• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.91-101
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• 2000

The emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are wastewater treatment plants. sanitary landfills, automobile industries, and so on. The VOCs are harmful to human beings because of their toxicity and carcinogenicity, and cause the serious air pollution problem producing ozone ($O_3$) as a result of photochemical reaction. To investigate the emission of VOCs from wastewater treatment plant, aeration basins at the City of Los Angeles' Hyperion Treatment Plant were selected and measured flux was compared with calculated flux. For compounds commonly associated with wastewater (DCM, TCM, PCE, UM, DCB, UND) and not expected in vehicle exhaust or ambient air coming off the ocean, concentrations immediately downwind of the aeration basins were a factor of ten or higher than those measured in the upwind air. The airborne flux of less degradable or non-biodegradable compounds, e.g., DCE, DCM, TCA, DCA, TCM, PCE, DCB, through an imaginary plane at the downwind side of the aeration basins was in agreement with the estimated flux from measured liquid phase concentrations. Henry's constant. aeration rate, and an assumption of bubble saturation. For several compounds (PCE, DCE, TCA), the ratio (measured flux/calculated flux) is almost unity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.747-753
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate the removal characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the gasphase biofilters, and to propose a stoichiometric analysis approach to characterize biological reaction through carbon mass balance. The VOCs studied were toluene, styrene, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) as a single substrate for each biofilter. The critical loading rate was determined to be $46.9\;g/m^3{\cdot}hr$, $25.8\;g/m^3{\cdot}hr$, $96.3\;g/m^3{\cdot}hr$, and $66.5\;g/m^3{\cdot}hr$ for toluene, styrene, MEK, and MIBK, respectively. The obtained results indicated that the critical loading rate was well correlated the octanol-water partition coefficient. In the analysis of carbon mass balance, carbon recovery to $CO_2$ became relatively lower as substrate loadings increased, but higher for carbon recovery to biomass. Stoichiometric analysis revealed that biomass yield increased as substrate loadings increased, and its coefficient (g biomass/g substrate) varied from 0.31 to 0.57 for toluene, 0.29 to 0.57 for styrene, 0.08 to 0.56 for MEK, and 0.14 to 0.53 for MIBK.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2002

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are an important public health problem throughout the world. Many important questions remain to be addressed in assessing exposure to these compounds. Because they are ubiquitous and highly volatile, special techniques must be applied in the analytical determination of VOCs. Personal exposure measurements are needed to evaluate the relationship between microenvironmental concentrations and actual exposures. It is also important to investigate exposure frequency, duration, and intensity, as well as personal exposure characteristics. In addition to air monitoring, biological monitoring may contribute significantly to risk assessment by allowing estimation of absorbed doses, rather than just the external exposure concentrations, which are evaluated by environmental and personal monitoring. This study was conducted to establish the analytic procedure of VOCs in air, blood, urine and exhaled breath and to evaluate the relationships among these environmental media. The subjects of this study were selected because they are occupationally exposed to high levels of VOCs. Environmental, personal, blood, urine and exhalation samples were collected. Purge ＆ trap, thermal desorber, gas chromatography and mass selective detector were used to analyze the collected samples. Analytical procedures were validated with the“break through test”, 'quot;recovery test for storage and transportation”,“method detection limit test”and“inter-laboratory QA/QC study”. Assessment of halogenated compounds indicted that they were significantly correlated to each other (p value < 0.01). In a similar manner, aromatic compounds were also correlated, except in urine sample. Linear regression was used to evaluate the relationships between personal exposures and environmental concentrations. These relationships for aromatic and halogenated are as follows: Halogen $s_{personal}$ = 3.875+0.068Halogen $s_{environmet}$, ($R^2$= .930) Aromatic $s_{personal}$ = 34217.757-31.266Aromatic $s_{environmet}$, ($R^2$= .821) Multiple regression was used to evaluate the relationship between exposures and various exposure deter-minants including, gender, duration of employment, and smoking history. The results of the regression model-ins for halogens in blood and aromatics in urine are as follows: Halogen $s_{blood}$ = 8.181+0.246Halogen $s_{personal}$+3.975Gender ($R^2$= .925), Aromatic $s_{urine}$ = 249.565+0.135Aromatic $s_{personal}$ -5.651 D.S ($R^2$ = .735), In conclusion, we have established analytic procedures for VOC measurement in biological and environmental samples and have presented data demonstrating relationships between VOCs levels in biological media and environmental samples. Abbreviation GC/MS, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer; VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds; OVM, Organic Vapor Monitor; TO, Toxic Organicsapor Monitor; TO, Toxic Organics.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.565-571
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• 2010

