• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.455-467
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• 1995

In order to investigate the dispersion patterns and speciations of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in soils, stream sediments and stream waters, geochemical studies of soil, stream sediment and stream water samples collected in the vicinity of the Shi-Heung Cu-Pb-Zn mine was carried out Cation exchange capacity measurement, size analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and batch test were performed to select applicable soil for adsorption treatment The average content of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in soils collected from tailings and ore dressing plant is 1084 ppm, 2292 ppm, 3512 ppm and 29.2 ppm, respectively, and therefore, tailings and ore dressing plant site may be the major contamination sources in this study area. The mean content of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in stream sediments is extremely high up to 794 ppm, 1633 ppm, 2946 ppm and 25.2 ppm, respectively. Tailing particles and heavy metal ions are dispersed along the tributary system. Results from the sequential extraction analysis indicate; (1) most of Cu is bound to organic matters and sulphides, (2) fraction of Pb is mainly bound to Fe and Mn oxides. Most of Zn is largely bound to Fe and Mn oxides and residual fraction. Ion exchangeable fraction of Cd is relatively higher than those of Cu, Pb and Zn. Batch test on soils collected from the kaolinite and/or pyrophyllite mines and from the control areas was carried out to select an applicable soil samples for adsorption treatment The sample, S10, collected from the control area 2 (clay content 33.2%) shows the highest $K_d$ (distribution coefficient). Organic content in soils and several clay minerals shows relatively good correlation with $K_d$. It means that applicable soils for adsorption treatment of heavy metals show high organic and clay content.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.143-156
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• 2007

This study has researched the management status and the pollution level of water, soil, stream sediments of 11 abandoned coal mines out of a total of 12 within Obong-Dam area except Bukyung mine, which was submerged when constructing Obong-Dam, and selected areas which are in needs to have pollution control facilities in the first place. From the results of examination on the runoff at the waste rock pile and mineheads, the runoff from Sueun mine (pH, Fe, Al), Samwon mine (pH, Al), Wangdo mine (pH, Al), Mose mine (pH, Fe, Al) and Daeryeong mine (pH) exceeded the permissible discharge standards of the water quality, but the water at merging point with Obong-Dam after joined with Doma branch satisfied both Water Quality Standards and Drinking Water Quality Standards. In regard to groundwater contamination, it is found that areas where exceeded the Drinking Water Quality Standards are Wangdo mine (pH), Jangjae mine (pH, Zn), Daeryeong mine (pH) whereas all areas satisfied Soil Contamination Warning Standards of Soil Environmental Conservation Law. When comparing a research result on underwater sediments of branches of abandoned mines to the EPA Guidelines for classification of great lakes harbor sediments, Dongguk Gaerim (Fe), Jungwon mine (Fe), Daebo mine (Mn), Samwon mine (Mn) and Daeryeong mine (Mn) showed mid-level of contamination, whereas Sueun (Fe, Mn), Daebo mine (Fe), Woosung mine (Fe, Mn), Wangdo mine (Fe, Mn), Mose mine (Fe) and Daeryeong mine (Fe) showed high-level of contamination. In addition, contamination levels of underwater sediments in Wangsan and Doma branch where abandoned mine's branches merge together, Wangsan branch showed no contamination at all whereas Doma branch shows mid-level of contamination which reflect the Doma branch is affected by waste rock pile and minehead runoff of the abandoned mines in the Doma branch area. It is concluded that Mose mine and Sueun mine required treatment of acid mine drainage. and Wangdo, Jungwon, and Samwon mines were in need of mine tailing and erosion control work. The Samwon mine additionally required a control system for closed minehead runoff. Although the Samwon mine reached a high concentration of Al, Mn $Ca^{2+}$, $SO{_4}^{2-}$ in the runoff, the levels decreased after it was combined with a tributary. It has been concluded that after further monitoring of the cause of pollution, a preventive measure system may be needed to be built.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.36-44
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• 2008

Organic forms of arsenic (As) were determined through fractionation procedure of soil organic matter (SOM) in soil, sediments and mine tailing samples from the Myungbong, Dongil, and Okdong mining areas of southern Korea. An alkaline extraction method was applied to soil samples followed by the fractionation procedures of SOM by the DAX-8 and XAD-4 resin adsorption method. Major fraction of organic As species (42% to 98%) was found in acid-soluble fraction, whereas minor fraction (0.1 % to 67.8%) was present in the humic-associated As. In acid-soluble fractions, the transphillic- and hydrophilic-associated As were dominant in addition to As binding with humic and fulvic SOM. Arsenic binding was the strongest between pH 6 to 8 and reduced to about 70% at both low and high pH regions. The amount of both transphillic and hydrophillic associated As was less changed than humic and fulvic-associated As, in both low and high pH regions. This apparently indicates that As has stronger affinity towards hydrophillic rather than hydrophobic organics. From the experimental observation of As-binding SOM in natural soil, the ligand exchange model may be a feasible explanation of transphillic and hydrophillic affinity of As.

