• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.384-392
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• 2020

The presence of high fluoride concentration (> 1.5 mg/L) in water causes serious health problems such as fluorosis, infertility, brain damage, etc., which are endemic to many places in the world. This study has investigated the fluoride removal capacity of the novel activated biochar (BTS) and hydrochar (HTS) using Teff (Eragrostis tef) straw as a precursor. Activated biochar with mesoporous structures and large specific surface area of 627.7 ㎡/g were prepared via pyrolysis process. Low-cost carbonaceous hydrochar were also synthesized by an acid assisted hydrothermal carbonization process. Results obtained from both adsorbents show that the best local maximum fluoride removal was achieved at pH 2, contact time 120 min and agitation speed 200 rpm. The thermodynamic studies proved that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Both adsorbents equilibrium data fitted to Langmuir isotherm. However, Freundlich isotherm fitted best for BTS. The maximum fluoride loading capacity of BTS and HTS was found to be 212 and 88.7 mg/g, respectively. The variation could primarily be attributed to a relatively larger Surface area for BTS. Hence, to treat fluoride contaminated water, BTS can be promising as an effective adsorbent.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.445-452
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• 2015

A tubular packed bed reactor for the steam-$CO_2$ combined reforming of natural gas to produce the synthesis gas of a target $H_2/CO$ ratio 2.0 was simulated. The effects of the reactor dimension, the feed gas composition, and the gas feeding temperature upon the possibility of coke formation across the catalyst bed were investigated. For this purpose, 2-dimensional heterogeneous reactor model was used to determine the local gas concentrations and temperatures over the catalyst bed. The thermodynamic potential distribution of coke formation was determined by comparing the extent of reaction with the equilibrium constant given by the reaction, $CH_4+2CO{\Leftrightarrow}3C+2H_2O$. The simulation showed that catalysts packed in the central region nearer the entrance of the reactor were more prone to coking because of the regional characteristics of lower temperature, lower concentration of $H_2O$, and higher concentration of CO. With the higher feeding temperature, the feed gas composition of the increased $H_2O$ and correspondingly decreased $CO_2$, or the decrease in the reactor diameter, the volume fraction of the catalyst bed subsequent to coking could be diminished. Throughout the simulation, reactor dimension and reaction condition for coking-free operation were suggested.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.475-475
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• 2010

We have generated Ar plasma in dense plasma focus device with coaxial electrodes for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and investigated an emitted visible light for electro-optical plasma diagnostics. We have applied an input voltage 4.5 kV to the capacitor bank of 1.53 uF and the diode chamber has been filled with Ar gas of pressure 8 mTorr. The inner surface of the cylindrical cathode has been attatched by an acetal insulator. Also, the anode made of tin metal. If we assumed that the focused plasma regions satisfy the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions, the electron temperature and density of the coaxial plasma focus could be obtained by Stark broadening of optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The Lorentzian profile for emission lines of Ar I of 426.629 nm and Ar II of 487.99 nm were measured with a visible monochromator. And the electron density has been estimated by FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) of its profile. To find the exact value of FWHM, we observed the instrument line broadening of the monochromator with a Hg-Ar reference lamp. The electron temperature has been calculated using the two relative electron density ratios of the Stark profiles. In case of electron density, it has been observed by the Stark broadening method. This experiment result shows the temporal behavior of the electron temperature and density characteristics for the focused plasma. The EUV emission signal whose wavelength is about 6 ~ 16 nm has been detected by using a photo-detector (AXUV-100 Zr/C, IRD). The result compared the electron temperature and density with the temporal EUV signal. The electron density and temperature were observed to be $10^{16}\;cm^{-3}$ and 20 ~ 30 eV, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.176.2-176.2
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• 2013

Property of optical diagnostics for pulse-discharged plasma in liquid and its biological applications to proteins are investigated by making use of high voltage Marx generator. The Marx generator has been consisted of 5 stages, where each charging capacitor is 0.5 ${\mu}F$, to generate a high voltage pulse with rising time of $1{\mu}s$. We have applied an input voltage of 6 kV to the each capacitor of 0.5 ${\mu}F$. High voltage pulsed plasma has been generated inside a polycarbonate tube by a single-shot operation, where the breakdown voltage is measured to be 7 kV, current of 1.2 kA, and pulse width of ~ 1 ${\mu}s$ between the two electrodes of anode-cathode whose material is made of tungsten pin, which are immersed into the liquids. We have investigated the emitted hydrogen lines for optical diagnostics of high voltage pulsed plasma. The emission line of 656.3 nm from $H-{\alpha}$ and 486.1 nm from $H-{\beta}$ have been measured by a monochromator. If we assumed that the focused plasma regions satisfy the local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions, the electron temperature and density of the high voltage pulsed plasma in liquid could be obtained by the Stark broadening of optical emission spectroscopy. For the investigation of the influence of pulsed plasma on biological proteins, we have exposed it onto the proteins such as hemoglobin and myoglobin. The structural changes in these proteins and their analysis have also been obtained by circular dichroism (CD) and ultraviolet (UV) visible spectroscopy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.121-121
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• 2004

The groundwater in the Pocheon area occurs from both a fractured bedrock aquifer in igneous and metamorphic rocks and an alluvial aquifer with a thickness of <50 m, and forms a major source of domestic and agricultural water supply. In this study, we performed a hydrogeochemical study in order to identify the control of geochemical processes on groundwater quality. For this study, groundwater level and physicochemical parameters (EC, Eh, pH, alkalinity) were monitored once a month from a total of 150 groundwater wells between June 2003 to August 2004. A total of 153 water samples (13 surface water, 66 alluvial groundwater, 74 bedrock groundwater) were also collected and analyzed in February 2004. Groundwater chemistry in the study area is very complex, depending on a number of major factors such as geology, degree of chemical weathering, and quality of recharge water. Hydrochemical reactions such as the leaching of surficial and near-solace soil salts, dissolution of calcite, cation exchange, and weathering of silicate minerals are proposed to explain the chemistry of natural groundwater. Alluvial groundwaters locally have very high TDS concentrations, which are characterized by their chloride(nitrate)-sulfate-bicabonate facies and low Na/Cl ratio. Their grondwater levels are highly fluctuated according to rainfall event. We suggest that high nitrate content and salinity in such alluvial groundwaters originates from the local recharge of sewage effluents and/or fertilizers. Likewise, high concentrations of nitrate were also locally observed in some bedrock groundwaters, suggesting their effect of anthropogenic contamination. This is possibly due to the bypass flow taking place through macropores. Tile degree of the weathering of silicate minerals seems to be a major control of the distribution of major cations (sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium) in bedrock groundwaters, which show a general increase with increasing depth of wells. Thermodynamic interpretation of groundwater chemistry shows that the groundwater in the study area is in chemical equilibrium with kaolinite and Na-montmorillonite, which indicates that weathering of plagioclase to those minerals is a major control of hydrochemistry of bedrock groundwater. The interpretation of the molar ratios among major ions, as well as the mass balance calculation, also indicates the role of both dissolution/precipitation of calcite and Ca-Na cationic exchange as bedrock groundwaters evolves progressively.