• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2013

The concentration and composition of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere can directly reflect the environmental pollution. The atmospheric pollution in some Cameroonian cities is increasing with the industrial development and urbanization. Air pollution is inherently complex, containing PM of varied size and composition. This PM exists as a dynamic cloud interacting with sunlight and is modified by the meteorology. The reflectometer and the EDXRF spectrometry are applied to determine the concentration of some specific elements at four sites in the city of Yaound$\acute{e}$. The particular aim of the present work is to put in place data base on air pollution in urban area and elaborate regulations on the emissions issued to industrial and vehicle activities. This study provides an overview of the concentration of black carbon and some specific elements in the air, which have impacts on human health. The measurement was done by distinguishing the size of particle. So that, the particle with aerodynamic diameter between $2.5-10{\mu}m$ (so-called coarse particle) and aerodynamic diameter < $2.5{\mu}m$ (so-called fine particle) were considered to obtain more information about levels of the inhalable fraction of the location. The results obtained in four locations of the city of Yaound$\acute{e}$ show that the black carbon concentration is very considerable, the element sulfur is a major pollutant and the concentration of fine particle is very greater. The results obtained of fine and coarse filters range from $5-17{\mu}g/m^3$ and $10-18{\mu}g/m^3$ for the black carbon. S, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Se and Hg are the specific findings of this work. The pollutants with a greater concentration are S, Pb, and Zn. These later seem to be non-uniformly, non-regular in some location and high compared to other countries. This work allows us to make a potential relation between pollutants and emission sources. In this framework, some suggestions have been proposed to reduce emissions for an improvement of the air quality in the environment and thus, the one of the city of Yaound$\acute{e}$.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.123-135
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• 1997

An air pollutant emission inventory system for the input preparations of photochemical dispersion model was developed. Using the system, anthropogenic emissions as well as biogenic emissions in the Seoul metropolitan area were calculated. Anthropogenic emission by fuel combustion using regional cosumption data, and the laundries and so forth was estimated. The biogenic emission was estimated based upon meteorological data and the distribution of land use type in the study area. The anthropogenic emission of pollutants was highest in Seoul, and the second highest in Inchon. TSP and $SO_2$ were found large quantities during the winter due to increased consumption of heating oil. NOx and THC were emitted without seasonal variation. Among biogenic emissions, PAR was very common while NO was the least common. PAR, OLE, and ALD2 were emitted in large volumes in coniferous forest areas, while ISOP was emitted in deciduous forest areas. Generally, most biogenic emissions increased during daytime, and peaked between oen and two o'clock. Because of strong solar radiation, emission during the summer was high. Biogenic NO emissions were found to be lower compared to anthropogenic emissons, and other VOC was indicated relatively high. In the study area, among biogenic emissions PAR was found to be 3 times, OLE 8 times,and ALD2 12 times more common than among anthropogenic emissions.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.42-54
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• 2010

Automobile emissions have caused a major hydrocarbon pollution problem in the ambient air of many cities around the world. This study was conducted to measure the pollution status of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in some urban residential areas in Seoul, Korea. A total of 20 VOCs (11 aromatic and 9 chlorinated species) were identified at 4 urban residential sites in Seoul, Korea from February 2009 to July 2009. Comparison of total VOC (TVOC) concentration data indicated the dominance of the aromatic species with the maximum (72.2 ppbC) at Jong Ro (JR) and the minimum at Yang Jae (33.4 ppbC). The peak concentration of TVOC occurred during spring at all sites with an exception at Gang Seo (GS), where it was recorded during winter. The distribution of individual VOCs at the study sites was characterized by high toluene concentration. A strong correlation of benzene was also observed with other VOCs and criteria pollutants at all sites (except YJ). The overall results of this study suggest that vehicular emissions have greatly contributed to the increase in VOC pollution at all the study sites.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.16-37
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• 2018

