• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2015

Our body's immune system has defense mechanisms against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Immune responses are primarily initiated by the activation of toll-like receptors (TLRs). In particular, TLR4 is well-characterized and is known to be activated by gram-negative bacteria and tissue damage signals. TLR4 requires myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2) as a co-receptor to recognize its ligand, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which is an extracellular membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. Gambogic acid is a xanthonoid isolated from brownish or orange resin extracted from Garcinia hanburyi. Its primary effect is tumor suppression. Since inflammatory responses are related to the development of cancer, we hypothesized that gambogic acid may regulate TLR4 activation. Our results demonstrated that gambogic acid decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-12, and $IL-1{\beta}$) in both mRNA and protein levels in bone marrow-derived primary macrophages after stimulation with LPS. Gambogic acid did not inhibit the activation of Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) induced by TBK1 overexpression in a luciferase reporter gene assay using IFN-${\beta}$-PRD III-I-luc. An in vitro kinase assay using recombinant TBK1 revealed that gambogic acid did not directly inhibit TBK1 kinase activity, and instead suppressed the binding of LPS to MD2, as determined by an in vitro binding assay and confocal microscopy analysis. Together, our results demonstrate that gambogic acid disrupts LPS interaction with the TLR4/MD2 complex, the novel mechanism by which it suppresses TLR4 activation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 1986

A micro pH-ISFET probe, which can be applied to the in vivo measurements of the hydrogen ion concentration in blood, has been developed, and a measuring system equiped with this probe also developed. The pH-ISFET has been fatricated by employing the techniques of integrated circuit fabrication. Two kinds of micro electrode formed around the sensing gate during the wafer process, and the other is a capillary type of Ag/AfCl/sat. KCI reduced in size. This capillary electrode has shown its good performance characteristics so far in the application with ISFET as well as a commercial one. In order to form a micro pH-ISFET probe, this pH-ISFET and well as a commercial one. In order to form a micro pH-ISFET probe, this pH-ISFET and the capillary electrode were built together into a needle tip having 1 mm inner diameter. The chip size of a twin pH-ISFET is 0.8 mmx1.4 mm, the material of the sensing gate membrane is Si3N4, and the sensitivity of the developed probe is about 52mV/pH.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.676-682
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• 2016

In this study, rainwater-greywater hybrid system was installed and operated for 1 year in order to evaluate its water quantity, water quality, and economic efficiency in building no. 39. This system was expected to overcome each disadvantages of and maximize each advantages. Low-greywater that was washed up from shower room was treated by MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) and ozone oxidation. Rainwater that was collected from the rooftop was stored in a reservoir, and then transferred to the storage tank that was mixed with treated greywater. After 1 year operating in building no. 39, rainwater and greywater was used to supply $2,599m^3$ of toilet flushing water. In terms of water quality, rainwater was satisfied far the greywater reuse standards except for E.coli. Moreover, low greywater quality was acceptable except for E. coli, BOD, SS, and turbidity. In addition, economic analysis was obtained from benefit-cost ratio (B/C) with 1.11. It implies that the feasibility of the project was reasonable. Furthermore, various research and policy to improve the economic efficiency of water recycling facilities is required to expand the use of water recycling facilities.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.277-289
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• 2011

Since 1980s, wastewater treatment facilities in Korea have been rapidly expanded by 90 percent as the government invested them continuously. Considering social and environmental factors such as the needs of alternative water resources for water shortages, energy saving and new energy production sources for decrease of greenhouse gases, and the demand for the improvement of the water quality in rivers and lakes, advanced technologies in wastewater treatment are essential in the 21st century. In this aspect, new conceptual technology is systematically combined with the advanced treatment technology such as the control and treatment technology of hazardous and toxic material, customized reusing skill, and energy saving/recovery technology. The new R&D project for advanced technology of wastewater treatment and reuse will focus on these advanced technologies which will improve the water quality and foster the competitiveness in world environmental markets, building a solid foundation particularly in the market of developing countries. The project will be divided up into high quality reusing of wastewater, energy self-sufficiency, and integrated management system. It will be carried out for five years, 2011~2015, as Phase I.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.299-308
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• 2020

