• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.61-69
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• 2005

Changes in pyrene binding by dissolved and kaolinite-associated humic substances (HS) due to HS adsorptive fractionation processes were examined using purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) at different pH (4, 7 and 9). Irrespective of solution pH, molecular weight (MW) fractionation occurred upon adsorption of PAHA onto kaolinite, resulting in the deviation of residual PAHA MW from the original MW prior to sorption. Variation in $K_{OC}$ by bulk PAHA was observed at different pH due to relative contributions of partitioning and size exclusion effects (i.e., specific interactions). For all pH conditions investigated, carbon-normalized pyrene binding coefficients for nonadsorbed, residual fractions $(K_{OC}(res))$ were different from the original dissolved PAHA $K_{OC}$ value $(K_{OC}(orig))$ prior to contact with the kaolinite suspensions. Positive correlations between pyrene $(K_{OC}(res))$ and weight-average molecular weight $(MW_W)$ for residual PAHA fractions were observed for pH 7 and 9. However, such a positive correlation was not found at pH 4 due to the absence of the dramatic fractionation observed for high pH conditions (i.e., exclusive fractionation with respect to higher MW), suggesting that actual MW distribution pattern is more important for sorption-fractionated HS than the composite MW value. For adsorbed PAHA, conformational changes of PAHA upon adsorption seem to be important for the extent of pyrene binding. At relatively high pH (7 and 9), lower extent of pyrene binding was observed for adsorbed PAHA versus nonadsorbed PAHA. The conformation effects were more pronounced at higher pH.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2012

Microbial changes in the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the subsequent effects on the conditional stability constants of copper were investigated using 14 day-incubations of Pony Lake fulvic acid (PLFA), Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and the mixtures of the humic substances and glucose. After incubation, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were diminished, and specific UV absorbance values and DOC-normalized fluorescence intensities increased. The microbial changes were minimal for the samples contaning humic substances only whereas they were much pronounced for the mixtures with glucose. The extent of the changes increased with a higher content of glucose in the mixtures. The same trend was observed even for glucose solution. Our results suggest that labile organic moieties may be transformed into more chromophoric and humidified components by biodegradation. For the mixture samples, the copper binding stability constants did not change or even decreased after incubation. Therefore, microbially induced enrichment of the fulvic- and humic-like carbon structures in DOM appears to result in little change or the decrease of the copper binding coefficients.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.189-199
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• 2000

To search for the antifungal substances, various actino-mycete isolates were obtained from various soils of Korea using plate dilution method on the humic acid vitamin agar plates. In the screening procedures using a dual culture method, 32 actionomycete isolates were selected, which showed the inhibitory activity against mycelial growth of plant pathogenic fungi Altirnaria mali, Colletotrichum gloeosporides, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cucumerinum, Magnaporthe grisea, Phytophthora capsici, and Rhizoctonia solani. Bioassay of the crude extracts from culture filtrates and mycelial mets revealed that 12 antagonistic actionomycetes produced highly active antifungal substances. Actinomycete strain S5-55 which showed the substantial antifungal activity against the tested fungi was selected for production of the antifungal substances. Based on the cytochemical and morphological characteristics, strain S5-55 was identified as a Streptomyces species. The results of the numerical identification using the TAXON program confirmed that Streptomyces strain S5-55 was identical with Streptomyces humidus including in TAXON major cluster 19. The production of antifungal substance was most favorable when S. humidus strain S5-55 was cultivated for 10 dats on soluble starch broth supplemented with $K_2$HPO$_4$. The antifungal substances active against the plant pathogenic fungi P. capsici and M. grisea were partially purified using $\textrm{C}_{18}$ reversed-phase column chromatography.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2007

A feasibility test was conducted to evaluate the addition of turbidity substance in a coagulation process to remove natural organic matters (NOM), the precursor of disinfection by-products (DBPs). The experimental water sources were synthetic water containing 5 mg/L of humic acid and 50 mg/L of NaHCO3 and drinking water resource of Ulsan city (S Dam water, D Dam water and Nak-Dong raw water). The examined turbidity substances were kaolin, acid clay, and modified clay (0.38 meq $NH_4{^+}-N/g$ clay). In Jar tests at different concentrations of the turbidity substances (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 mg/L) using the synthetic water, the turbidity substances improved the removal of turbidity, UV-254 absorbance and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 23.8-38.1%, 17.0-24.5% and 2.5-44.5%, respectively. The modified clay showed higher removal efficiencies than other substances. In Jar tests using the drinking water, 10 and 20 mg/L of modified clay enhanced the removal efficiencies of turbidity, UV-254 absorbance, DOC, trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), and haloacetic acid formation potential (HAAFP) by 3.0~4.3%, 19.1~29.0%, 12~34.9%, 4.9~36.7%, and 1.6~30.2%, respectively.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2002

The study was performed to evaluate the effect of landfill leachate on the hydraulic conductivity of Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) with two types of leachate. GCL used in waste landfills have a significant ability as a barrier material, however, they also have a potential danger when exposed to some organic and inorganic leachate as well as humic materials. In this study, swelling tests and hydraulic conductivity tests were performed to evaluate the effect of humic materials and landfill leachate on the hydraulic characteristics of the GCL. The result of swelling tests showed that the amount of humic materials and high electronic conductivity caused a decrease of the swelling of bentonite. This is expected to increase the hydraulic conductivity of GCL. The increasing of hydraulic conductivity observed for GCL permeated with 0-leachate was significantly higher than that of Y-leachate. This result shows that humic materials are obviously affecting with the increasing of hydraulic conductivity of GCL.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2012

