• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.281-288
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• 2012

Phytoremediation-the use of plants for the in situ treatment of contaminated soil and water-has recently emerged as an inexpensive and user-friendly alternative to traditional methods of environmental clean-up. The present article outlines the characteristics of phytoremediation based on accumulated research evidence, along with discussions on its advantages and disadvantages. It further reviews various mechanisms involved in the phytoremediation processes: phytoextraction, rhizofiltration, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization and phytodegradation. Along the way, the author summarizes examples of its applications to environmental pollution control. These include wastewater treatment, removal of heavy metals, and hydrocarbons, remediation of recalcitrant contaminants, phytoremediation of radionuclides, and application of transgenic plants for enhanced biodegradation and phytoremediation. The remainder of the article briefly concludes with directions for future research.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1825-1832
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• 2000

Column experiments were conducted by using soil columns, to investigate feasibility and efficiency of in-situ ozone enhanced remediation for diesel-contaminated soil. The injection of gaseous ozone into soil column revealed the enhanced decomposition of ozone due to the catalytic reaction between ozone and metal (e.g., Fe, Mn etc.) oxides as evidenced by as much as 25 times shorter half-life of ozone in a sand packed column than in a glass beads packed column. Substantial retardation in the transport of and the consumption of ozone were observed in the diesel contaminated field soil and sand packed columns. After 16 hrs ozonation, 80% of the initial mass of diesel (as diesel range organic) concentration of $800{\pm}50mg/kg$, was removed under the conditions of the flow rate of 50mL/min and $6mg-O_3/min$. Whereas, less than 30% of diesel was removed in the case of air injection. Analysis of the residual TPH(total petroleum hydrocarbon) and selected 8 aliphatics of diesel compounds in the inlet and the outlet of the column confirmed that diesel nonselectively reacted with ozone and then shifted to lower carbon numbered molecules. Water content also was found to be an important parameter in employing ozone to the hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.

• Clean Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.302-307
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• 2017

This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of in situ soil flushing for TPH-contaminated soil remediation with column test. The soil texture of the soil was sand and the initial TPH concentration was $9,369mg\; kg^{-1}$. 0.1% Tween-80 was selected as surfactant solution. And the acrylic and the glass syringe columns were used as reactors. In the acrylic column test, 35% of the initial TPH was removed in 1 PV of flushing and approximately 40% in 5 PV and finally 7 PV showed about 60%. The glass column test showed 3 ~ 12% higher removal efficiency than that of acrylic test until 5 PV of flushing. However, there was no difference in TPH removal efficiency when 7 PV of surfactant was finally flushed. Both of alum only and alum+polymer mixed surfactants showed also the best coagulation efficiency in $150mg\;L^{-1}$ of concentraion. When Tween 80 was newly dissolved in 0.1% to the recovered solution after the coagulation treatment, the removal efficiency was increased from 32.0% to 41.0% in comparison to the new 0.1% Tween 80 solution without reuse by coagulation treatment.

• 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.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.51-59
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• 2001

Column and box tests were performed to investigate the removal efficiency of NAPL using the surfactant enhanced flushing In heterogeneous medium. Homogeneous Ottawa sand and heterogeneous soil were used to verify the increase of remediation efficiency for the surfactant enhanced flushing in column test. Box tests with two different heterogeneous sub-structure were performed to quantify the capability of the surfactant enhanced flushing as a remediation method to remove NAPL from the heterogeneous medium. Two different grain size sand layers were repeated in the box to simulate the heterogeneous layer formation and the modified fault structure was built to simulate the fault system in the box. O-xylene as a LNAPL and PCE as a DNAPL were used and oleamide as a non-ionic surfactant. The maximum NAPL effluent concentration with 1% oleamide flushing in the homogeneous column test increased about 460 times compared to that with only water flushing and about 250 times increased in the real soil column test. In heterogeneous medium, the maximum effluent concentration increased about 150 times in 1% oleamide flushing and most of NAPL were removed from the box within 8 pore volume flushing, suggesting that the removal efficiency increased very much compared to in only water flushing. Results investigated the capability of the surfactant enhanced remediation method to remove NAPL even in heterogeneous medium.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.126-132
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• 2014

