• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.359-373
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• 2013

Shale is considered as a source rock for conventional oil and gas exploration and development because shale is fine-grained detrital sedimentary rock which can preserve the organic matter better. Shale has a good sealing capacity for the petroleum trap due to its low permeability. Commercial recoveries of gas from shale in the North America based on the development of technologies of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing reveal that shale also function as a effective reservoir rock. Geochemical techniques to evaluate generation potential of the hydrocarbons from organic matter in the source rocks can be applied for the exploration of the shale gas resources. To evaluate shale gas resources, it is important to understand various geochemical processes and shale characteristics controlling generation, storage and estimation of shale gas reserves. In this paper, the generation mechanism of the oil and gas from organic matter is reviewed, and geochemical techniques which can be applied for the evaluation and characterization of shale gas are introduced.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.296-298
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• 2002

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.737-760
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• 2022

For the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW), an understanding of deep subsurface environment is essential through geological, hydrogeological, geochemical, and geotechnical investigations. Although South Korea plans the geological disposal of HLW, only a few studies have been conducted for characterizing the geochemistry of deep subsurface environment. To guide the hydrogeochemical research for selecting suitable repository sites, this study overviewed the status and trends in hydrogeochemical characterization of deep groundwater for the deep geological disposal of HLW in developed countries. As a result of examining the selection process of geological disposal sites in 8 countries including USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, the following geochemical parameters were needed for the geochemical characterization of deep subsurface environment: major and minor elements and isotopes (e.g., ³⁴S and ¹⁸O of SO₄^2-, ¹³C and ¹⁴C of DIC, ²H and ¹⁸O of water) of both groundwater and pore water (in aquitard), fracture-filling minerals, organic materials, colloids, and oxidation-reduction indicators (e.g., Eh, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, H₂S/SO₄^2-, NH₄⁺/NO₃^-). A suitable repository was selected based on the integrated interpretation of these geochemical data from deep subsurface. In South Korea, hydrochemical types and evolutionary patterns of deep groundwater were identified using artificial neural networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Map), and the impact of shallow groundwater mixing was evaluated based on multivariate statistics (e.g., M3 modeling). The relationship between fracture-filling minerals and groundwater chemistry also has been investigated through a reaction-path modeling. However, these previous studies in South Korea had been conducted without some important geochemical data including isotopes, oxidationreduction indicators and DOC, mainly due to the lack of available data. Therefore, a detailed geochemical investigation is required over the country to collect these hydrochemical data to select a geological disposal site based on scientific evidence.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2004

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of geochemical approaches for investigating and assessing heavy metal contamination in abandoned mine sites. Major sources of contaminants at the abandoned mine sites are mine water, waste rocks, tailings, and chemicals used in beneficiation and mineral processing. Soil, sediment, surface and ground water, and ecological system can be contaminated by heavy metals, which are transported due to erosion of mine waste piles, discharge of acid mine drainage and processed water, and dispersion of dust from waste rocks and tailings. The abandoned mine sites should be characterized using various methods including chemical analysis, mineralogical analysis, acid generation prediction tests, leaching/extraction tests, and field tests. Potential and practical environmental impacts from the abandoned mines should be assessed based on the site characterization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.203-215
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• 2011

Geochemical and mineralogical properties of a contamited soil should be taken into account to decide a remediation strategy for a given contaminant because development and optimization of soil remedial technologies are based on geochemical and mineralogical separation techniques. The objective of this study was to investigate the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of arsenic-contaminated soils. The arsenic-contaminated soil samples were obtained from Chonam gold mine, Gwangyang, Chonnam, Particle size analysis, sequential extraction, and mineralogical analyses were used to characterize geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the As-contaminated soils. Particle size analyses of the As-contaminated soils showed the soils contained 17-36% sand, 25-54% silt, 9-28% clay and the soil texture were sandy loam, loam, and silt loam. The soil pH ranged from 4.5 to 6.6. The amount of arsenic concentrations from the sequential soil leaching is mainly associated with iron oxides (1 to 75%) and residuals (12 to 91%). Major minerals of sand and silt fractions in the soils were feldspar, kaolinite, mica, and quartz and minor mineral of which is an iron oxide. Major minerals of clay fraction were composed of illite, kaolinite, quartz, and vermiculite. And minor minerals are iron oxide and rutile. The geochemical and mineralogical analyses indicated the arsenic is adsorbed or coprecipitated with iron oxides or phyllosilicate minerals. The results may provide understanding of geochemical and mineralogical characteristics for the site remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.162-165
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• 1998

This research has been made in order to evaluate and characterize wastewater from closed coalmines throughout the country. The characteristics of the wastewater from closed coalmines are affected greatly with geochemical nature and are not changed significantly with the lapse of time. Pollutants concentration profile could be divided into two groups below and above pH of around 5.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.552-561
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• 2010

