• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.183-186
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• 2002

The objective of this study is to predict behavior of a contaminant plume and concentration of contaminants in soil through tile relations between the concentrations of contaminants in groundwater and in soil on the shallow sandy aquifer contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The current state of the plume and its fate in the study area was simulated by using the MODFLOW-RT3D model and geochemical parameters of grounwater had been monitored and measured during 3 years (1999~2001). The relations between the concentrations of contaminants in each medium were taken from the investigation of site characterization conducted in 1999. Simulation results showed the center of the plume would migrate 407m twenty years later. At that time, the concentration would be decreased down to about 26 mg/$\ell$(93%). In comparison TEX concentration in the groundwater with that in the soil, the value of correlation coefficient (r=0.876) was as high as it could be used. Based on the high r-value, the linear equation was obtained from regression analysis. The results of model simulation by RT3D engine showed that the highest TEX concentration in the groundwater would be 58.8 mg/$\ell$ 16 years later, and then the TEX concentration in soil would be below the alarming level (80 mg/kg) of regulation criteria.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2889-2896
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• 2023

The waste acceptance criteria for heavy metals in mixed waste should be developed by reflecting the leaching behaviors that could highly depend on the repository design and environment surrounding the waste. The current standards widely used to evaluate the leaching characteristics of heavy metals would not be appropriate for the silo-type repository since they are developed for landfills, which are more common than a silo-type repository. This research aimed to explore the leaching behaviors of cementitious waste with Pb, Cd, and Sb metallic and oxide powders in an environment simulating a silo-type radioactive waste repository. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and the ANS 16.1 standard were employed with standard and two modified solutions: concrete-saturated deionized and underground water. The compositions and elemental distribution of leachates and specimens were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). Lead and antimony demonstrated high leaching levels in the modified leaching solutions, while cadmium exhibited minimal leaching behavior and remained mainly within the cement matrix. The results emphasize the significance of understanding heavy metals' leaching behavior in the repository's geochemical environment, which could accelerate or mitigate the reaction.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2003

In the present study, we made measurements of PM-bound metal concentrations from seven different urbanized locations in Seoul for the period covering March 2001 through May 2002. The measurement data were analyzed to explore the possible influences of spatial factors on metal distribution characteristics. To check for the importance of such aspects on metal distribution characteristics, the measured data were compared between different metals and between different sites by several criteria including (1) coefficient of variation (CV) values; (2) temporal variability; and (3) the abundance of strongly correlated pairs. The overall results of our study indicate strong diversity in the distribution characteristics of different metals. It is found that some metals (like Fe, Mn, and Pb) tend to exhibit strong compatibility among different study sites. However, no such compatibility appears to exist for certain metals like Cu. To account for the importance of spatial factors, complex relationships between source/sink processes and geochemical characteristics of a given metallic component may have to be examined in a systematic manner.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.886-891
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• 2013

We analyzed surface sediments to explain the substrate characteristics of sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus habitat. The analyses included grain-size determination, water content (WC), loss on ignition (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) content. We obtained data on sea cucumber density, weight, and length at each station in a marine farming area in the middle of Korea's Taean coast on the West (Yellow) Sea in May, 2012. The apparent density of S. japonicus was high in coarse and bimodal sediments, whereas it was low in fine and unimodal sediments. The mass of S. japonicus was greater in fine than in coarse sediments, showing a different trend from sea cucumber density. The values for WC, IL, COD, and AVS in surface sediments were higher in areas with high densities of S. japonicus than in areas with low sea cucumber densities. In particular, the concentration of AVS was much higher than the value proposed in Japanese criteria for areas with high S. japonicus density.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.141-158
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• 2019

The quantity of heavy metals in agricultural surface and subsurface soils around coal-fired power plants located in Samcheonpo and Hadong, Gyeongnam Province, were determined. The analytical results for 48 and 61 soils in Samcheonpo and Hadong, respectively, showed that the concentrations of Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn were below the warning criteria regulated by Korean Soil Conservation Act; however, Cd in 38 and 13 soils in Samcheonpo and Hadong, respectively, exceeded the criterion. As a result of calculation of the geoaccumulation index and the enrichment factor, the soils were extremely contaminated with Cd and such high loading of Cd to the soils was due to anthropogenic source(s). Sequential extraction of the soils, however, showed that heavy metals including Cd existed as hardly extractable phases, which represented a low bioavailability of the heavy metals. Our results indicated that Cd contamination around the coal-fired power plants was due to artificial source(s) and may unlikely deteriorate nearby ecosystems.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.101-113
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• 1994

Geochemical investigations based on measurements of water parameters and sampling of stream sediments have been carried out, in the Okdongcheon stream and its tributaries in the Sangdong area of South Korea. There are two main problems occurring in the Okdongcheon stream: an acid mine drainage in the upper reaches and toxic trace metal contamination of the stream sediments mainly in the lower reaches. Acid mine water originating from coal mining was neutralized at the confluence of the Cheonpyongcheon stream whilst suspended solids due to flocculation of iron in water caused turbidity which was undesirable. Sediments in the Okdongcheon stream have been contaminated by mining activites. Iron was heavily concentrated in sediments in the upper Okdongcheon whilst toxic trace metals including Pb, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, As and Bi were accumulated in sediments at stations draining metallic mining areas and near the tailings dam. There is now a requrement to neutralise the acid mine drainage and to use site-specific analysis of biological communities to ensure the conservation and preservation of aquatic organisms.