Heeyoung Shin

The mineralogy of beach sand, which was sampled from an island, Jumundo of South Korea, was investigated and beneficiated using gravity and magnetic separation processes. Ilmenite was determined to be a major heavy mineral and, as minor heavy minerals, zircon, monazite, and sphene were observed. Quartz, biotite, microcline, kaolinite, hornblende, and chlorite were present as gangue minerals. The Ilmenite was concentrated with a Humphrey spiral concentrator and shaking table followed by magnetic separators (drum and cross belt types). As a final product, 18% of the Humphrey spiral system concentrate was recovered, and the grade of final product was determined to be 93% ilmenite. The electron probe microscope analysis indicates that ilmenite was a solid solution of major FeTiO₃, minor MgTiO₃ (geikielite), and MnTiO₃ (pyrophanite).

The South Korean government is pursuing a national project to use the complex carbonates found in coal ash to capture CO₂ and promote coal ash recycling. One possible approach is the use of coal ash as fill material in mine reclamation, but environmental concerns have so far blocked the implementation of this procedure, and no relevant regulations or guidelines exist. In this study, we review international approaches to the environmental management of coal ash recycling and consider how the lessons learned can be applied to South Korea. Each studied country was proactively using coal ash for beneficial uses under locally suitable conditions. The United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan are all putting coal ash to beneficial use following thorough analyses of the environmental impact based on several considerations, including bulk concentration, coal ash leachate concentration, field inspections, and water quality monitoring. Our findings can contribute to the development of proper regulations and policies to encourage the use of recycled coal ash in South Korea as an approach to managing carbon emissions and climate changes. There are currently no relevant regulations in South Korea, so we consider the adoption of the strictest standards at each stage of the other cases at the time of introduction. Based on our findings, detailed and appropriate management guidelines can be developed in the future. Establishing management plans for complex carbonates, verifying their environmental stability, and using them as fill material will provide clear benefits for South Korea in the future.

In this study, the possibility of using concrete-sludge recycling as an immobilizer, including dried sludge (DS), precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), and calcite-coated particles (CCP), was evaluated for the remediation of Cu-, Pb-, and Zn-contaminated aqueous solutions. Experimental variables characterizing immobilization, including reaction time, initial solution pH, and immobilizer dosage, were selected. After DS was applied, 98.3% of Cu, 99.9% of Pb, and 95.2% of Zn were removed via metal-hydroxide coprecipitation onto the surface of DS, which increased in pH within the shortened contact time. On the contrary, PCC and CCP removed metals (above 99.9% removal) via the formation of metal carbonates, which was highly dependent on both the pH and the carbonates released from the immobilizers. The acidic solution pH contributed to the dissolution of calcite (leading to an increase in carbonates in solution), thus enhancing the removal of metals. An increase in PCC and CCP dosage (liquid to solid ratio of 1000 to 100) was effective in removing Cu with an increasing final pH and number of carbonates in solution. Our results show that concrete sludge can be recycled to reduce environmental loads, including alkaline wastewater discharge, waste disposal, CO₂ emissions, and metal-contaminated aqueous solutions.

Waste-concrete recycling processes using wet-based crushing methods inevitably generate a large amount of alkaline concrete sludge, as well as wastewater, which contains abundant Ca ions. The Ca-rich alkaline wastewater must then be neutralized for reuse in the waste-concrete recycling process. In this study, the feasibility of a carbon mineralization process for the neutralization of alkaline wastewater was considered from both environmental and economic perspectives. The optimal reaction time, efficiency of Ca removal and CO₂ sequestration as a function of the CO₂ gas flow rate were assessed. The carbon mineralization process resulted in sequestering CO₂ (85–100% efficiency) and removing Ca from the solution (84–99%) by precipitating pure CaCO₃. Increasing the gas flow rate reduced the reaction time (65.0 down to 3.4 min for 2.5 L of solution), but decreased CO₂ sequestration (from 463.3 down to 7.3 mg CO₂ for 2.5 L of solution). Optimization of the gas flow rate is essential for efficient CO₂ sequestration, Ca removal, CaCO₃ production and, therefore, successful wastewater neutralization following the wet-based crushing process. The method presented here is an eco-friendly and economically viable substitute for dealing with alkaline wastewater. It may also provide a practical guide for the design of carbon mineralization processes for the neutralization of alkaline solutions containing large amounts of Ca.