• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.563-568
• /
• 2015

Natural Organic Matter (NOM) is a precursor of disinfection by products. Recently, with the increase in NOM concentration caused by a large amount of algae, the creation of disinfection by-products is becoming a big issue. Therefore, in this study, PAC+Membrane+F/A hybrid process was organized to control disinfection by-products in small-scale water treatment plants. The optimal dosage of PAC was set at 20 mg/L through Lab. scale test. Also, it is judged that NOM concentration must be less than 1.0 mg/L to meet the recommended criteria of drinking water quality monitoring items of disinfection by-products during chlorination. The existing conventional water treatment process was compared to the independent F/A process and the PAC+Membrane+F/A hybrid process through pilot plant operation, and the result showed that there is a need to apply an advanced water treatment process to remove not only NOMs but also Geosmin caused by algae. Accordingly, it is considered that applying the PAC+Membrane+F/A process will help in controling a clogged filter caused by a large amount of algae and disinfection by-products created by chlorination and can be used as an advanced water treatment process to meet the recommended criteria of drinking water quality monitoring items.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.193-200
• /
• 2007

The AOPs research defined by creating a sufficient amount of OH radicals from the dissolution of organic materials through photoxidation and research for a complete elimination of residual organic materials by membrane are actively ongoing. This research focuses on the hybrid processing of AOPs and M/F membrane to dissolve and eliminate organic chemicals in drinking water which are suspected of carcinogens. For this purpose, underground water was used as a source of drinking water for the hybrid processing of AOPs oxidation and M/F membrane, and a pilot plant test device was installed indoor. Carcinogenic chemicals of VOCs and pesticide were artificially mixed with the drinking water, which was then diluted close to natural water in order to examine treatment efficiency and draw optimal operation conditions. The samples used for this experiment include four chemicals phenol, chloroform, in VOCs and parathion, carbaryl in pesticide. As a result of the experiments conducted with simple, and compound solutions, the conditions to sufficiently dissolve and eliminate carcinogenic chemicals from the hybrid processing of where carcinogens were artificially added are : (hydrogen peroxide) prescribed solution 100 mg/L under pH 5.5~6.0, and the temperature $12{\sim}16^{\circ}C$, at the normal temperature and pressure. $d-O_3$ volume of 5.0 ppm and above and 30-40 minutes of reaction time are most appropriate and using MF/UF for membrane was ideal.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.385-394
• /
• 2020

In the gas separation process, the separation membranes have to not only show high gas transport and selectivity but also exhibit exceptional stability at high temperature and pressure. However, when the polymeric membranes (particularly, glassy polymers) are exposed to the condensable gases (i.e., CO2, H2S, hydrocarbon, etc.), the polymer chains are prone to swell, leading to low stability. As a result, the plasticization behavior reduces the gas selectivity in the separation of mixture gases at high pressures and thus results in limited applications to the separation processes. To address these issues, many strategies have been studied such as thermal treatment, polymer blending, thermally rearrangement, mixed-matrix membranes, cross-linking, etc. In this review, we will understand the plasticization behavior and suggest potential methods based on the previously reported studies.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.39-52
• /
• 1995