A pilot-scale electrokinetic (EK) separation field test ($2{\times}3{\times}0.2m^3$, $W{\times}L{\times}D$) was performed in a greenhouse to remove salts from saline soil. Initially, the greenhouse soil had high electrical conductivity (EC), about 9 dS/m, and contained mainly $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions. After 2 weeks of EK treatment, the soil EC was reduced to 52% compared with its initial value. The EC reduction was mostly achieved within the first week (47%) due to removal of $Na^+$ and $Cl^-$ ions, but ions with a high adsorption capacity such as $Ca^{2+}$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions were difficult to be removed. During the EK test, the soil temperature increased and it reached around $50^{\circ}C$ at some regions. For in situ application to soils in cultivation, the current should be controlled to limit increases in temperature, especially near the cathodes. In conclusion, the in situ EK technique is feasible for the restoration of saline greenhouse soils in or no cultivation and an appropriate strategy is necessary for more effective remediation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.35-43
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• 2005

Bioslurping combines the three remedial approaches of bioventing, vacuum-enhanced free-product recovery, and soil vapor extraction. Bioslurping is less effective in tight (low-permeability) soils. The greatest limitation to air permeability is excessive soil moisture. Optimum soil moisture is very soil-specific. Too much moisture can reduce air permeability of the soil and decrease its oxygen transfer capability. Too little moisture will inhibit microbial activity. So Modified Fenton reaction as chemical treatment which can overcome the weakness of Bioslurping was experimented for simultaneous treatment. Although the diesel removal efficiency of SVE process increased in proportion to applied vacuum pressure, SVE process was difficulty to remediation quickly semi- or non-volatile compounds absorbed soil strongly. And SVE process had variation of efficiency with distance from the extraction well and depth a air flow form of hemisphere centering around the well. Below 0.1 % hydrogen peroxide shows the potential of using hydrogen peroxide as oxygen source but the co-oxidation of chemical and biological treatment was impossible because of the low efficiency of Modified Fenton reaction at 0.1 % (wt) hydrogen peroxide. NTA was more efficiency than EDTA as chelating agent and diesel removal efficiency of Modified Fenton reaction increased in proportion to hydrogen peroxide concentration. Hexadecane as typical aliphatic compound was removed less than Toluene as aromatic compound because of its structural stability in Modified Fenton reaction. What minimum 10% hydrogen peroxide concentration has good remediation efficiency of diesel contaminated groundwater may show the potential use of Modified Fenton reaction after bioslurping treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.153-162
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• 2000

A field study was performed to test effectiveness of a bloluminescent genetically engineered microorganism (GEM) for bioremediation process monitoring and control. The study employed Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 that was the first strain approved for field application in the U.S. for bioremediation purposes. HK44 contains lux gene fused within a naphthalene degradative pathway, allowing this GEM to bioluminesce as it degrades naphthalene as well as substituted naphthalenes and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) , Results showed that HK44 was maintained in both PAH-contarninated and uncontaminated soils even 660 days after inoculation. HK44 was able to produce bioluminescence in response to PAHs in soil. Although effectiveness of chemical remediation was not assessed due to heterogeneous distribution of contaminants, decreased concentration of naphthalene was shown in the soils, Taken together, HK44 was useful for in situ bioremediation process monitoring and control. This work is so far the only field release of a GEM for bioremediation purposes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2004

The soil samples were collected from the paddy field near the mine tailing dumps in the abandoned Duckum mine in Korea. In the laboratory, the soil solution was extracted from the soil using centrifuge, and analysed for the chemical composition. Physical and chemical soil properties were also analysed. Kaolinite is the main clay minerals in the paddy soil and the CEC value is therefore relatively low. Nearly all soil samples show enrichment in their trace elemental concentrations(Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) compared with natural background level. Some soil samples exceed the soil remediation intervention values for Cd, Pb and Zn and target value for Cu, when compared with Dutch standard, whereas As, Ni and Cr are in normal range. Lead concentrations in some samples near the mine tailing dumps also exceed the standard for remediation act for agricultural area set by Korean soil conservation law. The trace elemental concentrations are higher in the paddy soil nearer the mine tailing dumps and lower for the samples from distance. Similar trend with distance is found for the soil solution chemistry but the decrease with distance from the mine tailing dumps are sharper than the changes in soil chemistry. Cadmium, Cu and Pb concentrations in the soil solution are very low, ranging from a tenth and hundredths to a maximum of several mg/l, whereas their concentrations in soils are highly enriched for natural background. Most of the trace elements are thought to be either removed by reduced iron sulphides or iron oxides, depending on the redox changes. Geochemical equilibrium modelling indicate the presence of solubility controlling solid phases for Cd and Pb, whereas Zn and Cu might have been controlled by adsorption/desorption processes. Although pollutants migration through solution phase are thought to be limited by adsorption onto various Fe, Mn solid phases, the pollutants exist as easily releasable fractions such as exchangeable site. In this case, the paddy soil would act as pollutant pool, which will supply to plants in situ. whenever the geochemical conditions favour.