• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was to find out the influence on eyes of indoor air quality in college students taking course, such as Sick-building syndrome symptoms and effects on the eye in new-built university buildings. Methods: We selected a new building in a university located in Metro Seoul and college students in a department for the study. The number of total participants was 33, to whom questionnaire surveys were conducted in advance to check individual traits (gender, age, whether to smoke, whether to wear contact lenses, or whether to drink). The first questionnaire surveys and checking of ocular symptoms to first indoor hazardous materials were conducted in October and two months later the second surveys and checking were carried out in December. The indoor air quality was measured when conducting the first questionnaire surveys and the second questionnaire surveys; especially measurements of gaseous materials such as aldehydes and VOCs in the indoor air were conducted. Results: Indoor air quality of the new building was as follows: formaldehyde level was 22.90 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in the first measurement and 16.79 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in the second measurement. In addition, most materials showed higher value in the first measurement. The level of TVOC was statistically significant (p<0.05) decreased on 448.54 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in the first and 62.55 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in the second. In clinical assessments to check ocular symptoms caused by eye irritations, dry eye syndrome was found in the first and second exposures. When comparing the first and second assessments, dry eyes deteriorated in the morning of the second attempt compared to the first one. Conclusions: In the survey of ocular symptoms and the measurement of indoor air quality, the level of formaldehyde was measured higher in the second attempt than the first; thus, it was confirmed the influence of indoor air quality in a new building upon ocular symptoms of occupants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1126-1133
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• 2010

A two-stage biofilter was constructed and utilized to determine the removal efficiency when treating dynamic loading of a mixture of odorous compounds including benzene, toluene, p-xylene, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. A yeast strain, Candida tropicalis, and a sulfur oxidizing bacterial (SOB) strain, Acidithiobacillus caldus sp., were immobilized in polyurethane media and packed in the two-stage biofilter. The experiment of dynamic loading variation was composed of (1) stepwise loading variation of all the odorous compounds (total EC test), (2) stepwise loading variation of each odorous compound, and (3) intermittent loading variation with 2-day-off and 3-day-on. The total EC test showed that the maximum elimination capacity was $61\;g/m^3/hr$ for total VOCs, and 5.2 and $9.1\;g/m^3/hr$ for ammonia and hydrogen, respectively. In addition, the inhibition between VOCs was observed when the loading of each individual VOC was varied. Especially the stepwise increase in toluene loading resulted in decreases of benzene and p-xylene removal efficiencies about 30% and 25%, respectively. However, the inhibition between organic and inorganic compounds was not observed. The intermittent loading variation with 2-day-off and 3-day-on showed that greater than 95% of the overall removal efficiency was restored in two days after the loading resumed. Consequently, the two-stage biofilter packed with immobilized microorganisms showed advantages over conventional biofilters for the simultaneous treatment of the mixture of organic and inorganic odorous compounds.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.36-44
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate thermal stability, reactivity, and bonding strength of existing epoxy resin mixed with the epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) in order to use soybean oil economically. In the dry shear test, the marked strengths showed $30.5kgf/cm^2$ at the ratio of ESBO to epoxy resin 9 : 1 and $6.2kgf/cm^2$ at the ratio 8 : 2. The bonding strengths of the others, except mixing ratios 2 : 8 and 1 : 9, exceeded the requirement of Korean plywood standard of $7.0kgf/cm^2$. In the wet shear test, the result was $5.8kgf/cm^2$ at the ratio 9 : 1. There were no thickness swelling and moisture absorption in the water resistance of the film. The value of activation energy, Tg (${\Delta}E$), by DSC analysis showed between $110^{\circ}C$ and $120^{\circ}C$ through all ratios. Epoxy in the epoxy resin fully reacted with the hardener (TETA), but it is difficult to decide that epoxys in the ESBO were reacted directly with the hardener from FT-IR analysis. As the mixing ratio of ESBO increased, the thermal stabilities dropped from TGA analysis. From the comprehensive view on the results of above experiments, it could be confirmed through experiments that the ESBO in the mixed adhesive of epoxy resin/ESBO played a role as an extending agent level of epoxy adhesive, and we were able to know that in order to utilize ESBO as an adhesive, a study should be performed on the condition of hardening, inducible of the hardening reaction.