• 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 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.

• 한국환경농학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.93-115
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• 2009

There are growing public concerns over crop and food safeties due to the elevated levels of heavy metals grown in contaminated soil. Heavy metals are classified as the chemical harmful risks for crop and food safety. With implementation of GAP, crop safety is controlled by many regulatory options for soil, irrigation water and fertilizers. Any attempt to retard the metal uptake by crops may be the best protocol to secure crop and food safety. This article reviews the management strategies for heavy metals in view of crop safety in Korea and demonstrates results from the field experiments to retard metal translocation from soil to crops by using chemical amendments and soil layer management methods. Major source of soil pollution by heavy metals has been related with mining activities. Risk assessment revealed that rice consumption and groundwater ingestion in the abandoned mining areas were the major exposure pathways for metals to human and the heavy metal showed the toxic effects on human health. Chemical amendments such as lime and slag retarded Cd uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.) by increasing soil pH, lowering the phytoavailable Cd concentration in soil solution, immobilizing Cd in soil and converting the available Cd fractions into non-available fractions. The soil layer management methods decreased the Cd uptake by 76% and Pb by 60%. Either reversing the surface layer with subsurface layer or immobilization of metals with layer mixing with lime was considered to be the practical option for the in-situ remediation of the contaminated paddy soils. Combination of chemical soil amendments and layer management methods was efficient to retard the metal bioavailability and thus to secure crop safety for heavy metals. This protocol seems to be cheap, relatively easy to practice and practical in the agricultural fields. However, a long term monitoring work should be followed to verify the efficiency of this protocol.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.399-422
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• 2020

Remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals due to urbanization and industrialization is very important not only for human health but also for ecosystem sustainability. Of the available remediation technologies for heavy metal-contaminated soils, phytoremediation is a relatively low-cost environment-friendly technology which preserves biodiversity and soil fertility. The application of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) during the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils can enhance plant growth against heavy metal toxicity and increase heavy metal removal efficiency. In this study, the sources of heavy metals that have adverse effects on microorganisms, plants, and humans, and the plant growth-promoting traits of PGPB are addressed and the research trends of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation over the last 10 years are summarized. In addition, the effects of environmental factors and PGPB inoculation methods on the performance of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation are discussed. For the innovation of PGPB-assisted phytoremediation, it is necessary to understand the behavior of PGPB and the interactions among plant, PGPB, and indigenous microorganisms in the field.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.738-743
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• 2012

Topographic conditions of agricultural fields work as a important factor to identify different soil properties. This study was conducted to investigate the selected soil chemical properties and the concentrations of heavy metals, Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn, in the paddy fields of different topographic areas at four year intervals from 1999 to 2011. Three-hundred soil sampling sites in the paddy fields were selected from the different topographic areas that were local valley and fans, fluvio-marine deposits, alluvial plains, and diluvial terraces. The mean values of soil pH ranged 5.7~5.8 that were within optimal range for rice cultivation. The mean values of other properties such as soil organic matter (SOM) content, the concentrations of exchangeable cations, $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$, and available silicate concentration were lower or close to the optimal values, but the mean concentrations of available phosphorus were exceeded the range of optimal value, $80{\sim}120mg\;kg^{-1}$, in many paddy fields. In particular, The concentrations of available phosphorus in the paddy fields of local valley and fans, alluvial plains, and fluvio-marine plains were mostly declined. However, in diluvial terrace areas, the phosphorus concentrations unexpectedly increased; furthermore, they were significantly higher than those in other topographic areas. The mean concentrations of 0.1 M HCl-extractable heavy metals, Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn, in the paddy fields were slightly and gradually declined during the study years, but the Pb concentrations were not statistically changed. In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals were widely ranged depending on the different sampling sites. Nevertheless, the concentrations of heavy metals were significantly lower than the levels of Soil Contamination Warning Standard (SCWS) for agricultural lands (1-region) presented in Soil Environment Conservation Law (SECL).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 1997

Heavy metal adsorption by microbial cells is an alternative to conventional methods of heavy metal removal and recovery from metal-bearing wastewater The waste Sac-chuomyces cerevisiae is an inexpensive, relatively available source of biomass for heavy metal biosorption. Biosorption was investigated by free and immobilized-S. cerevisiae. The order of biosorption capacity was Pb>Cu>Cd with batch system. The biosorption parameters had been determined for Pb with free , cells according to the Freundlich and Langmuir model. It was found that the data fitted reasonably well to the Freundlich model. The selective uptake of immobilized-S. cerevisiae was observed when all the metal ions were dissolved in a mixed metals solution(Pb, Cu, Cr and Cd). The biosorption of mixed metals solution by immobilized-cell was studied in packed bed reactor. The Pb uptake was Investigated in particular, as it represents one of the most widely distributed heavy metals in water. We also tested the desorption of Pb from immobilized-cell by us- ing HCI, $H_2SO_4$ and EDTA.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.106-116
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• 2005

