• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.71-75
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• 1998

The objective of this study is to investigate geochemical characteristics of mine wastes including tailings in various abandoned mines in Korea. Tailings and wastes were sampled in and around 39 metalliferous mines, and analysed heavy metal concentrations including Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn extracted by 0.1N HCl and aqua regia by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Measurements of paste pH and lime requirement were carried out to examine a general geochemical characteristics of the materials. Lots of mine wastes were characterized by very low pH values of 2 to 4 and high lime requirement to control neutralization of the wastes. In addition, elevated levels of heavy metals were found in various mine wastes extracted by both 0.lN HCl and aqua regia. Because the mine wastes can be dispersed into the downstream by clastic movement and wind-blow, it is necessary to control the materials with a proper method for their reclamation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2019

Meeting the regulations based on the short-term leaching tests may not necessarily assure the environmental and human health safety of reusing mine wastes. This study investigated heavy metal leachability of four metal mine waste samples (e.g., Z, Y, H, and M) and human health risk of reusing them as construction materials. The heavy metal leachability did not depend on the total heavy metal contents. For example, the Z sample contained greater amounts of As and Fe than Zn, but the leachates contained only Zn at a detectable level. This can be attributed to the crystalline structure and heavy metal fractions of the mine wastes. The leaching test results suggested that the four mine waste samples are potentially reusable. But the Z and M samples reused in industrial areas imposed carcinogenic risks. This was largely attributed to As that is exposed via dermal contact. The Y and H samples reused in residential areas imposed carcinogenic risk. The major exposure route was the ingestion of crops grown on the mine wastes and Cr was the major concern. The two-stage assessment involving leaching tests and risk assessment can be used to promote safe reuse of mine wastes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.525-532
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• 2014

Since mine wastes were merely dumped in the mine waste dump, they have produced acid mine drainage (AMD). Therefore, main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of coal combustion products (CCPs) on heavy metal stabilization and detoxification for mine wastes. Total six treatments for incubation test were conducted depending on mixing method (completely mixing and layered). Also, lysimeter experiment was conducted to examine efficiency of polyacrylamide (PAM) on reduction of mine wastes erosion. Result of incubation test showed that concentrations of soluble aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) in leachate decreased compared to control. The lowest soluble Al and Fe in leachate was observed in 50% mixed treatment (14.2 and $1.03mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Al and Fe respectively) compared to control treatment (253.0 for Al and $52.6mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Fe). The pH of mine wastes (MW) and leachate increased compared to control after mixing with CCPs and ordered as control (MW 6.4, leachate 6.3) < 10% (MW 7.7, leachate 7.1) < 20% (MW 9.0, leachate 7.8) < 30% (MW 9.5, leachate 8.3) < 40% (MW 9.9, leachate 8.5) < 50% (MW 10.5, leachate 8.6). Application of PAM, both in liquid and granular type, dramatically decreased the suspended solid (SS) concentration of CCPs treatments. Reduction of SS loss was ordered as MW70CR30L ($24.4mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30LPL ($6.7mg\;L^{-1}$) > NT ($3.1mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30M ($1.6mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30MPL ($1.1mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30PGM ($0.7mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30LPG ($0.5mg\;L^{-1}$) > MW70CR30MPG ($0.4mg\;L^{-1}$). Overall, application of CCPs can be environmental friendly and cost-effective way to remediate coal mine wastes contaminated with heavy metals. In addition, use of PAM could help to prevent the erosion coal mine wastes in mine waste disposal area.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.75-80
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• 2002

Enormous volumes of mining wastes from the abandoned and closed mines are disposed without a proper treatment at Southeastern part of Kangwon Province. Erosion of these wastes contaminates soil, surface water, and sediments with heavy metals. Objectives of this research were to fractionate heavy metals in the mine waste and to assess the potential S. P. A. G.(Soil Pollution Assesment Guidance) of each metal fraction. Mine wastes analyzed for physical and chemical properties. pH of wastes ranged from 3.3 to 8.0. Contents of total N and loss on ignition matter were in the ranges of 0.2~5.6%, and 0.8~15.3%, respectively. Heavy metals in the wastes were higher in the coal mines than those in the other mine wastes. Total concentrations of metals in the wastes were in the orders of Pb > Zn > Cu > Cd, exceeded the corrective action level of the Soil Environment Conservation Law and higher than the natural abundance levels reported from uncontaminated soils. Relative distribution of heavy metal fractions was residual > organic > reducible > carbonate > adsorbed, reversing the degree of metal bioavailability. Mobile fractions of metals were relatively small compared to the total concentrations. Soil Pollution Assesment Guidance(SPAG) values were ranged from 0.08 to 9.14 based on labile fraction of metal concentrations. SPAG values of labile concentration were lower than those of total concentration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.386-390
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• 2003

