• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.39-67
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• 2005

In order to properly define the terms such as soil, soil contamination, soil contamination site and remediation, which are the key terms under the Soil Environment Conservation Act(SECA) in Korea, we analyzed the legal definitions of the similar key words in legislations of the developed western countries. The selected countries were the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The legal definitions of these keywords were very much diversified due to different levels of soil contamination, as well as different industrial, social, and legal backgrounds in each country. However, fair suggestions for definitions of the key terms in SECA were derived from the comparative analyses of these countries. First and foremost, SECA should provide a definition of 'soil' which includes a concept of the natural soil layer produced from soil mineralization processes. Groundwater and sublayer of the groundwater would. be excluded in the boundary of the soil with regards to the Groundwater Act of Korea. Definition of 'soil contamination' of SECA should include a concept of risk assessment(soil contaminants, pathway, and receptors), purpose of land use, and the acquired limitation levels of soil contaminants. Soil contamination activity either industrial or anthropogenic in SECA article2-1, could be substituted for a concept of soil risk assessment. Definition of 'soil contamination site' could derive from amalgamating the concepts of i) soil contamination in conjunction with contaminants, ii) risk assessment, iii) a concept of land use, and iv) knowing limitation of contamination site designation. Definition of 'remediation of contaminated site' should include the objective, intention, action, methodology and limit of the remediation. These suggested definitions would increase the efficacy of soil environment conservation policies, which includes the survey of the potentially contaminated area, remediation, and removal of the site.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.345-350
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• 2000

The objectives of this study were to find out distribution of heavy metal contents in the soils of Hanam city and to provide base-line data towards development of an eco-city Hanam. One hundred surface soil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from rice paddy field, cultivated upland, forest, riverside and other areas. The samples were air-dried, sieved to pass through 2 mm sieves, followed by analyses for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by the standard method set by the ministry of environment. All the average heavy metal contents were close to background level and were much lower than concern level of the Soil Environment Conservation Act of Korea. However, some individual heavy metal contents were higher than the action level. Since natural environment including soil environment of Hanam city is being destroyed rapidly and the number of the sampling points allocated to Hanam city based on the soil contamination monitoring network of the ministry of environment is only 6, an in-depth soil survey for contamination of Hanam city is highly recommended.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.157-181
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• 2020

Sediments from rivers, lakes and marine ports serve as end points for pollutants discharged into the water, and at the same time serve as sources of pollutants that are continuously released into the water. Until now, the contaminated sediments have been landfilled or dumped at sea. Landfilling, however, was expensive and dumping at sea was completely banned due to the London Convention. Therefore, this study applied contaminated sedimentation soil of 'Royal Palace Livestock Complex' as soil purification method. Soil remediation methods were applied to pretreatment, composting, soil washing, electrokinetics, and thermal desorption by selecting overseas application cases and domestically applicable application technologies. As a result of surveying the site for pollutant characteristics, Disolved Oxigen (DO), Suspended Solid (SS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), and Total Phosphorus (TP) exceeded the discharged water quality standard, and especially SS, COD, TN, and TP exceeded the standard several tens to several hundred times. Soil showed high concentrations of copper and zinc, which promote the growth of pig feed, and cadmium exceeded 1 standard of Soil Environment Conservation Act. In the pretreatment technology, hydrocyclone was used for particle size separation, and the fine soil was separated by more than 80%. Composting was performed on organic and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) contaminated soils. TPH was treated within the standard of concern, and E. coli was analyzed to be high in organic matter, and the fertilizer specification was satisfied by applying the optimum composting conditions at 70℃, but the organic matter content was lower than the fertilizer specification. As a result of continuous washing test, Cd has 5 levels of residual material in fine soil. Cu and Zn were mostly composed of ion exchange properties (stage 1), carbonates (stage 2), and iron / manganese oxides (stage 3), which facilitate easy separation of contamination. As a result of applying acid dissolution and multi-stage washing step by step, hydrochloric acid, 1.0M, 1: 3, 200rpm, 60min was analyzed as the optimal washing factor. Most of the contaminated sediments were found to satisfy the Soil Environmental Conservation Act's standards. Therefore, as a result of the applicability test of this study, soil with high heavy metal contamination was used as aggregate by applying soil cleaning after pre-treatment. It was possible to verify that it was efficient to use organic and oil-contaminated soil as compost Maturity after exterminating contaminants and E. coli by applying composting.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.128-141
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• 2018

