• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.314-322
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• 2008

This study was carried out to assess aerobic stabilized waste sludge as liquid fertilizer for the growth of cucumber, cabbage and chrysanthemum. Sludge was pretreated with NaOH(40 meq/L) at 40$^{\circ}C$ for 330 min. The number of fecal coliforms in batch test sludge fertilizer was more efficiently reduced than those in continuous one, maybe due to longer SRT. All produced fertilizer belonged to class B according to US EPA requirement at least. Among 6 heavy metals regulated in Korea, As, Cd and Hg were not detectable in plant amended with fertilizer whereas the concentration of Cr, Cu and Pb in plant was less than 10 mg/kg dw. However, Zn and Ni, which were restricted in other country, but not in Korea, were detected in most amount of 118 mg/kg and 15.7 mg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, based on dry weight of plant, digested sludge(5.4 mg, dw) functioned as better fertilizer rather than activated sludge (4.3 mg, dw), much more fertile when those sludge was pretreated(1.24 mg, dw) compared to untreated one(1.12 mg, dw). But its fertility was 60$\sim$80% of commercial fertilizer and accumulation of Zn, Ti and Cr in plant was founded. Therefore, it could be concluded that sludge-fertilizer can be used for flower unlimitedly, but for edible plant limitedly as additive fertilizer.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.337-344
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• 1999

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of spa sewage on water quality and chemical contents in the paddy soil along stream from 1997 to 1998. Concentration of $PO_4, SO_4, Cl, NH_{4}, Ca, Na$ and COD in the spa sewage were lower than standard for agricultural usage, and were lowered as the sewage flew to the into stream. The concentration of $SO_4$in spa sewage was over the criteria for agricultural usage in the inlet, but was lower than criteria for agricultural usage by inlet of non polluted stream water. Concentration of pollutants in the sediment of water channel were the highest in the inlet site. There were no pollutants accumulation in the paddy soil where spa sewage was irrigated. It may be resulted from nutrients uptake of rice plant and self purification of paddy soil. On the while, considering electric conductivity and nitrate in spa sewage, this results suggest that long-term irrigation of the spa sewage may be required general management with some decreasing fertilization.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2002

The physical and chemical properties of cover soils of 10 waste landfill sites in Kyonggi-Do area, where social circumstances at present forces to consider the reuse of landfill, were investigated to provide the informations of soil environment which are necessary to establish the appropriate ecological restoration plan of waste landfills. The pH and electrical conductivity of soils were higher in landfills sites than in reference sites (area around landfill sites), indicating the salt accumulation in surface soil. However, total-N and organic matter contents were lower in landfills sites than in reference sites. In landfill sites, the total-N and plant available-P contents were less than 0.15% and 20mg/kg, respectively. Exchangeable cations (K, Ca, Mg and Na) and heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) contents varied between the landfill sites, but were higher in landfills sites than in reference sites. The major exchangeable cation of soil was Ca. Heavy metal contents were much lower than the critical concentration which phytotoxicity is considered to be possible and the standard for agricultural land of Korean Soil Environmental Preservation Act. Therefore, the proper soil management plan to increase the soil fertility is recommended for the ecological restoration of landfill using natural or artificial vegetation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.591-596
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• 2011