An innovative application of surfactant-enhanced air sparging(SEAS) technique was developed in this study. Using a laboratory-scale physical model packed with water-saturated sand, air sparging was implemented to remove water-dissolved toluene that was introduced into a specific depth of the system with finite vertical width prior to sparging. An anionic surfactant(Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) was introduced into the contaminated layer as in dissolved form in the toluene-contaminated solution for SEAS, whereas no surfactant was applied in the control experiment. Due to the suppressed surface tension of water in the surfactant(and toluene)-containing region, the toluene removal rate increased significantly compared to those without surfactant. More than 70% of the dissolved toluene was removed from the contaminated layer for SEAS application while less than 20% of toluene was removed for the experiment without surfactant. Air intrusion into the contaminated layer during sparging was found to be more effective than that without surfactant, enhancing air contact with toluene-contaminated water, which resulted in improved volatilization of contaminant. This new method is expected to open a new option for remediation of VOC(volatile organic compound)-contaminated aquifer.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.542-551
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• 2005

This study is to investigate the characteristics of emission concentration according to wallpaper sort and emission time using small chamber method. The target compounds included 45 VOCs and formaldehyde, which were respectively determined by adsorption sampling and thermal desorption coupled with GC/MS method, and by sampling in DNPH cartridge and HPLC method. The emission factor of TVOC and HCHO was detected to $1.1mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ and $0.01mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ respectively, and the wallpapers of 25 satisfied emission standard. TVOC emission factor appeared in order of the concentration of PVC, natural, and Non-PVC wallpaper, while HCHO was detected very low concentration without relation to wallpaper sort. The paraffin hydrocarbons appeared to be the most contributable class of hydrocarbons in terms of their concentrations, followed by aromatics, and olefins, halogenated hydrocarbons was not detected. PVC wallpapers plentifully emitted TVOC above other wallpapers, and toluene was showed higher concentration of 10 times than natural wallpaper. In addition to, emission factor according to elapse was gradually decreased.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 2000

In this study, we collected the tap water that treated from water plant in Seoul, Incheon, Taejon, Kwangju, Taeku and Pusan and supplied each house. The sampling period was June and September, 1997. The concentration of THMs formed by chlorination in drinking water was determined with the purge and trap method with GC/MSD recommended by the us EPA 542.2 method. Chloroform is the most of THMs (47.43%~93.11%) and the content order is bromodichloromethane > chlorodibromomethane > bromoform. In Incheon, Taejon, Kwangju, Taeku and Pusan, the content of bromodichloromethane, chlorodibromomethane and bromoform was higher than Seoul. But, in June and September, the concentration of THMs in six cities is not over Korea Drinking Water Regulation $100{\mu}g/L$. The calculated human exposure for each substances were chloroform $6.14{\times}10^{-4}mg/kg/day$, bromodichloromethane $1.01{\times}10^{-4}mg/kg/day$, chlorodibromomethane $0.29{\times}10^{-4}mg/kg/day$, bromoform $0.01{\times}10^{-4}mg/kg/day$ and THMs $7.98{\times}10^{-4}mg/kg/day$.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.266-274
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• 2014

To extend the understanding of the pyrolysis mechanism of wood, we have investigated wood dust charcoal and condensate of volatile organic compounds (VOC) obtained during the pyrolysis of red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) at $180{\sim}450^{\circ}C$ using elemental analysis, IR and GC/Mass. The effect of activation process on the charcoal structure also has been studied by comparing elemental analysis and IR data of charcoal carbonated at $600^{\circ}C$ and charcoals activated at $750^{\circ}C$. The results show that pyrolysis of wood has mainly started near at $240^{\circ}C$ and its chemical components did not changed much up to $270^{\circ}C$. However, the element contents and IR spectra drastically changed at $300^{\circ}C$. The fact that IR peaks related to the aromatic ring of lignin are observed in the charcoal pyrolized at $450^{\circ}C$ indicates that a small part of lignin still remains at this temperature. The chemical structure of the activated charcoal seems almost unaffected by the activation time.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.298-298
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• 2013

