Electrokinetic technique was considered in removing arsenic from the abandoned mining tails. In order to estimate the removal characteristics of arsenic, the sequential extraction analysis and desorption experiment were carried out prior to the application of electrokientic process. The result of sequential extraction analysis indicated that the water soluble and exchangeable fraction, easily leachable to ground water, were very low as much as about 2.5% and the fraction except residual (38.3%), possibly extractable under very acidic or alkalic environment, was about 59%. In the result of desorption test using four different kinds of electrolytes, the mixture of citric acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed the highest desorption efficiency as much as 77.3%. The removal efficiencies of arsenic from mining tailings by electrokinetic process under the different electrolyte environments were slightly low and resulted in the following order: citric acid + SDS (18.6%) > 0.1 NHNO3 (8.1%) > HAc (7.4%) > Distilled water(6.6%). Also, arsenic in soil matrix was moved favorably in the direction of anodic rather than cathodic region, which is opposite trend with cationic metal ions generally existing in soil, because anionic form of arsenic is dominated in acidic soil caused by the movement of acid front form anode.

Three kinds of toxic heavy metals, such as lead, copper, and cadmium, existing abundantly in contaminated soils were selected to investigate pH change, electroosmotic flow, and the removal rate in the application of electrokinetic process. In the change of pHs, they reached to about 12 and 2 at each cathodic and anodic region, respectively, and maintained for reaction being proceeded. Electroosmotic flow rates were not influenced by the kind of metal species but by electropotential gradient. On the soils contaminated by each metal, the removal rate of Cd was the fastest among three as in the order of Cd>Pb>Cu. While on the soils contaminated by mixed metal species, Cu was the fastest. Metal species transported by electrokinetic processes were distributed in between 0.9 and 1.0 of normalized region. In the case of soils contaminated by one kind of metal. the relative concentrations of Pb and Cd estimated in between normalized region 0.9 and 1.0 were 5.2 and 5.7, respectively.