• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.134-140
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• 2012

Asian dust storms originating in the arid desert of China and Mongolia usually occur from late winter through spring, and more than one million tons of dust per year is transported to the Korean Peninsula by the prevalent westerly winds. We supposed that these dust particles could include bioaerosols and act as carriers of microorganisms. In order to clarify the dynamics of microorganisms moving with these particles, the concentration and composition of microorganisms associated with settled particles were compared between samples collected during Asian dust events and those under non-dust periods. From February to April 2008, settled dust particles were collected at one location in Ulsan using rainfall meter of 200 mm diameter. During this period, there was one Asian dust event in Ulsan. The bacterial concentrations were higher in samples collected during Asian dust event than those under non-dust period, whereas fungal concentrations were rather similar regardless of the Asian dust event. We analyzed 16S rRNA gene sequences of 45 bacterial isolates obtained from the settled particle samples. These isolates belonged to either genus Bacillus or genus Streptococcus and were tentatively identified as B. amyloliquefaciens, B. aryabhattai, B. atrophaeus, B. licheniformis, B. megaterium, B. methylotrophicus, B. pumilus, B. sonorensis, B. subtlis, B. vallismortis, S. epidermidis, and S. succinus. In cases of fungal isolates, genera such as Mucor, Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus were tentatively identified from samples collected at both Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods. It appears that endospore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus sp. rather than fungal spores are more likely to be associated with Asian dust particles.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.325-337
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• 2013

The size-fractionated aerosol samples have been collected at Gosan Site of Jeju Island during the spring season of 2010, in order to examine the chemical composition characteristics of the Asian Dust and Non-Asian Dust particles. The concentrations of ${HCO_3}^-$, Al, and nss-$Ca^{2+}$ in $PM_{10}$ had tremendously increased during the heavy Asian Dust (March 20, 2010). The concentration ratios of Asian Dust to Non-Asian Dust for the soil species (nss-$Ca^{2+}$, ${HCO_3}^-$, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn) were 12.2~30.7, meanwhile those for the anthropogenic species (nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$, ${NH_4}^+$, ${NO_3}^-$, $K^+$, Zn, Pb, and Cu) were 2.9~7.8. During the heavy Asian Dust event, the concentration increase of ${NO_3}^-$ in $PM_{2.5}$ were much more apparent than those of nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$ and ${NH_4}^+$, and the soil species (nss-$Ca^{2+}$ and ${HCO_3}^-$) showed much higher concentration increase. The neutralization factor of $NH_3$ was higher than that of $CaCO_3$. However, the neutralization factor of $CaCO_3$ in $PM_{10}$ was exceptionally high during the heavy Asian Dust, showing the evidence of heavy migration of soil particles. From the study for size fractionated particles, it was found that nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$ and ${NH_4}^+$ were mostly distributed in fine particle mode, on the other hand, ${NO_3}^-$ existed evenly in both fine and coarse particle modes, and the soil species (nss-$Ca^{2+}$, Al, Fe, etc.) were mainly in the latter mode. During the heavy Asian Dust, in particular, the concentrations of ${NH_4}^+$, nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$, $K^+$, Zn, and Pb had increased in coarse particle mode as well.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.705-709
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• 2009

Based on experimental study of lycopodium dust particles' behavior, we suggest the flame propagation model through dust clouds. With dust concentration, flame velocity reaches a maximum value at $170g/m^3$ to exceed the stoichometric concentration for lycopodium-air mixture combustion and decreases slightly in the richer side of $500g/m^3$. At $47{\sim}200g/m^3$, mean velocity of particle increases in proportion to flame velocity. As the sum of burning rate and particle velocity is approximate in flame velocity, the flame propagation velocity with lycopodium dust concentration can be estimated by the calculation and it was found that behavior of particles is useful for better understanding of dust flame propagation velocity.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2012

