• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

To identify the primary factor affected the decreased $PM_{10}$ concentration in Seoul which is the capital city of Korea, wind speed and emissions in 2003 and 2004 were analyzed. The level of air pollution is intense in Seoul and continually increased since the late 1990s. However the concentration of $PM_{10}$ has been greatly declined recently. In particular, the concentration of $PM_{10}$ decreased 14% in 2003 and 2004 excluding the Asian dust periods. It is suggested that the major factors for the decrease are differences in wind speed between the two years and the period of constant breeze. In 2003, intense Asian dust events happened frequently and it increased the concentration of total $PM_{10}$. The intense dust events were influence by the speed and duration of the wind. It is considered that the meteorological condition was the primary drive for the change of the concentration of $PM_{10}$. The decreased emissions seem to be the additional factor for the change in the concentration of $PM_{10}$.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.411-422
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• 2012

Ground-based in-situ measurements of aerosol optical properties at Gosan climate observatory have been analyzed to investigate the optical contribution of Asian dust and polluted particles on light absorption in springtime 2011. During the Asian dust episode, the contribution of Asian dust particle to aerosol absorption coefficient estimated about 45% at 370 nm and about 23% at 520 nm. Especially, black carbon in dust plume contributes about 48% to aerosol light absorption at 520 nm since the airmass are transported from the Gobi and inner Mongolia deserts, and this airmass comes across the northeastern coast of China, near the Shandong Peninsula. In pollution case, the contributions of dust particle and black carbon to aerosol absorption coefficient estimated about 41% and 11% at 370 nm, respectively. However, pollution case shows the highest light absorption of 48% for brown carbon at 370 nm, which indicates the significantly high mass concentration of organic carbon ($6.3{\pm}2.2{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$) in pollution plume can contribute to the increase of light absorption at near-UV spectral region.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.3-9
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• 1998

We investigated the weight loss according to temperature using TGA in order to find the thermal hazard of brand-new activated-carbon and disused activated-carbon dusts, and the properties of dust explosion in variation of the specific surface area of their dust with the same particle size. Using hartman's dust explosion apparatus which estimate dust explosion by electric ignition after making dust disperse by compressed air, dust explosion experiments have been conducted by varying concentration and size of activated carbon dust. The explosion pressure of both activated carbon increased as the specipic surface area increased. The results indicated that brand-new activated-carbon of which specific surface area was larger three to four times than that of disused activated-carbon was much easier of dust explosion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.196-208
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• 1997

This study was performed to estimate quartz contents in the both bulk and airborne dust samples and to determine particle size distribution of airborne dust from the selected foundry operations. Total dust samples were collected by a 37mm cassette and respirable by a 10 mm nylon cyclone. Particle size distributions were determined by a Marple's 8-stage cascade impactor at the melting, molding, shakeout and finishing operations. The presence of elements in the dust samples were confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy equipped with the energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry. The quartz contents were estimated using the intensity of the absorption peak of quartz at 799 cm-l by the Fourie Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results were as follows: 1. The analysis of data from cascade Impactor showed bimodal distributions of particle size at the melting, molding and shakeout operations. Mass median aerodynamic diameters for the distributions determined by histogram were $0.48-1.65{\mu}m$ for small and $13.43-19.58{\mu}m$ for large modes. In the dust samples collected at the finishing operations, however, only a large mode of $18.89{\mu}m$ was found. 2. The percentages of total to respirable dust concentration calculated from the impactor data ranged from 42 % to 66 %. The average concentrations of respirable dust by cyclone were $0.85-1.28mg/m^3$ collected from the workers, and were $0.23-0.56mg/m^3$ from the areas surveyed. Dust concentrations of personal samples were statistically significantly higher than those of area samples. The highest dust concentration was obtained from the personal samples of the finishing operation. 3. The mean percentages of silicon and oxygen estimated by SEM-EDXA in the bulk samples ranged from 35.83 % to 36.02 % and from 39.93 %-41.64 %, respectively. 4. The average quartz contents estimated by FTIR in the respirable dust from personal samples ranged from 4.32 % to 5.36 % and 4.54 % to 4.70 % in the bulk samples. No statistical difference of quartz content was found between foundry operations. In this study, quartz content was quantified by FTIR. Although no statistically significant difference in quartz content between airborne and bulk, samples and between different foundry operations was found, it is recommended that quartz content in the individual sample of respirable dust be analyzed and the results be used either to select an applicable quartz limits or to calculate the exposure limit. Further studies, however, are needed to compare the results by FTIR and XRD since it is reported that the quartz content determined by FTIR is different from that by XRD.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2024

Objectives: This study was intended to investigate the revision status of the occupational exposure standards for aluminum at home and abroad; to investigate worker exposure at domestic aluminum manufacturing and handling workplaces; to conduct social and economic evaluation for the revision of domestic aluminum exposure limits. Methods: We investigated the current status of occupational exposure limits for aluminum at home and abroad, and analyzed supporting data. An exposure survey was conducted targeting domestic aluminum manufacturing and handling workplaces. Based on these, revised aluminum occupational exposure limits were proposed. Results: The major aluminum exposure limits at home and abroad show a notable difference. The toxicity of aluminum, which was revealed through animal experiments and epidemiological investigations. The average concentration of aluminum in the air at 12 workplaces was 0.016 mg/m³, and the maximum was 0.0776 mg/m³. When total dust and respiratory dust were measured side by side and simultaneously for the same process, 12.1% of the total mass concentration of aluminum dust was respiratory dust. As a result of measuring and comparing the size distribution of dust with an optical particle counter in real time, 48.1% of the total dust in the form of welding fume and pyro-powder was respiratory dust. Based on the literature review and workplace survey, three proposals for changing the aluminum exposure limit were proposed. Proposal (1): For all types, 10 mg/m³ is unified as the exposure limit except for soluble salts and alkyls. Proposal (2): 1(R) mg/m³ as the exposure limit for all forms except soluble salts and alkyl. Proposal (3): 1(R) mg/m³ for pyro-powder and welding fume, and 10 mg/m³ for metal dust, aluminum oxide, and insoluble compounds as exposure standards. A pyro-powder was defined as dry aluminum powder of 200 mesh size (74 ㎛) or smaller (larger size classified as metal dust). Reason for setting: In the workplace survey, the ratio of respiratory dust to total dust was analyzed to be about 1:10, so it was judged that the domestic standard and the ACGIH standard were compatible. Conclusions: In all scenarios according to the revision of the exposure standard, the B/C ratio was greater than 1 or only benefits existed, so it was evaluated as sufficiently reasonable as a result of the socio-economic evaluation.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.2045-2056
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• 2014

