• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.51-63
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• 2013

To assess the effect of environmental factors on the sustainability of cultured production shellfish, we investigated the habitat characteristics of tidal flat (Namhae-po in Taean). We measured the physiochemical parameters (temperature, salanity, pH, dissolved oxygen and nutrients) and the geochemical characteristics (chemical oxygen demand, ignition loss, C/N ratio and C/S ratio). Surface sediments were collected from several site of tidal flat to examine the geochemical characteristics of both the benthic environment and heavy metal pollution. The grain size for research area of tidal flat were similar at the ratio of silt and clay in comparison with the other site of it. The C/N ratio was more than 5.0, reflecting the range arising from the mix of marine organism and organic matter. The C/S ratio (about 2.8) showed that survey area had anoxic or sub-anoxic bottom conditions. The enrichment factor (Ef) and index of accumulation rate (Igeo) of the metals showed that those research areas can be classified as heavily polluted, heavily to moderately polluted, or more or less unpolluted, respectively. Adult surf clam (Mactra veneriformis) density was highest at St. 2 (middle part of the Namhae-po), on the other hand, surf clam spat density was highest at St. 3 (lower part of the Namhae-po). Heavy rain, terrigenous suspended clay with fresh water from neighboring agricultural land, and severe high air temperature during summer could be thought as detrimental causes of spat and adult mortality in Namhae-po tidal flat. We suggested that the growth of shellfish in the tidal flat was effected by the various environmental conditions, so an improvement in the cultured method was needed.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2013

Due to the large specific surface area and great reactivity toward environmental contaminants, nanocrystalline mackinawite (FeS) has been widely applied for the remediation of contaminated groundwater and soil. Furthermore, nanocrystalline FeS is rather thermodynamically stable against anoxic corrosion, and its reactivity can be regenerated continuously by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, nanocrystalline mackinawite is prone to either spread out along the groundwater flow or cause pore clogging in aquifers by particle aggregation. Accordingly, this mineral should be modified for the application of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). In this study, coating methods were investigated by which mackinawite nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of alumina or activated alumina. The amount of FeS coating was found to significantly vary with pH, with the highest amount occurring at pH ~6.9 for both minerals. At this pH, the surfaces of mackinawite and alumina (or activated alumina) were oppositely charged, with the resultant electrostatic attraction making the coating highly effective. At this pH, the coating amounts by alumina and activated alumina were 0.038 and 0.114 $mmol{\cdot}FeS/g$, respectively. Under anoxic conditions, arsenite sorption experiments were conducted with uncoated alumina, uncoated activated alumina, and both minerals coated with FeS at the optimal pH for comparison of their reactivity. Uncoated activated alumina showed the higher arsenite removal compared to uncoated alumina. Notably, the arsenite sorption capacity of activated alumina was little changed by the coating with FeS. This might be attributed to the abundance of highly reactive hydroxyl functional groups (${\equiv}$AlOH) on the surface of activated alumina, making the arsenite sorption by the coated FeS unnoticeable. In contrast, the arsenite sorption capacity of alumina was found to increase substantially by the FeS coating. This was due to the consumption of the surface hydroxyl functional groups on the alumina surface and the subsequent occurrence of As(III) sorption by the coated FeS. Alumina, on the surface area basis, has about 8 times higher FeS coating amount and higher As(III) sorption capacity than silica. This study indicates that alumina is a better candidate than silica for the coating of nanocrystalline mackinawite.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2022

The mobility and transport of radioactive cesium are crucial factors to consider for the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal sites in granite. The retardation of radionuclides in the fractured crystalline rock is mainly controlled by the hydrochemical condition of groundwater and surface reactions with minerals present in the fractures. This paper reports the experimental results of cesium sorption to the Wonju Granite, a typical Mesozoic granite in Korea, performed in an anaerobic chamber that mimics the anoxic environment of a deep disposal site. We measured the rates and amounts of cesium (¹³³Cs) removed by crushed granite samples in different electrolyte (NaCl, KCl, and CaCl₂) solutions and a synthetic groundwater solution, with variations in the initial cesium concentration (10^-5, 5×10^-6, 10^-6, 5×10^-7 M). The cesium sorption kinetic and isotherm data were successfully simulated by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (r²= 0.99) and the Freundlich isotherm model (r²= 0.99), respectively. The sorption distribution coefficient of granite increased almost linearly with increasing biotite content in granite samples, indicating that biotite is an effective cesium scavenger. The cesium removal was minimal in KCl solution compared to that in NaCl or CaCl₂ solution, regardless of the ionic strength and initial cesium concentration that we examined, showing that K⁺ is the most competitive ion against cesium in sorption to granite. Because it is the main source mineral of K⁺ in fracture fluids, biotite may also hinder the sorption of cesium, which warrants further research.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.727-736
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• 2022

