• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2007

Diversity of the mud flat microbial population in Suncheon Bay was investigated by studying extracellular enzyme activities and 16S rDNA sequences. Four culturable bacterial strains with CMCase, xylanase and protease activities were isolated from the wetland and the mud flat. All the strains produced more xylanase activity than CMCase or protease activity, and the properties of the isolate enzymes from the wetland were similar to those from the mud flat. About 2,000 clones were obtained with the 16S rDNA amplified from the metagenomic DNA isolated from the mud samples. Based on the restriction pattern(s), seventeen clones were selected for base sequence analysis. Of the 17 clones, only 35% (6 clones) were found to be cultured strains and 65% (11 clones) to be uncultured strains. The similarities in the base sequences of the clones ranged from 91.0% to 99.9% with an average similarity of 97.3%. The clones could be divided into 7 groups, Proteobacteria (9 clones, 52.9%), Firmicutes (3 clones, 17.6%), Bacteroidetes (1 clone), Flavobacteria (1 clone), Verrucomicrobia (1 clone), Acidobacteria (1 clone), and Chloroflexi (1 clone). Most of the Proteobacteria clones were gamma Proteobacteria associated with oxidation-reduction of sulfur.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.60-71
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• 2014

This study was conducted to identify the potential of rape stalk as a raw material for biorefinery process of rape flower. At first, rape stalk (RS) was immersed in distilled water (DW), acetic acid (AA), oxalic acid (OA), sulfuric acid (SA) and sodium hydroxide (SH) solutions, and the content of reducing sugars liberated from immersed RS was analyzed. Glucose, xylose, arabinose and sucrose were detected varying with the immersion type. In particular, 1% AA-immersion of RS for 72 hr was the most effective conditions to liberate glucose from RS. Secondly, the RS residues were used for elementary analysis and fabrication of fuel pellets. In addition to the solution type, concentration of immersion solutions (0%, 1%, 2%) and immersion time (24, 72, 120 hr) were used as experimental factors. The contents of nitrogen, sulfur and chlorine reduced effectively through the immersion of RS in DW, AA and OA solutions. For properties of RS-based pellets, bulk density and higher heating value of RS-based pellets greatly increased with the immersion of RS, and the qualities were much higher than those of the A-grade pellet of the EN standards. Ash content decreased remarkably through the immersion of RS, and was satisfied with the A-grade pellet standard. Durability was negatively affected by the immersion of RS, and did not reached to B-grade of the EN standard. In conclusion, acid immersion of RS can be a pretreatment method for the production of fuel pellet and bioethanol, but use of the immersed RS for the production of high-quality pellets might be restricted due to low durability of immersed-RS pellets. Therefore, further studies, such as investigation of detailed immersion conditions, fabrication of mixed pellets with wooden materials and addition of binders, are needed to resolve the problems.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.157-164
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• 2016

In this study, researchers performed preliminary design and numerical analysis for a pilot-scale helium heating system intended to support full-scale construction for a sulfur-iodine (SI) cycle. The helium heat exchanger used a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) combustor. Exhaust gas velocity at the heat exchanger outlet was approximately 40 m/s based on computational thermal and flow analysis. The maximum gas temperature was reached with six baffles in the design; lower gas temperatures were observed with four baffles. The amount of heat transfer was also higher with six baffles. Installation of additional baffles may reduce fuel costs because of the reduced LPG exhausted to the heat exchanger. However, additional baffles may also increase the pressure difference between the exchanger's inlet and outlet. Therefore, it is important to find the optimum number of baffles. Structural analysis, followed by thermal and flow analysis, indicated a 3.86 mm thermal expansion at the middle of the shell and tube type heat exchanger when both ends were supported. Structural analysis conditions included a helium flow rate of 3.729 mol/s and a helium outlet temperature of $910^{\circ}C$. An exhaust gas temperature of $1300^{\circ}C$ and an exhaust gas rate of 52 g/s were confirmed to achieve the helium outlet temperature of $910^{\circ}C$ with an exchanger inlet temperature of $135^{\circ}C$ in an LPG-fueled helium heating system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1110-1117
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• 2014

