• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2015

Occurrences of coastal dredged materials are ever increasing due to port construction, navigational course maintenance and dredging of polluted coastal sediments. Ocean dumping of the coastal dredged materials has become virtually prohibited as London Treaty will be enacted as of the year 2012. It will be necessary to treat and recycle the dredged materials that may carry organic pollutants and heavy metals in a reasonable and effective process: collection of the dredged materials, liquid and solid separation, and treatment of organic compounds and heavy metals. In this study we have developed a continuous bioreactor system that can treat a mixture of silt and particulate organic matter using a microbial consortium (BM-S-1). The steady-state operation conditions were: pH (7.4-7.5), temperature ($16^{\circ}C$), DO (7.5-7.9), and salt concentration (3.4-3.7%). The treatment efficiencies of SCOD, T-N and T-P of the mixture were 95-96%, 92-99%, and 79-97%. The system was also effective in removal of heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Cr. Levels of MLSS during three months operation period were 11,000-19,000 mg/L. Interestingly, there was little sludge generated during this period of operation. The augmented microbial consortium seemed to be quite active in the removal of the organic component (30%) present in the dredged material in association with indigenous bacteria. The dominant phyla in the treatment processes were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes while dominant genii were Marinobacterium, Flaviramulus, Formosa, Alteromonadaceae_uc, Flavobacteriaceae_uc. These results will contribute to a development of a successful bioremediation technology for various coastal and river sediments with a high content of organic matter, inorganic nutrients and heavy metals, leading to a successful reuse of the polluted dredged sediments.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.220-226
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• 2005

This study evaluated the composition and distribution of marine litters on the sea-bed of the East China Sea. Surveys have been conducted by a benthic trawlnet of Dong-baek training ship of Yosu national university during the cruise of 2002-2004. Distribution density showed high value in C5 (north-western area of Jeju Island) with $110.3kg/km^2$ and those of annual mean were about $31-43kg/km^2$. Fishing gears such as nets, pots, octopus jars and etc. were about 42-72% of debris collected in the East China Sea. Composition ratio of rubber, vinyl. metal, plastic, glass, wood, cloth and etc. were within 25% except C5. Rope and drum showed strong fluctuations with 0-30% according to the trawling sites. Some vinyls and nets made in Korea, China and Japan were much collected. It is estimated that fishing gears were discarded to the sea by fishing operation, deliberately or not. An comprehensive program including continuous research, monitoring for marine litters in the Korean sea were necessary.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.411-419
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• 2003

Dredged material during Masan Bay cleaning in 1990-1994 was deposited in Gapo area. The site provides an ideal experimental condition to monitor environmental remediation and benthic ecosystem stabilization processes after the disturbance. Sea water samples were taken during one tidal cycle in one hour interval from Oct. 2001 to Apr. 2002 (4 times) to estimate the organic matter and nutrient fluxes in Gapo area. Hourly material fluxes were estimated from the water balance estimated from 3 dimensional topography of Gapo area and from material concentration. Net material fluxes were estimated from the difference between total influx and total outflux during one tidal cycle. Chemical oxygen demand showed net outflux in Nov. 2001, Dec. 2001 and Apr. 2002 (2.2∼3.9 g m$\^$-2/ h$\^$-1/) and showed net influx in Mar. 2002 (1.4 g m$\^$-2/ h$\^$-1/). Ammonium showed net outflux during the study (0.1∼118 mg m$\^$-2/ h$\^$-1/m-2h-I). According to this investigation, Gapo area was a source rather than a sink of organic matter. However, the variability of the material fluxes was high so that a long term study may be required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.63-75
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• 2013

