $4.7 and $10.9 per carcass for traditional burial and redisposal. The comparable costs shown online were $4.5. This study found that the standard operating procedures should be carried out to reduce environmental impact and avoid additional costs. We estimated that the cost could be reduced by the advance preparations of materials against the emergency situations such as catastrophe of epidemics. In addition, the innovative technology for the stabilization of carcasses should be established through a future study.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.255-261
• /
• 2012

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is highly infectious disease of cloven-hoofed animals, particularly cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Last outbreak reported in November, 2010 induced the enormous social and economical impacts. Culling of infected animals, movement control, and vaccination are the major control measures of FMD. The aim of this study was to detection foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in the soil and leachate from modeling burial for pig carcass as measured by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). FMDV and Coxsakievirus B1 (CVB1) were detected in soil by week 16 and Coxsakievirus B1 (CVB1) by weeks 12, respectively. FMDV and CVB1 also detected by weeks 8 in the leachate. Results from this study provides an evidence that FMDV could be inactivated for safe of pig carcasses infected with FMDV within 4 month in the carcass burial site.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.30-40
• /
• 2018

To evaluate potential impacts of shallow groundwater by the leachate from buried carcass, we investigated hydrochemical characteristics of both leachate and shallow groundwater from monitoring wells and surrounding shallow groundwater wells in an area potentially affected by pig carcass burial. The hydrochemical survey was conducted before and after the relocation of a burial pit. The leachate samples and the groundwater affected by leachate showed the hydrochemistry of $Ca-HCO_3$ type with high $NH_4{^+}$ concentrations, while unaffected groundwater was mostly the $Ca(Na)-Cl+NO_3$ type due to pervasive impacts from agrochemicals. The results of factor analysis on hydrochemical data showed the followings: 1) contamination of groundwater from agro-livestock farming and livestock burial are coexisting in the study area, 2) among ionic species, $HCO_3{^-}$, $NH_4{^+}$, $NO_3{^-}$ and Mn are very useful to differentiate the groundwater contamination from leachate, and 3) groundwater contamination by leachate has been recognized around the monitoring wells even after the relocation of a burial pit, likely due to residual contaminants in surrounding soils. Therefore, it is suggested that continued monitoring of groundwater contamination should be conducted after the relocation of carcass burial pits.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.12
• /
• pp.2199-2210
• /
• 2017

Soil burial is the most widely used disposal method for infected pig carcasses, but composting has gained attention as an alternative disposal method because pig carcasses can be decomposed rapidly and safely by composting. To understand the pig carcass decomposition process in soil burial and by composting, pilot-scale test systems that simulated soil burial and composting were designed and constructed in the field. The envelope material samples were collected using special sampling devices without disturbance, and bacterial community dynamics were analyzed by high-throughput pyrosequencing for 340 days. Based on the odor gas intensity profiles, it was estimated that the active and advanced decay stages were reached earlier by composting than by soil burial. The dominant bacterial communities in the soil were aerobic and/or facultatively anaerobic gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Gelidibacter, Mucilaginibacter, and Brevundimonas. However, the dominant bacteria in the composting system were anaerobic, thermophilic, endospore-forming, and/or halophilic gram-positive bacteria such as Pelotomaculum, Lentibacillus, Clostridium, and Caldicoprobacter. Different dominant bacteria played important roles in the decomposition of pig carcasses in the soil and compost. This study provides useful comparative date for the degradation of pig carcasses in the soil burial and composting systems.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.107-112
• /
• 2020

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and avian influenza (AI) are highly pathogenic viral disease which affects the livestock industry worldwide. Outbreak of these viruses causes great impact in the livestock industry; thus, disease infected animals were immediately disposed. Burial is the commonly used disposal method for deceased animals. However, there is potential for secondary environmental contamination, as well as the risk that infectious agents persisting in the environment due to the limited environmental controls in livestock burial sites during the decomposition of the carcasses. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the detection of FMD and AI viruses from animal carcass disposal sites using real-time reverse transcription PCR. Soil samples of more than three years post-burial from livestock carcass disposal sites were collected and processed RNA isolation using a commercial extraction kit. The isolated RNA of the samples was used for the detection of FMDV and AIV using qRT-PCR. Based on the qPCR assay result, no viral particle was detected in the soil samples collected from the animal disposal sites. This indicates that 3 years of burial and their carcass disposal method is efficient for the control or at least reduction of spread infections in the surrounding environment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.47-54
• /
• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of leachate discharged from livestock burial sites in Gangwondo resulting from foot-and-mouth disease by monitoring the water quality at the survey tube-wells installed near livestock burial sites in order to investigate the effect of the leachate on the quality of nearby underground water and suggest a water pollution level in accordance with water quality evaluation criteria. Methods: To minimize the secondary environmental pollution damage caused by leachate at burial sites of livestock killed by foot-and-mouth disease, this study analyzed the leachate directly discharged from burial sites and installed survey tube-wells within 300 meters of livestock burial sites and investigated water quality as a means to ascertain the environmental effect of the leachate from the burial sites. In accordance with environmental management guidelines on livestock burial sites, this research investigated the water quality in the survey tube-wells in fifty five burial sites in Gangwondo. The elements investigated were $NH_3$-N, $Cl^-$, $NO_3$-N, conductivity, and E. coli. Water quality was monitored from 2011 to 2013. Results: The water quality from the drain pipe at the location of leachate from livestock burial sites showed BOD 37,209 mg/L, COD 8,829 mg/L, $NH_3$-N 3,633 mg/L, and $Cl^-$ 580 mg/L. According to the monitoring results of water quality ($Cl^-$, $NH_3$-N, conductivity) at the survey tube-wells, there was suspicion that 13 out of 55 burial sites discharged leachate, five sites discharged highly concentrated leachate (13%): one in Gangneung, one in Wonju, and three in Cheorwon. Conclusion: It was judged that out of thirteen observation wells which showed a possibility of discharged leachate, three survey tube-wells have established the discharge effect of leachate at burial sites up to recently. Therefore, it is judged that it is necessary to continue monitoring them and devise additional measures.

• Journal of odor and indoor environment
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.187-198
• /
• 2017

It is very important to treat infected livestock carcasses safely and quickly. In this study, the degradation characteristics and odor generation characteristics of carcasses were investigated during the treatment of swine carcasses using the anaerobic burial composting method. While the carcasses were decomposed, the temperature remained high, at $40{\sim}55^{\circ}C$ on average, and most of the carcasses were decomposed rapidly. The major odor-contributing substances in the buried composting method are sulfuric odor substances such as $H_2S$, $CH_3SH$, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and the odor contribution of these substances is 93~99%. Among them, $CH_3SH$, which accounts for about 56~89% of odor contribution, was the most representative indicator substance. Despite the anaerobic digestion process, the methane concentration in the digestion process was as low as 0.5~0.8% at the burial point of the carcass. The odor and methane produced during the decomposition of the carcasses decreased considerably during the discharge to the surface layer through the buried layer consisting of compost. These results suggest that anaerobic high temperature burial composting is one of the most useful methods to treat carcasses of infected livestock.