• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 2004

This study was carried out to survey the pollution of bisphenol A(BPA) and total organic carbon(TOC) in surface sediments around Gwangyang bay. BPA is suspected chemicals as endocrine disruption. Gwangyang bay Is located on the mid south coast of Korea. It is a semi-closed bay which Yeosu petrochemical industrial complex, POSCO(Pohang Steel Company) and Gwangyang container harbor are located. The surface sediments were collected at 15 stations with gravity corer at October, 1999, February, May and August, 2000. Also, the stream and intertidal sediment were collected at 5 sites at August, 2000. Concentrations of BPA in surface sediments were in the range of 0.46 to 24.59 ng/g dry wt.. Seasonal range(mean value) of BPA are 0.59 to 9.00(1.88) ng/g dry wt. at October, 0.99 to 2.97(1.57) ng/g dry wt. at February, 0.46 to 24.59(2.53)ng/g dry wt. at May and 0.54 to 2.46 (1.29)ng/g dry wt. at August. BPA was seasonally fluctuated, and the highest mean value and range were detected at May, 2000. BPA was highly distributed in the inner part of Kwangyang bay than Yosu sound. Concentrations of BPA in stream and intertidal sediments showed the highest value in downstream near Yochon petrochemical industrial complex and Yondung stream. It suggests that the source of BPA are industrial wastewater and municipal sewage. TOC in surface sediments were in the range of 0.09∼1.22%. There was no any correlation between the BPA and TOC.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.690-695
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• 2018

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) composed of O3 and UV were applied to degrade penicillin (PEN). The degradation efficiency was evaluated in terms of changes in the absorbance (ABS) and total organic carbon (TOC). The combination of $O_3/H_2O_2/UV$ and $O_3/UV$ showed the best performance for the reduction of ABS (100% for 9 min) and TOC (70% for 60 min) values, although the mineralization was uncompleted under the experimental condition in this study. The change in biotoxicy was monitored with Escherichia coli susceptibility and Vibrio fischeri biofluorescence. The E. coli susceptibility was eliminated completely for 9 min by $O_3/UV$, and the toxicity to V. fischeri biofluorescence was 57% reduced by $O_3/H_2O_2/UV$. For the ultimate treatment of PEN, it is suggested that an AOP using $O_3/UV$ is followed by biological treatment, utilizing the enhanced biodegradability by the AOP. During 30 min of $O_3/UV$ treatment, the $BOD_5/COD$ ratio as an indication of biodegradability showed about 4-fold increment, compared to that of using a non-treated sample. TOC removal rate for AOP-pretreated PEN wastewater increased 55% compared to that of using the non-pretreated one through an aerobic biological treatment by Pseudomonas putida for artificial wastewater containing 20 mg/L of PEN. In conclusion, $O_3/UV$ process is recommended as a pretreatment step prior to an aerobic biological process to improve the ultimate degradation of penicillin.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.762-776
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• 2013

Load duration curve was applied to determine important water quality parameter control term for improvement of Paldang lake water quality. Load duration curve was analyzed with long term data from 1985 to 2012 including water quality, flow rate and climate state of Paldang water environment. From the result of flow rate patterns of paldang lake, differences between high and low flow rate of each year showed tendency of increase because rainfall characteristics of paldang lake watershed were changed by climate exchange. Both of land use state of upper Paldang lake watershed and number of limit excess from load duration curve indicated that seasonal action related with land use such as agricultural fertilizer distribution in upper watershed affected Paldang lake water quality. So focused BOD (biological oxygen demand) management during spring season from march to June is required to control organic materials in Paldand lake. The main affecting factor of TOC (total organic carbon) increase in Paldang lake was initial rainfall after march. T-N (total nitrogen) kept increasing during research period, so enhancement of T-N standard is needed to T-N control. Initial rainfall and increase of temperature during spring season from March to June showed a positive correlation with TP (total phosphorus) and Chl-a, respectively.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2023