The Inner Port Phase 2 area of the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port is enclosed by a total of three permeable sea-walls, and the disposal site to the east of the Inner Port Phase 2 is also enclosed by two permeable sea-walls. The maximum tidal range measured in the Inner Port Phase 2 and in the disposal site in May 2010 is 4.70 and 2.32 m, respectively. It reaches up to 54 and 27%, respectively of 8.74 m measured simultaneously in the exterior. Regression formulas between the difference of hydraulic head and the rate of interior water volume change, are induced. A three-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic model for the Asan Bay is constructed incorporating a module to compute water discharge through the permeable sea-walls at each computation time step by employing the formulas. Hydrodynamics for the period from 13th to 27th May, 2010 is simulated by driving forces of real-time reconstructed tide with major five constituents($M_2$, $S_2$, $K_1$, $O_1$ and $N_2$) and freshwater discharges from Asan, Sapkyo, Namyang and Seokmoon Sea dikes. The skill scores of modeled mean high waters, mean sea levels and mean low waters are excellent to be 96 to 100% in the interior of permeable sea-walls. Compared with the results of simulation to obstruct the flow through the permeable sea-walls, the maximum current speed increases by 0.05 to 0.10 m/s along the main channel and by 0.1 to 0.2 m/s locally in the exterior of the Outer Sea-wall of Inner Port. The maximum bottom shear stress is also intensified by 0.1 to 0.4 $N/m^2$ in the main channel and by more than 0.4 $N/m^2$ locally around the arched Outer Sea-wall. The module developed to compute the flow through impermeable seawalls can be practically applied to simulate and predict the advection and dispersion of materials, the erosion or deposion of sediments, and the local scouring around coastal structures where large-scale permeable sea-walls are maintained.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.138-149
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• 2008

Rapid accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for the past century leads to acidify the surface ocean and contributes to the global warming as it forms acid in the ocean and it is a green house gas. In order to curb the green house gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide, various multilateral agreements and programs have been established including UN Convention of Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol for the last decades. Also a number of geo-engineering projects to manipulate the radiation balance of the earth have been proposed both from the science and industrial community worldwide. One of them is ocean fertilization to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the photosynthesis of phytoplankton in the sea. Deliberate fertilization of the ocean with iron or nitrogen to large areas of the ocean has been proposed by commercial sector recently. Unfortunately the environmental consequences of the large scale ocean iron fertilization are not known and the current scientific information is still not sufcient to predict. In 2007, the joint meeting of parties of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 and 1996 Protocol (London Convention/Protocol) has started considering the purposes and circumstances of proposed large-scale ocean iron fertilization operations and examined whether these activities are compatible with the aims of the Convention and Protocol and explore the need, and the potential mechanisms for regulation of such operations. The aim of this paper is to review the current development on the commercial ocean fertilization activities and management regimes in the potential ocean fertilization activities in the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and high seas, respectively, and further to have a view on the emerging international management regime to be London Convention/Protocol in conjunction with a support from the United Nations General Assembly through The United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: To assess and prevent the environmental impacts and risks by veterinary pharmaceuticals, Guidance on Estimating Soil Persistence and Degradation Kinetics from Environmental Fate Studies on Veterinary Pharmaceuticals for Environmental Risk Assessment was proposed. METHODS AND RESULTS: Proposed guidance was coined by VICH, EU guideline, OECD guideline and soil dissipation studies for the purpose of international harmonizing. Guidance was also modified from pesticide soil persistence testing guidelines of US, EU, and Korea, with practical approaches adopting in-use test guideline for Korea. CONCLUSION(S): Proposed guidance are consisted of three parts; Laboratory Soil Experiment, Field Soil Dissipation Study, and Estimation of $DT_{50}/DT_{90}$. Proposed guidance is to be available for the requirement for registration of veterinary pharmaceuticals with fit for purpose in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.13-17
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• 2012

Recently, our ocean development paradigm is changing so that the development focus has been moved from the port facility developments to creating useful marine space. This paradigm accords well with the current green technology and helps the growth of service industries and the development from this paradigm can become a national land mark. Accordingly, the concept of creating marine waste landfill by the development of resource recycling technology has been introduced for eco-friendly space as an artificial island in future. Therefore, this study introduces the reactive vertical drainage method that is to pursue the purification of pollutants as well as stabilization of newly deposited soils in marine environments. To install the reactive vertical drainage piles for more effective feasibility and constructability, placements of drainage mid-layer are considered in the geotechnical viewpoint. Consolidation characteristics were evaluated by standard consolidation tests after several types of model test. As s result, the application of mid-layer drainage is strongly recommended in the reactive vertical drainage to quickly stabilize newly deposited soils. And vacuum consolidation method has better consolidation characteristic than vertical loading method in terms of the settlements predicted by additional stress for further use as an artificial island.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.3 s.59
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• pp.293-303
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• 2005

Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes is widely distributed in the North East Asia including Korea, Japan and east China, and commonly used for freshwater toxicity tests and cytotoxicological studies worldwide. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to identify the potential of the fish as a standard test species for saltwater toxicity evaluation such as marine receiving waters, ocean-dumped materials and sediment pore waters etc. Hatching, growth and mortality rates of the fish were estimated with the wide ranges of salinity from freshwater to seawater (35 psu). Direct exposure of the fertilized eggs in freshwater to the wide ranges of salinity (from 0 to 35 psu) without pre- acclimation to the saltwater revealed no significant differences in hatching rates by salinities (p =0.24). On the other hand, medaka larvae hatched in freshwater and exposed to saltwater directly showed high mortality at > 25 psu treatment groups (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in mortality of medaka larvae hatched in 13.8 and 14.2 psu at the wide ranges of salinities ($0\~35$ psu). Growth rates of medaka larvae hatched in the above two salinities showed no differences in body length either from 0 to 35 psu treatment groups (p =0.64 for 13.8 psu group and p=0.32 for 14.2 psu group). The number of gill chloride cell in medaka larvae sharply increased when the larvae were exposed to high salinity. Reference tests with zinc chloride revealed 96h $LC_{50}=8.84(7.19\~10.87)mg\;L^{-1}$ using 7~10 day old medaka larvae. These were comparable or better sensitivity in comparison with the other standard test species such as North American sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus. Based on the results of these experiments, hatching rates and larvalmortality of medaka must be good toxicity parameters for seawater bioassay and the species seems to be a good standard species for both the freshwater and seawater toxicity test.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.13-20
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• 2009

There have been increasing interests in the odor generation problems as concerns about the quality of life has been increased recently. Especially, approximately 67% of the odor complaints from environmental facilities are those from sewage treatment facilities and food waste treatment facilities. Moreover, sewage ocean dumping will be prohibited from 2012 by the international and domestic ocean laws, and thus, demand for alternative management plans is increasing. Therefore, it was first selected 5 sewage treatment facilities and 5 food waste treatment facilities where the amounts of waste are relatively immense in Busan, and collect their sludge samples. Then it was investigated the samples' physical and chemical characteristics through proximate analysis, elemental analysis, XRF analysis, and calorific value analysis. Finally, estimate the $H_2S$ emission rates were estimated in order to apply the results as the basic data for providing the fundamental solution for the oder complaints. As a result, the concentration of $H_2S$ in sewage sludge and in food waste treatment facility were 57.3 mg/kg and 19.7 mg/kg in average, respectively. Finally, the units of $H_2S$ in wastes stored in total 10 waste treatment facilities was estimated 16,017,910.0 mg/d.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.230-236
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• 2009

Sewage sludge cake(SSC) is seriously concerned because ocean dumping, which is the cheapest treatment method now, will be banned in 2012. On the basis of this reason, recycling of SSC is emphasized to convert the treatment method. One of the method to recycling SSC could be carbonization process which also can be reduced greenhouse gas effectively. And carbonization residue of SSC produced by carbonization process can become a renewable energy source. However, carbonization process has not been evaluated by considering basic operating data such as heating value, yield and fuel ratio. In this study, the basic characteristics of SSC such as proximate analysis, elementary analysis and heating value are analyzed. In carbonization process, the effect of carbonization temperature and time on the residue of SSC are estimated. And the analysis is carried out to obtain basic properties of the residue of SSC. From the result of chemical composition of SSC residue, there is 27% of phosphate in SSC. Phosphate will take a role of reductant to convert from hazardous substance to non-hazardous material. As increased carbonization temperature and time, heating value and yield are decreased but fuel ratio(fixed carbon/volatile combustible) of the residue is increased. In the carbonization process, the optimum temperature and time in carbonization test for SSC can be decided by $250^{\circ}C$ and 15 min, respectively. However, the carbonization residue of SSC can not be deserved to use one of renewable energy sources because the heating value at the optimum condition is relatively low. Hence, it is desirable that SSC can be mixed with other organic waste to carbonize.