Composting is among the most effective integrated waste management strategies used to recycle sewage sludge (SS) waste and generate a useful product. An encapsulated lifting system is a relatively new industrial-scale composting technology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of composting dewatered stabilized SS mixed with green waste using this new technology. The composting process was monitored by changes in the physico-chemical properties, UV-visible spectra, and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The composting temperature was steady in the thermophilic range for 24 and 12 d in the intensive and maturation phases, respectively, which fulfilled the disinfection requirement. Moreover, the temperature increased rapidly to 76.8℃ within three days, and the thermophilic temperatures peaked twice and lasted longer than in traditional composting, which accelerated SS degradation and decreased the composting period necessary to obtain mature compost. FTIR spectroscopic analysis showed a diminished in methyl group derived from methylene C-H aliphatic groups because of organic matter degradation by microorganisms and an increased number of aromatic chains. The new technology may be a viable and sustainable alternative for SS management that converts waste into compost that is useful as a soil amendment.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

This study explored the feasibility of calcium-rich food waste, Mactra veneriformis shells (MVS), as an adsorbent for phosphate removal, and its removal efficiency was enhanced by the thermal activation process. The CaCO3 in MVS was converted to CaO by thermal activation (>800 ℃), which is more favorable for adsorbing phosphate. Thermal activation did not noticeably influence the specific surface area of MVS. The MVS thermally activated at 800 ℃ (MVS-800), showed the highest phosphate adsorption capacity, was used for further adsorption experiments, including kinetics, equilibrium isotherms, and thermodynamic adsorption. The effects of environmental factors, including pH, competing anions, and adsorbent dosage, were also studied. Phosphate adsorption by MVS-800 reached equilibrium within 48h, and the kinetic adsorption data were well explained by the pseudo-first-order model. The Langmuir model was a better fit for phosphate adsorption by MVS-800 than the Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of MVS-800 obtained via the Langmuir model was 188.86 mg/g. Phosphate adsorption is an endothermic and involuntary process. As the pH increased, the phosphate adsorption decreased, and a sharp decrease was observed between pH 7 and 9. The presence of anions had a negative impact on phosphate removal, and their impact followed the decreasing order CO₃^2- > SO₄²- > NO₃^- > Cl^-. The increase in adsorbent dosage increased phosphate removal percentage, and 6.67 g/L of MVS-800 dose achieved 99.9% of phosphate removal. It can be concluded that the thermally treated MVS-800 can be used as an effective adsorbent for removing phosphate.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2001

We developed a compact, 10 kWe, purifier-integrated reformer which supplies hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. Our proprietary technologies regarding hydrogen purification by palladium alloy membrane and catalytic combustion by noble metal coated wire-mesh catalyst were combined with the conventional methanol steam reforming technology, resulting in higher conversion, excellent quality of product hydrogen, and better thermal efficiency than any other systems. In this system, steam reforming, hydrogen purification, and catalytic combustion take place all in a single reactor so that the whole system is compact and easy to operate. The module produces $8.2Nm^3/hr$ of 99.999% or higher purity hydrogen with CO impurity less than 10 ppm, which is equivalent to 10 kWe when PEMFC has 45 % efficiency. Thermal efficiency of the module is 81 % and the power density of the module is 1.6 L/kWe. As the results of experiments, cold-start time has been measured about 20 minutes. Response time of hydrogen production to the change of the feed rate has been within 1 minutes.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2020

