• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.13-23
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• 2004

The characteristics of cesium and cobalt removal from soil around the TRIGA reactor using the electrokinetic method were analyzed and a device to restrain the pH increase in the soil column was suggested. When a NaCl solution was used as the electrolyte to raise the electric field strength, a precipitate was formed in the cathode in the soil column, resulting in a low removal efficiency. Thus, an acetate buffer solution (compound solution of $CH_3COONa$ and $CH_3COOH$) was injected into the soil column and acetic acid was periodically infected into the cathode reservoir to restrain any pH increase. Many $Cs^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$ ions were transferred by electromigration rather than electroosmosis during the initial remediation period, and no precipitate was formed in the soil column. 96% of the total amount of cesium in the soil column was removed after 5.9 days, while 94% of the total amount of cobalt was removed. Furthermore, the residual concentrations predicted by the developed model were similar to those obtained by experiment.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.85-94
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• 2002

Overall objective of this study was to evaluate the electrochemical characteristics of fine soils during the electrokinetic(EK) remediation. Zeta potential of kaolinite as a function of solution pH and surfactant concentration was investigated to make a relationship with electroosmotic flow direction and rate. During the EK experiments, pH of pore solution, electroosmotic permeability($k_e$), electric conductivity($\delta_e$) and voltage distribution was measured, respectively, The point of zero charge(PZC) of kaolinite was estimated to be about 4.2 and the zeta potential of kaolinite above PZC was more negative as solution pH increased. Sorption of surfactants on the kaolinite altered the zeta potential of kaolinite. resulting from the variation of electrochemical characteristics of kaolinite surface. hs the EK experiment progressed, low pH was predominant over most of the kaolinite specimen and thus resulted in very low mass and charge flow. The $k_e$ and $\delta_e$ was also affected by the variation of voltage drop across the EK column with time. Results from this study implied that zeta potential of kaolinite affected by the pH variation of pore solution and voltage distribution in soil column played important role in the determination of mass and charge flow during EK process. It was also suggested that pH adjustment or addition of suitable sorbates could alter the electrochemical characteristics of soil surface and thus maintain high mass and charge flow rate with time.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2004

Three kinds of toxic heavy metals, such as lead, copper, and cadmium, existing abundantly in contaminated soils were selected to investigate pH change, electroosmotic flow, and the removal rate in the application of electrokinetic process. In the change of pHs, they reached to about 12 and 2 at each cathodic and anodic region, respectively, and maintained for reaction being proceeded. Electroosmotic flow rates were not influenced by the kind of metal species but by electropotential gradient. On the soils contaminated by each metal, the removal rate of Cd was the fastest among three as in the order of Cd>Pb>Cu. While on the soils contaminated by mixed metal species, Cu was the fastest. Metal species transported by electrokinetic processes were distributed in between 0.9 and 1.0 of normalized region. In the case of soils contaminated by one kind of metal. the relative concentrations of Pb and Cd estimated in between normalized region 0.9 and 1.0 were 5.2 and 5.7, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.696-700
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• 2003

$H_2SO_4$ and citric acid had higher extraction efficiency of $^{137}Cs$ from soil than the other chemicals. Thus, $H_2SO_4$and citric acid were used as additives on remediation experiment by electrokinetic method to increase removal efficiency of $^{137}Cs$ from the radioactive soil being stored during a long time. An average velocity of effluent discharged from experimental column $2.0{\times}10^{-2}$/cm/min and a volume of the discharged soil wastewater for 10 days is 3.6 Pore Volume. The 54% of a total of $^{137}Cs$ in the column was decontaminated for 10 days. Furthermore, the predicted values of residual concentration by the developed model were quite similar to those obtained from experiments.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2002

EDTA-enhanced electrokinetic removal of copper and zinc from contaminated sandy soil was carried out. In desorption equilibrium tests, the required mass ratio of EDTA to metal was 10:1 to obtain over 90% of desorption from soil. The removal of heavy metals with chelating agent EDTA below pH 3 was limited because of EDTA precipitation. In electrokinetic experiments, the pH control at anode chamber was essential and 38% Cu and 56% Zn were removed under 30 mA for 1.5 days. Heavy metal removal was greatly improved by controlling anode and soil pH with circulation of anolyte with NaOH solution, in which >50% heavy metal was removed for 4 days and >70% for 9 days.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2004

