Kye-Hoon Kim

Veterinary antibiotics contamination in water, sediment, and soil near a swine manure composting facility

Antibiotics have been commonly used to prevent animal diseases and promote livestock productivity. However, its release into the surrounding environments leads to ecological disturbance and risks to human health. This study was conducted to monitor the occurrence and seasonal variations of antibiotics in water, sediment, and soil close to a swine manure composting facility, Korea. Various types of antibiotics such as tetracyclines (TCs) including tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline, and sulfonamides (SAs) including sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfathiazole were measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry via a solid-phase extraction. In the results it was identified that the variations of measured antibiotics’ concentrations in water, sediment, and soil are depending on the season. The observed concentration levels of TCs were higher in winter than in summer season, indicating that the low temperature is a parameter attributing to interruption of its degradation in water, sediment, and soil. The concentration levels of SAs were significantly higher than those of TCs and in general, all measured antibiotics’ concentrations were also in general higher in Korea when compared to those in other countries. The long-term monitoring of antibiotics’ residues in aquatic and terrestrial environments is necessary.

Fugacity modelling to predict the distribution of organic contaminants in the soil: oil matrix of constructed biopiles.

Level I and II fugacity approaches were used to model the environmental distribution of benzene, anthracene, phenanthrene, 1-methylphenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene in a four phase biopile system, accounting for air, water, mineral soil and non-aqueous phase liquid (oil) phase. The non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) and soil phases were the dominant partition media for the contaminants in each biopile and the contaminants differed markedly in their individual fugacities. Comparison of three soils with different percentage of organic carbon (% org C) showed that the % org C influenced contaminant partitioning behaviour. While benzene showed an aqueous concentration worthy of note for leachate control during biopiling, other organic chemicals showed that insignificant amount of chemicals leached into the water, greatly reducing the potential extent of groundwater contamination. Level II fugacity model showed that degradation was the dominant removal process except for benzene. In all three biopile systems, the rate of degradation of benzo(a)pyrene was low, requiring more than 12 years for soil concentrations from a spill of about 25 kg (100 mol) to be reduced to a concentration of 0.001 microgg(-1). The removal time of 1-methylphenanthrene and either anthracene or phenanthrene was about 1 and 3 years, respectively. In contrast, benzene showed the highest degradation rate and was removed after 136 days in all biopile systems. Overall, this study confirms the association of risk critical contaminants with the residual saturation in treated soils and reinforces the importance of accounting for the partitioning behaviour of both NAPL and soil phases during the risk assessment of oil-contaminated sites.

Effect of biochar on reclaimed tidal land soil properties and maize (Zea mays L.) response

Reclaimed tidal land soil (RTLS) often contains high levels of soluble salts and exchangeable Na that can adversely affect plant growth. The current study examined the effect of biochar on the physicochemical properties of RTLS and subsequently the influence on plant growth performance. Rice hull derived biochar (BC) was applied to RTLS at three different rates (1%, 2%, and 5% (w/w)) and maize (Zea mays L.) subsequently cultivated for 6weeks. While maize was cultivated, 0.1% NaCl solution was supplied from the bottom of the pots to simulate the natural RTLS conditions. Biochar induced changes in soil properties were evaluated by the water stable aggregate (WSA) percentage, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), soil organic carbon contents, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable cations. Plant response was measured by growth rate, nutrient contents, and antioxidant enzyme activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR). Application of rice hull derived biochar increased the soil organic carbon content and the percentage of WSA by 36-69%, while decreasing the ESP. The highest dry weight maize yield was observed from soil which received 5% BC (w/w), which was attributed to increased stability of water-stable aggregates and elevated levels of phosphate in BC incorporated soils. Moreover, increased potassium, sourced from the BC, induced mitigation of Na uptake by maize and consequently, reduced the impact of salt stress as evidenced by overall declines in the antioxidant activities of APX and GR.

A SURVEY OF GREEN BURIAL SITES IN ENGLAND AND WALES AND AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FEASIBILITY OF A GROUNDWATER VULNERABILITY TOOL

ABSTRACT Since 1994, 200 ‘green’ or natural burial sites have been developed in the UK and Eire, attracting regulatory attention because of perceived risks to groundwater. Here, a survey of natural burial practice in England and Wales (n=49 of 141 elicited) is presented, providing data on operational trends and supporting the design of a groundwater vulnerability assessment tool. Natural burial grounds are generally small in area (< 0.8 ha), adopt a mean single burial depth of 1.45 m bgl and a mean plot density of ca. 1480 graves ha−1. A vulnerability screening tool is described that allows a desk‐based evaluation of sites by reference to seven groundwater risk attributes. Initial feasibility is evaluated through application to 131 sites.

Distribution of Phytoavailable Heavy Metals in the Korean Agricultural Soils Affected by the Abandoned Mining Sites and Soil Properties Influencing on the Phytoavailable Metal Pools

Absorption and accumulation of heavy metals in plants were determined by phytoavailable contents rather than total contents of heavy metals. Therefore, phytoavailability-based management protocol should be prepared for safe food crop production in contaminated agricultural lands. This study was conducted to understand the distribution and phytoavailability of heavy metal in the Korean agricultural soils affected by abandoned mining sites along with investigation of soil properties (soil pH, OM, DOC, clay content, Al/Fe/Mn content) influencing on the metal phytoavailability. For this, 142 agricultural soils located nearby 39 abandoned mining sites distributed in five province in Korea, were analyzed. Among the four different heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) appeared to exist in more phytoavailable form than cupper (Cu) and lead (Pb). Soil pH was the main factor governing phytoavailable Cd, Pb, and Zn showing positive relationship with partitioning coefficients of the corresponding metals; Cd (r = 0.66, P < 0.001), Pb (r = 0.70, P < 0.001), and Zn (r = 0.62, P < 0.001). This implied higher phytoavailability of the corresponding metals with higher soil pH. In contrast, phytoavailability of Cu (r = 0.41, p < 0.01) was only negatively related with soil DOC (dissolved organic carbon).