In this study, difference in chemical composition of $PM_{2.5}$ observed between the year 2013 and 2015 at six air quality intensive monitoring stations (Bangryenogdo (BR), Seoul (SL), Daejeon (DJ), Gwangju (GJ), Ulsan (US), and Jeju (JJ)) was investigated and the possible factors causing their difference were also discussed. $PM_{2.5}$, organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), and water-soluble ionic species concentrations were observed on a hourly basis in the six stations. The difference in chemical composition by regions was examined based on emissions of gaseous criteria pollutants (CO, $SO_2$, and $NO_2$), meteorological parameters (wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity), and origins and transport pathways of air masses. For the years 2013 and 2014, annual average $PM_{2.5}$ was in the order of SL ($${\sim_=}DJ$$)>GJ>BR>US>JJ, but the highest concentration in 2015 was found at DJ, following by GJ ($${\sim_=}SJ$$)>BR>US>JJ. Similar patterns were found in $SO{_4}^{2-}$, $NO_3{^-}$, and $NH_4{^+}$. Lower $PM_{2.5}$ at SL than at DJ and GJ was resulted from low concentrations of secondary ionic species. Annual average concentrations of OC and EC by regions had no big difference among the years, but their patterns were distinct from the $PM_{2.5}$, $SO{_4}^{2-}$, $NO_3{^-}$, and $NH_4{^+}$ concentrations by regions. 4-day air mass backward trajectory calculations indicated that in the event of daily average $PM_{2.5}$ exceeding the monthly average values, >70% of the air masses reaching the all stations were coming from northeastern Chinese polluted regions, indicating the long-range transportation (LTP) was an important contributor to $PM_{2.5}$ and its chemical composition at the stations. Lower concentrations of secondary ionic species and $PM_{2.5}$ at SL in 2015 than those at DJ and GJ sites were due to the decrease in impact by LTP from polluted Chinese regions, rather than the difference in local emissions of criteria gas pollutants ($SO_2$, $NO_2$, and $NH_3$) among the SL, DJ, and GJ sites. The difference in annual average $SO{_4}^{2-}$ by regions was resulted from combination of the difference in local $SO_2$ emissions and chemical conversion of $SO_2$ to $SO{_4}^{2-}$, and LTP from China. However, the $SO{_4}^{2-}$ at the sites were more influenced by LTP than the formation by chemical transformation of locally emitted $SO_2$. The $NO_3{^-}$ increase was closely associated with the increase in local emissions of nitrogen oxides at four urban sites except for the BR and JJ, as well as the LTP with a small contribution. Among the meterological parameters (wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity), the ambient temperature was most important factor to control the variation of $PM_{2.5}$ and its major chemical components concentrations. In other words, as the average temperature increases, the $PM_{2.5}$, OC, EC, and $NO_3{^-}$ concentrations showed a decreasing tendency, especially with a prominent feature in $NO_3{^-}$. Results from a case study that examined the $PM_{2.5}$ and its major chemical data observed between February 19 and March 2, 2014 at the all stations suggest that ambient $SO{_4}^{2-}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ concentrations are not necessarily proportional to the concentrations of their precursor emissions because the rates at which they form and their gas/particle partitioning may be controlled by factors (e.g., long range transportation) other than the concentration of the precursor gases.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.244-258
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• 2018

We performed this study to investigate the spatial, seasonal, and daily variations of the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Pohang, where large steel industrial complexes are located. Ambient air sampling was undertaken at 4 sites during 4 seasons. Each sample was taken for 4 hours continuously for 8 consecutive days per season at each site. Three sites were located within the Pohang city, but one as a control site in Gyeongju. A total of 72 individual VOCs were determined by thermal desorption coupled with GC/MS, including aliphatics, aromatics, carbonyls and halides. The most abundant VOC was toluene, being followed by ethylbenzene and xylenes. Benzene concentrations(c.a. 0.7 ppb) were found to be much lower than the national ambient standard of 1.5 ppb. Overall, the VOCs levels in Pohang appeared to be lower than other national industrial complexes in Korea such as Shiwha-Banwol, Yeosu-Gwangyang, Gumi, and Ulsan. This implies that steel industry may not give significant impacts on the atmospheric levels of VOCs as much as petrochemical, electronic, and/or textile industries, where large amounts of organic solvents are used.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2020

Xylene is a hazardous volatile organic compound that should be precisely measured to monitor indoor air quality. However, the selective and sensitive detection of ppm-level xylene using oxide-semiconductor gas sensors remains a challenge. In this study, pure and Cr-doped Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using flame spray pyrolysis, and their gas-sensing characteristics to 5-ppm xylene at 250 ℃ were investigated. The 4 at% Cr-doped Co₃O₄ NPs exhibited a high gas response to 5-ppm xylene (resistance ratio to gas and air = 39.1) and negligible cross-responses to other representative and ubiquitous indoor pollutants such as ethanol, benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. In this paper, the enhancement of the gas response and selectivity of Co₃O₄ NPs to xylene by Cr doping was discussed in relation to the catalytic promotion of the gas-sensing reaction. This sensor can be used to monitor indoor xylene.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2021

