• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2021

The surface of silicon dummy wafers is contaminated with metallic impurities owing to the reaction with and adhesion of chemicals during the oxidation process. These metallic impurities negatively affect the device performance, reliability, and yield. To solve this problem, a wafer-cleaning process that removes metallic impurities is essential. RCA (Radio Corporation of America) cleaning is commonly used, but there are problems such as increased surface roughness and formation of metal hydroxides. Herein, we attempt to use a chelating agent (EDTA) to reduce the surface roughness, improve the stability of cleaning solutions, and prevent the re-adsorption of impurities. The bonding between the cleaning solution and metal powder is analyzed by referring to the Pourbaix diagram. The changes in the ionic conductivity, H2O2 decomposition behavior, and degree of dissolution are checked with a conductivity meter, and the changes in the absorbance and particle size before and after the reaction are confirmed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses. Thus, the addition of a chelating agent prevents the decomposition of H2O2 and improves the life of the silicon wafer cleaning solution, allowing it to react smoothly with metallic impurities.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2022

With a small particle size, specific surface area and chemical nature, Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites can efficiently remove the organic compounds. In order to understand the applicability for in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater, the degradation of p-nitrophenol by Pd/Cu-Fe nanoparticles was investigated. The degradation results demonstrated that these nanoparticles could effectively degrade p-nitrophenol and near 90% of degradation efficiency was achieved by Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites for 120 min treatment. The efficiency of degradation increased significantly when the Pd content increased from 0.05 wt.% and 0.10 wt.% to 0.20 wt.%. Meanwhile, the removal percentage of p-nitrophenol increased from 75.4% and 81.7% to 89.2% within 120 min. Studies on the kinetics of p-nitrophenol that reacts with Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites implied that their behaviors followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Furthermore, the batch experiment data suggested that some factors, including Pd/Cu-Fe availability, temperature, pH, different ions (SO42-, PO43-, NO3-) and humic acid content in water, also have significant impacts on p-nitrophenol degradation efficiency. The recyclability of the material was evaluated. The results showed that the Pd/Cu-Fe nanoparticles have good recycle performance, and after three cycles, the removal rate of p-nitrophenol is still more than 83%.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1830-1837
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• 2023

The thermal cutting of contaminated or activated metals during decommissioning nuclear power plants inevitably results in the release of radioactive aerosol. Since radioactive aerosols are pernicious particles that contribute to the internal dose of workers, air conditioning units with a HEPA filter are used to remove radioactive aerosols. However, a HEPA filter cannot be used permanently. This study evaluates the efficiency and lifetime of filters in actual metal cutting condition using a plasma arc cutter and a high-resolution aerosol detector. The number concentration and size distribution of aerosols from 6 nm to 10 ㎛ were measured on both the upstream and downstream sides of the filter. The total aerosol removal efficiency of HEPA filter satisfies the standard of removing at least 99.97% of 0.3 ㎛ airborne particles, even if the pressure drop increases due to dust feeding load. The pressure drop and particle size removal efficiency at 0.3 ㎛ of the HEPA filter were found to increase with repeated cutting experiments. By contrast, the efficiency of used HEPA filter reduced in removing nano-sized aerosols by up to 79.26%. Altogether, these results can be used to determine the performance guidance and replacement frequency of HEPA filters used in nuclear power plants.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.627-634
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• 2023

Tire wear particles(TWPs), regarded as a microplastic, is generated in significant quantities each year and exist in various spaces and have a negative impact on the surrounding environment. Particularly, roadside environments fall within the direct influence of TWPs, necessitating proactive investigation for contamination management and response. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the soil acidity and electrical conductivity(EC) and TWPs in the roadside soil of six sites based on traffic volume. The analysis revealed that the soil in all sites exhibited subacidity, and there were no significant differences in EC. Microscopic and FT-IR analysis revealed the presence of microscopic particles in soil samples that exhibited common visual characteristics of TWPs. In the road with the highest traffic volume, 48,300 TWPs were detected per unit area. Furthermore, a proportional relationship between traffic volume and TWPs particles was established. However, influences other than traffic volume on TWPs particle count within the soil were observed. Therefore, for the management of TWPs contaminated roadside soil, a proactive response is necessary in areas with high traffic volumes. However, in order to effectively address the factors contributing to the generation and dispersion of TWPs, further research is required with a multidimensional approach.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.23-39
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• 2014

