• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2003

A new method has been proposed and developed that solves the problem of decreasing electroosmotic flow rate by excess $H^{+}$ and precipitation of heavy metal by $OH^{-}$. An electrolytic solution was circulated between the anode and cathode compartments that enabled the pH at the anode and cathode to be controlled. The change of the soil pH by circulation systems affects the operation time, by lowering the rate of increase of the electric potential gradient, and the removal efficiency of heavy metals, by affecting the soil pH. Since there was no effluent from the cathode compartment in circulation system, there was no need to treat the wastewater after the experiment, which resulted in the reduction of influent electrolyte volume.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.275-289
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• 2009

Electroosmosis (EO) is the movement of water in a porous medium under the influence of a direct current (dc). In past decades, electro-osmosis has been successfully employed in many soil improvement and other geotechnical engineering projects. Metal electrodes, such as steel, copper and aluminum have been used traditionally to conduct current. The shortcoming of these electrodes is that they corrode easily during an EO treatment, which results in reduced effectiveness and environmental concerns. More recently, conductive polymers are developed to replace metal electrodes in EO treatment. Electrical vertical drainages (EVDs) are one of these products under trial. The goal of this study is to assess the performance of EVDs for soil improvement and to further understand the scientific principle of the EO process, including the voltage drop at the soil-EVD interface, electrical current density, polarity reversal, and changes in soil physico-chemical properties generated by electroosmosis. It is found from the study that after 19 days of EO treatment with a constant applied dc electric field intensity of 133 V/m, the soil's moisture content decreased by 28%, the shear strength and pre-consolidation pressure increased more than 400%. It is also found that the current density required triggering the water flow in the soil tested, the Korean Yulchon marine clay, is 0.7 $A/m^2$. The project demonstrates that EVDs can serve as both electrodes and drains for soil improvement in short term. However, the EVDs, as tested, are not suitable for polarity reversal in EO treatment and their service life is limited to only 15 days.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2006

The effects of electrolytes were investigated on the removal efficiency when several different electrolytes were used to change the electrode reaction in an electrokinetic (EK)-Fenton process to remediate phenanthrene-contaminated soil. Electrical potential gradient decreased initially due to the ion entrance into soil and then increased due to the ion extraction from soil under the electric field. Accumulated electroosmotic flow was $NaCl>KH_2PO_4>MgSO_4$ at the same concentration because the ionic strength of $MgSO_4$ was the highest and $Mg(OH)_2$ formed near the cathode reservoir plugged up soil pore to inhibit water flow. When hydrogen peroxide was contained in electrolyte solution, removal efficiency increased by Fenton reaction. When NaCl was used as an electrolyte compound, chlorine ($Cl_2$) was generated at the anode and dissolved to form hypochlorous acid (HClO), which increased phenanthrene removal. Therefore, the electrode reaction of electrolyte in the anode reservoir as well as its transport into soil should be considered to improve removal efficiency of EK-Fenton process.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.885-893
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• 2014

This research reports the enhanced Electrokinetic (EK) with $H_2O_2$ and sodium dodecyl surfate (SDS), which are commonly used in Fenton oxidation and soil flushing method, in order to remediate soil contaminated with heavy metals and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) simultaneously. In addition, influences of property of soil and concentration of chemical solution were investigated through experiments of different types of soils and varying concentration of chemical reagents. The results indicated, in the experiments using artificially contaminated soil, the highest removal efficiency of heavy metals using 10% $H_2O_2$ and 20mM SDS as electrolytes. However, in the experiments using Yong-San soils (study area), remediation efficiency of heavy metals was decreased because high acid buffering capacity. Through experiment of 20% $H_2O_2$ and 40mM SDS, increased electric current influences the remediation of heavy metals due to decrease in the soil pH. In the experiments of Yong-San soils, the remediation efficiency of TPH was decreased compared with artificially spiked soils because high acid buffering capacity and organic carbon contents. Furthermore, the scavenger effect of SDS influenced TPH oxidation efficiency under the conditions of injected 40mM SDS in the soils. Therefore, the property of soil and concentration of chemical reagents cause the electroosmotic flow, soil pH, remediation efficiency of heavy metals and TPH.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.373-380
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• 2008

