• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.486-493
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• 2002

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater from a limestone and granite area were studied in the Hwanggangri district, where important fluorite ore deposits are distributed. The geochemical properties of groundwater from limestone and granite are commonly characterized as Ca$^{2+}$-HCO$_3\;^-$ and (Ca$^{2+}$+Na$^+$)-HCO$_3\;^-$ type, respectively. Groundwater, contaminated by mine drainage water from the neighboring ore deposits, has not been observed yet. However, fluoride in groundwater exceeding the drinking water permission level is found in the wells located in a Cretaceous granite area. The concentrations of F in the groundwater show a positive relationship with the values of Na, HCO$_3$, Li and pH. This may suggest that the groundwater come from the decomposition of fluoride-bearing silicate minerals within highly differentiated granitic rocks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2010

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from abandoned mine sites typically has low pH and contains high level of various heavy metals, aggravating ground- and surface water qualities and neighboring environments. This study investigated removal of heavy metals in a biological treatment system, mainly focusing on the removal by adsorption on a substrate material. Bench-scale batch experiments were performed with a mushroom compost to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of heavy metals leached out from a mine tailing sample and the role of SRB in the overall removal process. In addition, adsorption experiments were perform using an artificial AMD sample containing $Cd^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Pb^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ to assess adsorption capacity of the mushroom compost. The results indicated Mn leached out from mine tailing was not subject to microbial stabilization or adsorption onto mushroom compost while microbially mediated stabilization played an important role in the removal of Zn. Fe leaching significantly increased in the presence of microbes as compared to autoclaved samples, and this was attributed to dissolution of Fe minerals in the mine tailing in a response to the depletion of $Fe^{3+}$ by iron reduction bacteria. Measurement of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and pH indicated the reactive mixture maintained reducing condition and moderate pH during the reaction. The results of the adsorption experiments involving artificial AMD sample indicated adsorption removal efficiency was greater than 90% at pH 6 condition, but it decreased at pH 3 condition.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.45-53
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• 2009

This study concerned remediation of heavy metal contaminated farmland soils near abandoned mine, using stabilization method, with particular emphasis on the remediating the soils contaminated with multi-elements. In this study, stabilizing heavy metals based on 'In-situ chemical fixation' has been applied to the soil collected from an abandoned mine in Korea, using column test, with various stabilizing agents, including $FeSO_4$, $KMnO_4$, sludge (collected from coal mine drainage treatment pond), zero-valent iron (ZVI), zeolite and $CaCO_3$. Sixty five-days operation of the flow-through columns yield $FeSO_4\;+\;KMnO_4$ and zeolite are efficient on reducing As leaching from the soil. ZVI and sludge are reducing the leaching of Cu. Although $FeSO_4\;+\;KMnO_4$ seem to be efficient for most heavy metals, high pH in the initial stage of test enabled high leaching of the heavy metals, whereas fixation of the heavy metals maintain throughout the rest of the test period, with increasing pH up to around 6. Addition of some alkaline agent may inhibit the low pH during the application. The column test was also run as two set: one set incubated with deionized water for 72 hours prior to starting the test, and the other without incubation. The incubated set demonstrated better stabilizing efficiency, indicating the potential optimized operation method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.86 no.3
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• pp.324-333
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• 1997

The research has been made for the effects of the pollution by the abandoned coal mine drainage on the physical and chemical properties of soil, stream sediment and soil water. The soils overspreaded by the abandoned coal don't develop solum and the bulk density is $1.83g/m^3$, compared with $1.14-1.38g/m^3$ in the other forest soils. The soil pH range in coal bearing region ie, from 4.01 to 4.11 and non-coal bearing soil range is from 5.03 to 5.13. Heavy metals such as As, Cr, Ni, Mo and Ba of coal bearing soils and polluted stream sediments have larger concentration than those of non-coal content and non-polluted. Especially As and Mo concentrations are largely high in coal bearing. The relative ratios $K_2O/Na_2O$ of geochemical elements are higher in coal bearing soil and polluted stream sediments than those of non-coal bearing soils and non-polluted stream sediments as well as black shales of the Changri Formation. However, $MgO+Fe_2O_3+TiO_2/CaO+K_2O$ are the opposite trends, so that the ratios are lower in the polluted regions. The soil water pHs in the polluted regions are the strong acid(pH3.4-4.2) and buffer capacity of the polluted soil is low because canons such as $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Mg^{+2}$are leached by the acidification.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.651-660
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• 2007

