• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.148-153
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• 2011

EMRAS-2 (Environmental Modelling for RAdiation Safety, Phase 2) is an international comparison program, which is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in order to harmonize the modelling of radionuclide behavior in the environment. To do so, the urban contamination working group within EMRAS-2 has designed the hypothetical scenarios for a specified urban area. In this study, the importance of contaminated surfaces composing an urban environment was analyzed in terms of dose rate using METRO-K, which has been developed to take a Korean urban environment into account. The contribution of contaminated surfaces to exposure dose rate showed distinctly a great difference as a function of specified locations and time following a hypothetical event. Moreover, it showed a distinct difference according to the existence of precipitation, and its intensity. Therefore, if an urban area is contaminated radioactively by any unexpected incidents such as an accident of nuclear power plants or an explosion of radioactive dispersion devices (RDDs), appropriate measures should be taken with consideration of the type of surface composing the contaminated environment in order to minimize not only radiation-induced health detriment but also economic and social impacts.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.565-571
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• 2010

An innovative application of surfactant-enhanced air sparging(SEAS) technique was developed in this study. Using a laboratory-scale physical model packed with water-saturated sand, air sparging was implemented to remove water-dissolved toluene that was introduced into a specific depth of the system with finite vertical width prior to sparging. An anionic surfactant(Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) was introduced into the contaminated layer as in dissolved form in the toluene-contaminated solution for SEAS, whereas no surfactant was applied in the control experiment. Due to the suppressed surface tension of water in the surfactant(and toluene)-containing region, the toluene removal rate increased significantly compared to those without surfactant. More than 70% of the dissolved toluene was removed from the contaminated layer for SEAS application while less than 20% of toluene was removed for the experiment without surfactant. Air intrusion into the contaminated layer during sparging was found to be more effective than that without surfactant, enhancing air contact with toluene-contaminated water, which resulted in improved volatilization of contaminant. This new method is expected to open a new option for remediation of VOC(volatile organic compound)-contaminated aquifer.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1067-1070
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• 2009

We studied change in water contact angle on $TiO_2$ surfaces upon high-energy electron-beam treatment. Depending on conditions of e-beam exposures, surface OH-content could be increased or decreased. In contrast, water contact angle continuously decreased with increasing e-beam exposure and energy, i.e. change in the water contact angle cannot be rationalized in terms of the overall change in the surfacestructure of carbon-contaminated $TiO_2$. In the C 1s spectra, we found that the C-O and C=O contents gradually increased with increasing e-beam energy, suggesting that the change in the surface structure of carbon layers can be important for understanding of the wettability change. Our results imply that the degree of oxidation of carbon impurity layers on oxide surfaces should be considered, in order to fully understand the change in the oxide surface wettability.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.603-608
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• 2004

The paper analyzes a scheme of decontamination of radionuclides from concrete structures, in which rapid microwave heating is used to spall off a thin contaminated surface layer. The analysis is split in two parts: (1) The hygrothermal part of the problem, which consists in calculating the evolution of the temperature and pore pressure fields, and (2) the fracturing part, which consists in predicting the stresses, deformations and fracturing. The rate of the distributed source of heat due to microwaves in concrete is calculated on the basis of the standing wave normally incident to the concrete wall with averaging over both the time period and the wavelength because of the very short time period of microwaves compared to the period of temperature waves and the heterogeneity of concrete. The reinforcing bars parallel to the surface arc treated as a smeared steel layer. The microplane model M4 is used as the constitutive model for nonlinear deformation and distributed fracturing of concrete. The aim of this study is to determine the required microwave power and predict whether and when the contaminated surface layer of concrete spalls off. The effects of wall thickness, reinforcing bars, microwave frequencies and power are studied numerically. As a byproduct of this analysis, the mechanism of spalling of rapidly heated concrete is clarified.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2022.04a
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• pp.101-102
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• 2022

A new hydrazone derivatives namely (E)-N'-(4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene)-2-(5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)acetohydrazide (HIND) has been confirmed for mitigating the corrosion of the steel rebar exposed to chloride contaminated synthetic concrete pore solution (ClSCPS). The mitigation of corrosion properties has been characterized by weight loss and electrochemical methods (Electrochemical impedance, Potentiodynamic polarization studies) as well as surface observations. The presence of HIND in the ClSCPS decreased the corrosion of steel rebar by adsorption of HIND molecules on the surface of the steel rebar. The optimal HIND concentration was 0.5 mmol/L, corresponding to an inhibition efficiency of 88.4%. The use of HIND enables the corrosion process to have a higher energy barrier. X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy interpretations confirmed that HIND mitigates the corrosion attack on the surface steel rebar.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.8 no.9
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• pp.837-842
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• 1998