In order to develop optimal formulation and iontophoresis condition for the transdermal delivery of levodopa, we have evaluated the effect of two permeation enhancers, ethanol and oleic acid in microemulsion, on transdermal delivery of levodopa. In vitro flux studies were performed at $33^{\circ}C$, using side-by-side diffusion cell and full thickness hairless mouse skin. Current density applied was $0.4\;mA/cm^2$ and current was off after 6 hours application. Levodopa was analysed by HPLC at 280 nm. The o/w microemulsions of oleic acid in buffer solution (pH 2.5 & 4.5) were prepared using oleic acid, Tween 80 and ethanol. The existence of microemulsion regions were investigated in pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. Contrary to our expectation, cumulative amount of levodopa transported from microemulsion (pH 2.5) for 10 hours was similar to that from aqueous solution in all delivery methods (passive, anodal and cathodal). When pH of the micro-emulsion was pH 4.5, cumulative amount of levodopa transported for 10 hours increased about 40% (anodal) to 50% (cathodal), when compared to that from aqueous solution. Flux from pH 4.5 microemulsion showed higher value than that from pH 2.5 in all delivery methods. These results seem to indicate that electroosmosis plays more dominant role than electrorepulsion in the flux of levodopa at pH 2.5. The effect of ethanol on iontophoretic flux was studied using pH 2.5 phosphate buffer solution containing 3% or 5% (v/v) ethanol. Flux enhancement was observed in passive and anodal delivery as the concentration of the ethanol increased. Without ethanol, cathodal delivery showed higher flux than anodal delivery. Anodal delivery increased the cumulative amount of levodopa transported 1.6 fold by 5% ethanol after 10 hours. However, in cathodal delivery, no flux enhancement of levodopa was observed during current application and only marginal increase in cumulative amount transported after 10 hours was observed by 5% ethanol. These results seem to be related to the decrease in dielectric constant of the medium and the lipid extraction of the ethanol, which decrease the electroosmotic flow, and thus decrease the flux. Overall, the results provide important insights into the role of electroosmosis and electrorepulsion in the transport of levodopa through skin, and provide some useful informations for optimal formulation for levodopa.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 2005

Characteristics of phenanthrene removal in an electrokinetic (EK)-Fenton process were investigated in a viewpoint of concentration and ionic strength of electrolytes. When three kinds of electrolytes (NaCl, $KH_2PO_4,\;and\;MgSO_4$) were used, the increase in electrolyte concentration caused the decrease of electrical potential gradient. The increase of electrical conductivity was due to the increase of ionic concentration in soil. The decrease of accumulated electroosmotic flow (EOF) with increase in electrolyte concentration was due to the decrease of zeta potential. The removal efficiency was in proportion to accumulated EOF which depended on ionic strength. Total energy expenditure without electrolyte was 10-30 times higher than its with 0.5 M electrolyte. The lower removal efficiency was caused by the lower energy expenditure with 0.5 M one. An effective EK-Fenton process was determined from considering the removal efficiency and the energy expenditure, simultaneously.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6B
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• pp.661-667
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• 2006

In this study, an experiment of sewage sludge dewatering is carried by using electrokinetic method, and the electrokinetic dewatering efficiency of digested sludge is analyzed. Digested sludge without coagulants is selected and gravitational and pressing dewatering methods are applied in combination with electro-osmotic and electro-osmotic pulse technology. After the test of digested sludge, dewatering test of thickened sludge is carried to evaluate the electrokinetic dewatering feasibility of thickened sludge. Under the condition of constantly applied voltage, however, electrical resistance increases with decreasing of water content so that dewatering rate decreases with time. To reduce such a hindrance caused by constantly applied voltage, electro-osmotic pulse technology which is considered to reduce the difference of water content with height, is applied. For the application of electro-osmotic pulse, the dewatered flow rate and the dewatered volume became more increasing from the middle of the dewatering process than that of continuous voltage. Through the test of thickened sludge, electro-osmotic dewatering combined with gravitational and expression also showed high dewatering rate, which proved the possibility of using electrokinetic dewatering.