This experiment was conducted to investigate available extraction capacity and potential mobility of heavy metal according to the distribution property and contamination level of heavy metals in soils and to suggest a reform measure of soil environment assessment methodology applied with soil quality and the official soil heavy metal test methods in domestic and foreign countries. The soils were collected from the natural forest paddy with long-term application of same type fertilizer, and paddies near metal mine and industrial complex. The post-treatment methods of soil were partial extraction, acid digestion and sequential extraction methods. For the heavy metal contents with different soil properties, it was shown that their natural forest and paddy soil were slightly low and similar to the general paddy soil, while their paddies near metal mine and industrial complex were higher than the standard level of Soil Environment Protection Act. Heavy metal concentrations in the soils with different soil properties had difference between $HNO_3\;and\;HNO_3+HCl$ extractant by US-EPA 3051a method. There were highly significant positive relationships in both two methods. It was appeared that the higher extractable concentration ratio with 0.1N-HCl to total heavy metal content with $HNO_3+HCl$ extractant the greater total heavy metal content. There were highly significant positive correlationship between total heavy metal content and extractable content with 0.1N-HCl. For extractable capacity of soil extractable solution compared to the total heavy metal content it was appeared that it extractable method with 0.1N-HCl was higher than those with EDTA and DTPA. In extractable ratio with 0.1N-HCl in the contaminated paddy soils near mine and industrial complex, it was shown that the lower soil pH, the higher total heavy metal content. The order of a potential mobility coefficient by distribution of heavy metal content with ie different typies in the soil was Cd>Ni>Zn>Cu>Pb. It could be known that contamination characteristics of heavy metals with different types of soils were affected by different heavy metal components, contamination degree and soil chemical properties, and heavy metal concentration with different extractable methods had great variations with adjacent environment. To be compared with assessment methodology of soil environment impact at domestic and foreign countries with our results, it might be considered that there was necessary to make a single analysis method based on total heavy metal content with environmental overloading concept because of various analysis methods for total heavy metal content and present analysis method with great variation according to soil environment. In spite of showing higher concentration of heavy metal with acidic digestion than the extractable method, it might be considered that there is need to be adjusted the national standard of soil heavy metal contamination.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.691-697
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• 2005

Waste sludge may be used to recovery wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The waste sludge is an inexpensive readily available source of biomass for biosorption with metal-bearing wastewater. The biosorption of heavy metals such as Pb(II), Cu(II), Cr(II), and Cd(II) onto waste sludge was investigated in batch ex­periments and waste sludge loaded heavy metals was separated by dissolved air flotation. The biosorption equi­bria of heavy metals could be described by Langmuir and Freundich isotherms. The adsorption capacity for waste sludge was in the sequence of Pb(II)>Cr(II)>Cu(II)>Cd(II). The system attained equilibrium about 20 min. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption model effectively described the biosorption equilibrium of Cu(II) and Cr(II) ions on waste sludge. Maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) and Cr(II) were 196.08 and 158.73 mg/g, respectively. Solid-liquid separation efficiencies were kept above $95\%$ on waste sludge loaded heavy metals, and were decreased with pH increasing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.681-688
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• 2020

Bacterial cell-based biosensors, or whole-cell bioreporters (WCBs), are an alternative tool for the quantification of hazardous materials. Most WCBs share similar working mechanisms. In brief, the recognition of a target by sensing domains induces a biological event, such as changes in protein conformation or gene expression, providing a basis for quantification. WCBs targeting heavy metal(loid)s employ metalloregulators as sensing domains and control the expression of genes in the presence of target metal(loid) ions, but the diversity of targets, specificity, and sensitivity of these WCBs are limited. In this study, we genetically engineered the metal-binding loop (MBL) of ZntR, which controls the znt-operon in Escherichia coli. In the MBL of ZntR, three Cys sites interact with metal ions. Based on the crystal structure of ZntR, MBL sequences were modified by site-directed mutagenesis. As a result, the metal-sensing properties of WCBs differed depending on amino acid sequences and the new selectivity to Cr or Pb was observed. Although there is room for improvement, our results support the use of currently available WCBs as a platform to generate new WCBs to target other environmental pollutants including metal(loid)s.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.119-132
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• 2013

Hosta longipes is one of the most popular ornamental perennials in use in Korea today, and is mainly used as a groundcover plant in urban shaded places. In this study, the pytoremediation effect of Hosta longipes was tested using four concentrations (Control, 100, 250 and $500mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) of Cd, Pb and Zn in soil. The plants were planted in $300mm{\times}200mm{\times}250mm$ drainless-containers, which were filled with a artificial amended soil for 7 months. The results showed that the contents of heavy metals cadmium and lead in the shoot of Hosta longipes increased with increasing heavy metal concentration levels exception of zinc. The amount of zinc, cadmium, and lead accumulated in roots were increased with heavy metal concentration levels up in soil. The shoot/root ratios(TF; translocation factor) values were found to be more than 80% of total Zn, Cd, and Pb take up by Hosta longipes. These results indicated that root is the major part for accumulation of heavy metal. The removal contents of zinc, cadmium, and lead increased significantly with the increasing heavy metal concentration in the soil, which was planted with Hosta longipes. The heavy metal concentration accumulation in plant/soil ratios (BF; bioaccumulation factor) values for three metals were found to be more than 30% in cadmium and lead, but lower in zinc treatments. The different responses of Hosta longipes suggest that in heavy metal contaminated soils the plant adsorbs available metals depending on the concentration soils in which they are present. Therefore, this species can be an efficient phytoremediator for soils contaminated with cadmium and lead in urban shaded places.