• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 1998

Enoronmental problems caused by certain geologic conditions Include pollution of soil by heavy metal, acidization of souls , acid mine drainage, Pound-water pollution, and natural radioactivity, as well as zoo-logical hazards such as landslide and subsidence. The acrid mine drainage contains large amount of heavy metals nO, therefore. cause serious pollution onto the nearby drainage systems and soils. In spite of this prospective environmental danger, few studies have been done on the acid mine drainage derived from non-metallic ore deposits such as pyrophyllitefNapseok) deposits. The sudo-bearing pyrophyllite ores, alteration zones, and mine talllngs of pyrophylllte deposits produce acrid mine drainage by the okidation of weathering. Compared to the fresh host rocks, the ores and altered rocks of pyrophyllite deposits produce acidic solution which contain higher amount of heavy metals because of OeP lower buffering capacity to acrid solution. The pus of urine water and nearby stream water of pyrophyllite deposits are 2.1~3.7, which are strong- ly acidic and much lower than that (6.2~7.2) of upstream water and than that (6.8~7.6) of the stream water derived from the non-mineralized area. This study reveals that this acrid mine drainage can affect the downstream area which is 8km far from the pyrophyllite deposits, even though the drain Is diluted with abundant non-contaminated river water This suggmists that not only acid mine drainage but also the sulfide-bearing sediments originated from the pyrophyllite deposits move downstream and form acidic water through continuous oxidation reaction. The heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Nl, Mn and Fe are enriched In the mine water of low pH, and their contents decrease as the pH of mine water Increases because of the Influx of fresh stream wainer. SoUs of the Pyrophyulte deposits are characterized by high contents of heavy metals. The stream sediments containing the yellowish brown precipitates formed by neutralization of acid mine drainage occur in all parts of the stream derived from the pyrophyllite deposits, and the sediments also contain high amounts of heavy metals. In summary, the acid mine drainage of the pyrophyllite deposits is located in the upstream part of Hoidong water reservoir in Pusan contains large amounts of heavy metals and flows into the Holdong water reservoir without any purification process. To protect the water of Holdong reservoir, the acid mine drainage should be treated with a proper purification process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.422-425
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• 2003

This study was carried out to apprehend the variation of quality of mine drainage in the abandoned Samtan coal mine. After closure of coal mine, although still pumping, water level in underground was raised to loom and the concentration of some elements such as Fe and Mn was elevated. At present, the worst pollution source in this area is too the acidic leachate drained from uncovered mine waste impoundment. The flow rate of mine drainage from the adit is ave. about 20,000t/d. If water were flooded and deteriorated due to stopping pumping, the impact of the mine drainage on the stream around the abandoned mine would be more severe. Therefore, It is considered that the prediction of water quality of mine drainage from the adit after stopping pumping will be very important with a view to establishing countermeasures.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.34-44
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• 2021

Acid mine drainage (AMD) resulting from pyrite oxidation in mining areas, subsequently leads to soil acidification accompanied by lowering pH and high concentration of metals and metalloids in its surrounding environment. Regarding to this, the microbial amelioration has been considered as a promising option for a more cost-effective and eco-friendlier countermeasure, compared to the use of alkaline chemicals. This study was aimed to evaluate influencing factors in microbially-mediated amelioration of acidic soil spiked by simulated AMD. For this, microcosm experiments were conducted by acid-neutralizing bacterial consortium (dominated by Klebsiella sp. and Raoultella sp.) under the various conditions of AMD spikes (0-2,500 mg SO42-/L), together with acidic mine soil (0-100 g) or sphagnum peat (0-5 g) in the 200 mL of nutrient medium. The employed bacterial consortium, capable of resisting to high level of sulfate concentration (up to 1,500 mg SO42-/L) in low pH, generated the ammonium while concomitantly reduced the sulfate, subsequently contributing to the effective soil stabilization with an evolution of soil pH up to neutral. Furthermore, it demonstrates that suitable condition has to be tuned for successful microbial metabolism to facilitate with neutralization during practical application.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.11-21
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• 1986

Mine drainage from coal mines is mostly acidic, polluted and/or contaminated, even if its quantity has increased substantially during recent days. This causes two kinds of problems arising at mining districts; one is the environmental disruption and the other is insufficient water supply for living, employee's bathing and industrial purposes. In order to mitigate the aforementioned problems, a specific equipment of Korea type for mine drainage purification has been developed and its prototype manufactured, followed by its applicability tests implemented at mine site. The results of the tests indicates that the new equipment developed is much lower than and economical compared to, other existing neutralization facilities at home and abroad in capital investment at installation stage, the consumption of neutralizing chemicals at operation stage and the requirements of installation site. Whangji area where the prototype water treatment equipment is installed has been sustaining a short supply of usable water, especially in dry seasons and supplementing about 40㎥ of water brought from a location farther than 4km in distance to meet water requirements. The prototype water treatment equipment is however considered capable of providing compressor cooling water in sufficient amount from winter season In the future.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2009

