한국 서해 남양만 조간대의 초기현세 (ca. 8,600yr BP) 니질 퇴적물에서 특징적으로 조립사 (100-250μm) 크기의 자생 능철석 입자들이 풍부하게 발견된다. 이들 갈색의 능철석 입자들은 표면에 잘 발달된 육면체 결정을 가진 구형의 집합체 형태를 보이며, 주성분 원소는 철과 망간으로 각각의 평균 함량이 각각 65%와 22%에 이른다. 높은 망간함량과 낮은 마그네슘 함량 그리고 성분삼각도표 (compositional ternary discrimination diagram) 결과들은 이들 능철석 입자들이 담수환경에서 형성되었음을 보여준다. 결과적으로 능철석 입자들을 함유한 초기현세 퇴적물 (unit Tl)은 해침의 초기 단계에서 해수면과 일정 거리를 가진 해안선 근처의 육지에 발달한 소규모 담수 습지 (freshwater swamp or bog) 퇴적층으로 해석된다. 한편, 능철석 입자 내에서 뚜렷한 화학적 성분 변화가 나타나는 바, 입자의 중심에서 바깥쪽으로 갈수록 철과 마그네슘의 함량은 증가하는 반면 망간과 칼슘의 함량은 감소하는 경향을 보인다. 이러한 결과는 자생 능철석 입자들이 퇴적층의 공극내에서 일련의 초기속성작용 (early diagenetic process) 동안 순차적으로 형성되었음을 반영한다.

From November 2013 to December 2016, ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was sampled in the downtown area of Jeju City, South Korea, which has seen rapid urbanization. The atmospheric concentrations of elements were measured in the PM2.5 samples. This study focused on Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, As, Sb, Sn, V, and Zn. The concentrations of Al, Na, K, Fe, Ca, Mg, Sr, and La were also obtained for reference. The objectives of this study were to examine the contributions of these elements to PM2.5 concentrations in downtown Jeju City, and to investigate the inter-element relationships and the elemental sources by using enrichment factors and principal components analysis (PCA). A composition analysis showed that the 19 elements constituted 6.65 % of the PM2.5 mass, and Na, K, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Zn constituted 98 % of the total ion mass. Seasonal trend analysis for the sampling period indicated that the concentrations of the elements increased from November to April. However, no substantial seasonal variations were found in the concentrations of the elements. The composition ratios of some elements (Cu/Zn, Cu/Cd, Cu/Pb, V/Ni, and V/La) were found to be out of range when compared to the literature from other urban areas. The ratios between the elements and the PCA results showed that local contaminant sources in Jeju City rarely influence the composition of PM2.5. This suggests that the major sources of PM2.5 in Jeju City may include long-range transport of fine particulate matter produced in other areas.

Land application of biochar (or charcoal) has increasingly been recognized due to its favorable effect as soil amendments. However, depending upon the nature of biomass and pyrolysis condition, biochar may be rich in hazardous inorganic elements. Giant Miscanthus showed its potential as a promising source for biochar manufacture but, the risk of heavy metal leaching from Giant Miscanthus-derived biochar (GMB) has not investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the heavy metal leachability of GMB manufactured from 3 different temperatures (400, 500, and 700oC). Elemental composition of C, N, H, S, O and 18 metals were analyzed. Leaching concentration of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn was analyzed using 4 different methods (0.1 N HCl, 1 N NH4OAc, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure, and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure). For comparison, same analysis were performed for two char materials, municipal solid waste char (MWC) and sewage sludge char (SSC), manufactured from pilot-scale muncipal waste gasification plant. Elemental composition of GMB complied with the fertilizer guideline whereas the several heavy metal content (Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn for MWC, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn for SSC) was beyond the criteria. From leaching test, concentration of heavy metals from GMB was positively increased with pyrolysis temperature and the acidity of extractant solution. Leaching concentration of plant nutrients (Ca, K, and Mg) was the highest by 1N NH4OAc. Meanwhile, leaching concentration of Cu from MWC and Pb from SSC exceeded the regulatory standard of Korea and US EPA, respectively. In conclusion, with respect to the risk of heavy metals, Giant Miscanthus-derived biochar will be suitable for land application as a soil amendment, while care should be taken for using municipal waste-derived char materials.