Increasing resource use is the primary motivator for the development of technology industries, which is leading to severe consequences, such as the release and disposal of radioactive waste containing radionuclides in the environment. Cesium (137Cs) is one of the most hazardous radionuclides in the environment. In particular, the steel manufacturing process produces hazardous waste in the form of electric arc furnace dust contaminated with 137Cs. In this study, the tolerances of five legume species to different activity concentrations of 137Cs in both seed germination and initial seedling growth were compared. To determine 137Cs tolerance, several parameters related to the growth and development of legumes were measured. Among the five legumes studied, Crotalaria juncea L. was the most 137Cs tolerant at 50,000 Bq·L−1. Sesbania javanica Miq. and Vigna mungo L. Hepper were moderately tolerant to 30,000 Bq·L−1 137Cs. After 10 days, the stress tolerance indices in all legume species decreased by more than 50% at activity concentrations greater than or equal to 20,000 Bq·L−1 137Cs. This approach allows the selection of desirable traits, making more-effective application possible in the phytoremediation of 137Cs through stress tolerance. In conclusion, legumes are promising candidates for the phytoremediation of environmental pollutants.

The properties of dust collected from electric arc furnace of ferro manganese production units was investigated, and also the metallic manganese was recovered from the dust by aluminothermy process. The ferromanganese dust collected from electric arc furnace contained about 15% of manganese oxide (Mn3O4) and 9% of carbon as the contaminant, and have a 5um of 50% median diameter and irregular particle shape. The carbon contaminant in the dust could be reduced until about 0.1~0.5% level by roasting in the air at a temperature of 600~900C for 60minutes. The recovery of manganese could not be carried out using only ferromanganese dust from electric arc furnace by aluminothermy process, but the ferromanganese which contained manganese of about 92% and iron of about 5% could be obtained from the mixture of ferromanganese dusts from electric arc furnace and converter. The best mixing condition of dust fixed at electric arc furnace dust / converter dust ratio of 1:9 and 2:8, and the mixing rato of 3:7 or more could not separated the metal and slag from the reactant after aluminothermy reaction.

In this study the optimum conditions for recovery of valuable metal in Electric Arc Furnace Dusts were investigated. 2M of H2SO4, 1~5 of solid/liquid ratio, 0~180 min of leaching time has been established for leaching condition, and for electrowinning, each of Pt, C, Zn, Pb anode and Zn, Cu cathode was compared respectively at pH 2, 4 and 6. The result of elemental analysis of Zn crystal, a lagre quantity of Fe and H has been observed with Zn and other heavy metal, therefore, impurities removing process would be requir for enhancing purity of Zn. As the result, about 60% of Zn has been recovered under condition of 2 M of H2SO4, 1:2 of S/L ratio at 120 min, and Pt or Pb for anode, Zn for cathode has been shown the highest efficiency of electrowinning at pH 6.

Hydrometallurgical process, which is one of the recycling method of EAFD in zinc, is a process to recover metallic crystal form that deposited on the cathod through electrolytic extraction by leaching valuable metals in appropriate solvent. Still, there is a lot of variable at electrowinning process, such as initial pH, space between electrode, voltage, current, cathod, or anode, Thus, many studies have been conducted previously. In this study, the consideration of optimistic condition in electrowinning process to recover the valuable metal in EAFD have been carried. The extraction amount by changing pH shows increase according to high initial pH, also, the alteration of extraction amount by controling the space between electrode, voltage or current has been measured. The difference of efficiency represent by decrease of electromotive force, sudden loss of voltage under specific condition, and using platinum as electrode shows most stable extraction. Furthermore, when distance between electrode are too close, the extracted zinc contact with anode, which make recovery difficult. The analysis result of zinc metallic crystal which been recovered draws spherical and cylindrical shapes are scattered and mixed, and consequence of EDX, content of zinc appear about 60%.