Acid drainage has been recognized as an environmental concern in abandoned mine sites for long time. Recently, the environmental and structural damage by acid drainage is a current issue in construction sites in Korea. Here, the author introduces the type of damages by acid drainage in construction sites and emphasizes the importance of geoscience discipline in solving the problem. Metasedimentary rock of Okcheon group, coal bed of Pyeongan group, Mesozoic volcanic rock. and Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks are the major rock types with a high potential for acid drainage upon excavation in Korea. The acid drainage causes the acidification and heavy metal contamination of soil, surface water and groundwater, the reduction of slope stability, the corrosion of slope structure, the damage on plant growth, the damage on landscape and the deterioration of concrete and asphalt pavement. The countermeasure for acid drainage is the treatment of acid drainage and the prevention of acid drainage. The treatment of acid drainage can be classified into active and passive treatments depending on the degree of natural process in the treatment. Removal of oxidants, reduction of oxidant generation and encapsulation of sulfide are employed for the prevention of acid drainage generation.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3 s.49
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• pp.171-187
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• 2006

The status of heavy metal contamination was investigated using chemical analyses of stream waters and sediments obtained from Samsanjeil and Sambong Cu mining area in Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. In addition, the degree and the environmental risk of heavy metal contamination in stream sediments was assessed through pollution index (Pl) and danger index (DI) based on total digestion by aqua regia and fractionation of heavy metal contaminants by sequential extraction, respectively. Not only the degree of heavy metal contamination was significantly higher in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area, but its environmental risk was also revealed much more serious in Samsanjeil area than in Sambong area. The differences in status and level of contamination and environmental risk between both two mining areas may be attributed to existence of contamination source and geology. Acid mine drainage is continuously discharged and flows into the stream in Samsanjeil mining area, and it makes the heavy metal contamination in the stream more deteriorated than in Sambong mining area in which acid mine drainage is not produced. In addition, the geology of Samsanjeil mining area is mainly comprised of andesitic rocks including a small amount of calcite and having lower pH buffering capacity fer acid mine drainage, and it is likely that the heavy metal contamination cannot be naturally attenuated in streams. On the contrary, the main geology of Sambong mining area consists of pyroclastic sedimentary Goseong formation containing a high content of carbonates, particularly calcite, and it seems that these carbonates of high pH buffering capacity prevent the heavy metal contamination from proceeding downstream in stream within that area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 1994

To determine the apparent equilibrium constants, K$_{ad,app}$, for the adsorption reactions of trace metals on amorphous iron oxyhydroxide (AIO) in the Taebag coal mine area, time-adsorption and pH-adsorption experiments were performed for a selected bottom sediment mainly comprised of AIO from the study area. The results from the adsorption experiments indicate that most of the trace metals, except Pb, achieve equilibrium states with AIO and thus, the calculated K$_{ad,app}$ may represent the true apparent equilibrium constants. K$_{ad,app}$ and the stoichiometric coefficients of proton, x, of the adsorption reactions between the trace metals and AIO were respectively calculated from the intercepts and slopes of the regression lines of log($\Gamma$/ ［M］$_{aq}$)against pH provided by pH-adsorption experiments. The calculated K$_{ad,app}$ this study has the values of the range from 10$^{－4.5}$ to 10$^{2.75}$ , which is much different from the reported values by other investigators for simple experimental systems. K$_{ad,app}$ of this study is more or less close but not exactly pertinent to the estimated values for the other natural systems. It indicates that K$_{ad,app}$ for the adsorption reactions in the aquatic system in the study area is unique and thus should be determined befor the adsorption modelling. The calculated x of this study has the values of the range from -0.3 to 0.7, which is also much different from what most geochemists generally accept. The discrepancy in x may be due to the competition among different kinds of ionic species on the adsorption site or simulataneous occurrence of different kinds of adsorption reactions. The results from this study should help construct an appropriate adsorption model for the aquatic systems polluted by the coal mine drainage in the Taebag area. With the constructed model, one can describe the concentration variations of trace metals due to the adsorption in the system, which is an essential part of the investigation on the water quality affected by coal mine drainage in the Taebag coal field.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.695-708
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• 2008