Feasibility of electrokinetic process combined with Fenton-like reaction was investigated for the removal of phenanthrene from contaminated soil. Transport of hydrogen peroxide by electroosmosis and decomposition of phenanthrene by Fenton-like reaction were observed in a model system. Electrical potential gradient and electroosmotic flow (EOF) at 10 mA were higher than those at 5 mA. High accumulated EOF resulted in high removal efficiency of phenanthrene because the large amount of hydrogen peroxide was transfered through the soil. Removal efficiency of phenanthrene by water washing was 8.5% for 7 days. The highest removal efficiency including phenanthrene decomposition was 95.6% for 14 days. After the operation, soil samples with removal efficiency of 95.6% showed low concentrations of phenanthrene and its intermediates. From this result, it was presumed that phenanthrene was decomposed to small molecules or mineralized to water and carbon dioxide due to continuous supply of hydrogen peroxide by electroosmotic flow.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2014

A large amount of acidic waste solution is generated from the practical electrokinetic decontamination equipments for the remediation of soil contaminated with uranium. After filtration of uranium hydroxides formed by adding CaO into the waste solution, the filtrate was recycled in order to reduce the volume of waste solution. However, when the filtrate was used in an electrokinetic equipment, the low permeability of the filtrate from anode cell to cathode cell due to a high concentration of calcium made several problems such as the weakening of a fabric tamis, the corrosion of electric wire and the adhension of metallic oxides to the surface of cathode electrode. To solve these problems, sulfuric acid was added into the filtrate and calcium in the solution was removed as $CaSO_4$ precipitate. A decontamination test using a small electrokinetic equipment for 20 days indicated that Ca-removed waste solution decreased uranium concentration of the waste soil to 0.35 Bq/g, which is a similar to a decontamination result obtained by distilled water.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.11-17
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• 2005

Characteristics of phenanthrene removal in the Electrokinetic (EK)-Fenton process were investigated in a 2-dimensional test cell in a viewpoint of the effect of gravity and electrosmotic flow (EOF). When the constant voltage of 100 V was applied to this system, the current decreased from 1,000 to 290 mA after 28 days, because soil resistance increased due to the exhaustion of ions in soil by electroosmosis and electromigration. Accumulated EOF in two cathode reservoirs was 10.3 L and the EOF rate was kept constant for 28 days. At the end of operation, the concentration of phenanthrene was observed to be very low near the anode and increased in the cathode region because hydrogen peroxide was supplied from anode to cathode region following the direction of EOP. Additionally, the concentration of phenanthrene decreased at the bottom of the test cell because the electrolyte solution containing hydrogen peroxide was largely transported toward the bottom due to a low capillary action in the soil with high porosity. Average removal efficiency of phenanthrene by EK-Fenton process was 81.4% for 28 days. In-situ EK-Fenton process would overcome the limitations of conventional remediation technologies and effectively remediate the contaminated sites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.128-131
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• 2003

To clarify the effect of soil property on the EK-Fenton remediation of the soil contaminated with phenanthrene, this research had been conducted. In the experiments using EPK kaolinite, the $H_2O$$_2$ stability and effect of phenanthrene treatment improved more than that in the experiments using Hadong clayey soil. The results signify that Fe oxide content and acid buffer capacity significantly affected the fate of $H_2O$$_2$ and phenanthrene during the EK-Fenton process.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2004

In order to enhance the efficiency of removal a series of ElectroKinetic Remediation (EKR) tests on ferrous soil contaminated by lead are carried out using acids, chelates and surfactant as flushing agents. The test results indicate that pH in the electrolyte rapidly reached at steady state as the introduce of flushing solution of the lower pH, the type of flushing solution have no effect the distribution of electrical voltage within the sample but the increasing of solution concentration increases it at x/L=0.9. In the distribution of the residual lead in the sample SDS is the highest. Also, the removal efficiency for acetic acid concentration of 1mM Is the highest but the concentration of acetic acid significantly have no effect.