Ice wedges are subsurface ice mass structures that formed mainly by freezing precipitation with airborne dust and surrounding soil particles flowed through the active layer into the cracks growing by repeating thermal contractions in the deeper permafrost layer over time. These ice masses characteristically contain high concentrations of solutes and solids. Because of their unique properties and distribution, the possibility of harnessing ice wedges as an alternative archive for reconstructing paleoclimate and paleoenvironment has been recently suggested despite limited studies. It is imperative to preserve the physicochemical properties of the ice wedge (e.g., solute concentration, mineral particles) without any potential alteration to use it as a proxy for reconstructing the paleo-information. Thawing the ice wedge samples is prerequisite for the assessment of their physicochemical properties, during which the paleo-information could be unintentionally altered by any methodological artifact. This study examined the effect of thawing conditions and procedures on the physicochemical properties of solutes and solid particles in ice wedge samples collected from Cyuie, East Siberia. Four different thawing conditions with varying temperatures (4 and 23℃) and oxygen exposures (oxic and anoxic) for the ice wedge sample treatment were examined. Ice wedge samples thawed at 4℃ under anoxic conditions, wherein biological activity and oxidation were kept to a minimum, were set as the standard thawing conditions to which the effects of temperature and oxygen were compared. The results indicate that temperature and oxygen exposure have negligible effects on the physicochemical characteristics of the solid particles. However, the chemical features of the solution (e.g., pH, electric conductivity, alkalinity, and concentration of major cations and trace elements) at 4℃ under oxic conditions were considerably altered, compared to those measured under the standard thawing conditions. This study shows that the thawing condition of ice wedge samples can affect their chemical features and thereby the geochemical information therein for the reconstruction of the paleoclimate and/or paleoenvironment.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2008

This study was accomplished using Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic biofilm reactors with fixed media and post-treatment reactor for natural purification with aquatic floating plants. The objectives of this study was to investigate the characteristics of organics, nitrogen and phosphorus removal from sewage with the HRT. The average removal efficiency of SS and $COD_{Cr}$ increases as increasing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) until 12 hr of the HRT, and it was constant over 12 hr of the HRT. The removal efficiency of them was about 93% and 89% respectively over the 12 hr of HRT. The average $BOD_5$ and $COD_{Mn}$ increases as increasing the HRT and the removal efficiency of them was 84.91 % and 76.03% respectively at the 26 hr of HRT. The removal efficiency of T-N and T-P increases as increasing the HRT until 61 hr of the HRT, and it was constant over 61 hr of the HRT. At the HRT of 61 hr, it was 70.20%, 77.86% respectively. It was found that the optimum HRT was 61 hr in case of the nutrients. Before and after experiment, the nitrogen content was similar in leaves of the water hyacinths but the nitrogen content in roots after experiment was 5.5% more than its content before experiment. It was known that the nitrogen was absorbed by the water hyacinths.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.231-239
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• 2000

This study was investigated to estimate optimal conditions and biological oxic denitrification to treat wastewater with low C/N ratio and high strength total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) concentration by using $A_2O$ fixed biofilm system. The lab-scale experimental system packed with media, which were composed of polyvinylidene chloride fiber (oxic basin) and ceramic ball (anaerobic and anoxic basin), was used. This system was operated with various influent alkalinities at the C/N(TOC/TIN) ratio of 0.5. The study results showed that TOC were removed over 96.0% at all operation conditions. The removal efficiencies over 93.5% for $NH_4{^+}-N$ and 81.8% for TIN were obtained at the alkalinity of about 1210mg/L(Run 5). Among the removal of TIN, 64.9% was occurred by biological denitrification at an oxic basin. It was confirmed through mass balance of alkalinity and nitrogen that the amount of alkalinity produced during biological denitrification at oxic basin was 2.49~3.46 mg Alkalinity/mg $NO_2{^-}-N$, ${\Delta}TOC/{\Delta}DEN$ of 0.34 (Run 5) was obtained at an oxic basin, which was less than the theoretical value of 1.22.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.681-690
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• 1997