Survival of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Chicken and Pig Manure Compost

Livestock manure is a valuable source of nutrients and organic matter for plant. Thus, livestock manure compost is commonly used fertilizer in organic vegetable and fruit production in many countries. However, contaminated or inadequate manure compost can give negative effect to soil microorganisms. This study was conducted to investigate the survival difference of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in chicken and pig manure compost under the selected environmental conditions. Commercially available manure compost (pig, chicken) was inoculated with S. enterica and L. monocytogenes. Manure compost was incubated at 25℃ and consistent moisture content. Samples had been collected during 200 days depending on the given conditions. S. enterica survived for 130 days in pig manure compost and over 200 days in chicken manure compost, respectively. L. monocytogenes persisted for 120 days in pig manure compost and over 200 days in chicken manure compost, respectively. It is noted that the number of S. enterica and L. monocytogenes gradually decreased over time. The results indicate that S. enterica survived longer than L. monocytogenes in manure compost at 25℃. S. enterica and L. monocytogenes survived longer in chicken manure compost than in pig manure compost. Increased knowledge of pathogen behavior in agricultural environments is a valuable part of future work on improving risk evaluations and, in a longer perspective, in providing data for guidelines regarding safe handling of pathogen-contaminated manure compost and soil.

Influence of airborne dust on the metal concentrations in crop plants cultivated in a rooftop garden in Seoul

Abstract Plants grown in urban areas are likely to be exposed to heavy metals from industrial activities and traffic. In particular, Seoul, the capital city of Korea, is affected by seasonal winds from northwest China, named the Asian dust wind, which contains various heavy metals and probably causes heavy metal deposition on plants growing in rooftop gardens in Seoul. Growing media and plants from 18 rooftop gardens distributed throughout Seoul were examined in this study to determine the magnitude of heavy metal (cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)) exposure in the urban agricultural environment. The heavy metal levels in all of the growing media examined were below the Korean standard limits of soil, although the Cu and Zn levels were elevated due to excessive use of livestock-based composts. Heavy metal concentrations in plants were also comparable with the natural levels. Compared to unwashed plants, washing reduces the hazard quotient of heavy metals by 17–28%. This was due to deposition of airborne dust on the plant surface. Cu, Pb and Zn deposited on the plant surface were attributed to the urban environment such as industrial activities and traffic, while Cr and Ni were attributed to the Asian dust wind carrying the corresponding heavy metals from China to the northwest of Seoul.

Comparison of Single Extractions for Evaluation of Heavy Metal Phytoavailability in Soil

BACKGROUND: Consensus of heavy metal phytoavailability in soils needs to be introduced for soil management protocols in relation to safer food production in the contaminated agricultural soils. For this, setting up the method for evaluation of metal phytoavailability in soil is an essential prerequisite. METHODS AND RESULTS: The current study was carried to select a proper single extraction method for determination of phytoavailable metal concentration in soil. Two extraction methods were examined including 1 M extraction and 0.01 M extraction methods using 142 soil samples collected from the agricultural soils nearby abandoned mining area in Korea. Corelation analysis was conducted between phytoavailable metal concentrations and soil properties potentially influencing on the metal phytoavailability. Both methods showed similar significance (p extraction rather than using extraction. CONCLUSION(S): It appeared that 0.01 M extraction was better option for determination of phytoavailable metals in soils and further study to test the efficiency of this method is required in combination with plant uptake.

Physical Properties of the Horticultural Substrate According to Mixing Ratio of Peatmoss, Perlite and Vermiculite

The physical properties of horticultural substrate are important for optimal plant growth. The physical properties should be properly maintained during the crop growing season for producing higher yield. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the physical properties of different mixtures from various raw materials as horticultural substrates. The mixtures at the different ratios of peatmoss, perlite and vermiculite subjected to 10:0:0, 8:2:0, 6:4:0, 4:6:0, 2:8:0, 0:8:2, 0:10:0, 0:6:4, 0:4:6, 0:2:8, 8:0:2, 0:0:10, 6:0:4, 4:0:6, 2:0:8, 2:6:2, 2:4:4, 4:2:4, 4:4:2, 6:2:2 and 2:2:6 were prepared and analyzed according to two methods of the European Standardization (EN) and Rural Development Administration (RDA). The optimum range of physical properties of a specific horticultural substrate can be predicted using physical-property-triangle. This triangle can also be used to convert a physical property from the EN method to that from the RDA method. Results showed that the mixture at a ratio of > 60% peatmoss, in most cases, is in the range of optimum physical condition for plant growth. We conclude that the developed physical-property-triangle can be suitable to suggest the optimum ratios of horticultural substrates used in this study.

Monitoring of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils from Consecutive Applications of Commercial Liquid Pig Manure

Monitoring of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils from Consecutive Applications of Commercial Liquid Pig Manure Woo-Ri Go, Ji-Young Kim, Ji-Hyock Yoo, Ji-Ho Lee, Anitha Kunhikrishnan, Jeong-Mi Lee, Kye-Hoon Kim, Doo-Ho Kim and Won-Il Kim (Chemical Safety Division, National Academy of Agricultural Science, Suwon 441-707, Korea, Saemangeum Regional Environmental Office, National Institute Environment Research, Jeonju 560-870, Korea, Department of Environmental Horticulture, The University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743, Korea)