• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.886-891
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• 2013

We analyzed surface sediments to explain the substrate characteristics of sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus habitat. The analyses included grain-size determination, water content (WC), loss on ignition (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) content. We obtained data on sea cucumber density, weight, and length at each station in a marine farming area in the middle of Korea's Taean coast on the West (Yellow) Sea in May, 2012. The apparent density of S. japonicus was high in coarse and bimodal sediments, whereas it was low in fine and unimodal sediments. The mass of S. japonicus was greater in fine than in coarse sediments, showing a different trend from sea cucumber density. The values for WC, IL, COD, and AVS in surface sediments were higher in areas with high densities of S. japonicus than in areas with low sea cucumber densities. In particular, the concentration of AVS was much higher than the value proposed in Japanese criteria for areas with high S. japonicus density.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2015

Organic wastes such as food waste (FW), livestock wastewater (LW), and sewage sludge (SWS) can produce hydrogen ($H_2$) by anaerobic acid fermentation. Expecially, FW which has high carbohydrate content produces $H_2$ and short chain fatty acids by indigenous $H_2$ producing microorganisms without adding inoculum, however $H_2$ production rate (HPR) and yield have to be improved to use a commercially available technology. In this study, LW was mixed to FW in different ratios (on chemical oxygen demand (COD) basis) as an auxiliary substrate. The mixture of FW and LW was pretreated at pH 2 using 6 N HCl for 12 h and then fermented at $37^{\circ}C$ for 28 h. HPR of FW, 254 mL $H_2/L/h$, was increased with the addition of LW, however, mixing ratio of LW to FW was reversely related to HPR, exhibiting HPR of 737, 733, 599, and 389 mL $H_2/L/h$ at the ratio of FW:LW=10:1, 10:2, 10:3, and 10:4 on COD basis, respectively. Maximum HPR and $H_2$ production yield of 737 $H_2/L/h$ and 1.74 mol $H_2/mol$ hexoseadded were obtained respectively at the ratio of FW:LW=10:1. Butyrate was the main organic acid produced and propionate was not detected throughout the experiment.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.638-648
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• 2013

To understand the geochemical characteristics of intertidal sediment in a semi-enclosed bay, we measured various geochemical parameters, including grain size, ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and trace metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, and As), in intertidal sediment from three bays (Deukryang Bay, Yeoja Bay, and Gamak Bay) in the southern region of Jeollanam Province. The intertidal sediment in Deukryang Bay consisted of various sedimentary types, such as sand, gravelly muddy sand, mud, and silt, whereas the intertidal sediments in Yeoja and Gamak Bays were composed mainly of mud. The concentrations of IL, COD, AVS and trace metals in the intertidal sediments of the three study regions were relatively high near areas affected by input of stream waters and/or shellfish farming waste. The concentrations of organic matter and trace metals in Gamak Bay were much higher than those in Deukryang and Yeoja Bays, which appears to be due to the influence of anthropogenic pollutants, originating from the city and the industrial complex near Gamak Bay. The evaluation results of organic matter and metal pollution using the sediment quality guidelines showed that the intertidal sediments in the three study regions were not polluted in terms of organic matter and trace metals. In future, sustainable management for sources of organic matter and trace metal is necessary to conserve a healthy benthic ecosystem in intertidal sediments.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.626-637
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• 2013

We measured the grain size, ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and trace metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Hg, and As) of intertidal surface sediment collected from 11 islands (62 stations) in the southern region of Jeollanam Province. The objective of this research was to evaluate the organic matter and trace metals contaminations of sediments from coastal island tidal flats. Surface sediment texture was characterized as follows: mud, sandy silt, muddy sand, and slightly gravelly sand facies. The finer sediments are mainly dominated in the northern part of each island. The concentrations of IL, COD, AVS and some trace metals (Al, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Hg) were higher in the northwestern part of Wan Island and the area between Gogeum and Sinji Islands, and were associated with relatively finer sediment, as compared to other locations. The concentrations of Mn, Pb, Cd, and As were higher in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Geoguem and Pyungil Islands, but were not correlated with mean grain size. Based on sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the concentrations of trace metals were lower than the values of effect range low (ERL), used in United States, and threshold effects level (TEL), used in Korea, with exception of As. Similarly, the intertidal sediments were moderately contaminated with As, based on the the enrichment factor (EF) and the geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$). The high concentration of As in intertidal sediments from this study region may be due to the input of naturally or artificially contaminated submarine groundwater, contaminated waste from seaweed aquaculture operations and/or land-based seaweed processing facilities. Further studies are needed to identify the sources of As in this study region, and to determine the effects of As contamination on coastal ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.704-715
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• 2012

To examine temporal and spatial variation in salinity and nutrients in the shallow pore water of intertidal sandflats, we measured salinity and nutrient concentrations (dissolved inorganic nitrogen [DIN], phosphorus [DIP], and silicate [DSi]) in pore water of the intertidal zone along the coastline of Jeju Island at two and/or three month intervals from May 2009 to December 2010. Geochemical parameters (grain size, ignition loss [IL], chemical oxygen demand [COD], and acid volatile sulfur [AVS]) in sediment were also investigated. The surface sediments in intertidal sandflats of Jeju Island were mainly composed of sand, slightly gravelly sand and gravelly sand, with a range of mean grain size from 0.5 to 2.5 ${\O}$. Concentrations of IL and COD in sediment were higher along the eastern coast, as compared to the western coast, due to differences in biogenic sediment composition. Salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water were markedly different across time and space during rainy seasons, whereas concentrations were temporally and spatially more stable during dry seasons. These results suggest that salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water depend on the advective flow of fresh groundwater. We also observed an imbalance of the DIN/DIP ratio in pore water due to the influence of contaminated sources of DIN. In particular, nutrient concentrations during rainy and dry seasons were characterized by high DIN/DIP ratios (mean-127) and low DIN/DIP ratios (mean-10), respectively, relative to the Redfield ratio (16) in offshore seawater. Such an imbalance of DIN/DIP ratios in pore water can affect the coastal ecosystem and appears to cause outbreaks of benthic seaweed along the coastline of Jeju Island.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.694-703
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• 2012