An artificial rainwater reservoir installed in urban areas for recycling rainwater is an eco-friendly facility for reducing storm water effluence. However, in order to recycle the rainwater directly, the artificial rainwater reservoir requires an auxiliary system that can remove non-point source pollutants included in the initial rainfall of urban area. Therefore, the conventional soil filtration technology is adopted to capture non-point source pollutants in an economical and efficient way in the purification system of artificial rainwater reservoirs. In order to satisfy such a demand, clogging characteristics of the sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions were studied with real non-point source pollutants. For this, a series of lab-scale chamber tests were conducted to make a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants, based on the clogging theory. The laboratory chamber experiments were carried out by permeating two types of artificially contaminated water through five different types of sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions. The two artificial contaminated waters were made by fine marine-clay particles and real non-point source pollutants collected from motorcar roads of Seoul, Korea. In the laboratory chamber experiments, the concentrations of the artificial contaminated water were measured in terms of TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and compared with each other to evaluate the performance of sand filter layers. In addition, the accumulated weight of pollutant particles clogged in the sand filter layers was estimated. This paper suggests a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants with theoretical consideration of the physical characteristics such as the grain-size distribution and composition, and change in the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of sand filter layers. The lumped parameter ${\theta}$ related with the clogging property was estimated by comparing the accumulated weight of pollutant particles obtained from the laboratory chamber experiments and calculated from the prediction model based on the clogging theory. It is found that the lumped parameter ${\theta}$ has a significant influence on the amount of the pollutant particles clogged in the pores of sand filter layers. In conclusion, according to the clogging prediction model, a double-sand-filter layer consisting of two separate layers: the upper sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 1.49 mm and the lower sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 0.93 mm, is proposed as the optimum system for removing non-point source pollutants in the field-sized artificial rainwater reservoir.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.535-547
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• 2019

In this study, the heavy metal analysis in sediments (surface sediments, sediments cores and settling particles) from Shihwa Lake has been carried out to evaluate the changes of metal pollution levels in sediments after the operation of Tidal Power Plant (TPP). The average concentrations of metals in surface sediments sampled in 2015 were 8% (Cd)~31% (Zn, Hg) lower than in 2009 before TPP operation. Results of calculating the pollution load index (PLI) with 8 metals, the PLI value in 2015 showed a 18% decrease compared to 2009. However, Cu, Zn, Pb concentrations of surface sediments in 2015 at the upper region around industrial complex still exceeded the TEL (threshold effect level) values for sediment quality guideline in Korea. After the operation of TPP, the metal contaminated depths were increasing from 15 cm to 30 cm at S6 site and from 8 cm to 20 cm at S7 site, respectively. Our data showed that the mean concentration of heavy metals in core samples decreased but the contaminated depth increased. The average of the total sedimentation flux for particulate matter increased by 3.2 times from 32.5 g/㎡/d in 2009 to 103.5 g/㎡/d in 2015. This showed that the bottom sediments were resuspended by the operation of TPP, resulting in an increase of particulate matter in the water column. These results suggest that the sediments contaminated with heavy metals seem to be resuspended and relocated due to the water current caused by the operation of TPP. Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd were highly exceeding the TEL values in the upstream region and accumulated more than 40 cm of sediment depth, indicating that heavy metal contamination through industrial activity were still a serious environmental problem of Shihwa Lake. Although the metal pollution of Shihwa Lake has been slightly reduced, the contaminated sediments with heavy metals inside of Shihwa Lake might be discharged to outer sea after the resuspension by TPP operation. It is necessary for the advanced scientific approach and political decision to drastically reduce the heavy metal pollution of the study region.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2008

Phenanthrene uptake by surfactant sorbed on activated carbon was investigated to recycle of surfactant in washed solution for contaminated soil. The partitioning of phenanthrene to the activated carbon coating with Triton X-100 as a surfactant was also evaluated by a mathematical model. Phenanthrene-contaminated soil (200 mg/kg) was washed in 10 g/L of surfactant solution. Washed phenanthrene in solution was separated by various particle loadings of granular activated carbon through a mode of selective adsorption. Removal of phenanthrene was 99.3%, and surfactant recovery was 88.9% by 2.5 g/L of granular activated carbon, respectively. Phenanthrene uptake by activated carbon was greater than that of phenanthrene calculated by a standard model for a system with one partitioning component. This is accounted for enhanced surface solubilization by hemi-micelles adsorbed onto granular activated carbon. The effectiveness factor is greater than 1 and molar ratio of solubilization to sorbed surfactant is higher than that of liquid surfactant. Results suggest that separation of contaminants and surfactants by activated carbon through washing process in soil is much effective than that of calculated in a theoretical model.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.93-108
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• 2013