The applications of chemical fertilizers and various types of organic materials may cause heavy metal accumulation in soil. In this study, we conducted to investigate the relationship between the different chemical forms of heavy metals such as Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn retained in soil and the metal concentrations in Korean raspberry plant. Forty five soil samples were collected from 2 to 6 years old Korean raspberry cultivation fields (RCFs), Gochang, Korea, to determine total, exchangeable (1.0 M $MgCl_2$-extractable), DTPA-extractable metal contents. The leaves and fruits of raspberry plant were sampled at harvest stage. Total metal contents in soils ranged from $0.87mg\;kg^{-1}$ to $66.82mg\;kg^{-1}$. Exchangeable and DTPA-extractable metals ranged between 0.02 and $0.67mg\;kg^{-1}$ and between $0.05mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $7.07mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The metal concentrations in the plant leaf and fruit determined on a dry-basis were between $1.30mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $38.82mg\;kg^{-1}$ and between $0.05mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $21.51mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively, but Cd and Pb were not detected in the leaf. The total, exchangeable, and DTPA-extractable contents of the metal ions in soil were directly correlated one another, but the contents of different metals in the different fractions were inversely correlated in general. Most of total and DTPA-extractable metals in the soil were directly correlated with the contents of the same metals in the plant, whereas exchangeable metals in the soil were not statistically correlated with the same metals in plants. Thus, we concluded that the metal contents in the raspberry field soils were much lower thanthe levels of Soil Contamination Warning Standard (SCWS), and the plant metal concentrations were also less than the maximum permissible limits. The total and DTPA-extractable metals in the soil were closely related to the metal concentrations in the plant.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.213-223
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• 2021

To understand the sedimentary environment of Scirpus planiculmis habitat (Myeongji and Eulsuk tidal flats) in the Nakdong Estuary, this study analyzed the statistical parameters (sorting, skewness, and kurtosis) of grain size data and the major (Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Ti, and P), minor (Li, Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Zr, Cs, Pb, Th, and U), and rare earth elements (REEs) in sediment cores. For Myeongji, the sediment structure of the upper part of the cores was poorly sorted, more finely skewed, and more leptokurtic due to construction of the West gate. By contrast, the Eulsuk cores all differed due to the contrasting floodgate operation patterns of the West and East gates. The linear discriminate function (LDF) results corresponded to the statistical parameters for grain size. At the Eulsuk tidal flat (sites ES05 and ES11), elemental distributions were representative of Al-, Fe- and Ca-associated profiles, in which the elements are largely controlled by the accumulation of their host minerals (such as Na- and K-aluminosilicate and ferromagnesium silicate) and heavy detrital minerals at the sites. Detrital minerals including the aluminosilicates are major factors in the elemental compositions at ES05, diluting the REE contents. However, clay minerals and Fe-oxyhydroxides, as well as REE-enriched heavy minerals, appeared to be controlling factors of the elemental composition at ES11. Therefore, the mineral fractionation process is important in determining the elemental composition during sedimentation, which reflects the depositional condition of riverine-saline water mixing at both sites.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.492-504
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• 2014

Feral pigeon (Columba livia) has been known as a good indicator for accumulations of chemical pollutants in urban areas. However, it is against the animal rights to kill the indicator species in order to monitor pollutants accumulations in wild birds. Eggs and feathers of birds, therefore, have been used as non-invasive monitoring materials. Even though eggs are a good indicator for accumulations of lipophilic pollutants, but unsuitable for some heavy metals such as lead and cadmium because bird's ovary builds a sort of barrier to inhibit higher accumulations of some heavy metals in the eggs. Therefore, feathers instead of eggs have been used as a non-invasive indicator for accumulations of heavy metals. However, there are few studies of heavy metal accumulations of feral pigeon in Korea. In this study, we characterized the characteristics of heavy metal accumulations of feathers in relation to internal organs (bloods, viscera and bones) in feral pigeons between two sites (Hangang Park representing urban area and Hampyeong Park for rural area). The samples from the Hangang Park showed significantly higher lead (Pb) concentrations in the blood, liver and bone than those from Hampyeong Park. The Pb concentration in the feathers was also significantly higher at Hangang Park than at Hampyeong Park. The analytical result for the breast, wing and tail feathers, and the internal organs (blood, lung, liver, kidney and bone) indicated that the Pb concentrations in the feathers were significantly positively correlated with the levels in the kidney and bone. Overall, feathers of feral pigeon may be candidate for bioindicator to monitor for Pb accumulations in urban areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.268-277
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• 2013

