• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.555-561
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• 2007

To obtain low molecular weight water soluble chitosan (LMWSC) with various molecular weights, chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) with lactic acid was separated by using ultrafilteration technique and LMWSC with a free amine group was prepared by the novel salts-removal method. The characterization of LMWSC removed the lactic acid and degree of deacetylation (DDA) were identified by FT-IR and $^1H-NMR$ spectra. Polydispersity index (PDI) was $1.278{\sim}1.499$, which indicates a relatively molecular weight distribution. To identify the potential as a gene carrier, we confirmed the transfection efficiency of COS fractioned according to molecular weight successfully and the salt-removed LMWSC using 293T cell. Also, LMWSC derivatives prepared for improvement transfection efficiency were evaluated using Balb/C mice.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.325-331
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• 2015

The experimental results of the characteristics of aluminum based and ferric based coagulants for the Nakdong River water showed that the main hydrolysis species contained in alum and $FeCl_3$ are monomeric species of 98% and 93.3%, respectively. The PACl of r=1.2 produced by the addition of base contained 31.2% of polymeric Al species and the PACl of r=2.2 contained 85.0% of polymeric Al species, as showing more polymeric Al species with increasing r value. Coagulation tests using Al(III) and Fe(III) salts coagulants for the Nakdong River water showed that the coagulation effectiveness of turbidity and organic matter was high in the order of $FeCl_3$ > PACl (r=2.2) > PACl (r=1.2) > alum. $FeCl_3$ has showed better flocculation efficiency than Al(III) salts coagulants. In addition, in case of Al(III) coagulants, the Al(III) coagulants of higher basicity, which contained more polymeric Al species, resulted in better coagulation efficiency for both turbidity and organic matter removed. The optimum pH range for all of the coagulants investigated was around pH 7.0 under the experimental pH range of 4.0~9.5. Especially, the highest basicity PACl (r=2.2) and $FeCl_3$ were considered as more appropriate coagulants for the removal of turbidity in the case of raw water exhibiting higher pH.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2005

Salt accumulation in the plastic film house soils under continuous cultivation condition causes problems such as salt damages to plants, nitrate accumulation in vegetables, groundwater contamination, etc. due to excess application of fertilizers. Objective of this research was to find an optimum adsorbent to reduce salt concentration in the soil solution of plastic film house soils, where crop injuries have been observed due to the salt accumulation. The soils were significantly high in available P $(1,431{\sim}6,516mg\;kg^{-1}),\;NO_3-N\;(117.60{\sim}395.73mg\;kg^{-1})$, exchangeable Ca $(4.06{\sim}11.07\;cmol_c\;kg^{-1})$ and Mg $(2.59{\sim}18.76\;cmol_c\;kg^{-1})$, as compared to those of the average upland soils in Korea. Soils were treated with each of adsorbent such as ion-exchange resin, zeolite, rice bran, etc. at 2% level and prepared into saturated-paste samples. After equilibrium, soil solution was vacuum-extracted from the soil and measured for changes of the pH, EC, and concentrations of $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;K^+,\;Na^+,\;{NH_4}^+,\;{PO_4}^{3-}\;and\;{NO_3}^-$. Rice bran effectively removed ${PO_4}^{3-}\;and\;{NO_3}^-$ in the soil solution up to 100%. Efficiency was decreased in the orders of rice bran > ion-exchange resin > zeolite. Removal efficiencies of zeolite and ion-exchange resin for $Ca^{2+}$ were ranged from 1 to 65% and from 7 to 61%, respectively. Ion-exchange resin was also effective for removing $Mg^{2+},\;K^+,\;Na^+,\;and\;{NH_4}^+$. Overall results demonstrated that rice bran and ion-exchange resin could be applicable for salt accumulated soil to remove the respective anion and cation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.869-877
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• 2000

A mechanism of ozonation of simulated soil slurry contaminated by phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene has been studied under various conditions. The effects of soil media(BS, S, GB), radical scavenger, ozone input ratio(0.17~0.73mg/min), bicarbonate ion, and humic acid were investigated, BS showed the highest removal efficiency in media tested. The generation of OH-radical via the catalytic decomposition of ozone on active sites of the natural sand was confirmed by OH-radical scavenger experiments. The enhanced removal efficiency by OH-radical was indirectly quantified to be about 22%. As initial concentration of humic acid(as sodium salt) was increased, pseudo first-order rate constant ($k_o$) of phenanthrene was decreased from $1.37{\times}10^{-2}s^{-1}$ to $0.53{\times}10^{-2}s^{-1}$. The amount of ozone required to oxidize 80% of the initial mass of phenanthrene(10mg/kg) and benzo[a]pyrene(10mg/kg) was 67.2mg/kg-soil and 48.0mg/kg-soil, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.4627-4634
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• 2013