To understand the characteristics of sedimentary and benthic environments in habitats of naturally-occurring intertidal benthic macroalgae, various geochemical parameters of sediment (grain size, ignition loss [IL], chemical oxygen demand [COD], and acid volatile sulfur [AVS]) and pore water (temperature, salinity, pH, and nutrients) were measured in the southern intertidal zone of Hampyeong Bay at two month intervals from April to October 2009. Ecological characteristics including the distribution and biomass of benthic macroalgae were also investigated. Benthic macroalgae were distributed below 4 to 5 m depth from mean sea level near the lower portion of the intertidal zone where air exposure time is relatively short. The distribution area and biomass of benthic macroalgae gradually decreased during the study period. The surface sediments in the benthic algal region were mainly composed of finer sediments, such as slightly gravelly mud and mud. The temperature, salinity, pH, and nutrient concentrations (except dissolved inorganic nitrogen) in pore water did not differ in regions with and without benthic macroalgae, whereas the mean grain size and the concentrations of IL, COD, and AVS in sediments were much higher in regions harboring benthic macroalgae. The correlation between mean grain size and IL in sediments displayed two distinct gradients and the slope was much steeper in regions harboring benthic macroalgae, indicating that the content of organic matter in benthic algal region is not solely dependent on mean grain size. Our results indicate that the benthic macroalgae in the southern intertidal zone of Hampyeong Bay play an important role in the accumulation of organic matter in sediment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.449-455
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• 2013

The effect of recycling ratio and fixed media on nitrate and phosphate removal was investigated in a pilot-scale wastewater treatment unit using synthetic wastewater. Addition of fixed media increased nitrate removal from 45 to 58% while no noticeable change was observed for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and phosphate removal (<5%). Nitrate removal efficiency also enhanced (Ca 7%) when the influent wastewater flow was doubled (2Q), however phosphate removal was decreased from 40.9 to 26.6% with the increasing recycling rate. The attached biomass analysis showed the presence of bacteria (73.4 $mg/cm^2$) on the surface of added media in anoxic reactor. Pseudomonas aeruginosa a common denitrifying bacterium dominated the bacterial growth (58%) in the anoxic reactor which was determined using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.125-132
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• 2010

In order to assess the effect of pollution on marine ecosystem, we examined the plankton health assessment at 16 stations during summer season in Jinhae Bay. The organic and inorganic pollutant sources (dissolved organic carbon; DOC, chemical oxygen demand; COD and Chlorophyll a; Chl.a), including planktonic orangism such as enterobacteria Escherichia coli, heterotrophic bacteria (HB), autotrophic nano-flagellates (ANF), heterotrophic nano flagellates (HNF), ciliate and harmful algal bloom species (HABs) were used to characterize marine ecosystem health assessment. Of these, we tentatively selected those items Chl.a, HABs, HB and E. coli for plankton health index (PHI). Also, the scoring criteria for each metric were based on a statistical analysis and then, the grades are rated on four levels. As a result, the ecological assessment of these data reveals that PHI in Jinhae Bay is rated as "Good or fair" for overall conditions. The present study suggests that the PHI might be considered as one of important management tool to assess marine ecosystem health of Jinhae Bay.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.1014-1025
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• 2014

We measured the concentrations of various geochemical parameters [grain size, ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and trace metals (Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, Cr, Mn, As, Zn, and Hg)] in the surface sediments of two intertidal oyster Crassostrea gigas farming areas (Iwon and Mongsan tidal flats) on the Taean Peninsula, Korea, to evaluate the pollution level of organic matter and trace metals in sediment. The intertidal sediments in the study region comprise mostly sand with a mean grain size of 2.5-3.5 Ø. The concentrations of IL, COD, AVS, and trace metals in the sediment of two study regions were either similar or lower in oyster farming areas relative to non-farming areas, apparently due to biological uptake or physical and biological sediment reworking. Based on the results for the pollution evaluation of organic matter and trace metals derived from sediment quality guidelines, enrichment factor, and geoaccumulation index, our results suggest that the sediment in these two intertidal oyster farming regions is not polluted by organic matter and trace metals.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.535-542
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• 2010

In this study, we used coal-based activated carbons and charcoal as startingmaterials, phenolic resin (PR) as a binder, and TOS as a titanium source to prepare $TiO_2$ combining spherical shaped activated carbon photocatalysts. The textural properties of the activated carbon photocatalysts (SACP) were characterized by specific surface area (BET), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), iodine adsorption, strength intensity, and pressure drop. The photocatalytic activities of the SACPs were characterized by degradation of the organic dyes Methylene Blue (MB), Methylene Orange (MO), and Rhodamine B (Rh. B) and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) experiment. The surface properties are shown by SEM. The XRD patterns of the composites showed that the SACP composite contained a typical single, clear anatase phase. The EDX spectro for the elemental indentification showed the presence of C and O with Ti peaks. According to the results, the spherical activated carbon photocatalysts sample of AOP prepared with activated carbon formed the best spherical shape, a high BET surface area, iodine adsorption capability and strength value, and the lowest pressure drop, and the photocatalytic activity was better than samples prepared with charcoal. We compared the degradation effects among three kinds of dyes. MB solution degraded with the SACP is better than any other dye solutions.