Due to water shortages caused by water pollution and climate change, total organic carbon (TOC) standards have been implemented for wastewater discharged from public sewage treatment facilities. Furthermore, there is a growing interest and body of research pertaining to the reuse of sewage treatment water as a secure alternative water resource. The membrane bio-reactor (MBR) method is commonly used for advanced wastewater treatment because it can remove organic and inorganic ions and it does not require or emit any chemicals. However, the MBR process uses a separation membrane (MF), which requires frequent film cleaning due to fouling caused by a high concentration of mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS). In this study, process improvement and microbubble cleaning efficiency were evaluated to improve the differential pressure, water flow, and MF fouling, which are the biggest disadvantages of operating the MF. The existing MBR method was improved by installing a precipitation tank between the air tank and the MBR tank in which raw water was introduced. Microbubbles were injected into a separation membrane tank into which the supernatant water from the precipitation tank was introduced. The microbubble generator was operated with a 15 day on, 15 day off cycle for 5 months to collect discharged water samples (4L) and measure TOC. As the supernatant water from the precipitation tank flowed into the separation membrane tank, about 95% of the supernatant water MLSS was removed so the MF fouling from biological contamination was prevented. Due to the application of microbubbles to supernatant water from the precipitation tank, the differential pressure of the separation membrane tank decreased by 1.6 to 2.3 times and the water flow increased by 1.4 times. Applying microbubbles increased the TOC removal rate by more than 58%. This study showed that separately operating the air tank and the separation membrane tank can reduce fouling, and suggested that applying additional microbubbles could improve the differential pressure, water flow, and fouling to provide a more efficient advanced treatment method.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.1 s.176
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• pp.53-61
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• 2006

Geochemical and sedimentological analyses of sediment piston core were used to trace paleoceanographic environmental changes in the East China Sea. The analytical results revealed three lithostratigraphic units (I, II, and III) corresponding to a highstand stage, a transgressive stage, and a lowstand stage, respectively. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) $^{14}C$ dated the boundaries between the units as 7 ka and II ka. That is, Unit I extended from the present to 7 ka, Unit II occupied a transitional episode from 7 to 11 ka, and Unit III was older than 11 ka. The transitional episode was characterized by sudden fluctuations in various geochemical proxies. Most strikingly, there was a gradual upward increase in both carbonate and total organic carbon (TOe) contents post-7 ka, during which time the ${\delta}^{l3}C$ values of organic material increased to a constant value. The gradual upward increase in the TOC and $CaCO_3$ contents in Unit I were accompanied by slight variations in grain size that probably reflect a stable modern oceanographic environment. Within Unit II (7 to 11 ka), the geochemical signals were characterized by abrupt and steep fluctuations, typical of a transgressive stage. Vertical mixing may have provoked an increase in productivity during this interval, with large amounts of terrigenous organic matter and/or freshwater being supplied by neighboring rivers. The geochemical signals remained stable throughout Unit III but exhibited different patterns than signals in Unit I. The high terrigenous organic matter content of Unit III suggests correspondence to a lowstand stage.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2020

Artificial and natural changes such as weir construction and climate change often cause abnormal blooming of organism. Therefore, variations in species community of organisms have been actively investigated to identify influential environmental changes on the fresh water ecosystem. In this study, we investigated Chironomidae community and environmental factors at 5 representative weirs (Ipo, IP; Sejong, SJ; Juksan, JS; Gangjeong-goryung, GG; and Dalsung weir) in 4 Korean major rivers to figure out relationship between Chironomidae community and environmental factors. Environmental factors indicating organic matter (total organic carbon, TOC and Chlorophyll-a, Chl-a) showed lower concentration in IP and SJ compared with other sites(JS, GG and DS). 3 sub-family 18 genus 25 species of Chironomidae community were found in this study. Among them, Chironominae was dominant in JS (Tanytarsus sp.1), GG (Polypedilum scalaenum) and DS (Polypedilum scalaenum), while different sub-family were dominant in IP (Orthcladinae, Tokunagayusurika akamushi) and SJ (Tanypodinae, Tanypus punctipennis). Moreover, based on the dominant species of Chironomidae community and environmental factors, the cluster analysis classified our study sites into 3 groups. These results imply that the diet resource is the most important factor for dominance of Chironomidae in Korean rivers. We also suggest that further study on the identification of diet resources for each Chironomidae specie is required for better understating of distribution in species community of Chironomidae at various ecosystems.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.432-439
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• 2018