Carbon dioxide is one of the main causes of global warming. In order to develop a novel absorbent, the characteristics of amino acid salts solution as a solvent for $CO_2$ capture in continuous process were investigated. The cost of $CO_2$ capture is almost 70% of total cost of CCS (carbon dioxide capture and storage). In the carbon dioxide capture process, process maintenance costs consist of the absorbent including the absorption, regeneration, degradation, and etc. It is very important to study the characteristics of absorbent in continuous process. In this study, we have investigated the properties of potassium L-lysine (PL) for getting scale-up factors in continuous process. To obtain optimum condition for removal efficiency of $CO_2$ in continuous process by varying liquid-gas (L/G) ratio, concentration of $CO_2$ and absorbent (PL) were tested. The stable condition of absorber and regenerator (L/G) ratio is 3.5. In addition, PL system reveals the highest removal efficiency of $CO_2$ with 3.5 of L/G and 10.5 vol% $CO_2$ ($1.5Nm^3/h$).

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2005

Nutrients are built up in paddy soils after greenhouse vegetable cultivations with relatively high rates of chemical fertilizers and composts during winter season, and the continuous nutrient accumulation is problematic in crop cultivation. Rice cultivation after greenhouse vegetables is one option for removing the accumulated nutrients in the soils. The object of this experiment was to examine the effect of reduced fertilization to rice on the removal of accumulated soil nutrients and rice yield in greenhouse vegetables and rice cropping system. Experiments were carried out at Changwon and Uiryeong in Gyeongnam province in 2001. The cropping systems were watermelon-rice and pumpkin-watermelon-watermelon-rice in Changwon and Uiryeong, respectively. The soils were Gangseo series (coarse loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic family of Aquic Fluventic Eutrochrepts) at Changwon and Hampyeong series (fine loamy, mixed, mesic family of Fluvaquentic Dystrochrepts) at Uiryeong. Treatments of conventional fertilization ($N-P_2O_5-K_2O=11-4.5-5.7$, $kg\;10a^{-1}$), no basal fertilization, no top dressing, and no fertilization were included in the experiments. Plant growth and total nitrogen content in the plant were greater as the amount of fertilizer applied were increased. Whereas $SiO_2/T-N$ rate in rice plant and nitrogen use efficiency were greater as the amount of fertilizer applied were reduced. Rice yields were not significantly different among the treatments of conventional, no top-dressed, and no-basal fertilization in Uiryeong, and the rice yields were significantly also not different between the treatments of conventional and no top-dressed in Changwon. The removal of salts in soils after rice cultivation was the highest at the treatment of no-basal fertilization in both of the sites. Therefore, reduced fertilization for rice cultivation after greenhouse vegetables could remove salts accumulated in paddy soils without any significant reducing of rice yield.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.27-36
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• 2007

A recent study showed that MTBE can be degraded by Fenton's Reagent (FR). The treatment of MTBE with FR, however, has a definite limitation of extremely low pH requirement (optimum pH $3{\sim}4$) that makes the process impracticable under neutral pH condition on which the ferrous ion precipitate forming salt with hydroxyl anion, which result in the diminishment of the Fenton reaction and incompatible with biological treatment. Consequently, this process using only FR is not suitable for in-situ remediation of MTBE. In order to overcome this limitation, modified Fenton process using NTA, oxalate, and acetate as chelating reagents was introduced into this study. Modified Fenton reaction, available at near neutral pH, has been researched for the purpose of obtaining high performance of oxidation efficiency with stabilized ferrous or ferric ion by chelating agent. In the MTBE degradation experiment with modified Fenton reaction, it was observed that this reaction was influenced by some factors such as concentrations of ferric ion, hydrogen peroxide, and each chelating agent and pH. Six potential chelators including oxalate, succinate, acetate, citrate, NTA, and EDTA were tested to identify an appropriate chelator. Among them, oxalate, acetate, and NTA were selected based on their remediation efficiency and biodegradability of each chelator. Using NTA, the best result was obtained, showing more than 99.9% of MTBE degradation after 30 min at pH 7; the initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide, NTA, and ferric ion were 1470 mM, 6 mM, and 2 mM, respectively. Under the same experimental condition, the removal of MTBE using oxalate and acetate were 91.3% and 75.8%, respectively. Optimum concentration of iron ion were 3 mM using oxalate which showed the greatest removal efficiency. In case of acetate, $[MTBE]_0$ decreased gradually when concentration of iron ion increased above 5 mM. In this research, it was showed that modified Fenton reaction is proper for in-situ remediation of MTBE with great efficiency and the application of chelatimg agents, such as NTA, was able to make the ferric ion stable even at near neutral pH. In consequence, the outcomes of this study clearly showed that the modified Fenton process successfully coped with the limitation of the low pH requirement. Furthermore, the introduction of low molecular weight organic acids makes the process more available since these compounds have distinguishable biodegradability and it may be able to use natural iron mineral as catalyst for in situ remediation, so as to produce hydroxyl radical without the additional injection of ferric ion.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2024

