In-Ho Yoon

Perchlorate adsorption and desorption on activated carbon and anion exchange resin

The mechanisms of perchlorate adsorption on activated carbon (AC) and anion exchange resin (SR-7 resin) were investigated using Raman, FTIR, and zeta potential analyses. Batch adsorption and desorption results demonstrated that the adsorption of perchlorate by AC and SR-7 resin was reversible. The reversibility of perchlorate adsorption by the resin was also proved by column regeneration test. Solution pH significantly affected perchlorate adsorption and the zeta potential of AC, while it did not influence perchlorate adsorption and the zeta potential of resin. Zeta potential measurements showed that perchlorate was adsorbed on the negatively charged AC surface. Raman spectra indicated the adsorption resulted in an obvious position shift of the perchlorate peak, suggesting that perchlorate was associated with functional groups on AC at neutral pH through interactions stronger than electrostatic interaction. The adsorbed perchlorate on the resin exhibited a Raman peak at similar position as the aqueous perchlorate, indicating that perchlorate was adsorbed on the resin through electrostatic attraction between the anion and positively charged surface sites.

Assessment of cement kiln dust (CKD) for stabilization/solidification (S/S) of arsenic contaminated soils.

A stabilization/solidification (S/S) process for arsenic (As) contaminated soils was evaluated using cement kiln dust (CKD). Laboratory-prepared slurries, made of either kaolinite or montmorillonite, and field soils spiked with either As(3+) or As(5+) were prepared and treated with CKD ranging from 10 to 25 wt%. Sodium arsenite and sodium arsenate at 0.1 wt% were used to simulate arsenite (As(3+)) and arsenate (As(5+)) source contamination in soils, respectively. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated at curing periods of 1- and 7-days based on the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). As-CKD and As-clay-CKD slurries were also spiked at 10 wt% to evaluate As immobilization mechanism using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analyses. Overall, the TCLP results showed that only the As(5+) concentrations in kaolinite amended with 25 wt% CKD after 1 day of curing were less than the TCLP regulatory limit of 5mg/L. Moreover, at 7 days of curing, all As(3+) and As(5+) concentrations obtained from kaolinite soils were less than the TCLP criteria. However, none of the CKD-amended montmorillonite samples satisfied the TCLP-As criteria at 7 days. Only field soil samples amended with 20 wt% CKD complied with the TCLP criteria within 1 day of curing, where the source contamination was As(5+). XRPD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results showed that Ca-As-O and NaCaAsO(4).7.5H(2)O were the primary phases responsible for As(3+) and As(5+) immobilization in the soils, respectively.

Mechanism for the stabilization/solidification of arsenic-contaminated soils with Portland cement and cement kiln dust.

In this study, the mechanism for the stabilization/solidification (S/S) of arsenic (As)-contaminated soils with Portland cement (PC), and cement kiln dust (CKD) using 1 N HCl extraction fluid, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was investigated. The degree of As immobilization after stabilization was assessed using a 1 N HCl extraction on the basis of the Korean Standard Test (KST). After 1 day of curing with 30 wt% PC and 7 days of curing with 50 wt% CKD, the concentration of As leached from the amended soils was less than the Korean countermeasure standard (3 mg L(-1)). The As concentrations in the leachate treated with PC and CKD were significantly decreased at pH > 3, indicating that pH had a prevailing influence on As mobility. XRPD results indicated that calcium arsenite (Ca-As-O) and sodium calcium arsenate hydrate (NaCaAsO(4).7.5H(2)O) were present in the PC- and CKD-treated slurries as the key phases responsible for As(III) and As(V) immobilization, respectively. The XANES spectroscopy confirmed that the As(III) and As(V) oxidation states of the PC and CKD slurry samples were consistent with the speciated forms in the crystals identified by XRPD. EXAFS spectroscopy showed As-Ca bonding in the As(III)-PC and As(III)-CKD slurries. The main mechanism for the immobilization of As-contaminated soils with PC and CKD was strongly associated with the bonding between As(III) or As(V) and Ca.

Effects of pH and dissolved oxygen on Cr(VI) removal in Fe(0)/H2O systems.

The effects of pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) on aqueous Cr(VI) removal by micro-scale zero-valent iron (Fe(0)/H(2)O system) were investigated. Batch experiments were conducted at pH 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 under oxic and anoxic conditions. Column experiments were performed at pH 5.0 and 7.5 under oxic condition. Spectroscopic analyses were applied to explain the mechanism of Cr(VI) removal using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the kinetics of Cr(VI) removal were fastest at pH 5 under both oxic and anoxic conditions. As a rule, Cr(VI) removal were faster under oxic conditions than under anoxic conditions. Column experiments showed that Cr(VI) removal was about 1.7-fold higher at pH 5 than at pH 7.5. XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structures) results showed that Fe(0) reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) under both oxic and anoxic conditions. X-ray diffraction patterns of the Cr(VI)-Fe(0) reaction products suggested partial formation of chromite (FeCr(2)O(4)) at pH 5 and 6 under oxic conditions. However, nano-sized clusters of Cr(III)/Fe(III) hydroxide/oxyhydroxide were formed on the surface of Fe(0) under anoxic conditions. These results indicate that the presence of oxygen in solution plays an important role in control of the kinetic of Cr(VI) removal and in development of various Cr(VI) reduction products.