In this study, water quality variation in borehole groundwaters and surface leachate waters were investigated on a seasonal sampling and remote monitoring basis within the waste impoundments at the Geopung mine site where previous rehabilitation measures were unsuccessful to prevent acidic drainage. All groundwaters were typical acidic drainage with acidic pH (3.3${\sim}$4.6) and high TDS (338${\sim}$3330 mg/L) values during the dry season, but increases in metal contents (TDS 414${\sim}$4890 mg/L) and decrease of pH (2.7${\sim}$3.6) were observed during the rainy season. Surface leachate waters showed a similar pattern in water quality variation. Surface runoff waters during rain events had acidic pH (3.0${\sim}$3.4) through direct reactions with waste rocks. Good correlations were found between major and trace elements measured in water samples, but no significant seasonal variation in chemical compositions was shown except relative changes in contents. It can be suggested that dissolution of soluble secondary salts caused by flushing of weathered waste rocks and tailings directly influenced the water quality within the waste impoundments. Increases in acid and metal concentrations and their loadings from mine wastes are anticipated in the rainy season. More appropriate cover systems on waste rocks and tailings necessitate consideration of more extreme conditions in the study mine.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.287-293
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• 2007

Heavy metal contamination and biological toxicity of mine drainages and sediments in abandoned mines were studied. Mine drainages had pH at a range of 2.94~7.86, and contained heavy metals at a toxic level. For coal mines, toxicity of mine drainage to Daphnia magna was attributable to acidic pH. In addition to the low pH, suspended heavy metals such as Zn and Cu contributed to toxicity of mine drainages at abandoned metalliferous mines. All mine sediments studied in this work showed biological toxicity to Chironomus riparius, having mortality at a range of 15~60%. However, its relationship with physicochemical properties including heavy metal content of the sediments was not statistically explained. Exceptionally clay ($< 2{\mu}m$ particle) content was negatively correlated with the biological toxicity for sediment samples collected at the same abandoned mines.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.252-258
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• 2004

This study was performed to evaluate characteristic of acid mine drainages (AMD) from abandoned mines in Kangwon-Do. Youngdong abandoned mine, and Soo and Hambaek abandoned mines in Hamtae were selected for this study. Average pHs of the mine drainages were 3-6.5, and those of Youngdong and Hambaek drainages were very acidic as 3-4. $SO_4^{-2}$ of Youngdong and Hambaek drainages were over 1,600 mg/L, which higher than average value (845 mg/L) of acid mine drainages in nationwide. Cu, Mn, and As concentrations of the drainages were lower than ‘Pollutant Discharge Permission'. Fe concentrations of Youngdong and Hambaek drainages were approximately 96 mg/L, which were two times higher than average value in nationwide. From correlation analysis using SPSS, significant correlation was not discovered between 'contaminants' analyzed in three acid mine drainages.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.75-89
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• 2001

There are 334 coal mines and about 900 metal mines abandoned. The environmental problems such as acid mine drainage from adits etc. and the subsidence has occurred in the abandoned mines. In addition, soil has been contaminated by tailings. According to analysis of mine drainages, some of them from adits in the abandoned coal and metallic mines were acidic and polluted by heavy metals. Especially, water quality of coal mine drainages were different by areas. Treatment of mine drainage by conventional chemical treatment has the drawback because the operating cost is very expensive. The treatment system used in mine drainage is the natural treatment system such as anoxic limestone drain in adits and the constructed wetland. The method of reclamation for abandoned waste rocks and tailings impoundments are mainly landfilling.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.365-373
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• 1996

A survey was carried out to investigate the contamination of streams by the acid mine drainage originated from the abandoned coal mines and coal refuse piles. The physico-KDICical characteristics such as pH, sulfate and elements concentrations in the water and sediment in streams were analyzed. Microbial activity in the sediment was evaluated by measuring dehydrogenase activities. At sites contaminated by acid mine drainage, the pH of the water and sediment declined to acidic range from neutral due to the accumulation of sulfate. The dehydrogenase activity ranged from 12 to $170{\mu}g-TPF{\cdot}g-dry\;soil^{-1}{\cdot}24h^{-1}$ at the contaminated sites, whereas uncontaminated sites had activities of 1,176~4,259 ${\mu}g-TPF{\cdot}g-dry\;soil^{-1}{\cdot}24h^{-1}$. The dehydrogenase activity was significantly affected by low pH of the sediment, indicating that high concentration of sulfate inhibited microbial activity. The concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb and Fe in contaminated sdeiment (37~46 ppm Pb; 46,000~464,000 ppm Fe) were much higher than those in the uncontaminated sediment. The concentration of Al in the contaminated water acidfied by coal mine drainage was in the range of 11 to 42 ppm. Compared with those in the uncontaminated sediment, the concentrations of Mn, Mg and Ca in contaminated sediment were low because of the leaching from soil to water by the acidfied stream water.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.109-112
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• 2022

Lime has been used for the neutralization of acidic waste because it is cheap and available in large quantities. The resulting sludge often contains a considerable amount of unreacted lime due to alkali overdosing, even during automatic neutralization processes, which mainly arises from the poor solubility of lime. The sludge cake from lime neutralization of Ilkwang Mine also contained high percentages of calcium and magnesium. The elemental content of the sludge cake was compared with those obtained from a simulation of the lime neutralization facility installed at Ilkwang Mine. A Goldsim^® model estimated the degree of lime overdosing to be 19.1% based on the fractions of ferrous oxide. The analysis suggests that resolubilization of aluminum hydroxide could occur in the settling basin, in which pH exceeded 10 due to the continued dissolution of the overdosed lime. The present study demonstrated that chemical analysis of sludge combined with process simulation could provide a reasonable estimate of mass balance and chemistry in a neutralization facility for acid mine drainage.