• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.12-21
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• 2017

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the transfer of As and cationic heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb) from soil to rice plant in soil condition with submerged and drained. During the ninety-day monitoring period for soil solution, solubility of reducible elements such as As, Fe and Mn in submerged condition were higher than that of Zn. On the contrary, concentration of Zn in drained condition was higher than that of reducible elements. The concentration of As, Cd, Pb and Zn in rice plant (root, stem, leaf and grain) showed similar pattern with soil solution. The As concentration in each part of rice plant, which cultivated in drained condition, measured 56%~94% lower than those in submerged condition. However, the contents of cationic heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) were represented the opposite result with As. These results are due to mobility of As and cationic heavy metals under different soil drainage conditions which represent oxidation and reduction. Thus soil drainage control can be used as acceptable passive treatment methods to reduce transfer of inorganic contaminants from soil to rice plant. However more detailed examination on soil condition conversion is needed, because yield of rice was decreased when it cultivated in drained condition only. It also needed when soil is contaminated by As and cationic heavy metal because single drainage condition cannot reduce transfer of both kinds of contaminants all.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.724-734
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• 2019

This study selected a representative small arm firing range and analyzed the distribution of heavy metal pollutants such as Pb, Cu, Zn, etc. For this the concentrations of heavy metals in soils, roots and leaves of plants, and water of the small arm firing range were measured. The concentrations of heavy metals in the effluent were also checked during precipitation. The concentration of lead in the samples collected from the top soil(0-5 cm) and sub soil(5-50 cm) near the target in the small arm firing range exceeded the concern level of the Soil Environment Conservation Act of Korea, but not in other soil samples. Plants that grow in soil heavily contaminated with lead showed a high lead concentration, especially in roots. However, the concentration of lead in effluent from the small arm firing range was less than 0.02 ppm. The concentration of copper and zinc in the small arm firing range did not surpass the concern level of the Soil Environment Conservation Act of Korea. Through this study more accurate information on the distribution of heavy metal pollution in the soil of the small arm firing range was obtained. Based on this research, we can conclude that some facility improvements can reduce the spreading of pollutants in the currently used small arm firing range and contribute to the design and operation of advanced small arm firing ranges.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.36-43
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• 2012

Various methods are used to remediate soil contaminated with heavy metals or petroleum. In recent years, harsh physical and chemical remediation methods are being used to increase remediation efficiency, however, such processes could affect soil properties and degrade the ecological functions of the soil. Effects of soil washing, thermal desorption, and land farming, which are the most frequently used remediation methods, on the physicochemical properties of remediated soil were investigated in this study. For soils smaller than 2 mm, the soil texture were changed from sandy clay loam to sandy loam because of the decrease in the clay content after soil washing, and from loamy sand to sandy loam because of the decrease in the sand content and increase in silt content during thermal desorption, however, the soil texture remained unchanged after land farming process. The water-holding capacity, organic matter content, and total nitrogen concentration of the tested soil decreased after soil washing. A change in soil color and an increase in the available phosphate concentration were observed after thermal desorption. Exchangeable cations, total nitrogen, and available phosphate concentration were found to decrease after land farming; these components were probably used by microorganisms during as well as after the land farming process because microbial processes remain active even after land farming. A study of these changes can provide information useful for the reuse of remediated soil. However, it is insufficient to assess only soil physicochemical properties from the viewpoint of the reuse of remediated soil. Potential risks and ecological functions of remediated soil should also be considered to realize sustainable soil use.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.72-79
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• 2014

Cavitation generated by ultrasonic irradiation can enhance the diffusional transport of organic contaminants from soil surfaces or pores. Therefore, ultrasound soil washing can be an alternative of traditional soil washing process. In this study, soil was artificially contaminated with n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and phenanthrene. A plate type ultrasonic reactor at 25 kHz frequency and 1000W power was used for laboratory soil washing experiments. Ultrasonic soil washing efficiency was compared with those of traditional soil washing using mechanical mixing. Various operational parameter such as soil/liquid ratio, irradiation time, particle size, and soil organic matter content was tested to find out the optimum condition. It was found that ultrasonic soil washing demonstrates better performance than mechanical soil washing. Optimum soil:liquid ratio for ultrasonic soil washing was 1 : 5. Desorption of organic contaminants from soils by ultrasonic irradiation was relatively fast and reached equilibrium within 10 minute. However, decrease in the soil particle sizes by ultrasonic irradiation results in re-adsorption of contaminants to soil phase. It was also observed that soil particle size distribution and soil organic matter content have significant effects on the efficiency of ultrasonic soil washing.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.46-55
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• 2013