Pinealocytes in the lower vertebrate are known to have photoreceptive function. These photoreceptor cells have been characterized morphologically in various species of lower vertebrates. No such ultrastructural studies, however, were reported in fresh water turtle. The purpose of this study is to characterize the pinealocytes and the phylogenetic evoluton of these cells is discussed in terms of functional analogy. I. Light microscopy: The pineal body was divided into incomplete lobules by connective tissue septa containing blood vessels, and parenchymal cells were arranged as irregular cords or follicular pattern. In the lobules, glandular lumina were present and contained often densely stained materials. II. Electron microscopy: The pineal parenchyma had three categories of cells: photoreceptor cells, supportive cells and nerve cells. The photoreceptor cells had darker cytoplasm compared to the supportive cells, and the enlarged apical cytoplasm(inner segment) containing abundant mitochondria and dense cored vescles protruded into the glandular lumen in which lamellar membrane stacks(outer segment), dense membranous materials, and cilia were present. Some of these lamellated membrane stacks appeared to be dege-nerating while others were apparently newly formed. Constricted neck portion of the photoreceptor cells contained longitudinally arranged abundant microtubules. centrioles and cross-striated rootlets. Cell body had well developed Golgi apparatus, abundant mitochondria, dense granules($0.5{\sim}1{\mu}m$), dense cored vesicles($70{\sim}100nm$), and rough endoplasmic reticulum occasionally with dense material within its cisterna. Basal portion of the photoreceptor cells had basal processes often with synaptic ribbons, which terminate in the complicated zone of cellular and neuronal processes. Synatpic ribbons often made contact with the nerve processes and the cell processes of neighboring cells. In some instances, these ribbons were noted free within the basal process and were also present at the basal cell mem-brane facing the basal lamina. Obvious nerve endings with clear and dense cored vesicles were observed among the parenchymal cells. Photoreceptor cells of the snapping turtle pineal body were generally similar in fine structure to those of other lower verterbrates reported previously, and suggested to have both photoreceptive and secretory functions which were modulated by pinealofugal and pinealopedal nerves. The supportive cells were characterized by having large dense granules($0.3{\sim}1{\mu}m$), abundant ribosomes, well developed Golgi apparatus and rough endoplasmic reticulum. These cells were furnished with microvilli on the luminal cell surfaces, and often had centrioles, striated rootlets, abundant filaments especially around the nucleus, and scattered microtubules. Some supportive cells had cell body close to the lumen and extended a long process reaching to basal lamina, which appeared to be a glial cell. Nerve cells within the parenchyma were difficult to identify, but some large cells located basally were suspected to be nerve cells, since they had synaptic ribbon contact with photoreceptor cells.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.307-319
• /
• 2018

Ion-exchange membrane (IEM) has fixed charge groups and is a separation membrane which is capable of selectively transporting ions of the opposite polarity. Recently, the interest in IEMs has been increasing as the importance of the desalination and energy conversion processes using them as the key components has increased. Since the IEMs determine the efficiency of the above process, it is necessary to improve the separation performance and durability of them and also to lower the expensive membrane price, which is a hindrance to the widening application of the IEM process. Therefore, it is urgent to develop high-performance and low-cost IEMs. Among various types of IEMs, pore-filled membranes prepared by filling ionomer into a porous polymer substrate are intermediate forms of homogeneous membranes and heterogeneous membranes. The production cost would be cheap like the case of heterogeneous membranes because of the use of inexpensive supports and the reduction of the amount used of raw materials, and at the same time, they exhibit excellent electrochemical characteristics close to homogeneous membranes. In this review, major research and development trends of pore-filled IEMs, which are attracting attention as high-performance and low-cost IEMs, have been summarized and reported according to the application fields.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.14-27
• /
• 2020

Purpose: To overcome several drawbacks of chemically-crosslinked collagen membranes, modification processes such as ultraviolet (UV) crosslinking and the addition of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) to collagen membranes have been introduced. This study evaluated the efficacy and biocompatibility of BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR) in a rabbit calvarial model. Methods: Four circular bone defects (diameter, 8 mm) were created in the calvarium of 10 rabbits. Each defect was randomly allocated to one of the following groups: 1) the sham control group (spontaneous healing); 2) the M group (defect coverage with a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane and no graft material); 3) the BG (defects filled with BCP particles without membrane coverage); and 4) the BG+M group (defects filled with BCP particles and covered with a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane in a conventional GBR procedure). At 2 and 8 weeks, rabbits were sacrificed, and experimental defects were investigated histologically and by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Results: In both micro-CT and histometric analyses, the BG and BG+M groups at both 2 and 8 weeks showed significantly higher new bone formation than the control group. On micro-CT, the new bone volume of the BG+M group (48.39±5.47 ㎣) was larger than that of the BG group (38.71±2.24 ㎣, P=0.032) at 8 weeks. Histologically, greater new bone area was observed in the BG+M group than in the BG or M groups. BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane did not cause an abnormal cellular reaction and was stable until 8 weeks. Conclusions: Enhanced new bone formation in GBR can be achieved by simultaneously using bone graft material and a BCP-supplemented UV-crosslinked collagen membrane, which showed high biocompatibility and resistance to degradation, making it a biocompatible alternative to chemically-crosslinked collagen membranes.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.398-406
• /
• 2022

