• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.401-407
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• 2018

For the treatment of heavy metals in the mine drainage from the closed mine area, various methods such as passive, active and semi-active treatments are considered. Among contaminated elements in the mine drainage, Mn is one of the difficult elements for the treatment because it needs high pH over 9.0 for its concentration to be reduced. In this study, the efficiency of various slag complex reactors (slag (S), slag+limestone (SL) and slag+Mn coated gravel (SG)) on Mn removal in the presence of Fe, which is a competitive element with Mn, was evaluated to investigate effective methods for the treatment of Mn in mine drainage. As a result of experiments on Mn removal without Fe during 358 days, using influent with $30{\sim}50Mn{\cdot}mg/L$ and pH 6.7 on the average, S reactor showed continuously high Mn removal efficiency with the average of 99.9% with pH 8.9~11.4. Using the same reactors, Mn removal experiments with Fe during 237 days were conducted with the influent with $40{\sim}60Mn{\cdot}mg/L$. The pH range of effluent reached to 6.1~10.0, which is slightly lower than that of effluent without Fe. S reactor showed the highest range of pH with 7.1~9.9, followed by S+L and S+G reactor. However, the efficiency of Mn removal showed S+L>S>S+G with the range of 94~100%, 68~100% and 68~100%, respectively in spite of relatively low pH range. S+L reactor showed the most resistance on Fe input, which means other mechanisms such as $MnCO_3$ formation by the carbonate prouced from the limestone or autocatalysis reaction of Mn contributed to Mn removal rather than pH related mechanisms. The evidence of reactions between carbonates and Mn, rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$), was found from the X-ray diffraction analysis of precipitates sample from S+L reactor. From this study, the most effective reactors on Mn removal in the presence of Fe was S+L reactor. The results are expected to be applied for the Mn containing mine water treatment in the presence of Fe within the relatively low range of pH.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 1998

Heavy metal contamination in subsurface soils and stream sediments at the Suggok mine area were investigated on the basis of major, trace and rare earth elements geochemistry and mineralogy. The Sanggok mine area is mainly composed of Cambro-Ordovician carbonate rocks. The mine had been mined for Pb-Zn-Fe and Au- Ag, but already closed in past. For major elements, especially Fe (mean value=18.58 wt.%) and Mn (mean value=4. 18 wt.%) are enriched in soils, and the average enrichment indices of soils and sediments are 6.84 and 1.54, respectively. The average enrichment index of rare earth elements are 0.92 of mining drainage sediments and 0.52 of subsurface soils on the tailing dam. Concentrations of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in those samples range from 29 to 3400 for As,1 to 11 for Cd, 35 to 292 for Cu, 50 to 1827 for Pb, 1 to 22 for Sb and 112 to 2644 for Zn. Extremely high concentrations (mean values) are found in subsurface soils on the tailing dam (As=2278, Cd=7, Cu=206, Pb=1372, Sb=14 and Zn=2231 ppm, respectively). Average enrichment index normalized by composition of non-mining drainage sediments is 2.42 in mining drainage sediments and 25.47 in subsurface soils on the tailing dam. Based on EPA value, enrichment index of toxic elements is 0.53 in non-mining drainage sediments, 1.84 in mining drainage sediments and 23.71 in subsurface soils on the tailing dam. As a results from X-ray powder diffraction method, mineral composition of soils and sediments near the mine area varied in part, and are calcite, dolomite, magnesite, quartz, mica, chlorite and clay minerals. With the separation of heavy minerals, soils and sediments of highly concentrated toxic elements included some pyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, goethite and hydroxide minerals on the polished sections.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.6 s.169
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• pp.585-601
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• 2004

A general study of domestic black sandstone and black shale quarries has not been made. For this reason it is difficult to know how the matter really stands. The objectives of this study are to achieve systematical and scientific study of the distribution, occurrences and rock quality of black sandstone and black shale resources exploited in existing quarries in the Boryeong area. The black sandstone bed survey was made from 54 mine claims on 4 sheets. In the area, 140 black sandstone and 22 black shale quarries were ascertained in 37 mine claims. The general development information data from that existing quarries were collected and synthesized. Among these black sandstone quarries for gravestones, monuments and black shale quarries for inkstone are in operation. Most of the black sandstone quarries were closed throughout the Gaewhari, Suburi, Seongjuri district in the investigated area even though these quarries had played a prominent part in the production of black sandstone. In view of commercial dimension stones, raw materials from black sandstone are classified as corestone and fresh rock body according to the characteristics of their occurrences and shape. Black sandstone beds are characteristically well-jointed and are particularly subdivided into cubic or quadrangular blocks in 3 joint sets. The colors of these black sandstones show medium dark $gray\~grayish$ black judging from the Rock Color Chart. The black sandstone beds which are intercalated in the Amisan, Jogeri, Baegunsa, Seongjuri Formations of the Daedong Supergroup are about $1\~10\;m$ in thickness.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.414-431
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• 2016

