• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1749-1759
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• 2019

Aspergillus ochraceus biofilm, developed on an inert support, can produce tannase in Khanna medium containing 1.5% (w/v) tannic acid as the carbon source, at an initial pH of 5.0, for 72 h at 28℃. Addition of 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract increased enzyme production. The enzyme in the crude filtrate exhibited the highest activity at 30℃ and pH 6.0. At 50℃, the half-life (T50) was 60 min and it was 260 min at pH 6.0. In general, addition of detergents and surfactants did not affect tannase activity significantly. Tannase has potential applications in various biotechnological processes such as the production of propyl gallate and in the treatment of tannin-rich effluents. The content of tannins and total phenolic compounds in effluents from leather treatment was reduced by 56-83% and 47-64%, respectively, after 2 h of enzyme treatment. The content of tannins and total phenolic compounds in the sorghum flour treated for 120 h with tannase were reduced by 61% and 17%, respectively. Interestingly, the same A. ochraceus biofilm was able to produce tannase for three sequential fermentative process. In conclusion, fungal biofilm is an interesting alternative to produce high levels of tannase with biotechnological potential to be applied in different industrial sectors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.40-49
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• 1997

From water management point of view, the industrialization that we have achieved in the last decades brought out two major changes: water shortage and water quality deterioration. They are getting the big obstacles we must overcome to continuously pursue industrialization for further development in the next century. Many plans using dams and advanced treatment methods have been developed for control of quantity and quality, respectively. In this paper, an alternative is conceptually reviewed which is much different from the plans in regard that the alternative looks at system itself. It is based on an interceptor system coupling with a concept of zero-discharge. This system allows no discharge of wastewaters from point-sources to waterbodies which are very sensitive in terms of water quality. In addition reuse of treated effluents is emphasized to a maximum extent. The application of the system to the Nak-Dong river basin indicated that an interceptor system will need from the middle reaches of the basin where industrialization gets heavier. Since wastewaters are not directly discharged to the river, water quality of the down stream will improve. Treated effluents will be able to be reused at a number of industrial complex which currently get water from the Nak-Dong river. This reuse will help alleviate water shortage. The biggest problem anticipated is cost for building and operating such system. A cost-sharing plan among the beneficiaries is considered. Further research is suggested focusing on detailed engineering and technical matters for potential implementation.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.265-271
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• 2009

Concentrations of industrial, agricultural and natural chemicals have been increasing in secondary effluents without their combined sub-lethal effects having been elucidated. In this study, two assays (the comet and acetylcholinesterase assays) were combined to evaluate the genotoxic and neurotoxic effects of effluent from the Noksan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) on two local marine fish species (flounder and sea eel). The fish were exposed to WWTP secondary effluent that had been diluted with filtered seawater to final concentrations of 1%, 10% and 50%. Analysis of fish samples collected 3 and 5 days after exposure showed that DNA damage occurred in flounder exposed to 50% effluent and in sea eels exposed to 10% or 50% effluent. Furthermore, it was found that acetylcholinesterase (EC:3.1.1.7, AChE) activity decreased in both species when exposed to 10% effluent, indicating the presence of large amounts of genotoxic and neurotoxic chemicals in the effluent. Our results indicate that the comet and AChE assays are promising tools for biomonitoring of secondary effluents.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.305-313
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• 2015

Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify toxicants causing acute toxicity in effluents from the aluminum rolling industry that violate the discharge limits in Korea. Methods: Whole effluent toxicity tests (WET) were conducted on effluent discharged from the aluminum rolling industry following the US EPA WET test methods. We collected effluent samples three times and evaluated acute toxicity by using Daphnia magna. We employed toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) procedures to identify toxicants causing toxicity in the effluent. Results: No specific chemical groups were identified in the seven different manipulations applied to the of wastewater effluent samples showing 1.3 toxic units (TU) according to the TIE phase I procedures. Water quality parameters for water hardness, electric conductivity and heavy metals (Mn) were 4,322 mg/l as $CaCO_3$, 11.39 mS/cm, and $5,551{\mu}g/l$, respectively. Considering water hardness and reference toxicity, high concentrations of Mn can be disqualified from the causative toxicants. Consequently, high ionic concentrations of $Na^+$(1,648 mg/l), $Ca^{2+}$(1,048 mg/l), $Mg^{2+}$(1,428 mg/l) and $SO_4{^{2-}}$(7,472 mg/l) were identified to be causative toxicants. Water hardness and electric conductivity exceed the $EC_{50}$ value obtained by biological toxicity tests using Daphnia magna. Conclusion: According to TIE procedures, high salt concentration is determined to be a major toxicant in the effluent of agro-industrial wastewater treatment plants receiving wastewater from the aluminum rolling industry.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.4665-4674
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to confirm the feasibility of the electro-coagulation process as a pre-treatment for the membrane separation of anaerobic digestion effluents to minimize membrane fouling. The reduction of membrane fouling was evaluated according to the number of electrodes (immersed surface area of electrodes), current density and contact time. In the case of the small surface area of electrodes, the increased electric field strength resulted in a soluble COD increase due to the destruction of the microbial flocs and/or cells, whereas large changes in the soluble COD were not observed in the case of the high surface area of electrodes. On the other hand, the T-P concentration decreased as a result of the precipitation of aluminum ions and phosphates. The membrane permeation flux increased and the fouling resistance (Rc+Rf) decreased with increasing electric current density. Although the particle size of the anaerobic digestion effluent increased slightly, it was not related directly to the reduced fouling phenomena. The main mechanism for the enhanced flux was attributed to the inorganic particulate produced during electrocoagulation, such as $AlPO_4$, which acted as a dynamic membrane deposited on the membrane surface.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.139-144
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• 2003