Tidal flats are continuously contaminated by human activities. This study assessed the bioremediation efficiency of tidal flat soil using microcosm reactors and microorganisms originating from the tidal area. We screened 135 bacterial strains that produce extracellular enzymes from the tidal area located in the North port of Incheon bay. Two bacterial strains (Pseudoalteromonas sp. and IC35 Halothiobacillus neapolitanus IC_S22) were selected and used in the microcosm reactors, which were specially designed to functionally mimic the ecological conditions of the tidal flats. Pseudoalteromonas sp. IC35 was selected based on its relatively high activity of the enzymes amylase, cellulose, lipase, and protease. Halothiobacillus neapolitanus IC_S22 was selected for oxidation of sulfur. The M1 and M2 microcosm reactors were operated by continuous feeding of seawater under the same conditions, but M2 was first inoculated with Pseudoalteromonas sp. IC35 before the seawater feeding. The initial COD in both the M1 and M2 microcosm reactors was 320 mg/l. The final COD was 21 mg/l (M1) and 7 mg/l (M2). The M3 and M4 microcosm reactors were operated by continuous feeding of seawater under the same conditions, but M4 was first inoculated with H. neapolitanus IC_S22. The initial sulfate concentration in both the M3 and M4 microcosm reactors was 660 mg/l, and the maximum sulfate concentration was 1,360 mg/l (M3) and 1,600 mg/l (M4).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.171-179
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• 1999

The $CO_2$-rich waters in the Chojeong area are characterized by low pH (5.0~5.8), high $CO_2$pressure (about 1 atm) and high amounts of total dissolved iou (up to 989 mg/L) and chemically belong to Ca-HC $O_3$type. The oxygen. deuterium and tritium isotope data indicate that the mixing process occurred between $CO_2$-rich water and surface water and/or shallow groundwaters and also suggest that the $CO_2$-rich water has been derived from meteoric waters. According to $\delta$$^{13}$ C values (-8.6~-5.3$\textperthousand$). the $CO_2$ in the water is attributed from deep seated $CO_2$gas. The high dissolved carbon (-14.4~-6.8$\textperthousand$. $\delta$$^{13}$ C) in groundwater of the granitic terrain might be affected by $CO_2$-rich water, whereas the dissolved carbon (-17.9~-15.2$\textperthousand$. $\delta$$^{13}$ C) in groundwater of the metamorphic terrain is likely controlled by soil $CO_2$ and from the reaction with calcite in phyllite. Sulfur isotope data (＋3.5~＋11.3$\textperthousand$,$\delta$$^{34}$ $S_{SO4}$) also support the mixing process between $CO_2$-rich water and shallow groundwater. Strontium isotopic ratio ($^{87}$ Sr/$^{86}$ Sr) indicates that the $CO_2$-rich water (0.7138~0.7156) is not related to vein calcite (0.7184) of Buak mine or calcite (0.7281~0.7346) in phyllite. By nitrogen isotope ($\delta$$^{15}$ $N_{NO3}$) the sources of nitrogen (up to 55.0 mg/L, N $O_3$) in the $CO_2$-rich water are identified as fertilizer and animal manure. It also indicates the possibility of denitrification during the circulation of nitrogen in the Chojeong area. The possible evolution model of the $CO_2$-rich water based on the hydrochemical and environmental isotopic data was proposed in this study. The $CO_2$-rich waters from the Chojeong area were primarily derived from the reaction with granite by supply of deep seated $CO_2$. and then the $CO_2$-rich water was mixed and diluted with the local groundwater.ter.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.694-699
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• 2012

To examine the EC model in a culture medium, basic culture medium of Rush (2005) and EC model of Robinson and Strokes (1959) were applied analyzing the equivalence ion total amount, the EC variable of cation and anion. Following the experiential translation by Steiner (1980), 130 optimized domestic and foreign culture media for crop growth were utilized, and estimated EC model was also demonstrated. Results from basic culture medium of Rush (2005) suggests an estimated EC by equivalence ion total amount and high reliable regressive model with 0.96 y = 1.33x - 0.23 of 0.96 as value $R^2$. It was found out that the change in concentration of positive ion and anion did not differ significantly with the increase and decrease of EC, however, there occurred a slight variable range. The change brings about a bigger anion influence than the previously reported positive ion, seemingly like those based on nitride ion and sulfur ion. The above EC estimated models confirmed that with optimized 130 domestic and foreign culture media for crop growth, the value derived will be as follows: $R^2$ = 0.98 with y = 1.23x - 0.02. In addition, the contour analysis of positive ion and anion for EC, with popularly known concentration range of EC $1.5-2.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ reveals an equivalent of more than $11meq{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for positive ion and $15meq{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for anion. On the other hand, the left bottom, low concentration $1.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and the right above, high concentration $2.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, for both positive ion and anion existed differently in a proper culture medium concentration. This study adapted variables of both positive ion and anion of EC simultaneously, unlike in the previous culture medium by ion ratio in mutual ratio of Steiner (1980), and offers an EC model that can estimate levels or positive ion and anion in proper concentration, EC $1.5-2.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, with distributed features of ions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.417-431
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• 1997

