• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1835-1841
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• 2015

A cell surface display system for heterologous expression of the multifunctional cellulase, CelEx-BR12, in Escherichia coli was developed using truncated E. coli outer membrane protein C (OmpC) as an anchor motif. Cell surface expression of CelEx-BR12 cellulase in E. coli harboring OmpC-fused CelEx-BR12, designated MC4100 (pTOCBR12), was confirmed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and analysis of outer membrane fractions by western blotting, which verified the expected molecular mass of OmpC-fused CelEx-BR12 (~72 kDa). Functional evidence for exocellulase activity was provided by enzymatic assays of whole cells and outer membrane protein fractions from E. coli MC4100 (pTOCBR12). The stability of E. coli MC4100 (pTOCBR12) cellulase activity was tested by carrying out repeated reaction cycles, which demonstrated the reusability of recombinant cells. Finally, we showed that recombinant E. coli cells displaying the CelEx-BR12 enzyme on the cell surface were capable of growth using carboxymethyl cellulose as the sole carbon source.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2011

An integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system has been attracting attention due to its increased energy conversion efficiency and ability to treat various carbonaceous materials. IGCC is also expected to play an important role in the future supply of hydrogen energy. The use of a palladium-based membrane to separate the hydrogen from the synthesis gas stream has been intensively studied due to its exceptional hydrogen-separating capability. However, theoretical research on hydrogen separation is still an unfamiliar area in Korea. First-principle density functional theory was applied in this study to investigate the dissociative adsorption of hydrogen onto a palladium surface. The stability of hydrogen on the surface was theoretically evaluated with various adsorption configurations, partial pressures and temperatures. Further theoretical and experimental studies were also suggested to find a more hydrogen-selective material.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.237-249
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• 2013

Ultra-pure water (UPW), a highly treated water free of colloidal material and of a conductivity less than 0.06 ${\mu}S$, is an essential component required by modern industry. One of the methods for UPW production is the electrodialysis-ion exchange (ED/IE) system, in which the electrodialysis (ED) process is used as a preliminary demineralization step. The IE step can be replaced with electrodeionization (EDI) to decrease the volume of post-regeneration lyes. In this paper, the electrodialysis process carried out to relatively low diluate conductivity was investigated and the costs of UPW production were calculated. The optimal value of desalination degree by ED in the ED/IE and ED/EDI systems was estimated. UPW unit costs for integrated ED/IE and ED/EDI systems were compared to simple ion exchange and other methods for UPW production (RO-IE, RO-EDI). The minimal UPW unit costs in ED/EDI integrated system were estimated as $0.37/$m^3$ for feed TDS 600 mg/L and $0.36/$m^3$ for feed TDS 400 mg/L at 64 $m^3/h$ capacity, which was lower than in the comparable ED/IE integrated system ($0.42-0.44/$m^3$). The presented results suggest that an ED/EDI integrated system may be economically viable.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 2007

A submerged flat-sheet membrane separation system integrated with PAC (powdered activated carbon) was used in this research in order to investigate the effects of PAC on the efficiencies of operation and treatment and to evaluate the performance of the system. The experiments were carried out under operating conditions of a filtration rate of 0.38 m/d, water temperature of $20-28^{\circ}C$, and PAC dose of 0 g/L (Run-A) and 20 g/L (Run-B). The influent concentrations of TOC (total organic carbon), $NH_4{^+}-N$ (ammonia nitrogen) and $UV_{254}$ (UV absorbance at 254 nm) were 2.48 mg/L, 1.4 mg/L and 2.53 1/m, respectively. TOC removal of 43.2 and 73.6%, ammonia nitrogen removal of 4.9 and 15.9%, and $UV_{254}$ removal of 20.6 and 31.6% were obtained for Run-A and Run-B, respectively. During an experimental period of 33 days, no change was found in TMP (Run-B), but the TMP in Run-A increased by 5 kPa after 29 days. This research showed that the filtrate quality and the performance efficiency were enhanced when PAC was introduced into the filtration system.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2014

Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination has gained wide and increasing acceptance around the world as a straightforward undertaking to alleviate the alarming water crisis. An enhanced monitoring of the quality of the water feeding in seawater RO (SWRO) plant through the application of an effective pretreatment option is one of the keys to the success of RO technology in desalination plants. Over the past 10 years, advances in ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technologies in application for water and wastewater treatment have prompted an impetus for using membrane pretreatment in seawater desalination plants. By integrating SWRO plant with UF pretreatment, the rate of membrane fouling can be significantly reduced and thus extend the life of RO membrane. With the growing importance and significant advances attained in UF pretreatment, this review presents an overview of UF pretreatment in SWRO plants. The advantages offered by UF as an alternative of pretreatment option are compared to the existing conventionally used technologies. The current progress made in the integration of SWRO with UF pretreatment is also highlighted. Finally, the recent advances pursued in UF technology is reviewed in order to provide an insight and hence path the way for the future development of this technology.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.299-307
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• 2019