• 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.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.69-80
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• 1997

This investigation was conducted to provide information for characteristics of environmental pollution by the heavy metals from the abandoned gold mine in order to characterize the distribution patterns and environmental damages of the contaminants to the surrounding environment. Through analysis of CN, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Cr, and Hg in a mine tailings, paddy soils, and stream sediments, the physico-chemical properties of the mine tailings and paddy soils were measured. The pH's were 5.4, 8.4 for the paddy soil and mine tailing, respectively. The maximum contents of CN, Pb, Cd, and As the in mine tailing were 99.98, 1,752.72, 31.88, and 298.50 mg/kg, respectively. The amounts of these ions were higher than the standard level of industrial area in Korea. The average content of CN and heavy metals in the paddy soils were higher than the background level of heavy metals in the unpolluted paddy soils around the mine. Especially, the contents of heavy metals in the paddy soils along the adjacent stream were higher compared to the paddy soil that was not influenced by the mine tailings. The contents of CN and heavy metals in the stream sediment close to the mine area were similar to those of the mine tailings, but decreased along the distance of the stream farther away from the tailings that was the source of these pollutants.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.23-71
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• 1969

Sediment samples were taken at about half-mile intervals from all the inajor rivers draining the St. Austell granite mass. The minus 80 mesh(B.S.S.) fraction of each sample was analysed, using semiquantitative methods, for sodium, potassium, lithium, phosphorus, nickel, chromium, tin, tungsten, arsenic copper, zinc and lead. The work was carried out with the view to gaining further information as to the geographical distribution of such different granite facies as might axist, and to investigate the geochemical dispersion of these elements with relation to mineralisation in this area. The sesults confirm Exley's suggestion that the mass consists of two major granite intrusions, the earlier undifferentiated one is joined on the west by a later differentiated intrutive. During the work grid deviation maps proved particularly useful in obtaining data concerning the nature of the granite but frequency diagrams were not particularly helpful. All the known lode areas were associated with stream sediments containing anomalously high concentrations of lode metals and it is concluded that these high concentrations are due premarily to lode material transferred to the streams in the form of tailings lost during milling operations.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.411-429
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• 2018

Daeyoung mine (also called "Daema mine") produced gold and silver from mainly gold- and silver-bearing quartz veins. The mine tailings are a waste hazard, but most of the tailings were swept away or dispersed throughout the area around the mine long before the tailing dump areas were transformed into agricultural land. Soil liner and protection facilities, such as retaining walls, were constructed in the mine area to prevent the loss of tailings. The content of the tailings is 3,424.41~3,803.61 mg/kg, which exceeds the safety standard by a factor of 45. In addition, contamination was detected near agricultural areas and in the sediments in downstream drainage channels. A high level of As contamination was concentrated near the waste tailings yard; comparaable levels were detected in agricultural areas close to streams that ran through the waste dump yard, whereas the levels were much lower in areas far from the streams. The contamination in stream sediments showed a gradual decrease with distance from the mine waste yard. Based on these contamination patterns, we concluded that there are two main paths that affect the spread of contaminants: (1) loss of mine waste, and (2) the introduction of mine waste into agricultural areas by floods after transportation by streams. The agricultural areas contaminated by mass inflow of mine waste can act as contamination sources themselves, affecting other agricultural areas through the diffusion of contaminants. At present, although the measured effect in minimal, sediments in streams are contaminated by exposed mine waste and surface liners. It is possible for contaminants to diffuse or spread into nearby areas if heavy elements trapped in soil grains in contaminated agricultural areas leach out as soil solution or contaminant particles during diffusion into the water supply.

• 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.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 1992

In the our country, especially in Yeongil and Wolsung area, abundant authigenic zeolites are found from the tuffaceous sediments and volcanic rocks of Miocene age showing wide variation in their mineralogy and abundance from horizon to horizon. The principal zeolite species identified are clinopti-lolite. mordenite. heulandite. ferrierite, and erionite. etc. Zeolite minerals are widely used in many countries in the following applications; (a) in air separation adsorption processes; (b)as desiccants; (c)in inorganic building materials; (d)in papermaking; (e)in fertilizers; (f)as soilconditioners-this application is based upon the ability of the zeolite to ion exchange with soil nutrients; (g)in the treatment of radioactive wastes; and (h)as adsorbents for toxic gases, etc. In the present paper, using natural zeolite mordenite treated with IN hydrochloric acid or IN sodium chloride solution as column packings, separation characteristics of argon, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane gases have been studied by gas chromatography. By the use of mordenite treated with hydrochloric acid solution, the tailing peak of methane showed from untreated mordenite was satisfactorily reduced, although it was difficult to separate it from carbon monoxide with a column activated at $300^{\circ}C$. Using a column activated at $350^{\circ}C$, methane could be separated from carbon monoxide easily but only carbon monoxide eluted as a bad defined peak. Mordenite treated with sodium chloride solution was generally similar to chromatograms obtained by using the untreated mordenite. Both the above chemical treatments of mordenite had little effect on the separations of argon and nitrogen. The separations and the HETP values obtained from natural zeolite mordenite treated with continuously hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride solutions were almost identical with those obtained with synthetic molecular sieve 5A zeolite. On the other hand, the efficiency of column was good in the range 20~3Oml/min of the carrier helium gas rate.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2010

The sediments and soils around a mine are likely to be exposed to contamination of arsenic (As) through mining operations. In this study, the factors associated with As movement in soils around a closed zinc (Zn) mine were evaluated by the relationship of As distributions to physico-chemical properties of soils. A sequential extraction scheme, based on a soil P fractionation, was used to assess the As distributionsin solid phases. A significant difference in As distributions was found between paddy and upland soils. While As contents of paddy soils increased with soil depth, those of upland soils decreased with soil depth. In upland soils, As showed additional significant relationships to oxides of Si, Al and Fe. Although a major fraction of As in soils was found to be in the NaOH extractable fraction, As exhibited highly significant relationship to the Zn species that apparently originated from the mine. Therefore, As mobility around Zn mine seems to be governed by mass flow of the particulates containing As-associated Zn in paddy soils, whereas retention reactions such as adsorption, complexation, and precipitation seem to predominate in upland soils.