• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.134-134
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• 2019

Utilization of organic waste as a renewable energy source is promising for sustainability and mitigation of climate change. Pyrolysis converts organic waste to gas, oil, and biochar by incomplete biomass combustion. Biochar is widely used as a soil conditioner and adsorbent. Biochar adsorbs/desorbs metals and ions depending on the soil environment and condition to act as a nutrient buffer in soils. Biochar is also regarded as a carbon storage by fixation of organic carbon. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are strictly controlled in many wastewater treatment plants because it causes eutrophication in water bodies. P and N is removed by biological and chemical methods in wastewater treatment plants and transferred to sludge for disposal. On the other hand, P is an irreplaceable essential element for all living organisms and its resource (phosphate rock) is estimated about 100 years of economical mining. Therefore, P and N recovery from waste and wastewater is a critical issue for sustainable human society. For the purpose, intensive researches have been carried out to remove and recover P and N from waste and wastewater. Previous studies have shown that biochars can adsorb and desorbed phosphates implying that biochars could be a complementary fertilizer. However, most of the conventional biochar have limited capacity to adsorb phosphates and nitrate. Recent studies have focused on biochar impregnated with metal salts to improve phosphates and nitrate adsorption by synthesizing biochars with novel structures and surface properties. Metal salts and metal oxides have been used for the surface modification of biochars. If P removal is the only concern, P adsorption kinetics and capacity are the only important factors. If both of P and N removal and the application of recovery are concerned, however, P and N desorption characteristics and bioavailability are also critical factors to be considered. Most of the researches on impregnated biochars have focused on P removal efficiency and kinetics. In this study, coffee waste is thermally treated to produce biochar and it was impregnated with Mg/Al to enhance phosphates and nitrate adsorption/desorption and P bioavailability to increase its value as a fertilizer. Kinetics of phosphates and nitrate adsorption/desorption and bioavailability analysis were carried out to estimate its potential as a P and N removal adsorbent in wasewater and a fertilizer in soil.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.19-26
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• 2011

Compaction tests have been performed to investigate the compaction characteristics of sands and clays with organic mixture. Weathered granite soil, kaolinite, and granulated carbon were used as the alternatives of sand, clay, and organics, respectively. The soapy water which is a kind of surfactant solutions was also used as water substitute to see the engineering properties changes of each soil. As seen when water was used, the optimum moisture contents increased and the maximum dry unit weight decreased for the soil with surfactants as the percentage of the organic contents increased. Surfactants slightly improved the compaction efficiency at low compactive energy level for the weathered granite soil with organics. As the organic contents increased for clays with surfactants, the optimum moisture contents decreased and the maximum dry unit weight increased. Surfactants slightly improved the compaction efficiency of clays with organics at all levels of compaction energy.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.131-139
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• 2024

This study investigated the chemical properties of Organic Soil Amendments (OSAs) made from organic waste. It also assessed the effectiveness of using these OSAs in the soil layer of Green Infrastructure (GI) to reduce stormwater runoff and non-point source pollutants. The goal was to improve the national environmental value through resource recycling and contribute to the circular economy transformation and carbon neutrality of urban GI. The OSAs used in this study consisted of spent coffee grounds and food waste compost. They were found to be nutrient-rich and stable as artificial soils, indicating their potential use in the soil layer of GI facilities. Applying OSAs to bio-retention cells and permeable pavement resulted in a reduction of approximately 11-17% in stormwater runoff and a decrease of about 16-18% in Total Phosphorus (TP) discharge in the target area. Increasing the proportion of food waste compost in the OSAs had a positive impact on reducing stormwater runoff and pollutant emissions. This study highlights the importance of utilizing recycled resources and can serve as a foundation for future research, such as establishing parameters for assessing the effectiveness of GI facilities through experiments. To enable more accurate analysis, it is recommended to conduct studies that consider both the chemical and biological aspects of substance transfer in OSAs.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.261-270
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• 2010

