• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 1999

Surface sediment samples collected from the eastern half of the Yellow Sea proper in 1998 were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ubiquitous pollutants. Total PAHs concentrations varied from 1.0 to $320.5ng\;g^{-1}$ dw. Relatively high concentrations of PAHs were found in the muddy central part of the Yellow Sea. Sedimentary total PAHs concentrations in the Yellow Sea proper were similar to those of Californian offshores and the central Mediterranean Sea, albeit an order of magnitude lower than the Yellow Sea nearshore areas. Phenanthene/Anthracene concentration ratio of PAHs in bottom sediments suggested that pyrolytic PAHs might be dominant over petrogenic ones in the eastern Yellow Sea. Downcore depth distributions of PAHs from the relatively undisturbed core samples of the central Yellow Sea showed decreasing PAHs concentrations with core depths and suggested that the Yellow Sea has been increasingly exposed to PAH for decades. Annual total PAH flux to these sediments was estimated to be $166{\mu}gm^{-2}yr^{-1}$ in the central part of the Yellow Sea for the recent decade.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.469-490
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• 2003

Atmospheric concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were measured at Gosan, Jeju in November 2001 and spring 2002, each time for two weeks. Primary target pollutants were organochlorine pesticides, coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (co- PCBs), and dioxin/furans listed in the Stockholm Convention adopted in May 2001. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were also measured in order to understand the overall characteristics of the POPs distribution as well as PM$_{2.5}$, a potent carrier of POPs. In the latter part of the measurement period of November 2001, almost every pollutant of combustion origin including dioxin/furans went high probably due to influence of emissions in the nearby area. The characteristics of atmospheric environment at Gosan in this period were rather close to urban areas far from those of a background area. A severe dust storm swept for three days at the end of the measurement period of spring 2002. However, changes in pollutant concentrations were relatively small except PM$_{10}$. Nevertheless, increases in particulate PAHs and OCDD (octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins), mostly present in fine particles, were observed. Trends in organochlorine pesticide variations were mixed although possible volatilization of DDT residues from soil was inferred from the measurements of spring 2002.2.2.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) are difficult to measure, analyze and assess for risk because of low ambient concentrations and varieties. Types of HAPs are Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and Aldehydes. HAP emissions from vehicles are a contributor to serious adverse health effects in urban areas. In this study, hazardous air pollutant emissions from road transport vehicles by Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) weight fraction and PAHs emission factors are estimated in 2008. The top-five-most hazardous air pollutant emissions were estimated to toluene 864.3 ton/yr, acrolein 690.6 ton/yr, acetaldehyde 554.5 ton/yr, formaldehyde 498.7 ton/yr, propionaldehyde 421.6 ton/yr in 2008. The results for a cancer and non-cancer risk assessment of HAPs emissions show that the major cancer driver is formaldehyde and the non-cancer driver is acrolein.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.307-313
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• 2000

Aromatic hydrocarbons are known to be recalcitrant, so that they have been concerned as pollutant chemicals. Microorganisms play a major role in the breakdown and mineralization of these compounds. However, the kinetics of the biodegradation process may be much slower than desired from environmental consideration. The biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons is conducted by oxidation to produce catechol as a common intermediate which is metabolized for carbon and energy sources. In this study, a bacterial isolate capable of degrading several aromatic hydrocarbons was isolated from the contaminated wastewater of Yeocheon industrial complex. On the basis of biochemical characteristics and major cellular fatty acids, the isolate was identified as Pseudomonas putida Z104. The strain Z104 can utilize benzoate and catechol as the sole carbon and energy sources via a serial degradative pathway. The strain degraded actively 0.5 mM catechol in MM2 medium at pH 7.0 and 3$0^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.422-428
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• 1999

Aromatic hydrocarbons can be utilized as carbon and energy sources by some microorganisms at lower concentrations. However, they can also act as stresses to these organisms at higher concentrations. Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 is capable of degrading 0.5 mM concentration of benzoate and 4-chlorobenzoate (4CBA). In this study, the exposure of Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 to the pollutant stresses of benzoate and 4CBA at various concentrations was comparatively studied for its cellular responses, including survival tolerance, degradability of the aromatics, and morphological changes. Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 utilized 0.5 to 1.0mM benzoate and 4CBA as carbon and energy sources for growth. However, the organism could not degrade the aromatics at concentrations of 3 mM or higher, resulting in reduced cell viability due to the destruction of the cell envelopes. Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 cells produced stress-shock proteins such as DnaK and GroEL when treated with benzoate and 4CBA at concentrations of 0.5mM, or higher as sublethal dosage; Yet, there were differing responses between the cells treated with either benzoate or 4CBA. 4CBA affected the degradability of the cells more critically than benzoate. The DnaK and GroEL stress-shock proteins were produced either by 1mM benzoate with 5 min treatment or by higher concentrations after 10min. The proteins were also induced by 0.5mM 4CBA, however, it needed at least 20min treatment or longer. These results indicate that the chlorination of benzoate increased the recalcitrance of the pollutant aromatics and changed the conditions to lower concentrations and longer treatment times for the production of stress-shock proteins. of stress-shock proteins produced by the aromatics at sublethal concentrations functioned interactively between the aromatics for survival tolerance to lethal concentrations.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.70-80
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• 2018