This study investigates the solubility of neptunium (Np) in the deep natural groundwater of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Underground Research Tunnel (KURT). According to a Pourbaix diagram (pH-$E_h$ diagram) that was calculated using the geochemical modeling program PHREEQC 2.0, the redox potential and the carbonate ion concentration both control the solubility of neptunium. The carbonate effect becomes pronounced when the total carbonate concentration is higher than $1.5\;{\times}\;10^{-2}$ M at $E_h$ = -200 mV and the pH value is 10. Given the assumption that the solubility-limiting stable solid phase is $Np(OH)_4(am)$ under the reducing condition relevant to KURT, the soluble neptunium concentrations were in the range of $1\;{\times}\;10^{-9}$ M to $3\;{\times}\;10^{-9}$ M under natural groundwater conditions. However, the solubility of neptunium, which was calculated with the formation constants of neptunium complexes selected in an OECD-NEA TDB review, strongly deviates from the value measured in natural groundwater. Thus, it is highly recommended that a prediction of neptunium solubility is based on the formation constants of ternary Np(IV) hydroxo-carbonato complexes, even though the presence of those complexes is deficient in terms of the characterization of neptunium species. Based on a comparison of the measurements and calculations of geochemical modeling, the formation constants for the "upper limit" of the Np(IV) hydroxo-carbonato complexes, namely $Np(OH)_y(CO_3)_z^{4-y-2z}$, were appraised as follows: log $K^{\circ}_{122}\;=\;-3.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_2(CO_3)_2^{2-}$, log $K^{\circ}_{131}\;=\;-5.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_3(CO_3)^-$, and log $K^{\circ}_{141}\;=\;-6.0{\pm}0.5$ for $Np(OH)_4(CO_3)^{2-}$.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.101-113
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• 2016

To properly manage and remediate groundwater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (TCE), it is necessary to assess natural attenuation processes of contaminants in the aquifer along with investigation of contamination history and aquifer characterization. This study evaluated natural attenuation processes of TCE at an industrial site in Korea by delineating hydrogeochemical characteristics along the flow path of contaminated groundwater, by calculating reaction rate constants for TCE and its degradation products, and by using geochemical and reactive transport modeling. The monitoring data showed that TCE tended to be transformed to cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE) and further to vinyl chloride (VC) via microbial reductive dechlorination, although the degree was not too significant. According to our modeling results, the temporal and spatial distribution of the TCE plume suggested the dominant role of biodegradation in attenuation processes. This study can provide a useful method for assessing natural attenuation processes in the aquifer contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons and can be applied to other sites with similar hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical settings.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.556-570
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• 2021

This study presents the data analysis results of groundwater chemistry and the occurrence of fluoride in groundwater obtained from the groundwater quality monitoring network of Korea. The groundwater data were collected from the National Groundwater Information Center and censored for erratic values and charge balance (±10%). From the geochemical graphs and various ionic ratios, it was observed that the Ca-HCO₃ type was predominant in Korean groundwater. In addition, water-rock interaction was identified as a key chemical process controlling groundwater chemistry, while precipitation and evaporation were found to be less important. According to a non-parametric trend test, at p=0.05, the concentration of fluoride in groundwater did not increase significantly and only 4.3% of the total groundwater exceeded the Korean drinking water standard of 1.5 mg/L. However, student t-tests revealed that the fluoride concentrations were closely associated with the lithologies of tuff, granite porphyry, and metamorphic rocks showing distinctively high levels. This study enhances our understanding of groundwater chemical composition and major controlling factors of fluoride occurrence and distribution in Korean groundwater.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.149-156
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• 1999

In the United States (U.S.), the monitored natural attenuation (MNA) approach has been used as an alternative remedial option for organic and inorganic compounds retained in soil and dissolved in groundwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines the MNA as“in-situ naturally-occurring processes include biodegradation, diffusion, dilution, sorption, volatilization, and/or chemical and biochemical stabilization of contaminants and reduce contaminant toxicity, mobility or volume to the levels that are protective of human health and the environment”. The Department of Soil Environment. National Institute Environmental Research (NIER) is in the process for demonstrating the MNA approach as a potential remedial option for the BTEX contaminated site in Uiwang City. The project is charactering the research site in terms of the nature and extend of contamination, biological degradation rate, and geochemical and hydrological properties. The microbial-degradation rate and effectiveness of nutrient and redox supplements will be determined through laboratory batch and column tests. The geochemical process will be monitored for determining the concentration changes of chemical species involved in the electron transfer processes that include methanogenesis, sulfate and iron reduction, denitrification, and aerobic respiration. Through field works, critical soil and hydrogeologic parameters will be acquired to simulate the effects of dispersion, advection, sorption, and biodegradation on the fate and transport of the dissolved-phase BTEX plume using Bioplume III model. The objectives of this multi-years research project are (1) to evaluate the MNA approach using the BTEX contaminated site in Uiwang City, (2) to establish a standard protocol for future application of the approach, (3) to investigate applicability of the passive approach as a secondary treatment remedy after active treatments. In this presentation, the overall picture and philosophy behind the MNA approach will be reviewed. Detailed discussions of the site characterization/monitoring plans and risk-based decision-making processes for the demonstration site will be included.