• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.482-489
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• 2007

Fluorescence properties and carbohydrate content were investigated using ultrafiltrated size fractions of dissolved organic matters (DOM) originated from different sources. The materials included a treated sewage, an algal organic matter, and a soil leachate, all of which are major constituents of dissolved organic matter in a typical urban river. Four different size fractions were separated from the three sources of each DOM. The size distribution demonstrated that a higher molecular weight fraction was more present in soil leachate compared to two other source DOMs. A higher content of carbohydrates was observed in the following order - algal DOM > treated sewage > soil leachate. A wide range of specific UV absorbance was observed from size fractions of a single source DOM, indicating that aromatic carbon structures are heterogeneously distributed within one source of DOM. The structural heterogeneity was the most pronounced for the soil leachate. The fluorescence index ($F_{450}/F_{500}$) of the treated sewage was similar to that (2.0) typically obtained from autochthonous DOM, suggesting that the treated sewage exhibited autochthonous organic matter-like properties. No protein-like fluorescence intensities were observed for all of the soil leachate size fractions whereas they were observed with two other source DOMs. Based upon the fluorescence peak ratios from fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM), two discrimination indices could be suggested to distinguish three different source DOMs. It is expected that the suggested discrimination indices will be useful to predict the sources of DOM in a typical urban river affected by treated sewage.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.465-474
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• 2023

The chemical composition and molecular weight characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) exert a profound influence on the efficiency of organic matter removal in water treatment systems, acting as efficiency predictive indicators. This research evaluated the primary chemical and molecular weight properties of DOM derived from diverse sources, including rivers, lakes, and biomasses, and assessed their relationship with the efficiency of coagulation/flocculation treatments. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal efficiency through coagulation/flocculation exhibited significant correlations with DOM's hydrophobic distribution, the ratio of humic-like to protein-like fluorescence, and the molecular weight associated with humic substances (HS). These findings suggest that the DOC removal rate in coagulation/flocculation processes is enhanced by a higher presence of HS in DOM, an increased influence of externally sourced DOM, and more presence of high molecular weight compounds. The results of this study further posit that the efficacy of water treatment processes can be more accurately predicted when considering multiple DOM characteristics rather than relying on a singular trait. Based on major results from this study, a predictive model for DOC removal efficiency by coagulation/flocculation was formulated as: 24.3 - 7.83 × (fluorescence index) + 0.089 × (hydrophilic distribution) + 0.102 × (HS molecular weight). This proposed model, coupled with supplementary monitoring of influent organic matter, has the potential to enhance the design and predictive accuracy for coagulation/flocculation treatments targeting DOC removal in future applications.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2013

In this study, a pH control method by carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) was applied to coagulation process in water treatment plant (WTP) to investigate the coagulation efficiency and residual dissolved aluminum when high pH raw water is flowing into the plant during algal blooming. Existing coagulant dose (1 mg/L in raw water) resulted in the pH reduction of 0.0384 by LAS, 0.0254 by PAC, 0.0201 by A-PAC, and 0.0135 by PACS2, respectively. And then the concentration of dissolved aluminum was 0.02 mg/L at pH 7.44, 0.07 mg/L at pH 7.96, 0.12 mg/L at pH 8.16, 0.39 mg/L at pH 8.38 showing the concentration increase with pH in the coagulation process. It was noteworthy that rapid increase was observed at pH above 8.0 next the rapid mixing. Therefore it is necessarily required to control pH below 7.8 in the coagulation process in order to meet drinking water quality standard of aluminum for high pH raw water into WTP, $CO_2$ injection could control pH successfully at about 7.3 even for the raw water of high pH above 8.0. In addition it was found that the pH control by $CO_2$ injection was significantly effective for coagulation in terms of turbidity removal, coagulant dosage, and residual dissolved aluminum concentration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-109
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• 2016

We investigated the relation between the presence of geosmin in water and the bacterial community structure within the granular activated carbon (GAC) system of water treatment plants in South Korea. GAC samples were collected in May and August of 2014 at three water treatment plants (Sungnam, Koyang, and Yeoncho in Korea). Dissolved organic carbon and geosmin were analyzed before and after GAC treatment. Geosmin was found in raw water from Sungnam and Koyang water treatment plants but not in that from Yeoncho water treatment plant. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the 16S rRNA clone library indicated that the bacterial communities from the Sungnam and Koyang GAC systems were closely related to geosmin-degrading bacteria. Based on the phylogenetic tree and multidimensional scaling plot, bacterial clones from GAC under the influence of geosmin were clustered with Variovorax paradoxus strain DB 9b and Comamonas sp. DB mg. In other words, the presence of geosmin in water might have inevitably contributed to the growth of geosmin degraders within the respective GAC system.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.3177-3183
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• 2012

