Pukyong National University

"High density of Han River, up to 6 times the concentration of lithium in water"
Professor Ryu Jong-sik

Professor Ryu Jong-sik (Department of Earth Environmental Sciences), Pukyong National University, presented the results of lithium content and isotope surveys on river water, tap water, and potential pollutants in the Han River in the international journal <Nature Communications>. In this research, jointly conducted with the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) and the French National Center for Science and Research (CNRS), professor Ryu collected and investigated water from 17 locations, including six spots from Bukhan (North Han) rivers, seven spots of Namhan (South Han) rivers, and four from Han rivers and anounced the results. According to the survey, lithium concentrations of samples taken from the North and South Han rivers were lower than those from other countries, but samples from the Han river passing through Seoul showed up to six times higher lithium than those from the two rivers. The researchers found that the lithium content in the river rapidly increased as the population density increased, and pointed to artificial substances such as lithium-ion batteries and manic-depressive drugs. The team also confirmed that current water treatment plant and water treatment technologies cannot remove lithium. The treated and tap water analysis in the sewage treatment plant treating the wastewater from the Han River basin showed that the lithium concentration and isotope ratio before and after the wastewater treatment were hardly changed. <기사보기 클릭!>


△ Map of the Han Riverside (left) and population density of the Seoul basin where the research team collected water.


4 December 2019

연구진
  류종식 교수 jongsikryu@pknu.ac.kr
  부경대학교 환경·해양대학 지구환경과학과