Ambient air pollution, in particular, particulate matter (PM) pollution imposes serious health concerns such as hospitalization and premature deaths, worldwide. While commercial breathing masks are in use for protection against this hazardous issue, yet their efficiency in filtering PM was not up to the par, besides several other discomforts such as poor breathability due to reduced air flow, sweat production etc. In this study, commercial face mask coated with β-glucan, a high molecular weight polymer is tested for its efficacy in filtering PM. Quantification of PM before and after filtration and microscopic observation (using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) of the fabric used in filtering the dust pollutants (generated from wood chips and cigarette) showed that β-glucan coated fabric were significantly efficient in capturing PM (size of 10 and 2.5 ㎛ in diameter) than that of the untreated control fabric, wherein the former had filtration efficacy with fold increase of 11.6 and 2.6 towards capturing PM2.5 and PM10 respectively than the latter. Thus, β-glucan coated fabric was found to be effective in filtering PM.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.69-72
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• 2003

The meteorological model, CALMET, and its plume dispersion model, CALPUFF, were used in order to simulate the dispersion of $SO_2$ emitted from Yatagan Power Plant and its effect on Yatagan district in the episodic event on December 2 and 3, 2000. It is found that south westerly and light winds and the nighttime surface inversion layers lead to accumulation of pollutants over Yatagan district. The results are compared with the measurements done by Local Environmental Authorities of Mu la. The simulation results indicate that the maximum ground level concentrations were found northeast from the source, which agrees with experimental measurement. On the other hand, the magnitude of results obtained with the model shows some differences compared with experimental measurements.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 1986

The study was performed to investigate the effects of gaseous imission of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride on the growth of rice plant under stressed field conditions. The plants were cultivated in normal paddy fields where are 88 industrial plants operating with 285 smoke stacks emitting pollutants. There has been a number of reported studies (1, 3, 11, 19, 20) which deal with rice plant damages by air pollution under a simulated exposure experimental condition. Furthermore, these experiments were conducted to examine effects of a single pollutant on the plant. Furthermore, these experiments were conducted to examine effects of a single pollutant on the plant. In korea, however, there is no study reported in literature with respect to the in-situ dose-response relationship between rice pant reduction in yields and air pollution. This study is specifically dealt with multiple effects of sulfur dioxde and hydrogen fluoride on various plant growth indicators such as leaf damage, culm height, weight of grain, panicles per hill, spikelets per panicle and percent fertility.It appears that there is a good correlation between ambient concentrations of sulfur oxides and sulfur contents found in leaves with an average correlation coefficient of 0.868 within a 1% significance level. It is interesting to note that a better multiple correlation was found between percent leaf damage and sulfur and fluoride contentd found in leaf with a significance of 1% level. The yearly correlation coefficient ranges from 0.963 to 0.987 with an average being 0.971. It is, therefore, believed that a percent leaf damage may serve as a single indicator of pollutional damages to rice plant cultivating in fields. Regarding other factors to the diminution of rice plant growth in polluted atmosphere, it appears that a significant correlation to culm length and dry weight of grain with a 1% significance level whereas T/R ratio has a good correlation with lead damage within 5% significance level. An evaluation of data observed has demonstrated that both panicles per hill and percent fertility are significantly affected by air pollutants. As expected, hydrogen fluoride has more effects than sulfur oxide. It is, however, interesting to note that spikelets per panicles has slightly been affected while no indication of effects on 1000-grain-weight has been observed. This may lead to a conclusion that a reduction in yield of rice under polluted field conditions may have more been caused by the diminution of panicles per hill and percent fertility rather than by the diminution of spikelets per panicle and grain weight.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.264-280
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• 1993

The environmental pollutions were a serious problem in Korea recently. So many researcher have studied the effect of environmental pollution on plants and agro-ecosystem, but the basic mechanisms of environmental stresses were various. One of the important mechanisms was oxidative stress caused by active toxic oxygen. The toxic oxygen was generated by several stresses, abnormal temperature, many xenobiotics, air pollutants, water stress, fugal toxin, etc. In the species of toxic oxygen which is primary inducer of oxidative stresses, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen were representative species. The scavenging systems were divided into two groups. One was nonenzymatic system and the other enzymatic system. Antioxidants such as glutathione, ascorbic acid, and carotenoid, have the primary function in defense mechanisms. Enzymatic system divided into two groups; First, direct interaction with toxic oxygen(eg. superoxide dismutase). Second, participation in redox reaction to maintain the active antioxidant levels(eg. glutathione reductase, ascorbate peroxidase, etc.).