In order to evaluate the geochemical behaviors of elements with waste rocks in the abandoned Jangpoong Cu mine area, total concentration analysis and leaching experiments were performed. The content of elements within waste rocks compared with background values decreased in order of As>>Cu>Pb>Cd>Co. Leaching experiments were carried out at various extraction environments, considering the acid rain ($0.00001{\sim}0.001N\;HNO_3$) and the acid mine drainage ($0.001{\sim}0.1N$ HNO3). After 24 hours of reaction with different acidic solution, the leaching characteristics of waste rocks were classified into three types according to final pH of leaching solution. Type I refers to the case that the final pH of leaching solution was lower than that of the reaction solution due to the dissolution of acidic minerals from rocks, while type 2 and 3 refer to the case that the final pH maintained higher than that of the reaction solution. Theses types include in acid buffering minerals such as clay minerals and carbonate minerals. The leaching characteristics of the elements after the reaction could be categorized into As-Co-Fe, Cu-Mn-Cd-Zn, and Pb. As-Co-Fe started to get leached under 2.5 of pH regardless of changes in the final pH, and Cu-Mn-Cd-Zn showed different initial leaching pH according to the types of final pH changes. Based on the pH value where leaching started regardless of leaching concentration, the relative mobility of each element was in the order of Mn Zn>Cd>Cu>>Fe Co>As>Pb. Thus, more higher mobility elements(Zn, Mn and Cu) were leached by reacting with acid rain water. Acid mine drainage may result in distributions of elements having relatively less mobility(As, Fe, Co and Pb).

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.123-134
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• 1998

To analyse the stability of a slope composed of waste material produced in a closed lead mine, numerical modeling has been carried out in two dimension using FLAC, finite difference program. The research was focused on the effect of the earthquake as well as a rise of water table upon slope stability. The numerical results have shown that the slope would not be safe against earthquake event and that the increase of pore pressure due to a rise of water table up to the ground level may result in a failure of the slope. On the basis of numerical analyses and site investigation, two sorts of measures have been taken. In short term, removal of a part of materials deposited on the top of the pile is required to increase immediately safety factor of the slope even a little. In ling term, it is necessary to repair drainage facilities and dam which covers waste material so that the slope is prevented from failure in a radical manner. It has been confirmed by numerical analyses that an improvenment of the stability can be in a great extent expected after such measures have been performed.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.3 s.172
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• pp.237-245
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• 2005

The batch tests were performed to evaluate the applicability of the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) to in-situ treatment of groundwater with high concentration of heavy metals. The lead\chates used in this study were collected from waste rock dump of the Imgy mine, and have a low pH and high metal concentration. The acidity loading was 65kg as $CaCO_3/day$, metal loading of Fe+Al+Mn was 11.6kg/day. This type of water could be treated with biological-mediated sulfate reduction using the organic carbon mixture as a reactive media. The batch tests were carried out with five mixtures that were composed with different mixing ratios of mushroom compost, pine-tree bark, and limestone cheep. Results indicated that the PRB could reduce the acidity loading $CaCO_3/day$ to 12.3kg and reduce the metal loading to 3.3kg/day. Considering about the low pH and high metal loading, the contaminated water may be ameliorated by passing it through the buffering PRB composed with inorganic carbonate materials and then through the PRB composed with the organic carbon mixture which can induce sulfate reduction.