In this study, pressure drop was measured in the pulse jet bag filter without venturi on which 16 numbers of filter bags (Ø$140{\times}850{\ell}$) are installed according to operation condition(filtration velocity, inlet dust concentration, pulse pressure, and pulse interval) using coke dust from steel mill. The obtained 180 pressure drop test data were used to predict pressure drop with multiple regression model so that pressure drop data can be used for effective operation condition and as basic data for economical design. The prediction results showed that when filtration velocity was increased by 1%, pressure drop was increased by 2.2% which indicated that filtration velocity among operation condition was attributed on the pressure drop the most. Pressure was dropped by 1.53% when pulse pressure was increased by 1% which also confirmed that pulse pressure was the major factor affecting on the pressure drop next to filtration velocity. Meanwhile, pressure drops were found increased by 0.3% and 0.37%, respectively when inlet dust concentration and pulse interval were increased by 1% implying that the effects of inlet dust concentration and pulse interval were less as compared with those changes of filtration velocity and pulse pressure. Therefore, the larger effect on the pressure drop the pulse jet bag filter was found in the order of filtration velocity($V_f$), pulse pressure($P_p$), inlet dust concentration($C_i$), pulse interval($P_i$). Also, the prediction result of filtration velocity, inlet dust concentration, pulse pressure, and pulse interval which showed the largest effect on the pressure drop indicated that stable operation can be executed with filtration velocity less than 1.5 m/min and inlet dust concentration less than $4g/m^3$. However, it was regarded that pulse pressure and pulse interval need to be adjusted when inlet dust concentration is higher than $4g/m^3$. When filtration velocity and pulse pressure were examined, operation was possible regardless of changes in pulse pressure if filtration velocity was at 1.5 m/min. If filtration velocity was increased to 2 m/min. operation would be possible only when pulse pressure was set at higher than $5.8kgf/cm^2$. Also, the prediction result of pressure drop with filtration velocity and pulse interval showed that operation with pulse interval less than 50 sec. should be carried out under filtration velocity at 1.5 m/min. While, pulse interval should be set at lower than 11 sec. if filtration velocity was set at 2 m/min. Under the conditions of filtration velocity lower than 1 m/min and high pulse pressure higher than $7kgf/cm^2$, though pressure drop would be less, in this case, economic feasibility would be low due to increased in installation and operation cost since scale of dust collection equipment becomes larger and life of filtration bag becomes shortened due to high pulse pressure.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.250-254
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• 2007

The reduction efficiency of air cleaner on particulate contaminants such as dust, airborne bacteria and fungi distributed in the office was relatively higher in case of office with workers than office without workers. This result would be attributed to workers' activities and physical characteristics of particulate contaminants. The air cleaner decreased a concentration of airborne bacteria more than airborne fungi, which implicates that difference of dust adsorption between airborne bacteria and fungi would affect an operation efficiency of air cleaner.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.121-125
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• 2000

This study was executed by dust explosion experiment of terephthalic acid which was widely used for various purposes of food packing material and film etc. and the demand was rapidly increasing. The particle size and concentration of dust affected the minimum ignition energy largely and the lean concentration and the minimum ignition energy in the range of this study were obtained 50$g/m^3$ and 19mJ respectively. Minimum ignition energy was shown at the 4 and 5mm gap distance of discharge electrode, and when the gap distance was below 2mm the explosion could not generated although the sufficient energy was given. It was also found that the ignition energy decreased linearly with the decreasing of dust mean particle size.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.227-229
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• 2010

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.275-289
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• 2014

Asian dust (or yellow sand) occurring mainly in spring in East Asia is affected by the distribution of weather systems. This study was performed to investigate the characteristics of suspended particulate for Asian dust at Busan, Korea in 20 March 2010, which was one of the extreme case for the last 10 years. There was used the data of weather chart, satellite, automatic weather system (AWS), $PM_{10}$, laser particle counter (LPC), and backward trajectories model. In synoptically, the high pressure was located in the northwestern part and low pressure was located in the northeastern part of Korea. The strong westerly winds from surface to upper layer makes it possible to move air masses rapidly. Air masses passing through Gobi Desert in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia plateau covered the entire Korean peninsula. As the results of aerosol analysis, $PM_{10}$ concentration at Gudeok mountain in Busan was recorded $2,344{\mu}g/m^3$ in 2300 LST 20 March 2010 and their concentration was markedly increased at coarse mode particle. In surface condition, westerly wind about 3 ~ 5 m/s was dominant and small particles of $0.3{\sim}0.5{\mu}m$ were distributed on the whole. In heavy metal components analysis, the elements from the land was predominated.