This study is aimed to prepare the effective detail survey methods(Phase II) of abandoned metal mines through the contamination assessment for mine types and facilities in the abandoned metal mine areas. The study sites of 12 abandoned mines are located in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do and those were chosen among 310 sites that the Phase II survey was conducted from 2007 to 2009 after considering the results of Phase I for abandoned mines scattered all over the country. 12 study sites were classified into four types; Type I sites only have pit mouth. Type II sites have pit mouth and mine-waste field. Type III sites have pit mouth and tailing sorting field. Type IV sites have pit mouth, tailing sorting field and concentrator(s). In forest land, paddy soil and farm land of Type I, As and Cd were showed average concentration, and Cu and Pb were high on the pit mouth area in one mines where the pit mouth was developed within 500 m. In the mines of Type II, Cu and Pb were showed average concentration too, but As and Cd were slightly high in pit mouth and mine-waste field. The mines of Type III which had grinding particle process through physical separation milling or hitting showed similar tendency with Type II. However, mines of Type IV pit mouth, mine-waste field and showed various results depending on defining the contamination sources. For example, if contamination source was pit mouth, the mixed results of Type I, II, II were showed. In tailing sorting field which was regarded as the most important source and having high mobility, however, if there were no facilities or it was difficult to access directly, field sampling was missed occasionally during phase I and phase II survey. For that reason, the assessment for tailing sorting field is missed and it leads to completely different results. In the areas of Type I mines, the concentration of heavy metals exceeded precautionary standards of soil contamination or not within 1,000 meters of pit mouth. Nickel(Ni) was the largest factor of the heavy metal contamination in this type. The heavy metals except Arsenic(As) were shown high levels of concentration in Type II areas, where pit mouth and mine-waste field were operated for making powder in upriver region; therefore, to the areas in the vicinity of midstream and downstream, the high content of heavy metals were shown. The tendency of high level of heavy metals and toxic materials contained in flotation agent used during sorting process were found in soil around sorting and tailing field. In the abandoned-pit-mouth area, drygrinding area and tailing sorting field area, the content of Cupper(Cu) and Zinc(Zn) were higher than other areas. Also, the contaminated area were larger than mine reclamation area(2,000 m) and the location of tailing sorting field was one of the important factors to estimate contaminated area.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.62-68
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• 2008

The Low Temperature Thermal Desorption (LTTD) System equipped with a soil transfer unit, a rotary kiln, RTO, cyclones and a bag filter etc. was developed. The LTTD system was designed to be economically operated using LPG as a fuel and recirculating the discharged gas from the LTTD system through RTO. For the performance test of LTTD system the soil contaminated with light and heavy oils (2,690 mg TPH/kg soil) and with particle sizes below 50 mm was fed into the rotary kiln of LTTD system at 7$m^3$/hr with retention time of 15 minutes. Operation temperatures of LTTD system for the removal of soil TPH were $567^{\circ}C$ and $692^{\circ}C$. The residual TPH after treatment was 46 mg/kg and 32mg/kg respectively at each temperature condition, which shows high TPH removal efficiencies of the developed LTTD as 98.3% and 98.9%.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.206-222
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• 2019

Recently, various multiphase flows have been developed, and among them some models have been commercialized. However, most of them have been developed based on a pressure-based approach; therefore, various numerical difficulties were involved inherently. Accordingly, in order to overcome these numerical difficulties, a multiphase flow model, MultiPhaSe flow (MPS), following a fractional-flow based approach was developed. In this study, by combining a contaminant transport module describing an enhanced dissolution effect of a surfactant with MPS, a MultiPhaSe flow and TranSport (MPSTS) model was developed. The developed model was verified using the analytical solution of Clement. The MPSTS model can simulate the process of surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation including interphase mass transfer and contaminant transport in multiphase flow by using the coupled particle tracking method and Lagrangian-Eulerian method. In this study, a surfactant was used in a non aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) contaminated area, and the effect of hydro-geological heterogeneity in the layered media on remediation efficiency was studied using the developed model. According to the numerical simulation, when hydraulic conductivity in a lower layer is 10 times, 20 times, and 50 times larger than that in an upper layer, the concentration of dissolved diesel in the lower layer is much higher than that in the upper layer because the surfactant moves faster along the lower layer owing to preferential flow; thus, the surfactant enhances dissolution of residual non aqueous phase liquid in the lower layer.