• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.59-61
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• 2005

In Korea, hundreds of abandoned and closed coal and metallic mines are present in the steep mountain valleys due to the depression of the mining industry since the late 1980s. From these mines, enormous amounts of coal waste were dumped on the slopes, which causes sedimentation and acid mine drainage (AMD) to be discharged directly into streams causing detrimental effects on soil and water environments. A limestone slurry by-product (lime cake) is produced from the Solvay process in manufacturing soda ash. It has very fine particles, low hydraulic conductivities ($10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-9}cm/sec$), high pH, high EC due to the presence of CaO, MgO and $CaCl_2$ as major components, and traces of heavy metals. Due to these properties, it has potential to be used as a neutralizer for acid-producing materials. A field plot experiment was used to test the application of lime cake for reclaiming coal wastes. Each plot was 20 x 5 m (L x W) in size on a 56% slope. Treatments included a control (waste only), calcite ($CaCO_3$), and lime cake. The lime requirement (LR) for the coal waste to pH 7.0 was determined and treatments consisted of adding 100%, 50%, and 25% of the LR. The lime cake and calcite were also applied in either a layer between the coal waste and topsoil or mixed into the topsoil and coal waste. Each plot was hydroseeded with grasses and planted with trees. In each plot, surface runoff and subsurface water were collected. The lime cake treatments increased the pH of coal waste from 3.5 to 6, and neutralized the pH of the runoff and leachate of the coal waste from 4.3 to 6.7.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.744-750
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• 2015

The objectives of this study were to investigate soil chemical characteristics for forest rehabilitation and suggest management in abandoned coal mine areas in Boryeong City, Chungcheongnam-do. Total study sites were seven sites, and soil properties analyzed were soil pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total-N, C/N ratio, and available $P_2O_5$ (A.v. P). Average soil pH (range) was 5.9 (4.5~7.0). Three study sites (Samgwang, Shinsung1, and Shimwon1) showed lower soil pH than standard (pH 5.6~7.3) of Korea Industrial Standards (KS) for abandoned coal mine forest rehabilitation. Average contents of TOC, and total-N were 1.5% (0.1~4.7%), and 0.10% (0.03~0.23%), respectively. Five study sites where the collapsed time was less than 10 years (Wangjashingang, Wonpoong, Samgwang, Shinsung1, and Shinsung2) showed lower TOC level than standard of KS (more than 1.2%). Wangjashingang, Wonpoong, Samgwang, and Shinsung1 showed lower level of total-N than standard of KS (more than 0.09%). C/N ratio of six study sites except Shimwon1 was out of proper range (15:1~30:1). Average A.v. P (range) was $20.7mgkg^{-1}$ (4.8~63.1), less than other abandoned coal mine fores rehabilitation areas in Mungyong City, and Hwasun-gun. TOC, total N and A.v. P increased with elapsed time from forest rehabilitation, while other soil properties did not show distinct pattern. Betula platyphylla was planted in Samkwang and Sinsung where soil pH was less than KS standard. Because the growth of Betula platyphylla can be limited in acid soil, it is necessary to neutralize soil pH to proper level with some soil amendment such as lime or shell of oyster. Furthermore, TOC, total-N and A.v. P in early stage of forest rehabilitation showed lower level than proper to vegetation growth. Therefore it needs continuous monitoring of soil characteristics and fertilization for vegetation growth and influx from surrounding forest in early stage of rehabilitation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.1440-1445
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• 2008

There are 21 abondoned coal mines drained out mine water in gyeong sang do. We monitored the water quality of 31 mine drainage from 1995. The most of mine drainage was neutral as the average pH was 6.22 and Fe, Mn, Al concentration was below 10mg/L. The result showed the tendency of decreasing of flow and metal concentration. The highest Mn concentration was detected in bonghwa area and the hightest Fe concentration was detected in munkyung area. It means that the water quality is closly related to geological features.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.107-111
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• 2004

This study was undertaken to summarize of the efficiencies of the passive treatment system and suggest future studies for the solution of mine drainage problem. Flow rates of mine drainage from the abandoned coal mines are about 80,000 ton/day. Contaminated mine drainages over about 50 ton/day of flow rate were treated by passive treatment facilities such as Successive Alkalinity Producing Systems(SAPS), oxidation pond and oxic wetland. Chemical analysis for 13 passive coal mine treatment facilities showed that SAPS was the core of treatment facilities because the variation of Fe removal rates was relatively smaller than any other processes and re-leaching of Fe was not measured. The performance and life of SAPS depended on decrease in permeability and retention time due to accumulation of sludge. It is inferred that upgrade of design of the passive treatment system and in-situ treatment using underground void will be necessary for the amelioration of the mine drainage with high metal loading rates.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.474-481
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• 2010

This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of Non-point source (NPS) Pollution discharge from a coal mining area in Korea. The study areas is located on the Dogye site, Samchuk, Kangwon Province Coal Corporation and the Jangsung site, Taebaek, Kangwon Province Coal Corporation. The monitoring system was installed at a drainage channel and water samples and rainfall events were collected during March 2008 to February 2009. The collected water samples were analyzed with respect to SS, BOD, $COD_{Cr}$, $COD_{Mn}$, T-N, T-P, and TOC, respectively. It was observed that the runoff and water quality were largely influenced by mine drainage. Also a significant relationship was observed from the correlation between flow and water quality, flow and NPS. And estimated Event Mean Concentration (EMC), NPS pollution loads were Dogey coal mine and Taeback coal mine respectively. As the study progresses in the future, runoff and pollution loads will be updated.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2019