Recent studies explore a wide array of desalination and water treatment methods, encompassing membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and electrodialysis (ED) to advanced capacitive deionization (CDI) and its membrane variant (MCDI). Comparative analyses reveal ED's cost-effectiveness in low-salinity scenarios, while hybrid systems (NF-MCDI, RO-NF-MCDI) show improved salt removal and energy efficiency. Novel ion separation methods (NF-CDI, NF-FCDI) offer enhanced efficacy and energy savings. These studies also highlight the efficiency of these methods in treating complex wastewater specific to various industries. Environmental impact assessments emphasize the need for sustainability in system selection. Additionally, the integration of microfabricated sensors into membranes allows real-time monitoring, advancing technology development. These studies underscore the variety and promise of emerging desalination and water treatment technologies. They provide valuable insights for enhancing efficiency, minimizing energy usage, tackling industry-specific issues, and innovating to surpass conventional method limitations. The future of sustainable water treatment appears bright, with continual advancements focused on improving efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and ensuring adaptability across diverse applications.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.289-296
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to evaluate various pre-treatment methods and proprieties of water quality for wastewater reuse using reverse osmosis (RO) processes. Secondary effluents were sampled from wastewater treatment plants and lab scale pre-treatments and RO filtration test were conducted systematically. Specifically, different types of pre-treatments, such as coagulation, microfiltration and ultrafiltration, were employed to evaluate the removal efficiency of particle and organic matters which may affect the membrane fouling rate. RO process was later added to eliminate trace amounts of remaining organic matters and salt from the raw water for wastewater reclamation. The permeate through the RO process satisfied water quality regulations for industrial water uses. The experimental results showed that the initial fouling tendency differed not only by the feed water properties but also by the membrane characteristics. Membrane fouling was greater for the membranes with large surface roughness, regardless of the hydrophobicity and zeta potentials. Thus both careful consideration of pre-treatment options and proper selection of RO membrane are of paramount importance for an efficient operation of wastewater treatment.

• Solar Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.197-203
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• 1998

A 5 ton/day pilot scale two-phase anaerobic digester was constructed and tasted to treat Korean food wastes in Anyang city. The process was developed based on 3 years of lab-scale experimental results on am optimim treatment method for the recovery of biogas and humus. Problems related to food waste are ever Increasing quantity among municipal solid wastes(MSW) and high moisture and salt contents. Thus our food waste produces large amounts of leachate and bed odor in landfill sites which are being exhausted. The easily degradable presorted food waste was efficiently treated in the two-phase anaerobic digestion process. The waste contained in plastic bags was shredded and then screened for the removal of inert material such as fabrics and plastics, and subsequently put into the two-stage reactors. Heavy and light inerts such as bones, shells, spoons and plastic pieces were again removed by gravity differences. The residual organic component was effectively hydrolyzed and acidified in the first reactor with 5 days space time at pH of about 6.5. The second, methanization reactor part of which is filled with anaerobic fillters, converted the acids into methane with pH between 7.4 to 7.8. The space time for the second reactor was 15 days. The effluent from the second reactor was recycled to the first reactor to provide alkalinities. The process showed stable steady state operation with the maximum organic rate of 7.9 $kgVS/m^3day$ and the volatile solid reduction efficiency of about 70%. The total of 3.6 tons presorted MSW containing 2.9 tons of food organic was treated to produce about $230m^3$ of biogas with 70% of methane and 80kg humus. This process is extended to full scale treating 15 tons of food waste a day in Euiwang city and the produced biogas is utilized for the heating/cooling of adjacent buildings.