The main objective was to evaluate the efficiencies of different separation techniques, such as gravity separation, magnetic separation, and aerial separation. Zinc and cadmium removal efficiencies by gravity separation and magnetic separation were 28.3~29.3% and 19.1%, respectively, and were higher than the efficiency obtained by aerial separation. Results showed that the combination of gravity separation and magnetic separation in series which was to maximize the removal efficiencies gave removal efficiency of 21.5~38.7% for zinc and 22.1~23.4% for cadmium. The mass of soil meeting the regulation standards for zinc and cadmium after retrieval from the combined separation process accounted for approximately 80% of the treated soil that would be reusable without the pre-treatment procedure as the neutralization process using in the soil washing method. Physical separation techniques utilizing heavy metal properties are the alternative method to remediate heavy-metal contaminated soils in environmental and economic aspects.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.803-809
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the effects of soil amendment (heat-expanded clay and active carbon) and planting of Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum on the remediation of salt-affected soil and the plant growth under high calcium chloride (CaCl₂) concentration. The experimental group comprised treatments including Non treatment (Cont.), heat-expanded clay (H), active carbon (AC), planting (P), heat-expanded clay+planting (H+P), active carbon+planting (AC+P). A 200 mL solution of CaCl₂ at a concentration of 10 g·L^-1 was applied as irrigation once every 2 weeks. Compared to the Cont., the incorporation of the 'heat-expanded clay' amendment decreased electrical conductivity of the soil leachate and cation exchange capacity, whereas the growth of Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum was relatively increased. These results suggest that the combination of 'heat-expanded clay' amendment and planting will mitigate negative effect of de-icing salts and improve plant growth in salt-contaminated roadside soils.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Biological iron redox transformation alters iron minerals, which may act as effective adsorbents for arsenate [As(V)] in the environments. In the viewpoint of alleviating arsenate, microbial Fe(III) reduction was sought under high concentration of As(V). In this study, Fe(III)-reducing bacteria were isolated from the wild plant rhizosphere soils collected at abandoned mine areas, which showed tolerance to high concentration of As(V), in pursuit of potential agents for As(V) bioremediation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacterial isolation was performed by a series of enrichment, transfer, and dilutions. Among the isolated strains, two strains (JSAR-1 and JSAR-3) with abilities of tolerance to 10 mM As(V) and Fe(III) reduction were selected. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA genesequences indicated the closest members of Pseudomonas stutzeri DSM 5190 and Paenibacillus selenii W126, respectively for JSAR-1 and JSAR-3. Ferric and ferrous iron concentrations were measured by ferrozine assay, and arsenic concentration was analyzed by ICP-AES, suggesting inability of As(V) reduction whereas ability of Fe(III) reduction. CONCLUSION: Fe(III)-reducing bacteria isolated from the enrichments with arsenate and ferric iron were found to be resistant to a high concentration of As(III) at 10 mM. We suppose that those kinds of microorganisms may suggest good application potentials for As(V) bioremediation, since the bacteria can transform Fe while surviving under As-contaminated environments. The isolated Fe(III)-reducing bacterial strains could contribute to transformations of iron minerals which may act as effective adsorbents for arsenate, and therefore contribute to As(V) immobilization

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.547-557
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• 2022

Dune sands are poorly graded collapsible soils lacking fines. This experimental study explored the technical feasibility of sustainable invigoration of fine waste materials to improve the geotechnical properties of dune sand. The fine waste considered in this study is fine marble waste. The fine waste powder was mixed with dune sand at different contents (5, 10,15, 20, 25, 50%), where the gradation, void ratio, compaction, and shear strength characteristics were assessed for each fine marble waste -dune sand blend. The geotechnical properties of the dune sand-fine marble waste mix delineated in this study reveal the enhancement in compaction and gradation characteristics of dune sand. According to the results, the binary mixture of dune sand with 20% of fine marble waste gives the highest maximum dry density and results in shear strength improvement. In addition, a numerical study is conducted for the practical application of the binary mix in the field and tested for an isolated shallow foundation. The elemental analysis of the fine marble waste confirms that the material is non-contaminated and can be employed for engineering applications. Furthermore, the numerical study elucidated that the shallow surface replacement of the site with the dune sand mixed with 20% fine marble waste gives optimal performance in terms of stress generation and settlement behavior of an isolated footing. For a sustainable mechanical performance of the fine marble waste mixed sand, an optimum dose of 20% fine marble waste is recommended, and some correlations are proposed. Thus, for improving dune sand's geotechnical characteristics, the addition of fine marble waste to the dune sand is an environment-friendly solution.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2023

Biodegradation of antibiotics in soil can be affected by various environmental factors. This study was set to investigate the effect of environmental conditions such as soil pH and temperature on the degradation of oxolinic acid (OA), one of the agricultural antibiotics used in South Korea, in soil. Rice paddy soil (RS) and field soil (FS) were contaminated with OA and the soil pH was adjusted to 5.7±0.2, 6.8±0.2, and 7.6±0.1. The soil samples were kept at different temperatures (2.3±0.2, 23.0±0.6, 30.5± 0.3℃) for 30 d. The changes in the OA concentrations were determined at selected times. With the RS and FS, the OA removal was not affected by the soil pH used in this study; however, at pH 7.6, the OA removal in the RS was greater than that in the FS, which can be attributed to the different soil properties. The OA removal was similar at 23.0 and 30.5℃ in both soils, but was lower at 2.3℃. The information on the effect of different environmental conditions on the degradation of antibiotics in soil is very limited. Therefore, further studies are needed to better manage the residual antibiotics in the agricultural environment.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.344-354
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Although antibiotics have contributed to treatment of bacterial infection, the antibiotic abuse can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impact of human activities on distribution of antibiotic resistance has been intensively issued and occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in contaminated environments would not be a surprise. Nonetheless, anthropogenic contamination with the dissemination of antibiotic resistance along uncontaminated environments has been less considered. The aim of this study is to investigate antibiotic resistant bacteria across Ulleungdo, known as antibiotic resistance free and anthropogenic pollution free environment in Rep. of Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antibiotic resistant bacteria in coastal seawater of Ulleungdo were investigated in July 2021. Antibiotic susceptibility test using the disk diffusion method was applied with six drugs according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline. Total 43 bacterial isolates were tested and 20 isolates among of them showed multidrug resistance. Particularly, the number and ratio of resistant bacteria were relatively high in a densely populated area of Ulleungdo. The bacterial communities were investigated using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding approach in the coastal seawater and soils of Ulleungdo. In the bacterial communities, Firmicutes were selectively distributed only in seawater, suggesting the possibility of anthropogenic contamination in coastal seawater of Ulleungdo. CONCLUSION(S): We found antibiotic resistant bacteria in a populated area of Ulleungdo. The occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in Ulleungdo seems to result from the recent anthropogenic impact. Consistent monitoring of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the uncontaminated environment needs to considered for future risk assessment of antibiotics.