Coal combustion products are generated during coal combustion and can be grouped into fly ash and bottom ash depending on collection methods. Fly ash and bottom ash can be recycled for various purposes based on their characteristics. Australia is the fourth largest coal production country in the world and reuses coal ash as cement, concrete, mine filler, and agricultural soil amendment. When fly ash is used as a supplement for cement and concrete, strength of the cement and the durability of the concrete can be improved. Use of coal combustion product for mine backfill stabilizes underground mine voids and stores a large amount of coal ash in the voids. Because of alkalinity of coal combustion products, it can neutralize acid mine drainage when used for mine backfill. In addition, it can be used as an agricultural soil amendment to improve acidity and physical properties of the soil and to supply plant nutrients. Recycling of fly ash in Australia will be further expanded because of its low trace element contents that can be toxic to plants and low radioactive element contents existing within soil background concentrations. The characteristics of coal combustion products are related to the characteristics of the coal used for combustion, and since Korea imports coal from Australia, Korean coal combustion products also can be recycled for various purposes.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.166-166
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• 1982

This study has been made to make an observation regarding present status of the coal mine props which is desperately needed for coal production, despite of great shortage of the timber resources in this country, and investigate the effects of diffusion process on the decay resistances of the mine props as applied preservatives of Malenit and chromated zinc chloride. The results are as follows. 1. Present status of the coal mine props Total demand of coal mine props in the year of 1975 was approximately 456 thousand cubic meters. The main species used for mine props are conifer (mainly Pinus densiflora) and hardwood (mainly Quercus). Portions between them are half and half. With non fixed specification, wide varieties of timber in size and form are used. And volume of wood used per ton of coal production shows also wide range from 0.017 cubic meter to 0.03 cubic meter. 2. Decay resistance test a) The oven dry weight decreased between untreated specimen and treated specimen has not shown any significantly, although it has shown some differences in average values between them. It may be caused by the shorter length of the test. b) The strength of compression test between untreated specimen and treated specimen has also shown the same results as shown in case of weight decrease. Reasons assumed are the same. c) The amounts of the extractives in one percent of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) between untreated and treated specimen have shown the large value in case of untreated specimen than that of treated. 3. The economical benifit between untreated and treated wood when applied in field has seen better in long tenn base in case of treated wood, although the primary cost of treated wood add a little bit more cost than that of the untreated wood.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.373-382
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• 2012

Cessation of dewatering usually results in groundwater rebound after closing an underground coal mine because the mine voids and surrounding strata flood up to the levels of decant points such as shafts and drifts. Several numerical models have been developed to predict the timing, magnitude and location of discharges resulting from groundwater rebound. This study reviews the numerical models such as VSS-NET, GRAM and MODFLOW, and compares their scopes of assessment at different spatial and time scales. In particular, the GRAM model was reviewed in details to implement it. This paper describes the implementation of GRAM model and its application to the Dongwon coal mine in Korea. The application showed that the groundwater level modeled at the shaft of Dongwon coal mine using the GRAM model is similar to the observed one in the field.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.87-96
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• 2010

This study was conducted to select environmentally-friendly and low-cost mulching material that could replace soil molding which can be used to restore vegetation in an abandoned coal mine area. To this end, we established 20 experimental plots (4m ${\times}$ 10m in size) on the steep, south west-facing slope of the abandoned coal mine area in Hwangji-Dong, Taebaek City, Gangwon Province in April 2006. We planted two-year-old 1,600 seedlings (at intervals of 0.6m ${\times}$ 0.8m) of drought-resistant tree species including Betula schmidtii, Betula platyphylla var. japonica, Amorpha fruticosa, and Quercus mongolica in the plots. After planting seedlings, mulching was applied by using five different kinds of material such as HWAP (Teracotem), peat moss, straw mats, wood chips, and control (no-mulching) and the effects of different mulching material on the survival rate and growth performance were compared. Three years after planting, the survival rate was the highest in wood chip mulching, followed by straw-mat, peat moss, HWAP, and control. The survival rate was the highest in Quercus mongolica, followed by Betula schmidtii, Betula platyphylla var. japonica, and Amorpha fruticosa. Meanwhile the height growth was the best in Betula platyphylla var. japonica, followed by Betula schmidtii, Quercus mongolica, and Amorpha fruticosa. The height growth of seedlings was the best in HWAP mulching, followed by peat moss, woody chips, straw mat, and control. From an economic point of view, wood chips are considered to be the best mulching material. The results showed that mulching without soil molding and/or mixing applications would be effective for restoring vegetation in an abandoned coal mine areas.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2020

The excavation broken zones (EBZ) of gateways is a significant factor in determining the stability of man-made opening. The EBZ of 55 gateways with variety geological conditions were measured using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The results found that the greatly depth of EBZ, the smallest is 1.5 m and the deepest is 3.5 m. Experimental investigations were carried out in the laboratory and in the coal mine fields for applying the combined arch support theory to large EBZ. The studies found that resin bolts with high tensile strength and good bond force could provide high pretension force with bolt extensible anchorage method in the field. Furthermore, the recently invented torque amplifier could greatly improve the bolt pretension force in poor lithology. The FLAC3D numerical simulation found that the main diffusion sphere of pretension force was only in the free segment zone of the surrounding rock. Further analysis found that the initial load-bearing zone thickness of the combined arch structure in large EBZ could be expressed by the free segment length of bolt. The using of high mechanical property bolts and steel with high pretension force will clearly putting forward the bolt length selection rule based on the combined arch support theory.