Increasing atmospheric $CO_2$ affects the soil carbon cycle by influencing microbial activity and the carbon pool. In this study, the effects of elevated $CO_2$ on extracellular enzyme activities (EEA; ${\beta}$-glucosidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, aminopeptidase) in salt marsh sediment vegetated with Suaeda japonica were assessed under ambient atmospheric $CO_2$ concentration (380 ppm) or elevated $CO_2$ concentration (760 ppm) conditions. Additionally, the community structure of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was analyzed via terminal restriction fragments length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Sediment with S. japonica samples were collected from the Hwangsando intertidal flat in May 2005, and placed in small pots (diameter 6 cm, height 10 cm). The pots were incubated for 60 days in a growth chamber under two different $CO_2$ concentration conditions. Sediment samples for all measurements were subdivided into two parts: surface (0-2 cm) and rhizome (4-6 cm) soils. No significant differences were detected in EEA with different $CO_2$ treatments in the surface and rhizome soils. However, the ratio of ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity to N-acetylglucosaminidase activity in rhizome soil was significantly lower (P < 0.01) at 760 ppm $CO_2$ than at 380 ppm $CO_2$, thereby suggesting that the contribution of fungi to the decomposition of soil organic matter might in some cases prove larger than that of bacteria. Community structures of SRB were separated according to different $CO_2$ treatments, suggesting that elevated $CO_2$ may affect the carbon and sulfur cycle in salt marshes.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.81-89
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• 2013

Concerns have been raised over the impact of nano materials on soil and groundwater environment with the increasing attention to the potential applications of carbon nano materials in various fields. Particularly, carbon nano materials introduced into water environment readily make complexes with humic acid (HA) due to their hydrophobic nature, so there have been increasing numbers of studies on the interaction between HA and carbon nano materials. In this study, we investigated the solubility of HA and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in three different surfactant solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Brij 30 and Triton X-100, and evaluated whether the HA can be effectively desorbed from the surface of MWCNT by surfactant. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal adsorption condition for HA to MWCNT. Futhermore, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Brij 30, Triton X-100 were used to elucidate the effect of desorption and separation on adsorbed HA on MWCNT. As a result, HA solution with 12.7 mg of total organic carbon (TOC) and 5 mg of MWCNT showed the highest adsorption capacity at pH 3 reacted for 72 hrs. Weight solubilizing ratio (WSR) of surfactants on HA and MWCNT was calculated. HA had approximately 2 times lower adsorption capacity for the applied three surfactants compared to those of MWCNT, implying that the desorption of HA may occur from the HA/MWCNT complex. According to the results of adsorption isotherm and weight solubilizing ratio (WSR), the most effective surfactants was the SDS 1% soluiton, showing 53.63% desorption of HA at pH 3.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.193-206
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• 2013

This study was to provide the base data on the status of vegetations and soils in green roofs by analyzing the soil and vegetation characteristics of 4 green roofs in Dongguk University in September 2012. Sanglokwon(SW), Dongguk Hall(DH), University Library(UL), and Information and Culture Hall P(IC) were established in 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. The areas of green roofs were $700m^2$, $2,300m^2$, $1,240m^2$, and $640m^2$ in SW, DH, UL, and IC respectively. The investigated floras of vascular plants were 26 families, 55 genera, 65 species in Sanglokwon(SW), 53 families, 99 genera, 112 species in Dongguk Hall(DH), 43 families, 77 genera, 84 species in University Library(UL), and 41 families, 71 genera, 75 species in Information and Culture Hall P(IC), respectively. A positive correlation is shown between the number of plant species and planting area. Total nitrogen, organic matter, and potassium in soil have positive correlation with the number of plant species. The number of plant species was proportional to area and increased more than twice after planting. About a quarter of the invaded plants (including native and naturalized species) were naturalized plants. The total soil depths including vegetation soil and drainage soil at SW, DH, UL, and IC were 20cm, 10cm, 10cm, and 8cm, respectively. The depths of vegetation soil at SW, DH, UL, and IC were <7cm, <3cm, <2cm, and <2cm respectively. The soil pH in vegetation soil ranged from 5.22 to 5.36, and from 6.13 to 6.39 in drainage soil. Available-P concentration ranged from 10.17 to 189.77mg/kg in vegetation soil and from 6.70 to 81.17mg/kg in drainage soil. Carbon concentration in vegetation soil ranged from 2.93 to 9.70%, and 2.93 to 9.70% in drainage soil. Carbon contents in 20cm, 10cm, 10cm, and 8cm soil depths were $2.62kg/m^2$, $1.89kg/m^2$, $0.50kg/m^2$, and $0.53kg/m^2$ at SW, DH, UL, and IC, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to estimate dynamics of litter production and soil organic carbon of Pinus densiflora forest, Quercus mongolica forest, and Rhobina pseudo-acasia forest at Mt. Nam as a part of Korea National Long-Term Ecological Research (KNLTER) from 2008 to 2009. Litter production of P. densiflora forest was the highest in October 2008, 2009 and the lowest in January 2008 and December 2009. Litter production of Q. mongolica forest was the highest in November and the lowest in February in 2008 and 2009. Litter production of R. pseudo-acacia forest was the highest in November in 2008 and October in 2009 and the lowest in January in 2008 and December in 2009. It means that leaves of P. densiflora forest shed earlier than deciduous oak forests in Korean central region. An average of litter production for 2 years was 7.07, 6.36, $4.66ton\;ha^{-1}$ in P. densiflora forest, Q. mongolica forest, R. psuedo-acacia forest, respectively. An average of soil organic carbon matter for 2 years was 88.3, 76.5, $84.2ton\;ha^{-1}$ in P. densiflora forest, Q. mongolica forest, R. psuedo-acacia forest, respectively.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2015