This study investigated the characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) with general water characteristics (pH, DO, electrical conductivity, BOD, COD, TN, TP, Chl-$a$, DOC, $UV_{254}$, SUVA) and the 3D fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (FEEM) in the Yeongsan River basin. FEEM was used to classify protein-like and fulvic & humiclike substances with fluorescence intensity in the matrix of excitation and emission wavelength. The concentration of BOD, COD, TN, electrical conductivity and DOC in the region of Gwangju city (Gwangju sewage treatment plant: GJS, Gwangjucheon: GJC, Gwangju 2: GJ2) was relatively higher than the upper reaches and lower reaches of the Yeongsan River basin. SUVA in most sites was lower than 3 L $mg^{-1}\;m^{-1}$ as the hydrophilic substances, except Damyang (DY) in the upper reaches of Yeongsan river was higher than 3 L $mg^{-1}\;m^{-1}$ as the hydrophobic substances during winter and autumn. In the FEEM investigation the fulvic and humic substances were found in most sites, and in sites regarding Gwangju city (GJS, GJC, GJ2) during winter and GJC in summer, protein-like substances were found. The trend of fluorescence intensities from the upper reaches to the lower reaches in most sites corresponded to that regarding the concentration of water characteristics (BOD, COD, TN, DOC). That is why the region of Gwangju city (GJS, GJC, GJ2) was relatively higher. This results were an equivalent trend to those of fluorescence index (FI) in most sites, and the higher FIs in the sites of Gwangju city indicate more microbial-derived substances due to enormous effluent organic matters (EfOM) from huge Gwangju sewage treatment plants.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2003

Humic and fulvic acids present in soils of different depth were extracted and their acidic functional groups and structural characteristics were analyzed and compared. The purpose of this study was to present a basic data needed to evaluate the effect of humic substances on depth distribution and migrational behaviour of radioactive elements deposited on soil. Acidic functional groups of the humic and fulvic acids were analyzed by pH titration method, and their proton exchange capacity (PEC, $mq\;g^{-1}$) and average $pK_a$ values were obtained. Structural characteristics of the humic and fulvic acids were analyzed using their CPMAS $^{13}C$ NMR spectra and elemental composition data. pH titration data showed that fulvic acids have higher acidic functional group contents ranging from 5.5 to $7.0meq\;g^{-1}$ compared with that of humic acids ($3.8{\sim}4.8meq\;g^{-1}$). From depth profiles, it has been found that PEC values of humic acids in deeper soil (> 8 cm) were higher than those at the surface soils. Elemental compositions (H/C ratio) and spectral features ($C_{arom}/C_{aliph}$ ratio) obtained from CPMAS $^{13}C$ NMR spectra showed that the aromatic character in humic acids was a relatively higher than that of fulvic acids, while lower in carboxyl carbon content. The aromatic character and carboxyl carbon contents of humic acids tend to increase as soil depth increased, but those of fulvic acid showed little differences by the soil depth range.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.353-360
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• 2003

The concentration of $^{137}Cs$, the particle size, and the contents of TOC, H, N and S were measured for sediments collected in the adjacent sea to Yangnam, Korea. The concentrations of $^{137}Cs$ in sediments are in the range of $^{137}Cs$ for sediments strongly depend on particle size and TOC content of sediments. The results of multiple regression analysis suggest that humic substances may have great influence on the deposition of $^{137}Cs$ in sediment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.355-362
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• 2021

This study investigated the fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a water reclamation facility (WRF) in Korea. The WRF consists of coagulation, sedimentation, microfiltration, and reverse osmosis (RO) components. The production capacity of WRF is 90,000 m³/day. The reclaimed water is reused as industrial water. We also characterized DOM in raw, processed, and finished waters based on analysis of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UVA₂₅₄), fluorescence excitation emission matrix (FEEM), and DOC fractions via liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD). Based on the results of DOC, UVA₂₅₄, and FEEM analyses, neither the coagulation/sedimentation nor the microfiltration at the WRF effectively removed DOM. The RO process removed more than 94% of DOM. The raw water (i.e., secondary treated effluent obtained from a wastewater treatment plant) exhibited tryptophan-like peaks, which are a promising marker of wastewater, in the FEEM analysis. Coagulation and microfiltration failed to eliminate the wastewater marker, whereas RO completely removed it. The raw water also carried high levels (89.4%) of hydrophilic and low-molecular weight substances, which are difficult to remove via coagulation-sedimentation or microfiltration. Humic substance was a major component of the hydrophilic fractions. Based on the LC-OCD analysis, RO effectively removed the humic and polymeric materials from DOM.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.12-19
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• 2004

Binding mechanisms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) and its ultrafiltration (UF) size fractions were investigated. Organic carbon normalized binding coefficient ($K_oc$) values were estimated by both a conventional Stern-Volmer fluorescence quenching technique and a modified fluorescence quenching method. Pyrene $K_oc$ values depended on PAHA concentration as well as freely dissolved pyrene concentration. Such nonlinear sorption-type behaviors suggested the existence of specific interactions. Smaller molecular size PAH (naphthalene) exhibited higher $K_oc$ value with medium-size PAHA UF fractions whereas larger size PAH (pyrene) had higher extent of binding with larger PAHA UF fractions. The inconsistent observation for naphthalene versus pyrene was well explained by size exclusion effect, one of the previously suggested specific mechanisms for PAH binding. In general, the extent of pyrene binding increased with lower pH likely due to the neutralization of acidic functional groups in HS and the subsequent increase in hydrophobic HS region. However, pyrene $K_oc$ results with a large UF fraction (>100K Da) corroborated the existence of the size exclusion effect as demonstrated by an increase in $K_oc$ values at a certain higher pH range. The size exclusion effect appears to be effective only for the specific conditions (HS size or pH) that render HS hole st겨ctures to fit a target PAH.