• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2021

Background and objective: While response measures to particulate matters in rural areas are limited due to poor inventory record keeping in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to control agricultural waste vinyl and the emission of precursors released from open burning and the secondary generation of particulate matters. Currently, the open burning emission calculation method uses the definition prescribed in CAPSS by the National Institute of Environmental Research. Methods: This study presented an open burning emission calculation formula for agricultural waste vinyl, which is included as agricultural waste. As for activity data, the open burning ratio of agricultural waste vinyl, and the annual incineration volume provided in the Status Survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs were applied. The emission factor was generated through incineration tests on three agricultural plastic film samples collected by the Korea Environment Corporation. Results: Among precursors, SOx and NOx were selected and their emission features were monitored with incineration experiment infrastructure based on the EPA 5G method. The highest emission concentration by agricultural waste type was concentrated in the first and second quarters. As for emission factor of SO₂, it was calculated at 98.25 g/kg for mulching-use LDPE, 52.31 g/kg for greenhouse-use LDPE, and 14.40 g/kg for HDPE. As for NOx, it was calculated at 18.21 g/kg for mulching-use LDPE, 16.49 g/kg for greenhouse-use LDPE, and 10.67 g/kg for HDPE. Conclusion: This test confirmed the incineration features of PE-based plastics, ascertained the SOx emission factor that had not been included in open burning in the past, and established that low NOx emission concentration is interfered by soil mixed with livestock excretions. The findings from this study are expected to contribute to improving the system for controlling air pollutants in rural environments.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.179-190
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• 1992

This study was carried out to characterize sources of atmospheric total suspended particulates (TSP) in urban and sub--urban areas of metropolitan taegu. The sources were tentatively identified by a multivariate technique, i.e. principal component analysis (PCA), and the source contributions to the atmospheric concentrations of TSP were further estimated by stepwise multiple regression analysis. A total of 5 sources was identified in the urban area of Taegu (soil dust resuspension, fuel combustion, secondary aerosol, traffic related aerosol, and refuge burning), while 4 sources were found to be significant in the sub--urban area as following: fuel combustion/secondary aerosol, soil dust resuspension, traffic related aerosol, and wood/agricultural burning. The largest contributor to the atmospheric TSP appeared to be the soil dust resuspension in both areas. The source apportionment of the extractable organic matter (EOM) was also carried out for the Taegu data. The EOM was determined with respect to the solvent polarity, i.e. cyclohexane (non-polar), dichloromethane (semi--polar), and acetone (polar). In addition, the source profiles for the TSP in Taegu area were estimated using a PCA-based algorithm, and the validity was evaluated tentatively by comparing the data in the literature.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2021

The effects of initial soil fabric and aspect ratio (AR) on the small-strain stiffness (G0) of granular soils are studied by employing discrete element method (DEM) numerical analysis. Elongated clumps composed of subspheres were adopted, and the G0 values were obtained by DEM simulations of drained triaxial tests under different densities and initial confining pressure (p0). The DEM simulations indicate that the initial soil fabric has an insignificant effect on G0. The effect of the AR on G0 is related to the initial density. Namely, for dense specimens, G0 first increases with increasing AR, reaching a plateau value when the AR ≥ 1.5. However, for loose specimens, G0 gradually increases as the AR increases. Microscopic examination reveals that G0 uniquely depends on the coordination number of the particles (CN-particle) rather than the subspheres (CN-sphere) at the particulate level for the effects of initial soil fabric and AR. Finally, Poisson's ratio ν0 is also determined by CN-particle. In addition, based on data in literature and this study, ν0 can be fitted as ν0 = 5.920(G0/(p0)1/3)-0.99, which can be used to predict ν0 of granular soils based on the measured G0.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.590-603
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• 2006