Industrial complex releasing huge amounts of dusts, fumes and wastewater containing heavy metal(loid)s could be a source of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soil. Heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soil adversely affect crops safety, subsequently human being. Hence, it is important to accurately assess the heavy metal(loid)s pollution in soil using pollution indices. The objectives of this study are 1) to compare assessment methods of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soils located near industrial complex in Gyeongsang provinces and 2) to determine the relationship between concentration of plant available heavy metal(loid)s and chemical properties of soil. Soil samples were collected from 85 sites of arable lands nearby 10 industrial complex in Gyeongsang provinces. The average total concentration of all heavy metal(loid)s of the studied soils was higher than that of Korean arable soils but did not exceed the warning criteria established by the Soil Environmental Conservation Act of Korea. Only six sites of arable soils for the total concentration of As, Cu and Ni exceeded the warning criteria (As: $25mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cu: $150mg\;kg^{-1}$, Ni: $100mg\;kg^{-1}$). The contamination factor (CF) and geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) of the heavy metal(loid)s in arable soils varied among the sampling sites, and the average values of As and Cd were relatively higher than that of other metals. Results of integrated indices of As and Cd in arable soils located near industrial complex indicated that some arable soils were moderately or heavily polluted. The plant available concentration of heavy metal(loid)s was negatively related to the soil pH and negative charge of soil. Available Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations had relatively high correlation coefficient with pH and negative charge of soil when compared with other heavy metal(loid)s. Based on the above results, it might be a good soil management to control pH with soil amendments such as lime and compost to reduce phytoavailability of heavy metal(loid)s in arable soil located near industrial complex.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.920-924
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• 2012

This study was performed to estimate total contents of arsenic (As) by stepwise multiple-regression analysis using chemical properties and extractable contents of metal in paddy soil adjacent to abandoned mines. The soil was collected from paddies near abandoned mines. Soil pH, electrical conductively (EC), organic mater (OM), available phosphorus ($P_2O_5$), and exchangeable cations (Ca, K, Mg, Na) were measured. Total contents of As and extractable contents of metals were analyzed by ICP-OES. From stepwise analysis, it was showed that the contents of extractable As, available phosphorus, extractable Cu, exchangeable K, exchangeable Na, and organic mater significantly influenced the total contents of As in soil (p<0.001). The multiple linear regression models have been established as Log (Total-As) = 0.741 + 0.716 Log (extractable-As) - 0.734 Log (avail-$P_2O_5$) + 0.334 Log (extractable-Cu) + 0.186 Log (exchangeable-K) - 0.593 Log (exchangeable-Na) + 0.558 Log (OM). The estimated value in total contents of As was significantly correlated with the measured value in soil ($R^2$=0.84196, p<0.0001). This predictive model for estimating total As contents in paddy soil will be properly applied to the numerous datasets which were surveyed with extractable heavy metal contents based on Soil Environmental Conservation Act before 2010.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.589-597
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• 2016

There are a number of industrial complexes which could be a source of heavy metal (loid)s contamination of arable soil in Gyeongnam province of South Korea. Heavy metal (loid)s accumulation of plant is more related to the concentration of plant available heavy metal (loid)s in arable soil than that of total heavy metal (loid)s. The objectives of this study were 1) to examine heavy metal concentrations in soils located near industrial complexes in Gyeongnam province and 2) to determine the relationship between concentration of plant available heavy metal (loid)s and chemical properties of soil. Soil samples were collected from 85 sites of arable lands nearby 7 industrial complexes in Gyeongnam province. Total heavy metal (loid)s concentration, available heavy metal (loid)s concentration, and chemical properties of collected soils were measured. The mean concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in the soils were $5.8mg\;kg^{-1}$, $1.3mg\;kg^{-1}$, $0.03mg\;kg^{-1}$, $51.5mg\;kg^{-1}$, and $68.7mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Total concentration of Cd and Zn in arable soil located near ${\nabla}{\nabla}$ industrial complex exceeded the warning criteria ($4mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $300mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Cd and Zn, respectively) as described by in the soil environmental conservation Act of Korea. The concentration of plant available heavy metal (loid)s was negatively related to the soil pH and available Pb and Zn concentrations had relatively high correlation coefficient when compared with other heavy metal (loid)s. The concentration of plant available Pb and Zn was negatively related to that of organic matter (OM). Based on the above results, it might be a good soil management to control pH and OM concentration with soil amendments such as lime and compost to reduce phytoavailability of heavy metal (loid)s in arable soil located near industrial complex.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: Mine drainage from metal mining districts is a well-recognized source of environmental contamination. Oxidation of metal sulfides in mines, mine dumps and tailing impoundments produces acidic, metal-rich waters that can contaminate the local surface water and soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: This experiment was carried out to investigate the pollution assessment of heavy metal on the water quality of mine drainage, paddy soils and sediment in lower watershed affected by mine drainage of the Sambo mine. The average concentrations of dissolved Cd (0.018~0.035 mg/L) in mine drainage discharged from the main waste rock dumps(WRD) was higher than the water quality standards (0.01 mg/L) for agricultural water in Korea. Also, the average concentrations of dissolved Zn, Fe and Mn were higher than those of recommended maximum concentrations (Zn 2.0, Fe 5.0, Mn 0.2 mg/L) of trace metal in irrigation water proposed by FAO (1994). The average contents of Pb and Zn in paddy soils was higher than those of standard level for soil contamination(Pb 200, Zn 300 mg/kg) in agricultural soil by Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea. Also, the concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in sediment were higher than those of standard level for soil contamination (Cd 10, Pb 400, Zn 600 mg/L) in waterway soil by Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea. The enrichment factor (EFc) of heavy metals in stream sediments were in the order as Cd>Pb>Zn> As>Cu>Cr>Ni. Also, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of heavy metals in stream sediments were in the order as Zn>Cd>Pb>Cu>As>Cr>Ni, specially, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of Zn (Igeo 3.1~6.2) were relatively higher than that of other metals in sediment. CONCLUSION(s): The results indicate that stream water and sediment were affected by mine drainage discharged from the Sambo mine at least to a distance of 1 km downstream (SN-1, SN-2) of the mine water discharge point.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.318-324
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• 2017