Background: In Changbai Mountains, Panax ginseng (ginseng) was cultivated in a mixture of the humus and albic horizons of albic luvisol in a raised garden with plastic shade. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of ginseng planting on soil characteristics. Methods: The mixed-bed soils were seasonally collected at intervals of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm, and 10-15 cm for different-aged ginsengs. Soil physico-chemical characteristics were studied using general methods. Aluminum was extracted from the soil solids with $NH_4Cl $(exchangeable Al) and Na-pyrophosphate (organic Al) and was measured with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: A remarkable decrease in the pH, concentrations of exchangeable calcium, $NH_4^+$, total organic carbon (TOC), and organic Al, as well as a pronounced increase in the bulk density were observed in the different-aged ginseng soils from one spring to the next. The decrease in pH in the ginseng soils was positively correlated with the $NH_4^+$ (r=0.463, p<0.01), exchangeable calcium (r=0.325, p<0.01) and TOC (r= 0.292, p < 0.05) concentrations. The $NO_3^-$ showed remarkable surface accumulation (0-5 cm) in the summer and even more in the autumn but declined considerably the next spring. The exchangeable Al fluctuated from $0.10mg\;g^{-1}$ to $0.50mg\;g^{-1}$ for dry soils, which was positively correlated with the $NO_3^-$ (r=0.401, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with the TOC (r=-0.329, p < 0.05). The Al saturation varied from 10% to 41% and was higher in the summer and autumn, especially in the 0-5 cmand 5-10 cm layers. Conclusion: Taken together, our study revealed a seasonal shift in soil characteristics in ginseng beds with plastic shade.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.83-97
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• 2023

The study aims to provide an academic basis for the preservation and restoration of abandoned paddy wetland and the enhancement of its carbon accumulation function. First, the temporal change of the wetlands was analysed, and a typological classification system for wetlands was attempted with the goal of carbon reduction. The types of wetland were classified based on three variables: hydrological environment, vegetation, and carbon accumulation, with a special attention on the function of carbon accumulation. The types of abandoned paddy wetlands were classified into 12 categories based on hydrologic variables- either high or low levels of water inflow potential-, vegetation variables with either dominance of aquatic plants or terrestrial plants, and three carbon accumulation variables including organic matter production, soil organic carbon accumulation, and decomposition. It was found that the development period of abandoned paddy analyzed with aerial photographs provided by the National Geographic Information Institute happened between 2010 and 2015. In the case of the wetland in Daejeon 1 (DJMN01) farming stopped by 1990 and it appeared to be a similar structure to natural wetlands after 2010 . Over the past 40 years the abandoned paddy wetland changed to a high proportion of forests and agricultural lands. As time went by, such forests and agricultural lands tended to decrease rapidly and the lands were covered by artificial grass and other types of forests.

• Carbon letters
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• v.26
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• pp.66-73
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• 2018

We assessed the effects of combining bio-char with straw residue mulching on the loss of soil soluble nutrients and citrus yield in sloping land. The two-year study showed that straw residue mulching (ST) and bio-char application combined with straw residue (ST+BC) can significantly reduce soil soluble nutrient loss when compared with the control treatment (CK). The comparative volume of the soil surface runoff after each of the treatments was as follows: CK > ST > ST + BC. Compared with the CK, the runoff volume of the ST was reduced by 13.6 % and 8.5 % in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Compared with the CK, combining bio-char with the ST application reduced the loss of soluble nitrogen and improved the soil total nitrogen content reaching a significant level in 2015. It dramatically increased the soil organic matter content over the two year period (36.3% in 2014, 50.6% in 2015) as well as the carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N) (16.6% in 2014 and 39.3% in 2015). Straw mulching combined with bio-char showed a trend for increasing the citrus yield.