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is the outermost layer of cellular environment in which numerous biophysical and biochemical processes are in action sustaining viability. Advances in cell engineering enable modification of bacterial genetic information that subsequently alters membrane physiology to adapt bacteria to specific purposes. Surface display of a functional molecule on the outer membranes is one of strategies that directs host cells to respond to a specific extracellular matter or stimulus. While intracellular expression of a functional peptide or protein fused to a membrane-anchoring motif is commonly practiced for surface display, the method is not readily applicable to exogenous or large proteins inexpressible in bacteria. Chemical conjugation at reactive groups naturally occurring on the membrane might be an alternative, but often compromises fitness due to non-specific modification of essential components. Herein, we demonstrated two distinct approaches that enable site-specific decoration of the outer membrane with a fluorescent agent in Escherichia coli. An unnatural amino acid genetically incorporated in a surface-exposed peptide could act as a chemoselective handle for bioorthogonal dye labeling. A surface-displayed α-helical domain originating from a part of a selected heterodimeric coiled-coil complex could recruit and anchor a green fluorescent protein tagged with a complementary α-helical domain to the membrane surface in a site- and hetero-specific manner. These methods hold a promise as on-demand tools to confer new functionalities on the bacterial membranes.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.439-446
• /
• 2023

Ceramic membranes are generally used for various industrial processes operating under extreme conditions because of its high thermal and chemical stability. However, due to the trade-off phenomenon of permeability and mechanical strength, preparation of high permeability-high strength membrane is necessary. In this study, the change in characteristics and performances of ceramic membranes was analyzed depending on the type of polymer binder and its mixing ratio. Because the solubility between solvent and polymer binder was higher in PSf (polysulfone) than in PES (polyethersulfone), the viscosity and discharge pressure of the PSf-based dope solution were higher than those of PES-based dope solution. When PSf was used as a polymer binder, ceramic membrane showed high mechanical strength and low water permeability due to the dense structure. On the other hand, in case of PES, the mechanical strength was slightly reduced and the water permeability was increased. It was confirmed that the optimum mixing ratio of the PSf and PES with high water permeability and mechanical strength was 9:1.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.447-459
• /
• 2010

Bacterial diversity of two distinct wastewater treatment systems, conventional activated sludge (CAS) and membrane bioreactor (MBR), of petroleum refineries were investigated through 16S rRNA gene libraries. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the bacterial community composition of sludge samples was distinct between the two wastewater treatment systems. MBR clones belonged predominantly to Class Betaproteobacteria, represented mainly by genera Thiobacillus and Thauera, whereas CAS clones were mostly related to Class Alphaproteobacteria, represented by uncultured bacteria related to Order Parvularculales. Richness estimators ACE and Chao revealed that the diversity observed in both libraries at the species level is an underestimate of the total bacterial diversity present in the environment and further sampling would yield an increased observed diversity. Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were different between the libraries and revealed greater bacterial diversity for the MBR library, considering an evolutionary distance of 0.03. LIBSHUFF analyses revealed that MBR and CAS communities were significantly different at the 95% confidence level ($P{\leq}0.05$) for distances $0{\leq}D{\leq}0.20$. This work described, qualitatively and quantitatively, the structure of bacterial communities in industrial-scale MBR and CAS processes of the wastewater treatment system from petroleum refineries and demonstrated clearly differentiated communities responsible for the stable performance of wastewater treatment plants.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.499-503
• /
• 1995

In our previous studies (Chae et al., 1990; Chae et a1., 1993), we found that a phytochrome signal was clearly connected with the change in cytosolic free $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) in oat cells. It was determined that the $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ change occured both by mobilization out of the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ store and by influx from the medium. The specific aim of this work is to elucidate the processes connecting $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization and influx. The cells treated with thapsigargin (increasing $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ by inhibition of the $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase in the calcium pool) in the presence of external $Ca^{2+}$ showed the same increasing pattern (sustained increasing shape) of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ as that measured in animal cells. Red light irradiation after thapsigargin treatment did not increase $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ These results suggest that thapsigargin also acts specifically in the processes of mobilization and influx of $Ca^{2+}$ in oat cells. When the cells were treated with TEA ($K^+$ channel blocker), changes in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ were drastically reduced in comparison with that measured in the absence of TEA. The results suggest that the change in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ due to red light irradiation is somehow related with $K^+$ channel opening to change membrane potential. The membrane potential change due to $K^+$ influx might be the critical factor in opening a voltage-dependent calcium channel for $Ca^{2+}$ influx.