As the size of the integrated circuit is scaled down the importance of Si cleaning has been emphasized. One of the major concerns is abut the removal of metallic impurities such as Cu and Fe on Si surface. In this study, we intentionally contaminated Cu and Fe on the Si wafers and cleaned the wafer by cleaning splits of the chemical mixture of $\textrm{H}_2\textrm{O}_2$ and HF and the combination of HF treatment with UV/$\textrm{O}_3$ treatment. The contamination level was monitored by TXRF. Surface microroughness of the Si wafers was measured by AFM. The Si wafer surface was examined by SEM. AES analysis was carried out to analyze the chemical composition of Cu impurities. The amount of Cu impurities after intentional contamination was abut the level of $\textrm{10}^{14}$ atoms/$\textrm{cm}^2$. The amount of Cu was decreased down to the level of $\textrm{10}^{10}$ atoms/$\textrm{cm}^2$ by cleaning splits. The repeated treatment exhibited better Cu removal efficiency. The surface roughness caused by contamination and removal of Cu was improved by repeated treatment of the cleaning splits. Cu were adsorbed on Si surface not in a thin film type but in a particle type and its diameter was abut 100-400${\AA}$ and its height was 30-100${\AA}$. Cu was contaminated on Si surface by chemical adsorption. In the case of Fe the contamination level was $\textrm{10}^{13}$ atoms/$\textrm{cm}^2$ and showed similar results of above Cu cleaning. Fe was contaminated on Si surface by physical adsorption and as a particle type.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2009

To investigate the possible applications of plants to remediate heavy-metal-contaminated soil, a pilot experiment was performed for four years in a reclaimed dredging area using two Alnus species, i.e., Alnus firma and Alnus hirsuta. In a comparison of phytomass of the two species at two different planting densities, the phytomass of Alnus planted at low density was twice as high as that of Alnus planted at high density after four years. The Alnus species showed active acclimation to the heavy-metal-contaminated soil in a reclaimed dredging area. A. hirsuta showed greater accumulation of phytomass than A. firma, indicating that it is the better candidate for the phytoremediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soils. In the pilot system, Alnus plants took metals up from the soil in the following order; Pb > Zn > Cu > Cr > As > Cd. Uptake rates of heavy metals per individual phytomass was higher for Alnus spp. planted at low density than those planted at high density in the pilot system. Low plant density resulted in higher heavy metal uptake per plant, but the total heavy metal concentration was not different for plants planted at low and high density, suggesting that the plant density effect might not be important with regard to total uptake by plants. The quantity of leached heavy metals below ground was far in excess of that taken up by plants, indicating that an alternative measurement is required for the removal of heavy metals that have leached into ground water and deeper soil. We conclude that Alnus species are potential candidates for phytoremediation of heavy-metal- contaminated surface soil in a reclaimed dredging area.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.199-202
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• 1999

The paper deals with the surface discharge characteristics for porcelain suspension insulators. The micro-crystals were crystallized on the surface of glace coated on the porcelain These micro-crystals may affect the electrical Properties such as flashover voltage. However. not much research have been conducted. In this study. we correlated the surface discharge characteristics to the microstructures. It was confirmed that the micro-crystals on the glaze initiated the flashover when the surface was wetted and/or contaminated.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2001

Green technology is being developed up to a point that is feasible not only in an environmental sense, but also in an economical viewpoint. This paper introduces two case studies that applied $CO_2$ technology into nuclear industry. 1) Nuclear laundry : A laundry machine that uses liquid and supercritical $CO_2$ as a solvent for decontamination of contaminated working dresses in nuclear power plants was developed. The machine consists of a 16 liter reactor, a recovery system with compressors, and storage tanks. All $CO_2$ used in cleaning is fully recovered and reused in next cleaning, resulting in no production of secondary nuclear waste. Decontamination factor is still lower than that in the methods currently used in the plant. Nuclear laundry using $CO_2$ looks promising with technical improvements-surfactants and mechanical agitation. 2) $CO_2$ nozzle decontamination : An adjustable nozzle for controlling the size of dry ice snow was developed. Using the developed nozzle, a surface decontamination device was made. Human oils like fingerprints on glass were easy to remove. Decontamination ability was tested using a contaminated pump-housing surface. About 40 to 80% of radioactivity was removed. This device is effective in surface-decontamination of any electrical devices like detector, controllers which cannot be cleaned in aqueous solution.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.302-313
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• 2012

Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, As and Cd) in surface sediments from 96 sites in Masan and Jinhae Bay were studied in order to understand metal contamination. Results show that the surface sediments were mainly enriched by Cu (18-294 ppm), Zn (67-568 ppm), Pb (10-120 ppm) and Cd (0.2-3.5 ppm). The coastal zone of Masan Bay was significantly more contaminated than the non-coastal zone, and spatial distribution pattern suggested additional sources of heavy metal input in the coastal area. The enrichment ratio and geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) have been calculated and the relative contamination levels assessed in the study area. The enrichment ratios of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in Masan Bay have been observed to be relatively high. $I_{geo}$ results reveal that the study area is not contaminated with respect to Fe, Mn, Cr and Ni; moderately to strongly contaminated with Cu, Zn and Pb; and strongly to strong contaminated with Cd. The high contents of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the study area result from anthropogenic activities in the catchment area. Based on the eight different sediment quality guideline values from USA (ERL, ERM), Canada (TEL, PEL), Australia/New Zealand (ISQG-high, ISQG-low) and Hong Kong (ISQV-low, ISQV-high), sediment quality of Masan and Jinhae Bay was also assessed and characterized.