Photocatalysis is an environment friendly technique for degrading organic dyes in water. Tungsten oxide is becoming an active area of research in photocatalysis nanomaterials for having a smaller bandgap than the previously favored titanium dioxide. Synthesis of hierarchical structures, doping platinum (Pt), coupling with nanocomposites or other semiconductors are investigated as valid methods of improving the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. These impact the reaction by creating a redshift in the wavelength of light used, effecting charge transfer, and the formation/recombination of electron-hole pairs. Each of the methods mentioned above are investigated in terms of synthesis and photocatalytic efficiency, with the simplest being modification on the morphology of tungsten oxide, since it does not need synthesis of other materials, and the most efficient in photocatalytic degradation being complex coupling of metal oxides and carbon composites. The photocatalysis technology can be incorporated with water purification membrane by modularization process and applied to advanced water treatment system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.459-469
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• 2009

It is well known that coagulation pretreatment can reduce foulants prior to membrane filtration. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of coagulation on fouling of ceramic microfiltration membrane($0.1 {\mu}m$) using pilot plant of $150m^3/day/train$ capacity. Train A membrane system has pretreatment process of ozonation and coagulation while train B has only coagulation. Two types of coagulation operation were investigated: back mixer(rapid mixing with or without slow mixing) which is a conventional mechanically stirred mixer and an inline static mixer. Ozone dose rate for train A was 1 mg/L and ozone contact time was 12 min. The coagulation dose(PACl 10% as $Al_2O_3$) rate was changed 20~40 mg/L according to experimental schedule. In this experimental conditions, the coagulation of back mixer type with rapid mixing(GT=72,000) and slow mixing(GT=45,000) was the best effective in reduction of ceramic membrane fouling regardless preozonation. Especially, the effect of inline static mixer was sensitive to change in water quality. Ozonation mainly affected irreversible fouling rather than reversible fouling in accordance with less adsorption of NOM on the membrane surface. Thus, the increase rate of the nomalized TMP(trans membrane pressure) at $25^{\circ}C$ for train A was relatively lower than that of train B under same coagulation process with same coagulant dosage. The best performance of ceramic membrane appeared in case of combined process with ozonation, therefore this integrated process is able to archive less coagulant dosing and secure a stability of ceramic membrane system.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.12-16
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• 2007

A dynamic model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) system is designed to understand the performance of the PEMFC in residential power generator(RPG) over various balance of plant(BOP) options. In particular, since the performance of PEMFC system should be optimized for given operating ranges, it is necessary to design suitable BDP components which can support the operating ranges. The objective of this study is to develop a dynamic system model for the study of PEMFC performance over various BOP options. Therefore, a dynamic model is composed of a PEMFC stack model, a water management system model, a thermal management system model and a fuel/air supply model and the model is integrated under SIMULINK(R)environment. Basic simulation results will be presented.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.403-408
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• 2017

In these days, wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination play essential role in addressing the challenge of worldwide water scarcity. Particularly, reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater desalination process is commonly used due to less energy consumption than conventional thermodynamic systems. However, membrane fouling and electrical energy consumption during operation of RO system for seawater desalination haver continued to be a obstruction to its application. In this study, therefore, wastewater secondary effluent is used for osmotic dilution of seawater. Firstly, fouling behaviour of RO by simulating wastewater effluent in osmotic dilution process was measured and we calculated energy consumption of overall desalination process by theoretical equations and commercial program. Our results reveal that RO membrane fouling can be efficiently controlled by pre-treatment systems such as nano filtration (NF) or forward osmosis (FO) process. Especially FO system for osmotic dilution process is a non-pressurized membrane system and, therefore, the operating energy consumption of overall desalination system was the lowest. Moreover, fouling layer on FO membrane is comparatively weak and reversible enough to be disrupted by physical cleaning. Thus, RO system with low salinity feed water through FO process is possible as a less energy consuming desalination system with efficient membrane fouling control.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.191-194
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• 2004

A novel type of intelligent microcapsule reactor system was prepared. The reactor can recognize pH change in the medea and control reaction rate by itself. For the reactor system, acrylic acid (AA), N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), and glucose oxidase (GOD) were selected as a pH-responsive device, a gating device according and a reaction device, respectively. Poly(NIPAM-co-AA) (P-NIPAM-co-AA) are known to change its hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity due to pH change. They were integrated in a core-shell microcapsule space. GOD was loaded inside the core space and the pores in the outside shell layer were filled with P-NIPAM-co-AA linear grafted chains as pH-responsive gates by plasma graft filling polymerization method. When P-NIPAM-co-AA gates are hydrophilic at high pH value, this microcapsule permits glucose penetration into the core space and GOD reaction proceeds. However, when P-NIPAM-co-AA gates are hydrophobic at low pH value, this microcapsule forbids glucose penetration and GOD reaction will not occur. The accuracy of this concept was examined.