Metal catalysts such as Fe, Co, Mn, and Pd supported on the activated carbon (AC) were prepared to improve functional groups for the chemical adsorption and catalytic ozonation. Following ascending orders of the phenol decomposition rate, dissolved ozone decomposition ratio and TOC (total organic carbon) removal from experimental results of advanced oxidation process (AOP) were observed: Fe-AC < AC < Co-AC < Mn-AC < Pd-AC. BET analysis results showed that the physical properties of the metal impregnated activated carbon had no effect on the catalytic ozonation, and the catalytic effect was dependent on the kind of impregnated metal. The ratio of the formed concentration of OH radical to that of ozone (RCT) was measured by using the decomposition outcome of p-chlorobenzoic acid, a probe compound that reacts rapidly with OH radical but slowly with ozone. The measured values of RCT were $5.48{\times}10^{-9}$ and $1.47{\times}10^{-8}$ for the ozone alone and activated carbon processes, respectively, and $2.13{\times}10^{-9}$, $1.51{\times}10^{-8}$, $4.77{\times}10^{-8}$, and $5.58{\times}10^{-8}$ for Fe-AC, Co-AC, Mn-AC, and Pd-AC processes, respectively.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2018

The phosphogypsum (PG) is a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizers manufacture. The world production estimated to 200 million tons per year induces environmental threats and storage problems, which requires strict policies to limit pollution and encourage its valorization. This paper presents a purification process of the crude PG including treatment with a diluted sulfuric acid, floatation, filtration and washing. The purified PG is used to produce plaster. The process optimization was conducted using a full factorial design. The significant factors considered in the experimental study are temperature ($X_1$), volume of sulfuric acid solution ($X_2$) and PG quantity ($X_3$). The main effects and interaction effects of these factors on the responses of the % $P_2O_5$, % F, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) ($mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) and pH were analyzed. The optimum conditions for $X_1$, $X_2$ and $X_3$ were found to be $60^{\circ}C$, 3 L and 1 kg, respectively and the optimized pH values was found to be 6.2. Under these conditions, 60% of $P_2O_5$, 95% of Fluorine and 98% of TOC were removed from PG. The predicted values were found approximately the same as the experimental ones. The plaster produced with purified PG was found to have similar properties to that produced from natural gypsum.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.502-509
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• 1997

Aromatic pollutants(benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) were photodegraded by using a UV oxidation and the rates of degradation were investigated under various reaction conditions. Each of the solution containing 50 ppm benzene, 150 ppm ethylbenzene and 250 ppm xylenes was found UV-photodegraded over 90% in 1 hour of reaction time, wheras the only was 43 % degradation was obtained with 350 ppm toluene solution. A single component solution was more degradable than a mixed component solution and benzene was almost photodegraded at a pH 4.0, 6.4 and 10.0 after reaction time is 1 hr, ehtylbenzene was photodegraded about 92%(pH 4.0), 90%(pH 6.4) and 91%(pH 10.0), xylenes was photodegraded about 95%(pH 4.0), 90%(pH 6.4) and 92%(pH 10.0), but toluene was photodegraded about 80%(pH 4.0), 43%(pH 6.4) and 70%(pH 10.0), respectively. Kinetics studies show that the rate of decay in TOC(total organic carbon) were pseudo first-order rate except ethylbenzene, and then we could evaluate mineralization rate constants(k) of aromatics.

• Clean Technology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2008

We investigated the reduction of pollutants such as TOC (total organic carbon) and decolorization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) by photocatalytic oxidation. The optimal values of major parameters for the reaction were obtained including the concentration of RB5, the amount of $TiO_2$ dosage and pH of solution. The values were 100 mg/L, 2 g/L and 4.9, respectively. As the concentration of oxygen increased, removal rate of pollutants increased. After $TiO_2$ was regenerated and used again by micro filtration (MF) ceramic membrane, the removal efficiency of color and removal rate of pollutants did not decrease significantly.