Natural organic matter (NOM) is among the most common pollutant in underground and surface waters. It comprises of humic substances which contains anionic macromolecules such as aliphatic and aromatic compounds of a wide range of molecular weights along with carboxylic, phenolic functional groups. Although the concentration of NOM in potable water usually lies in the range of 1-10 ppm. Conventional treatment technologies are facing challenge in removing NOM effectively. The main issues are concentrated to low efficiency, membrane fouling, and harmful by-product formation. Ion-exchangers can be considered as an efficient and economic pretreatment technology for the removal of NOM. It not only consumes less time for pretreatment but also resist formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), an unwanted harmful by-product. This article provides a comprehensive review of ion exchange processes for the removal of NOM.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.94-98
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• 2004

Phenanthrene is a three-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and commonly found as a pollutant in various environments. Degradation of phenanthrene by white rot fungus Trametes versicolor 951022 and its laccase, isolated in Korea, was investigated. After 36 h of incubation, about 46％ and 65％ of 100 mg/l of phenanthrene added in shaken and static fungal cultures were removed, respectively. Phenanthrene degradation was maximal at pH 6 and the optimal temperature for phenanthrene removal was 30$^{\circ}C$. Although the removal percentage of phenanthrene was highest (76.7％) at 10 mg/1 of phenanthrene concentration, the transformation rate was maximal (0.82 mg/h) at 100 mg/L of phenanthrene concentration in the fungal culture. When the purified laccase of T. versicolor 951022 reacted with phenanthrene, phenanthrene was not transformed. The addition of redox mediator, 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) or 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) to the reac-tion mixture increased oxidation of phenanthrene by laccase about 40％ and 30％, respectively.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.347-351
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• 2002

Benzoate produced from the degradative pathways of various aromatic chemicals is generally recognized as a pollutant compound. However, various bacterial strains isolated as benzoate degraders have exhibited certain limits to their functions, including a loss of viability and degradability when cultivated in a broth medium for a longer time. Accordingly, immobilization techniques have been utilized to overcome such problems, and the current study examined the use of alginate and polyurethane for immobilizing Klebsiella oxytoca C302 to extend its viability and degradability of benzoate. The organism was well encapsulated by both matrices and the immobilized cells showed a high stability as regards their viability and degradability of 2 mM benzoate in a MM2 broth medium during cultivation for longer than 60 h in a semicontinuous batch system.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.95-110
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• 1992

Much progress has been made in understanding the subcellular events of the human lung injuries after acute exposure to environmental air pollutants. Host of those events represent oxidative damages mediated by reactive oxygen species such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and the hydroxy, free radical. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) was found to be endogenously produced by endothelial cells and cells of the reticulo-endothelial system as endothelialderived relaxation factor (EDRF) which is a vasoactive and neurotransmitter substance. Together with superoxide, NO can form another strong oxidant, peroxonitrite. The relative importance of exogenous sources of $N0/N0_2$ and endogenous production of NO by the EDRF producing enzymes in the oxidative stresses to the heman lung has to be elucidated. The exact events leading to chronic irreversible damage are still yet to be known. From chronic exposure to oxidant gases, progressive epithelial and interstitial damages develop. Type I epithelial cells become thicker and cover a smaller average alveolar surface area while thee II cells proliferate instead. Under acute damages, the extent of loss of the alveolar epithelial cell lining, especially type II cells appears to be a good predictor of the ensuing irreversible damage to alveolar compartment. Interstitial matrix undergo remodeling during chronic exposure with increased collagen fibers and interstitial fibroblasts. However, Inany of these changes can be reversed after cessation of exposure. Among chronic lung injuries, genetic damages and repair responses received particular attention in view of the known increased lung cancer risks from exposure to several air pollutants. Heavy metals from foundry emission, automobile traffics, and total suspended particulate, especially polycystic aromatic hydrocarbons have been positively linked with the development of lung cancer. Asbestos in another air pollutant with known risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma, but asbestos fibers are nonauthentic in most bioassays. Studies using the electron spin resonance spin trapping method show that the presence of iron in asbestos accelerates the production of the hydroxy, radical in vitro. Interactions of these reactive oxygen species with particular cellular components and disruption of cell defense mechanisms still await further studies to elucidate the carcinogenic potential of asbestos fibers of different size and chemical composition. The distribution of inhaled pollutants and the magnitude of their eventual effects on the respiratory tract are determined by pollutant-independent physical factors such as anatomy of the respiratory tract and level and pattern of breathing, as well as by pollutant-specific phyco-chemical factors such as the reactivity, solubility, and diffusivity of the foreign gas in mucus, blood and tissue. Many of these individual factors determining dose can be quantified in vitro. However, mathematical models based on these factors should be validated for its integrity by using data from intact human lungs.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.410-415
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• 2004

In order to learn the emission characteristics of hazardous pollutants associated with environmental tobacco smoking (ETS), we measured the concentrations of major aromatic VOC and carbonyl compounds released from ETS. By acquiring the different smoke types of ETS, we were able to determine that the concentrations of those species range from ppb (normal exhaled air of smoker prior to smoking) to ppm levels (direct release of ETS without filter). Using these measurement data, we also evaluated the body-retaining rate of these compounds as the result of ETS. The results of our analysis indicated that predominant portion of them (e.g., > 99%) are retained as the result of cigarette smoking. To learn more about the potential impact of ETS, more extensive study may be required to assess the gross picture of pollutant deposition inside respiratory intake and their health-effects.