Characteristics of sedimentary rocks and enrichment of toxic elements in shale and coal from the Chungnam coal field were investigated based upon geochemistry of major, trace and rare earth elements. Shale and coal of the area are interbedded along the Traissic to the Jurassic Daedong Supergroup, which can be subdivided into grey shale, black shale and coal. The coal had been mined, however all the mines are abandonded due to the economic problems. The shale and coal are characterized by relatively low contents of $SiO_2$, and $Al_2O_3$ and high levels of loss-on-ignition (LOI), CaO and $Na_2O$ in comparison with the North American Shale Composite (NASC). Light rare earth elements (La, Ce, Yb and Lu) are highly enriched with the coal. Ratios of $Al_2O_3/Na_2O$ and $K_2O/Na_2O$ in shale and coal range from 30.0 to 351.8 and from 4.2 to 106.8, which have partly negative correlations against $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ (1.24 to 6.06), respectively. Those are suggested that controls of mineral compositions in shale and coal can be due to substitution and migration of those elements by diagenesis and metamorphism. Shale and coal of the area may be deposited in terrestrial basin deduced from high C/S (39 to 895) and variable composition of organic carbon (0.39 to 18.40 wt.%) and low contents of reduced sulfur (0.01 to 0.05 wt.%). These shale and coal were originated from the high grade metamorphic and/or igneous rocks, and the rare earth elements of those rocks are slightly influenced with diagenesis and metamorphism on the basis of $Al_2O_3$ versus La, La against Ce, Zr versus Yb, the ratios of La/Ce (0.38 to 0.85) and Th/U (3.6 to 14.6). Characteristics of trace and rare earth elements as Co/Th (0.07 to 0.86), La/Sc (0.31 to 11.05), Se/Th (0.28 to 1.06), V/Ni (1.14 to 3.97), Cr/V (1.4 to 28.3), Ni/Co (2.12 to 8.00) and Zr/Hf (22.6~45.1) in the shale and coal argue for inefficient mixing of the simple source lithologies during sedimentation. These rocks also show much variation in $La_N/Yb_N$ (1.36 to 21.68), Th/Yb (3.5 to 20.0) and La/Th (0.31 to 7.89), and their origin is explained by derivation from a mixture of mainly acidic igneous and metamorphic rocks. Average concentrations in the shale and coal are As=7.2 and 7.5, Ba=913 and 974, Cr=500 and 145, Cu=20 and 26, Ni=38 and 35, Pb=30 and 36, and Zn=77 and 92 ppm, respectively, which are similar to those in the NASC. Average enrichment indices for major elements in the shale (0.79) and coal (0.77) are lower than those in the NASC. In addition, average enrichment index for rare earth elements in coal (2.39) is enriched rather than the shale (1.55). On the basis of the NASC, concentrations of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in the shale and coal were depleted of all the elements examined, excepting Cr, Pb, Rb and Th. Average enrichment indices of trace and/or potentially toxic elements (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, U and Zn) are 1.23 to 1.24 for shale and 1.06 to 1.22 for coal, respectively.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2014