Former studies revealed that sepiolite thermally treated at high temperature have high adsorption capacity for phosphate. However, its micron size (75 ㎛) limits its application to water treatment. In this study, we synthesized sepiolite impregnated polysulfone (PSf) beads to separate it easily from an aqueous solution. PSf beads with different sepiolite ratios were synthesized and their efficiencies were compared. The PSf beads with 30% impregnated sepiolite (30SPL-PSf bead) possessed the optimum sepiolite ratio for phosphate removal. Kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic adsorption experiments were performed using the 30SPL-PSf bead. Equilibrium adsorption was achieved in 24 h, and the pseudo-first-order model was suitable for describing the phosphate adsorption at different reaction times. The Langmuir model was appropriate for describing the phosphate adsorption onto the 30SPL-PSf bead, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the 30SPL-PSf bead obtained from the model was 24.48 mg-PO₄/g. Enthalpy and entropy increased during the phosphate adsorption onto the 30SPL-PSf bead, and Gibb's free energy at 35 ℃ was negative. An increase in the solution pH from 3 to 11 induced a decrease in the phosphate adsorption amount from 27.30 mg-PO₄/g to 21.54 mg-PO₄/g. The competitive anion influenced the phosphate adsorption onto the 30SPL-PSf bead was in the order of NO₃^- > SO₄^2- > HCO_3^-. The phosphate breakthrough from the column packed with the 30SPL-PSf bead began after ~2000 min, reaching the influent concentration after ~8000 min. The adsorption amounts per unit mass of 30SPL-PSf and removal efficiency were 0.775 mg-PO₄/g and 61.6%, respectively. This study demonstrates the adequate performance of 30SPL-PSf beads as a filter for phosphate removal from aqueous solutions.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2020

Because of the intensified environmental problems such as climate change and resource depletion, sewage treatment technology focused on energy management has recently attracted attention. The conversion of primary sludge from the primary sedimentation tank and excessive sludge from the secondary sedimentation tank into biogas is the key to energy-positive sewage treatment. In particular, the primary sedimentation tanks recover enriched biodegradable organic matter and anaerobic digestion process produces methane from the organic wastes for energy production. Such technologies for minimizing oxygen demand are leading the innovation regarding sewage treatment plants. However, sewage treatment facilities in Korea lack core technology and operational know-how. Actually, the energy potential of sewage is higher than sewage treatment energy consumption in the sewage treatment, but current processes are not adequately efficient in energy recovery. To improve this, it is possible to apply chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT), high-rate activated sludge (HRAS), and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to the primary sedimentation tank. To maximize the methane production of sewage treatment plants, organic wastes such as food waste and livestock manure can be digested. Additionally, mechanical pretreatment, thermal hydrolysis, and chemical pretreatment would enhance the methane conversion of organic waste. Power generation systems based on internal combustion engines are susceptible to heat source losses, requiring breakthrough energy conversion systems such as fuel cells. To realize the energy positive sewage treatment plant, primary organic matter recovery from sewage, biogas pretreatment, and co-digestion should be optimized in the energy management system based on the knowledge-based operation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.131.1-131.1
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• 2010

This study was conducted for engineering optimization for the gasification process which is the key factor for success of Taean IGCC gasification plant which has been driven forward under the government support in order to expand to supply new and renewable energy and diminish the burden of the responsibility for the reduction of the green house gas emission. The gasification process consists of coal milling and drying, pressurization and feeding, gasification, quenching and HP syngas cooling, slag removal system, dry flyash removal system, wet scrubbing system, and primary water treatment system. The configuration optimization is essential for the high efficiency and the cost saving. For this purpose, it was designed to have syngas cooler to recover the sensible heat as much as possible from the hot syngas produced from the gasifier which is the dry-feeding and entrained bed slagging type and also applied with the oxygen combustion and the first stage cylindrical upward gas flow. The pressure condition inside of the gasifier is around 40~45Mpg and the temperature condition is up to $1500{\sim}1700^{\circ}C$. It was designed for about 70% out of fly ash to be drained out throughout the quenching water in the bottom part of the gasifier as a type of molten slag flowing down on the membrane wall and finally become a byproduct over the slag removal system. The flyash removal system to capture solid particulates is applied with HPHT ceramic candle filter to stand up against the high pressure and temperature. When it comes to the residual tiny particles after the flyash removal system, wet scurbbing system is applied to finally clean up the solids. The washed-up syngas through the wet scrubber will keep around $130{\sim}135^{\circ}C$, 40~42Mpg and 250 ppmv of hydrochloric acid(HCl) and hydrofluoric acid(HF) at maximum and it is turned over to the gas treatment system for removing toxic gases out of the syngas to comply with the conditions requested from the gas turbine. The result of this study will be utilized to the detailed engineering, procurement and manufacturing of equipments, and construction for the Taean IGCC plant and furthermore it is the baseline technology applicable for the poly-generation such as coal gasification(SNG) and liquefaction(CTL) to reinforce national energy security and create new business models.