1, 4-dioxane is a recalcitrant pollutant found in contaminated ground waters and industrial effluents. Conventional water treatment techniques are limited to treat this compound effectively. In this study, $O_3$／$H_2O_2$ oxidation process was used to eliminate 1, 4-dioxane in water and to enhance the biodegradability. Several factors affecting biodegradability enhancement were investigated. The relationship between initial oxidation rate of 1 A-dioxane and BOD enhancement rate has been determined, a kinetic model has been proposed. $H_2O_2$ concentration and pH had a proportional relation with biodegradability of 1, 4-dioxane, but in case of ozone, there was no relationship with biodegradability. 1, 4-Dioxane removal efficiencies had good agreement with the biodegradability.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.215-219
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• 2002

In mid-April, 2000, hundreds of thousands of fish floated dead on the Chungnang River, one of the small branches of the Han River in Seoul. We examined the causes of the accident in detail, through analysis of monitorinq data from the Han River Monitoring Project, which employed the transplanted aquatic moss, Fontinalis antipyretica. This allowed investigation of another possible cause of the fish kill: release of trace metals into the river from industrial sources during the rainfall event. In addition, we aimed to verify the usefulness of aquatic mosses as bioindicators of the event. Water samples collected 48 h after the fish kill exhibited low pH and high Total-N and Total-p, indicating that acidic compounds rich in nitrogen and phosphorus might be a major contaminant. BOD and COD were also very high. On the whole, the conditions of the river water were degraded at that time. Distinct trends were not observed in the chlorophyll phaeophy-tinization quotient and photosynthesis rate of transplanted mosses. How-ever mosses sampled soon after the accident exhibited the lowest values for those variables (P < 0.01), suggesting that stress factors in the river were diluted out over time. Heavy metals with characteristics of industrial effluents (Cr, Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Cd) increased (p ＜ 0.01), indicating that they were unlikely to be major causes of the accident.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.166-166
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• 2002

The response of environmental pollutants can be detected bioanalytically focusing on the source and matrices of concern. Cell culture bioassays are rapid and inexpensive, and thus have great potential for determination of environmental pollution. We have examined the estrogenic and dioxin-like activites of industrial wastewater using E-screen assay and EROD microbioassay. Influent and effluent wastewater were collected from four different industrial wastewater treatment plants, such as cosmetics, paints, textile producing and metal coating plant, and extracted using solid-phase extraction with Oasis＠HLB plus cartridge. Pollutants adsorbed to the cartridge were eluted with MTBE. MCF-7 cells were treated with extracts showed various estrogenic potential. The textile wastewater showed strong estrogenic activity and the others showed weak estrogenic activity, No effect was observed in the wastewater from paints producing plant. All extracts showed CYPIA inducing effects, indicating these samples contain dioxin-like chemicals. Bioanalytical results of effluents compared with influents could give us information about the incomplete wastewater treatment and biological potency caused by pollutants. [Supported by a Grant from the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation]

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 1963

A study has been made on the applicability of gas-liquid partition chromatography to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of complex mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons. While phthalate columns are widely used for this $purpose^9$, they separates neither saturated hydrocarbons from the unsaturated nor n-butane from isobutene or butene-1, therefore combined columns such as phthalate and dimethylsulfolane have been used for the perfect separation of gaseous hydrocarbons. It is shown by this study, however, that hydrocarbons having $C_1$ through $C_4$ can be separated with a 2-meters tetraethyleneglycol dimethylether column except ethane from ethylene, and trans-from cis-2-butene especially operated at $15^{\circ}C$$ using helium as the carrier gas. The column effluents were in order of methane, (ethane, ethylene), propane, propylene, isobutane, n-butane, isobutylene, butene-1, (trans-& cis-2-butene, isopentane), (butadiene-1, 3, n-pentane). Two kinds of liquified petroleum gases in market are analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results indicate that use of this 2-meters TEGDE column permits the separation and identification of all the commonly encountered aliphatic gaseous hydrocarbons.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.205-225
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• 2021

Due to the large-scale production and use of synthetic chemicals in industralized countries, various chemicals are found in the aquatic environment, which are often termed as micropollutants. Effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as one of the major sources of these micropollutants. In this article, the current status of occurrence and removal of micropollutants in WWTPs and their management policies and options in domestic and foregin countries were critically reviewed. A large number of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial chemicals are found in WWTPs' influent, and are only partially removed by current biological wastewater treatment processes. As a result, some micropollutants are present in WWTPs' effluents, which can negatively affect receiving water quality or drinking water source. To better understand and assess the potential risk of micropollutants, a systematic monitoring framework including advanced analytical tools such as high resolution mass spectrometry and bioanalytical methods is needed. Some Western European countries are taking proactive approach to controlling the micropollutants by upgrading WWTP with enahnced effluent treatment processes. While this enahnced WWTP effluent treatment appears to be a viable option for controlling micropollutant, its implementation requires careful consideration of the technical, economical, political, and cultural issues of all stakeholders.