Size-and time-resolved aerosol samples were collected using an eight-stage Davis rotating unit for monitoring (DRUM) sampler from 23 March to 29 April 2001 at Gosan, Jeju Island, Korea, which is one of the super sites of Asia-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment(ACE-Asia). These samples were analyzed using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence for 3-hr average concentrations of 19 elements including Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, and Pb. The size-resolved data sets were then analyzed using the positive matrix factorization(PMF) technique to identify possible sources and estimate their contributions to particulate matter mass. PMF analysis uses the uncertainty of the measured data to provide an optimal weighting. Twelve sources were resolved in eight size ranges($0.09{\sim}12{\mu}m$) and included continental soil, local soil, sea salt, biomass/biofuel burning, coal combustion, oil combustion, municipal incineration, nonferrous metal source, ferrous metal source, gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, and volcanic emission. The PMF result of size-resolved source contributions showed that natural sources represented by local soil, sea salt, continental soil, and volcanic emission contributed about 79% to the predicted primary particulate matter(PM) mass in the coarse size range ($1.15{\sim}12{\mu}m$) while anthropogenic sources such as coal combustion and biomass/biofuel burning contributed about 58% in the fine size range($0.56{\sim}2.5{\mu}m$). The diesel vehicle source contributed mostly in ultra-fine size range($0.09{\sim}0.56{\mu}m$) and was responsible for about 56% of the primary PM mass.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.193-202
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• 2013

The concentrations of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As) in sand samples collected from selected children's playground and their correlation with environmental parameters, such as concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere ($PM_{10}$), apartment age (> 5 years), clay and organic matter contents in sand samples, were analyzed. The average heavy metal concentration in samples was 0.040 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Cd, 0.200 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Cr, 1.75 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Cu, 15.1 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Ni, 3.42 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Pb, 66.7 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Zn and 0.750 mg $kg^{-1}$ for As, all of which were below the environmental regulatory level established by Korea Ministry of Environment. However, in the consideration of direct and oral exposure by children to playground sand, the risk of the concentration range in the samples might be greatly enhanced. Heavy metal concentration in samples collected from high $PM_{10}$ (> $70{\mu}gm^{-3}$) area was slightly greater than in samples from low $PM_{10}$ (< $70{\mu}gm^{-3}$), indicating the contribution of particulate matter in air phase to heavy metal concentration in playground sand samples. The concentrations of both Cd and Pb were the highest in apartments older than 21 years (0.050 mg $kg^{-1}$ and 5.28 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Cd and Pb respectively) and showed positive correlation with apartment age (p<0.01 and p<0.001 for Cd and Pb, respectively). Clay content in playground sands ranged 3.8~11.2% and was positively correlated with heavy metal concentration. Organic matter content was negligible (mostly < 0.1%) and showed poor correlation with heavy metal concentration. In conclusion, concentration of heavy metals in playground sand was found to be predominantly influenced by the apartment age and clay content in sand samples and supplemented by dust deposition of particulate matter ($PM_{10}$) from atmosphere.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.813-824
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• 2010

Thermal conductivity of soils is one of the most important parameters to design horizontal ground heat exchangers. It is well known that the thermal conductivity of soil is strongly influenced by its density and water content because of soil's particulate structure. This paper reviewed and evaluated some of the commonly used prediction models for thermal conductivity of soils with the experimental data available in the literature. Semi-theoretical models for two-component materials were found inappropriate to estimate the thermal conductivity of dry state sands. It came out that the model developed by Cote and Konrad gave the best overall prediction for unsaturated sands available in the literature. Also, a parametric analysis is conducted to investigate the effect of thermal conductivity and water content, soil type on the horizontal ground heat exchanger design. The analysis shows that a required pipe length for the horizontal ground heat exchanger is reduced with the increase of soil thermal conductivity and water content. The calculation results also show that the dimension of the horizontal ground heat exchanger can be reduced to a certain extent by using backfilling material with a higher thermal conductivity of solid particles.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of soil and groundwater environment changed by wildfire on cesium adsorption and transport. Soil samples (A, B) used in the study were collected from Gangwon-do, where wildfires frequently occur, and the adsorption and transport of cesium in the samples were evaluated through batch and column experiments. As a result of the batch adsorption experiments with various concentrations of cesium (C_W ≈ 10~10⁵ ㎍/L), the adsorption distribution coefficient (K_d) of cesium was higher in sample A for all observed concentrations. It means that the adsorption capacity of sample A was higher to that of sample B, which was also confirmed through the parameters of adsorption isotherm models (Freundlich and Langmuir model) applied to the experimental results. The fixed bed column experiments simulated the actual soil and groundwater environment, and they showed that cesium was retarded approximately 43 and 27 times than a nonreactive tracer in sample A and B, respectively. In particular, a significant retardation occurred in the sample A. Although sample A contains little clays, total organic carbon (TOC) contents were 3 times greater than sample B. These results imply that particulate organic matter caused by wildfire might influence the adsorption and transport of cesium in the organic matter-rich soil and groundwater environment.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.230-235
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Ammonia gas emitted from nitrogen fertilizers applied in agricultural land is an environmental pollutant that catalyzes the formation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). A significant portion (12-18%) of nitrogen fertilizer input for crop cultivation is emitted to the atmosphere as ammonia gas, a loss form of nitrogen fertilizer in agricultural land. The widely practiced method for fertilizer use in agricultural fields involves spraying the fertilizers on the surface of farmlands and mixing those with the soils through such means as rotary work. To test the potential reduction of ammonia emission by nitrogen fertilizers from the soil surface, we have added N, P, and K at 2 g each to the glass greenhouse soil, and the ammonia emission was analyzed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The treatment consisted of non-fertilization, surface spray (conventional fertilization), and soil depth spray at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm. Ammonia was collected using a self-manufactured vertical wind tunnel chamber, and it was quantified by the indophenol-blue method. As a result of analyzing ammonia emission after fertilizer treatments by soil depth, ammonia was emitted by the surface spray treatment immediately after spraying the fertilizer in the paddy soil, with no ammonia emission occurring at a soil depth of 10 cm to 30 cm. In the upland soil, ammonia was emitted by the surface spray treatment after 2 days of treatment, and there was no ammonia emission at a soil depth of 15 cm to 30 cm. Lettuce and Chinese cabbage treated with fertilizer at depths of 20 cm and 30 cm showed increases of fresh weight and nutrient and potassium contents. CONCLUSION(S): In conclusion, rather than the current fertilization method of spraying and mixing the fertilizers on the soil surface, deep placement of the nitrogen fertilizer in the soil at 10 cm or more in paddy fields and 15 cm or more in upland fields was considered as a better fertilization method to reduce ammonia emission.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.181-189
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• 2019