To evaluate the potential capacity of mine wastes in the production of heavy metal containing acid water, samples from depths of 0, 30 and 60cm were collected and analyzed. The waste from surface showed the lowest pH which indicates the oxidation of wastes and the capacity of contamination of the area around the waste file. And the lower pH values of leachate of the wastes through the leaching tests with pH controlled water(3, 4, 5) may indicate that minerals producing the acidity still exist. Reduction of sulfur contents in wastes after the leaching test well fit to the increased contents of iron oxide.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.363-370
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• 2005

There are approximately 2,000 metallic mines which have been abandoned in Korea. Most of the mines are located in the watershed area, which is main source of drinking water for Seoul Metropolitan area. Untreated mining wastes are remained around abandoned mines in study area. These mining wastes, flowing into farmland and stream in the downstream of abandoned mines, would cause water and soil pollution. The mining waste samples from Guedo mine, Manjung mine and Joil mine recently abandoned were collected for the evaluation of the potential of water pollution by mine waste. Index of geoaccumulation($M\"{u}ller$, 1979), fractional composition and removal efficiency of some heavy metals by different concentration of HCl treatment were analyzed. Index of geoaccumulation of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr are 6, $4{\sim}6,\;0{\sim}6,\;4{\sim}5$, 2 and 0 respectively. Index of geoaccumulation of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu reveals the mining wastes has high pollution pottential in the area. Organic fraction of Cu, reducible fraction of Pb, residual fraction of Ni and Zn were the most abundant fraction of heavy metals in mining wastes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.372-378
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• 2003

This study investigates the fractional composition and the leaching characteristics of heavy metals in polluted soils due to mining activities. The fractionated composition of heavy metals is classified into five fractions, adsorbed, carbonate, reducible, organic and residual fraction. The status of humic substances in mine wastes of most sites are polyhumic except tailing from Sangdong mine. According to the sequential extraction procedures (SEPs), leaching probabilities of Cd in coal wastes and tailing are relatively low due to high percentage of residual fraction. 46.4% of Ni in tailings from Sangdong mine is probably leached under oxidized environment, and 39.4% of Cu in these tailings is readily extracted under strongly oxidized environment by organic fraction. According to leaching condition of pH 3.0 and pH 5.6, the amount of heavy metals leached out of coal wastes and tailing increases to 1/2 hours. At pH 3.0 and pH 5.6, concentration of Ni in tailing increases up three times of the initial value. Heavy metals released from coal wastes and tailing were not influenced significantly by leaching time.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 1999

Mining activity in the Gubong gold mine started in 1908 and lasted up to recent days. Heavy metals derived from the activity may be porentially toxic to human life and envirinment of this area. Because metal toxicity depends on chemical associations into five operationally defined groups: exchangeable, carbonate, reducible, oxidizable, and residual fractions, and the Most of heavy metals have significant little significance (alomost<1%). And Cu is mainly associated with the oxidizable from. Total concentration of heavy metals, pH, and mineralogy affect the chemical forms of the metals. Heavy metal concentrations. Significant amounts of metal elements (5∼65.1% in Pb, 6.2∼39.7% in Zn, 8.7∼54.7% in Cd, and 3.6∼24.7% in Cu) were present in carbonate form from mine wastes, contaminated soils and sediments. High pH value and cerussite (Pb bearing carbonate mineral) in mine wastes, contaminated soils and sediments. High pH value and cerussite (Pb beraring varbonate mineral) in mine waste support this result. Areas with high corbonate bound from would have higher potentoal conamination, however, because elements of carbonate bound forms are easily mobilized under lower pH conditions in the surface envionments due to acid to rain soil acidification.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.183-193
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• 2006

Several metalliferous and coal mines, including Seojin and Okdong located at the Kangwon province, were abandoned or closed since 1989 due to the mining industry promotion policy and thus disposed an enormous amount of mining wastes without a proper treatment facilities, resulting in water and soil pollution in the downstream areas. However, no quantitative assessment was made on soil and water pollution by the transport of mining wastes such as acid mine drainage, mine tailing, and rocky waste. In this research, total and fractional concentrations of heavy metals in mining wastes were analyzed and accordingly the degree of water and soil pollutions in the stream area were quantitatively assessed employing the several pollution indices. Concentrations of Ni, Cd, and Pb in soils near the abandoned coal mine areas were 1,240.0, 25.0 and 1,093.0 mg/kg, respectively, and these concentrations were higher than those in soils near the closed metalliferous mine areas. Also Cu concentrations in soils near the tailing dams were about 1967 mg/kg, which is considered as very polluted level. Results demonstrated that soil at the abandoned mine areas were highly contaminated by AMO, tailing, and effluents of the mining wastes. Therefore, a prompt countermeasure on the mining waste treatment and remediation of the codntaminated water and soil should be made to the abandoned or closed metalliferous and coal mines located at the abandoned mine area.

• 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".