A novel combination of anaerobic bioleaching and electrokinetics for arsenic removal from mine tailing soil.

This study provides evidence that a hybrid method integrating anaerobic bioleaching and electrokinetics is superior to individual methods for arsenic (As) removal from mine tailing soil. Bioleaching was performed using static reactors in batch tests and flow conditions in column test, and each test was sequentially combined with electrokinetics. In the bioleaching, indigenous bacteria were stimulated by the injection of carbon sources into soil, leading to the mobilization of As with the concurrent release of Fe and Mn. Compared with the batch-type bioleaching process, the combined process showed enhanced removal efficiency in the equivalent time. Although the transport fluid bioleaching conditions were inadequate for As removal, despite long treatment duration, when followed by electrokinetics the combined process achieved 66.5% removal of As from the soil. The improvement of As removal after the combined process was not remarkable, compared with single electrokinetics, whereas a cost reduction of 26.4% was achieved by the reduced duration of electrokinetics. The As removal performance of electrokinetics was significantly dependent on the chemical species of As converted via microbial metal reduction in the anaerobic bioleaching. The synergistic effect of the combined process holds the promise of significant time and cost savings in As remediation.

Modeling, rate-limiting step investigation, and enhancement of the direct bio-regeneration of perchlorate laden anion-exchange resin

Anion-exchange with high perchlorate affinity resins is one of the most promising technologies for removing low levels of perchlorate. However, the traditional brine desorption technique is difficult and costly for regeneration of this type of resin. Previously, a direct bio-regeneration method by contacting the spent high perchlorate affinity resin with the perchlorate-reducing bacteria was proved feasible. This research is a further study of that method. Firstly, a direct bio-regeneration process model, based on the physicochemical and biological fundamentals, was developed and calibrated with experimental data. Thereafter, the rate-limiting step in regeneration of the high perchlorate affinity resin was investigated. Methods to enhance the regeneration efficiency were developed. The results indicated that the calibrated model well described the regeneration process. It thus might provide useful insights into the regeneration system. The results also demonstrated that the perchlorate desorption from the loaded resin could be the rate-limiting step. Addition of proper amount of counter anions such as chloride and sulfate improved the regeneration efficiency because these anions could promote both the extent and rate of perchlorate desorption from the loaded resin. These findings aided us in achieving good and efficient regeneration of high perchlorate affinity resins like the A-530E and SR-7 resins. The findings also suggested that the application of bacteria that could efficiently reduce perchlorate in highly saline solution would make the method more promising for the regeneration of high perchlorate affinity resins.

Factors affecting metal exchange between sediment and water in an estuarine reservoir: A spatial and seasonal observation

Water quality response in a reservoir has often been assessed using relatively restricted datasets that cannot provide sufficient information, thereby giving rise to a dramatic over- or underestimate of actual figures. In this paper we discuss how the levels of metallic elements between the sediment and overlying water in an estuarine reservoir can be influenced by aquatic parameters in response to spatial and seasonal conditions. To better elucidate the interfacial exchange between sediment and water, statistical analyses are employed to intensive data sets collected from the Yeongsan Reservoir (YSR), Korea, which has undergone widespread deterioration in water quality due to the continuous growth of anthropogenic sources. During three seasonal sampling campaigns, we found that oxygen deficiency at the bottom water layer promotes Fe and Ni accumulation in sediment, likely due to the formation of sulfide and oxide complexes under anoxic and suboxic environments, respectively. In addition, salinity levels as high as 11 per thousand in the bottom water layer during autumn substantially increase the release of Mn, restricting the use of YSR as a primary source of agricultural irrigation water. Although most dissolved metals are at acceptable levels for sustaining aquatic life, it is recommended that for long-term planning the elevated Fe and Mn levels in sediment should be controlled with oxygen deficiency during dry weather to ensure a sustainable water supply or, at a minimum, better coordinated operation of YSR.

Evaluation of Foam Stability in Decontamination Foam Stabilized by Silica Nanoparticles with Nonionic Surfactant

The decontamination process was needed to remove the radionuclide in nuclear facilities under decommissioning. Among the decontamination techniques, the decontamination foam strongly decreases the amount of chemicals and the secondary wastes and, has wide application in nuclear facilities. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of surfactants, silica nanoparticles (NPs) concentration, and pH for foam stability and oxide dissolution. The foam stability in acid pH has an effect on the concentration of nonionic surfactant, however, in neutral pH does not have concentration effect. The addition of 3 and 5 wt% silica NPs improves the foam stability by a factor of 3 and 5 at pH 2, compared to the foam stabilized with 1 % EM 100 surfactant only, indicating that the increase of silica NPs increased the foam stability. The oxide dissolution was evaluated for the decontamination foam containing 1 M HNO3 using the corroded specimens. The results of an iron dissolution test showed that increased foam stability enhanced the iron dissolution owing to an increase in the contact time between the chemical reagents and the corroded surface.