Objective of this research was to develop root media containing expanded rice hull (ERH) and carbonized rice hull (CRH). To achieve this, the physico chemical properties of two materials were analysed and blended with peatmoss (PM) or coir dust (CD) with various ratio. Based on the physical properties of the blended materials, 4 root media were selected for future experiment. After the analysis of pH and EC of the selected root media, the kinds and amount of pre-planting nutrient charge fertilizers (PNCF) incorporated into each root medium were varied, and then, final chemical properties of the root media were analysed. The total porosity (TP), container capacity (CC), and air-filled porosity (AFP) were 81.3%. 39.9%, and 41.4% in ERH and 77.6%, 64.1%, and 13.5% in CRH, respectively. The percentage of easily available water (EAW, from CC to 4.90 kPa tension) and buffering water (BW, 4.91-9.81 kPa tension) were 11.37% and 5.27%, in ERH and 17.26% and 14.28% in CRH, respectively. The pH of ERH was 7.1, but it was extremely high in CRH such as 11.2. The EC and CEC were $1.31dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and $12.1meq{\cdot}100g^{-1}$ in ERH and $6.53dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and CEC 7.79 $meq{\cdot}100g^{-1}$ in CRH, respectively. The ranges of TP, CC and AFP in 4 selected media (PM + ERH, 6:4, v/v; CD + ERH, 8:2; PM + CRH, 7:3; CD+CRH 6:4) were 89.2-90.3%, 67.3-81.8%, and 8.3-21.9%, respectively. The pHs and ECs in root media containing peatmoss such as PM + ERH (6:4) and PM + CRH (7:3) were 4.0-4.3 and $0.33-0.365dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, whereas those of CD + CRH were 7.4-7.9 and $1.282dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The pHs and ECs, however, analysed before and after the incorporation of PNCF in each root medium were not significant different. This result indicated that the incorporated fertilizers in PNCF to adjust medium pH did not dissolve enough to influence medium pH, but it is very normal in root media containing dolomitic lime and sulfur powder in adjusting pH. The Information obtained in this study may facilitate an effective formulation of root media containing rice hulls.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1035-1043
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• 2007

A leachate containing an elevated concentration of organic and inorganic compounds has the potential to contaminate adjacent soils and groundwater as well as downgradient areas of the watershed. Moreover high-strength ammonium concentrations in leachate can be toxic to aquatic ecological systems as well as consuming dissolved oxygen, due to ammonium oxidation, and thereby causing eutrophication of the watershed. In response to these concerns landfill stabilization and leachate treatment are required to reduce contaminant loading sand minimize effects on the environment. Compared with other treatment technologies, leachate recirculation technology is most effective for the pre-treatment of leachate and the acceleration of waste stabilization processes in a landfill. However, leachate recirculation that accelerates the decomposition of readily degradable organic matter might also be generating high-strength ammonium in the leachate. Since most landfill leachate having high concentrations of nitrogen also contain insufficient quantities of the organic carbon required for complete denitrification, we combined a shortcut biological nitrogen removal (SBNR) technology in order to solve the problem associated with the inability to denitrify the oxidized ammonium due to the lack of carbon sources. The accumulation of nitrite was successfully achieved at a 0.8 ratio of $NO_2^{-}-N/NO_x-N$ in an on-site reactor of the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) type that had operated for six hours in an aeration phase. The $NO_x$-N ratio in leachate produced following SBR treatment was reduced in the landfill and the denitrification mechanism is implied sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification and/or heterotrophic denitrification. The combined leachate recirculation with SBNR proved an effective technology for landfill stabilization and nitrogen removal in leachate.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.17-25
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• 2014

The thermal effect on the compositional change of the $SO_2$ absorption process product was investigated compared with the composition of raw material when dolomite is employed in place of lime in the scrubbing process based on thermodynamic estimation. It was considered that the equilibrium reactions which directly related with the formation of $CaSO_4$ and $MgSO_4$, the absorption process products, are those between $Ca^{2+}$ and $Ca(OH)_2$, $Mg^{2+}$ and $Mg(OH)_2$, and the secondary dissociation reaction of $H_2SO_4$. It was thought to be necessary to examine the enthalpy change for the formation reactions of $CaSO_4$ and $MgSO_4$ along with the thermal feature of the relative reactions to figure out the influence of temperature on the compositional change of absorption process products. The stable regions for $Ca(OH)_2$ and $Mg(OH)_2$ in Pourbaix diagram were found to be increased as temperature rises and the equilibrium reaction between $Ca^{2+}$ and $Ca(OH)_2$ was investigated to be more strongly influence by temperature change compared with the equilibrium reaction between $Mg^{2+}$ and $Mg(OH)_2$. The amounts of $CaSO_4$ and $MgSO_4$ were anticipated to be decreased with temperature considering the thermal characteristics for the equilibrium reactions regarding calcium, magnesium, and $H_2SO_4$. It was understood that the formation ratio between $CaSO_4$ and $MgSO_4$ is greater than the composition ratio between calcium and magnesium contained in dolomite at specific temperature and the decrease of the formation ratio of $CaSO_4$ and $MgSO_4$ with temperature was estimated to be diminished as the content of calcium in dolomite is increased. In addition, the extent of the change in the compositional ratio between absorption process products was examined to be reduced compared with the composition of raw material as the calcium content in dolomite is raised.