The washability, redeposition, fill power, and fabric damage of wet cleaning and dry cleaning solvents were measured to identify the optimal type of washing that would increase washability while maintaining dimensional stability. The soiled fabric is a polyester cotton blend and the types of soil were wine, blood, make-up and sebum with carbon black. Petroleum and silicone solvents were used in dry cleaning. Results from this study are as follows. First, detergency is significantly influenced by the type of washing and type of soil. Wet cleaning is superior to dry cleaning. Wet cleaning shows a strong washing performance against hydrophilic soils, whereas, dry cleaning is stronger against hydrophobic soils. Second, redeposition is significantly affected by the type of washing, fabrics, and soils. Redeposition occurred little on cotton during wet cleaning, but showed a high rate for nylon. However, when the two types of fabric were dry cleaned, redeposition occurred on both types. Third, the fill power of duck-down is very affected by the type of washing. Resilience is the best in wet cleaning; and in dry cleaning, petroleum solvents showed a higher resilience when as compared to silicone solvents. Last, the level of fabric damage to cotton fabrics is highly influenced by the type of washing. Wet cleaning damages cotton fabrics significantly more than dry cleaning. For dry cleaning, petroleum solvents damage these fabrics slightly more than silicone solvents. In conclusion, the type of soil must initially be identified to determine the optimal type of washing. Special caution is required when textiles with particulate soil and nylon are washed. When considering the resilience of duck-down clothing, wet cleaning is more appropriate than dry cleaning. Dry cleaning, especially when using silicone-based solvents, is more suitable than wet cleaning for maintaining the shape of clothing.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.236-242
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• 1995

Biological control of soilborne plant pathogens by the addition of antagonistic microorganisms to the soil may offer a practical supplement or alternative to existing disease management strategies that depend heavily on chemical pesticides. Soil amendment with antagonistic microbes was non-effective because of high cost, low efficacy, and inconvenient usage on the treatment course. Therefore, seed coating formulation for the application of biological seed treatments has been being to apply successful disease suppression for many important crops. The objectives of this study were to investigate the optimal condition for the spore production of biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis YBL-7 and the liquid coating formulation that contained a suspension of a proper aqueous binder, as well as a ground fine solid particulate material. The maximum yield has been obtained from 60 hrs-old culture at 30$\circ$C in spore forming (SF) medium containing 0.8% nutrient broth, 0.05% yeast extract, 10$^{-1}$ M MgCl$^{2}$, 10$^{-4}$ M MnCl$^{2}$, 10$^{-5}$ M dipicolinic acid, and pH 6.5. The optimal condition of dried spore preparation was achieved when cells of B. subtilis YBL-7 was heat-dried with 50$\circ$C for 2 hrs.