Finding renewable and clean energy resources is essential research to solve global warming and depletion of fossil fuels in modern society. Recently, complex harvesting of energy from multiple sources is available in our living environments using a single device has become highly desirable, representing a new trend in energy technologies. We report that when simultaneously driving the fusion and composite cells of two or more types, it is possible to make an affect the other cells to obtain a greater synergistic effect. To understand the coupling effect of photovoltaic and piezoelectric device, we fabricate the serially integrated hybrid cell (s-HC) based on organic solar cell (OSC) and piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG). The size of increased voltage peaks when OSC and PNG are working on is larger than the case when only PNG is working. This voltage difference is the Voc change of OSC, not the voltage change of PNG and current density difference between these two cases is manifested more clearly. When the OSC and PNG are working in s-HC at the same time, piezoelectric potential (VPNG) is generated in ZnO and theoretical total voltage is sum of voltage of an OSC (VOSC) and VPNG. However, electrons from OSC are influenced by piezoelectric potential in ZnO and current loss of OSC in whole circuit decreases. As a result, VOSC increases temporarily. Current shows the similar behavior. PNG acts a resistance in the whole circuit and current loss occurs when the electrons from OSC pass through the PNG. But piezoelectric potential recover current loss and decrease the resistance of PNG. Our PNG can maintain piezoelectric potential when the strain is held owing to the LDH layer while general PNG cannot maintain piezoelectric potential. During the section that strain is held, voltage enhancement effect is maintained and same effect appeared even turn off the light. Actually at this time, electrons in ZnO nanosheets move to LDH and trapped by the positive charges in this layer. After this strain is held, piezoelectric potential of ZnO nanosheets is disappeared but potential difference which is developed by negative charge dominant LDH layer is remained. This potential acts similar role like piezoelectric potential in ZnO. Electrons from the OSC also are influenced by this potential and the more current flows.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.476-483
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• 2010

Total bacterial populations were cultured from the Hydroball cultivation media in the rhizospheres of 9 different plants including $Hedera$ $helix$ L. and $Dracaena$ $deremensis$ cv. Warneckii Compacta, etc. These cultured bacterial populations were studied to test if the bacterial populations in the plant growing pots may play a role on removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and toluene in the air. To meet this objective, first, we tested the possibility of removal of VOCs by the cultured total bacteria alone. The residual rates of benzene by the inoculation of total bacterial populations from the different plant growth media were significantly different, ranging from 0.741-1.000 of $Spathiphyllum$ $wallisii$ 'Regal', $Pachira$ $aquatica$, $Ficus$ $elastica$, $Dieffenbachia$ sp. 'Marrianne' Hort., $Chamaedorea$ $elegans$, compared to the control with residual rate of 0.596 (LSD, $P$=0.05). This trend was also similar with toluene, depending on different plants. Based on these results, we inoculated the bacterial population cultured from $P.$ $aquatica$ into the plant-growing pots of $P.$ $aquatica$, $F.$ $elastica$, and $S.$ $podophyllum$ inside the chamber followed by the VOCs injection. The inoculated bacteria had significant effect on the removal of benzene and toluene, compared to the removal efficacy by the plants without inoculation, indicating that microbes in the rhizosphere could play a significant role on the removal of VOCs along with plants.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.799-806
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• 2017

The potential use of modified clays in the adsorption of vapor phase benzene and toluene was investigated. The modified clays OC-CPC, IOC, and Al-PILC were prepared for comparative purposes and were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. It was confirmed the intercalation of the aluminium pillar in IOC and Al-PILC, as well as the introduction of cetylpyridinium. The adsorption studies showed a great affinity of benzene and toluene for OC-CPC due to the hydrophobic character that resulted and also to the increase in the interlaminar distance. IOC showed a lower affinity for the benzene and toluene, followed by Al-PILC. Natual clay had no affinity for benzene and toluene due to its hydrophilic nature. Clay materials having a laminar structure can be chemically modified, changing their physiochemical characteristics, such as interlaminar distance, surface area, pore size, and chemical affinity. In this study, it was focused on obtaining modified clays to be used for the adsorption of volatile organic chemicals.