This study investigates the effects of accumulated levels of heavy metals and nutrients of cultivated soybean plant tissues, after the continuous application of sewage sludge (SS) and industrial sludge (IS). SS and IS were applied to soybean plants at loading of 0, 11.25, 22.50, and 45.00 Mg/ha, and the contents of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Zn), proteins, and amino acids in the cultivated soybean plants were measured. The Cd content in the soybean was 0.02~0.05 mg/kg, which is within the safety level set in the standard, and that of Pb was 0.02~0.15 mg/kg, which is also within the safety level except for IS 45 Mg/ha. The soybean harvest quantity was higher in the treatment groups than the control group in the first year. However, in the second year, SS had lower harvest and IS had the same level or a decreasing tendency, compared with the control group. In the first year, the content of amino acid which followed handling of SS was increased in the sludge groups more than in the control group in the case of glutamate. However, the influence of continuous application was increased in the sludge groups in the case of amino acids of 12 types. In conclusions, the accumulation in soybean of heavy metals by sludge treatment is not a problem, but the decreased yields needs to be considered. In addition, the most appropriate level of sludge treatment was 11.25 Mg/ha.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.310-315
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Heavy-metal pollution represents an important environmental problem due to the toxic effects of metals, and their accumulation throughout the food chain leads to serious ecological and health problems. METHODS AND RESULTS: Optimum conditions in continuous-flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and packedbed column contactor (PBCC) using brown seaweed biosorbent were investigated. Under optimum conditions from both lab-scale biosorbent systems, removal efficiency of copper (Cu) in a large-scale PBCC system was investigated. Removal capacity of Cu using brown seaweed biosorbent in a lab-scale CSTR system was higher than that in a lab-scale PBCC system. On the other hand, over 48 L/day of flow rate in Cu solution, removal efficiency of Cu in a lab-scale PBCC system was higher than that in a lab-scale CSTR system. Optimum flow rate of Cu was 24 L/day, optimum Cu solution concentration was 100 mg/L. Removal capacity of Cu at different stages was higher in the order of double column biosorption system > single column biosorption system. Under different heavy metals, removal capacities of heavy metal were higher in the order of Pb > Cr > Ni > Mn ${\geq}$ Cu ${\geq}$ Cd ${\fallingdotseq}$ Zn ${\geq}$ Co. Removal capacity of Cu was 138 L in a large-scale PBCC system. Removal capacity of Cu a large-scale PBCC system was similar with in a lab-scale PBCC system. CONCLUSION(s): Therefore, PBCC system using brown seaweed biosorbent was suitable for treating heavy metal wastewater.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.21-29
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• 2018

The contents of total nitrogen(T-N), phosphate($T-P_2O_5$), and potash($T-K_2O$) are important factors to determine the application rate of the livestock compost to prevent nutrients accumulation and maintain their appropriate levels in arable lands. The concentrations of nutrient, organic matter, salt, water content, heavy metal in livestock compost in circulation were investigated with 659 samples from 2016 to 2017. In order to investigate the fluctuation nutrient contents of livestock composts with the same product name, 19 samples were collected and analyzed T-N, and $T-P_2O_5$, and $T-K_2O$ concentration during two years. The mean levels of T-N, $T-P_2O_5$, and $T-K_2O$ in livestock composts of from 2016 to 2017 were 1.73%, 1.88%, and 1.66%, respectively. The average contents of organic matter, water, and salt were 38.9%, 40.9%, and 1.2%, respectively. There were found that the maximum concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn in some livestock composts were exceeded the criteria of the official standard of commercial fertilizer. The maximum variation coefficient of T-N, $T-P_2O_5$ and $T-K_2O$ content of livestock composts was found to be 24%, 27%, and 50% on average, respectively. In order to manage the nutrients in agricultural soils, it will be reasonable that the error range of T-N and $T-P_2O_5$ content in livestock composts should be recommended to be 27% in mean as variation coefficient in case of displaying the nutrient element in liverstock compost.