Lime bordeaux mixture (LBM) and lime sulfur mixture (LSM) are representative environmental friendly organic materials for prevention of insect pests in South Korea. Recently, those have been widely used as an alternative for chemical pesticides in eco-friendly farms. However, South Korea has not established even recommendation of LBM and LSM considering the stability of heavy metals in soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of hazardous heavy metals in soil and plant with long-term application of LBM and LSM. Firstly, we investigated the amount of LBM and LSM used per year in several eco-friendly farms to determine a standard application rate of both materials. The pepper plant was grown on the pot in greenhouse for 14 weeks. Both materials were applied at 0, 1, 3, and 9 times of standard application rates (2.56 and $1.28L\;ha^{-1}$ of LBM and LSM per year, respectively). Dry matter yield of pepper and heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentration in soil and pepper plant were measured after 14 weeks. Yield of pepper plant did not significantly chang with up to application rate of 1 times, thereafter it markedly decreased with more than 3 times. With increasing LBM and LSM application, the concentration of Cu and Zn in soil significantly increased. Especially, Zn concentration in pepper significantly increased with increasing application rates of both materials. This might resulted in significant decrease in dry matter yield of pepper. The concentrations of those heavy metals in soil did not exceed safety levels ($150mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Cu and $300mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Zn) established by the Korean Soil Environmental Conservation Act as well as concentration of heavy metals in pepper plant by Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. However, particular attention should be paid for heavy metal safety and crop productivity when using LBM and LSM in the organic farm.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.52-61
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• 2014

Metal concentrations in the former Janghang smelter area were determined and human health risk of arsenic (As) with bioaccessibility was investigated. Site investigation of the area within 1.5 km from the Janghang smelter showed the As concentrations of 4.8~169.8 mg/kg (avg. 37.8 mg/kg). For 85 samples out of 126 samples, As concentrations were higher than the Worrisome Level of the Korean Soil and Environment Conservation Act, and seven samples exceeded the Countermeasure Standard. Risk assessment for As incorporated with the bioaccessibility revealed that potential human health risk of the carcinogenic ($1.8{\sim}5.0{\times}10^{-5}$) was above the acceptable risk range ($10^{-5}{\sim}10^{-6}$) while the risk of the non-carcinogenic was not found. Remediation goals based on risk incorporated with bioaccessibility of As ranged from 10.8 to 20.0 mg/kg. Such difference in the remediation goals resulted from various bioaccessibility of As (i.e., between 8.7~66.3%) at the study site.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.29-36
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• 2010

Several mines including Namil, Solim and Jungbong which are located in the Gyeonggi and Kangwon province have been abandoned and closed since 1980 due to "The promotion policy of mining industry". An enormous amount of mining wastes was disposed without proper treatment, which caused soil pollution in tailing dam and ore-dressing plant areas. However, any quantitative assessment was not performed about soil and water pollution by transporting mining wastes such as acid mine drainage, mine tailing, and rocky waste. In this research, heavy metals in mining wastes were analyzed according to leaching method which used 0.1 N HCl and total solution method which used Aqua-regia to recognize the ecological effect of distance from hot spot. We sampled tailings, rocky wastes and soils around the abandoned mine. Chemical and physical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), soil texture and heavy metal concentration were analyzed. The range of soil's pH is between 4.3 and 6.4 in the tailing dam and oredressing plant area due to mining activity. Total concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb in soil near ore dressing plant area are 250.9, 249.3 and 117.2 mg/kg respectively, which are higher than any other ones near tailing dam area. Arsenic concentration in tailing dams is 31.0 mg/kg, which is also considered as heavily polluted condition comparing with the remediation required level(RRL) in "Soil environment conservation Act".