Loss of synaptic transmission and accumulation of extracellular $K^+([K^+]_O)$ are the key features in ischemic brain damage. Here, we examined the effects of several $K^+$channel modulators on the early ischemic changes in population spike (PS) and $[K^+]_o$ in the CA1 pyramidal layer of the rat hippocampal slice using electrophysiological techniques. After onset of anoxic aglycemia (AA), orthodromic field potentials decreased and disappeared in $3.3{\pm}0.22\;min$ $(mean{\pm}SEM,\;n=40)$. The hypoxic injury potential (HIP), a transient recovery of PS appeared at $6.0{\pm}0.25\;min$ (n=40) in most slices during AA and lasted for $3.3{\pm}0.43\;min$. $[K^+]_o$ increased initially at a rate of 0.43 mM/min (Phase 1) and later at a much faster rate (12.45 mM/min, Phase 2). The beginning of Phase 2 was invariably coincided with the disappearance of HIP. Among $K^+$ channel modulators tested such as 4-aminopyridine (0.03, 0.3 mM), tetraethylammonium (0.1 mM), NS1619 $(0.3{\sim}10\;{\mu}M)$, niflumic acid (0.1 mM), glibenclamide $(40\;{\mu}M)$, tolbutamide $(300\;{\mu}M)$ and pinacidil $(100\;{\mu}M)$, only 4-aminopyridine (0.3 mM) induced slight increase of $[K^+]_o$ during Phase 1. However, none of the above agents modulated the pattern of Phase 2 in $[K^+]_o$ in response to AA. Taken together, the experimental data suggest that 4-aminopyridine-sensitive $K^+$channels, large conductance $Ca^{2+}-activated$ $K^+$ channels and ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channels may not be the major contributors to the sudden increase of $[K^+]_o$ during the early stage of brain ischemia, suggesting the presence of other routes of $K^+$ efflux during brain ischemia.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.707-716
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• 2005

Organic geochemical analyses including Rock-Eval pyrolysis, elemental analysis and stable carbon isotope analysis were performed to evaluate the characteristics of organic matter in the ODP Leg 127 Site 794A sediments and to understand paleoceanographic changes. Based on the TOC contents, C/N ratio, HI vs. OI, $\delta^{13}C_{org}$ and C/S ratio, results imply that dark layers containing a large amount of terrigenous organic matter were deposited under the suboxic/anoxic conditions, whereas the light layers containing largely marine organic matter were deposited under the oxic conditions. These results indicate that increasing surface-productivity by the input of a large amount of terrigenous organic matter from adjacent continent led to the deposition of dark layers during the interglacial highstands, whereas marine primary production and dilution caused by Kosa from the China desert area led to the deposition of light layers with the decreased to terrigenous organic matter during the glacial lowstands.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2016

Rice cultivation in paddy field affects the global balance of methane ($CH_4$) as a key greenhouse gas. To evaluate a potential use of by-product gypsum fertilizer (BGF) in reducing $CH_4$ emission from paddy soil, $CH_4$ fluxes from a paddy soil applied with BGF different levels (0, 2, 4 and $8Mg\;ha^{-1}$) were investigated by closed-chamber method during rice cultivation period. $CH_4$ flux significantly decreased (p<0.05) with increasing level of BGF application. $8Mg\;ha^{-1}$ of BGF addition in soil reduced $CH_4$ flux by 60.6% compared to control. Decreased soil redox potential (Eh) resulted in increasing $CH_4$ emission through a $CO_2$ reduction reaction. The concentrations of dissolved calcium (Ca) and sulfate ion (${SO_4}^{2-}$) in soil pore water were significantly increased as the application rate of BGF increased and showed negatively correlations with $CH_4$ flux. Decreased $CH_4$ flux with BGF application implied that ${SO_4}^{2-}$ ion led to decreases in electron availability for methanogen and precipitation reaction of Ca ion with inorganic carbon including carbonate and bicarbonate as a source of $CH_4$ formation under anoxic condition. BGF application also increased rice grain yield by 16% at $8Mg\;ha^{-1}$ of BGF addition. Therefore, our results suggest that BGF application can be a good soil management practice to reduce $CH_4$ emission from paddy soil and to increase rice yield.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.103-114
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• 2017

A membrane bioreactor by sequentially alternating the inflow and by applying a two-stage coagulation control based on pre-coagulation was evaluated in terms of phosphorus removal efficiency and cost-savings. The MBR consisted of two identical alternative reaction tanks, followed by aerobic, anoxic and membrane tanks, where the wastewater and the internal return sludge alternatively flowed into each alternative reaction tank at every 2 hours. In the batch-operated alternative reaction tank, the initial concentration of nitrate rapidly decreased from 2.3 to 0.4 mg/L for only 20 minutes after stopping the inflow, followed by substantial release of phosphorus up to 4 mg/L under anaerobic condition. Jar test showed that the minimum alum doses to reduce the initial $PO_4$-P below 0.2 mg/L were 2 and 9 mol-Al/mol-P in the wastewater and the activated sludge from the membrane tank, respectively. It implies that a pre-coagulation in influent is more cost-efficient for phosphorus removal than the coagulation in the bioreactor. On the result of NUR test, there were little difference in terms of denitrification rate and contents of readily biodegradable COD between raw wastewater and pre-coagulated wastewater. When adding alum into the aerobic tank, alum doses above 26 mg/L as $Al_2O_3$ caused inhibitory effects on ammonia oxidation. Using the two-stage coagulation control based on pre-coagulation, the P concentration in the MBR effluent was kept below 0.2 mg/L with the alum of 2.7 mg/L as $Al_2O_3$, which was much lower than 5.1~7.4 mg/L as $Al_2O_3$ required for typical wastewater treatment plants. During the long-term operation of MBR, there was no change of the TMP increase rate before and after alum addition.