There are numerous closed and abandoned mines in Korea, from which diverse heavy metals (e.g., As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) are released into the surrounding soil, groundwater, surface water, and crops, potentially resulting in detrimental effects on the health of nearby residents. Therefore, we performed human risk assessments of two abandoned metal mines, Yanggok (YG) and Samsanjeil (SJ). The exposure parameters used in this assessment were specific to residents near mines and the included exposure pathways were relevant to areas around metal mines. The computed total excess carcinogenic risks for both areas exceeded the acceptable carcinogenic risk ($1{\times}10^{-6}$), indicating that these areas are likely unsafe due to a carcinogenic hazard. In contrast, the non-carcinogenic risks of the two areas differed among the studied receptors. The hazard indices were higher than the unit risk (=1.0) for male and female adults in YG and male adults in SJ, suggesting that there are non-carcinogenic risks for these groups in the study areas. However, the hazard indices for children in YG and female adults and children in SJ were lower than the unit risk. Consumption of groundwater and crops grown in the area were identified as major exposure pathways for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic hazards in both areas. Finally, the dominant metals contributing to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were As and As, Cu, and Pb, respectively. In addition, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of YG were evaluated to be 10 and 4 times higher than those of SJ, respectively, resulted from the relatively higher exposure concentration of As in groundwater within SJ area. Because of lacking of several exposure parameters, some of average daily dose (ADD) could not be computed in this study. Furthermore, it is likely that the ADDs of crop-intake pathway included some errors because they were calculated using soil exposure concentrations and bioconcentration factor (BCF) rather than using crop exposure concentrations.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.417-433
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• 1992

Lead-zinc-copper deposits of the Jeonheung and the Oksan mines around Euiseong area occur as hydrothermal quartz and calcite veins that crosscut Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Gyeongsang Basin. The mineralization occurred in three distinct stages (I, II, and III): (I) quartz-sulfides-sulfosalts-hematite mineralization stage; (II) barren quartz-fluorite stage; and (III) barren calcite stage. Stage I ore minerals comprise pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and Pb-Ag-Bi-Sb sulfosalts. Mineralogies of the two mines are different, and arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, tetrahedrite and iron-rich (up to 21 mole % FeS) sphalerite are restricted to the Oksan mine. A K-Ar radiometric dating for sericite indicates that the Pb-Zn-Cu deposits of the Euiseong area were formed during late Cretaceous age ($62.3{\pm}2.8Ma$), likely associated with a subvolcanic activity related to the volcanic complex in the nearby Geumseongsan Caldera and the ubiquitous felsite dykes. Stage I mineralization occurred at temperatures between > $380^{\circ}C$ and $240^{\circ}C$ from fluids with salinities between 6.3 and 0.7 equiv. wt. % NaCl. The chalcopyrite deposition occurred mostly at higher temperatures of > $300^{\circ}C$. Fluid inclusion data indicate that the Pb-Zn-Cu ore mineralization resulted from a complex history of boiling, cooling and dilution of ore fluids. The mineralization at Jeonheung resulted mainly from cooling and dilution by an influx of cooler meteoric waters, whereas the mineralization at Oksan was largely due to fluid boiling. Evidence of fluid boiling suggests that pressures decreased from about 210 bars to 80 bars. This corresponds to a depth of about 900 m in a hydrothermal system that changed from lithostatic (closed) toward hydrostatic (open) conditions. Sulfur isotope compositions of sulfide minerals (${\delta}^{34}S=2.9{\sim}9.6$ per mil) indicate that the ${\delta}^{34}S_{{\Sigma}S}$ value of ore fluids was ${\approx}8.6$ per mil. This ${\delta}^{34}S_{{\Sigma}S}$ value is likely consistent with an igneous sulfur mixed with sulfates (?) in surrounding sedimentary rocks. Measured and calculated hydrogen and oxygen isotope values of ore-forming fluids suggest meteoric water dominance, approaching unexchanged meteoric water values. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation indicates that the temperature versus $fs_2$ variation of stage I ore fluids differed between the two mines as follows: the $fs_2$ of ore fluids at Jeonheung changed with decreasing temperature constantly near the pyrite-hematite-magnetite sulfidation curve, whereas those at Oksan changed from the pyrite-pyrrhotite sulfidation state towards the pyrite-hematite-magnetite state. The shift in minerals precipitated during stage I also reflects a concomitant $fo_2$ increase, probably due to mixing of ore fluids with cooler, more oxidizing meteoric waters. Thermodynamic consideration of copper solubility suggests that the ore-forming fluids cooled through boiling at Oksan and mixing with less-evolved meteoric waters at Jeonheung, and that this cooling was the main cause of copper deposition through destabilization of copper chloride complexes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2009

Heavy metal pollution may be one of the most serious challenges confront crop production and human health. Therefore, the selection of heavy metal tolerance cultivars which adapted to the contaminated fields will introduced a suitable solution for management this critical environmental risk. The objectives of this research is to assess human health risk using geochemical analyses and exposure assessment of heavy metals in rice cultivars. Risk for inhabitants in the closed mine area was comparatively assessed for As, Cd, Cu and Pb in 10 rice varieties as a major exposure pathway. The average daily dose (ADD) of each heavy metal was estimated by analyzing the exposure pathways to rice and soil. For the non-carcinogenic risk characterization, Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) were calculated using toxicity indices provided by US-EPA IRIS. The different rice varieties revealed a wide range of HI values from 23.6 to 34.3, indicating that all rice varieties have a high potential toxic risk. The DA rice variety showed the lowest HI value while the TB rice variety the highest. The probabilities of cancer risk for As via rice consumption were varied with rice varieties ranging from 2.0E-03 to 3.5E-03 which exceeded the regulatory acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set by US-EPA. The DA rice variety also showed the lowest value while the TB rice variety gave the highest value. Our results indicate that risk assessment can be contribute to screen the pollution safe rice cultivars in paddy fields affected by the mining activity.