The carbon nanofibers (CNFs) used in this study were synthesized with an iron catalyst and ethylene as a carbon source. A concentration of 30 wt % iron(III) acetylacetonate was dissolved in resol type phenol resin and polyurethane foam was put into the solution. The sample was calendered after being cured at $80^{\circ}C$ in air for 24 h. Stabilization and carbonization of the resol type phenol resin and reduction of the $Fe^{3+}$ were completed in a high-temperature furnace by the following steps: 1) heating to $600^{\circ}C$ at a rate of $10^{\circ}C/min$ with a mixture of $H_2/N_2$ for 4 h to reduce the $Fe^{3+}$ to Fe; 2) heating to $1000^{\circ}C$ in $N_2$ at a rate $10^{\circ}C/min$ for 30 minutes for pyrolysis; 3) synthesizing CNFs in a mixture of 20.1% ethylene and $H_2/N_2$ at $700^{\circ}C$ for 2 h using a CVD process. Finally, the structural characterization of the CNFs was performed by scanning electron microscopy and a synthesis analysis was carried out using energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Specific surface area analysis of the CNFs was also performed by $N_2$-sorption.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.36-39
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• 2014

Formation mechanism of residual carbon layer, frequently observed in the $CuInSe_2$ (CIS) thin film prepared by direct solution coating routes, was investigated in order to find a way to eliminate it. As a model system, a methanol solution with dissolved Cu and In salts, whose viscosity was adjusted by adding ethylcellulose (EC), was chosen. It was found that a double layer, a top metal ion-derived film and bottom EC-derived layer, formed during an air drying step presumably due to different solubility between metal salts and EC in methanol. Consequently, the top metal ion-derived film acts as a barrier layer inhibiting further thermal decomposition of underlying EC, resulting a formation of bottom carbon residue layer.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.585-589
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• 2010

In order to evaluate the performance of a powdered activated carbon (PAC) contactor, two water treatment plants (WTP) were selected as target sites. The result of tracer tests showed that the plug flow portion of a bisymmetry-type contactor (H WTP) was more than 70%. A maze-type contactor (C WTP) also had more than 70% of plug flow portion after intra-basin baffles were installed. According to the operating data of the target WTPs, there was no clear evidence that the addition of PAC contributed to the removal of organics. However, the results of jar tests, conducted with the raw water taken from the H WTP, proved that PAC could remove dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to some extent when the proper velocity gradient was maintained. It was estimated that the production rate, defined as the ratio of the operating flowrate to the design flowrate, of the C and H WTPs was only 27 and 50%, respectively. Because of these lower production rates, the mixing intensity in the contactor was much less than the designed value and, finally, the performance of the PAC contactor was much lower than what was expected.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2011

When butyl rubber dissolved in toluene was used as a binder of carbon powder, carbon paste showed a mechanical hardness due to the fast volatility of the solvent just after the electrode fabrication. With a view of validating its quantitative electrochemical behaviors, its kinetic parameters, e.g. the symmetry factor, the exchange current density, the capacity of the double layer, the Michaelis constant, the time constant and other factors were investigated. Our experimental facts indicated that butyl rubber is available for a promising binder of carbon powder.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.307-313
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• 2010

Quantitative analytical condition for lead and cadmium in copper contained carbon materials using solvent extraction followed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry was studied. Copper contained carbon samples were dissolved by nitric acid-perchloric acid digestion. Lead and cadmium were determined after separation with KCN masked copper by an dithizone-chloroform solvent extraction. Recovery efficiency of analyte elements was satisfactory, and most of matrix elements causing interference could be effectively eliminated by the separation. Lead and cadmium were quantitatively determined without influence of sample matrix, by applying it procedure to artifact sample.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to assess the variation in the concentration of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in a drinking water resource, and investigate the characteristics of AOC derived from algae. The seasonal change in AOC at the Kamafusa dam corresponded to changes in the algal cell number. In order to understand the relationship between AOC and algae in a water resource and water purification plant, two kinds of laboratory experiment were performed. The algal culture experiment showed that extracellular organic matter (EOM) that was released during the growth of Phormidium tenue with M-11 medium led to significant increases in the AOC concentration, but no significant variation in the AOC concentration was observed with CT medium containing a high dissolved organic carbon concentration. The chlorination experiment showed that the AOC included in EOM was not easily removed by chlorination, although the AOC included in intercellular organic matter released from the algal cells by chlorination was removed under conditions where residual chlorine was detected.