This paper is focused on the comprehensive and detailed interpretation for the chemical transformation of individual Asian dust (hereafter called "AD") particles during long-range transport from source regions to receptor area. A multi-stage particle sampler was operated at a ground-based site in Taean, Korea directly exposed to the outflow of air masses from China during AD period in April 2003. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses for size-classified individual particles were carried out by a microbeam X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method and a microbeam Particle Induced X-ray Emission (micro-PIXE), respectively. Among major characteristic elements, the elemental masses of soil derived components, sulfur, and chloride varied as a function of particle size showing the monomodal maximum with a steeply increasing at 3.3-4.7 ${\mu}m$ particle size. Although the details on chemical composition of AD particle collected on a straight line from source area to our ground-based site are needed, a large amount of Cl coexisted in and/or on AD particles suggests that AD particles collected in the present study might be actively engaged in chemical transformation by sea-salt and other Cl containing pollutants emitted from the China's domestic sources. Through the statistical analyses it was possible to classify individual AD particles into six distinct groups. The internally mixed AD particles with Cl, which has various sources (e.g., sea-salt, coal combustion origin HCl, gaseous HCl derived from the adsorption of acids to sea-salt, and Cl containing man-made particles) were thoroughly fractionated by the elemental spectra drivened by the double detector system of micro-PIXE.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.699-708
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• 2005

To characterize the elemental composition of fine particles in urban area, $PM_{2.5}$ was collected by a 3-stage DRUM impactor at Gwangju during spring and summer. Time and size resolved concentrations for 19 trace elements were obtained by synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence analysis. Trace elements in summer were distributed in smaller size range compared to those in spring. Almost trace element concentrations in fine particles were highly increased during the Asian dust. In spring, soil elements such as Si, K, Ca, Ti and Fe had low enrichment factors indicating the dominant influence of soil dust. However, all elements had high enrichment factors in summer implying that these elements could be emitted from the anthropogenic sources. Factor analysis was conducted with the elemental composition data in order to identify anthropogenic sources of aerosols in urban area during spring and summer. Fine particles in spring have several sources such as soil dust originating from China continental region, coal and oil combustion, biomass burning, sea salt, ferrous and nonferrous metal sources. On the other hand, fine particles in summer were influenced by road dust, gasoline vehicle as well as coal and oil combustion, sea salt, ferrous and nonferrous metal sources.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2010

To evaluate a potential wash-out effect of rainfalls, a preliminary environmental magnetic test was attempted. Measurement of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and intensive microscopic observations were carried out on the solid particles extracted from the rainfalls collected for the past year (2009) in Daejeon, Korea. Dust particles collected from the rain-free (daily dust) or dustheavy days (during the Asian dust storm event) were also used as a comparison. IRMs were unanimously low for the solid particles extracted from the rainfalls, indicating an efficient wash-out effect of rainfalls as long as the magnetic concentration is concerned. Electron microscopy identified carbonbearing material, (carbon-coated) magnetite, and quartz. It is highly likely that the carbon-containing particles were produced by anthropogenic fossil fuel combustion.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2002

This research was carried out using Anderson air sampler which were set up on the roof of the Engineering College of Konkuk University at Hwayang-Dong, Kwangjin-Gu, Seoul from Aug. 1992 to foul. 1999. The results are as follows: The major component of yellow sand is soil particles based upon the observation that particles ranging from $3.3~7.0{\mu}m$ occupy 36~63%. It is certain that the increase of fine particles of respirable dust during yellow sand phenomenon in Seoul area affects the human body. The trace metals from natural sources like Al, Ca, Fe, K, Na, and Si show larger mass median diameter(MMD) values during yellow sand phenomenon than in normal situations while the values of MMD for Mn and Pb rarely changes. Noticeably, the changes in value of MMD of water soluble elements like ${NO_3}^{-}$ and ${SO_4}^{2}$ are 2.3 and 6.6 times higher during the yellow sand phenomenon compared to normal situations, respectively. This fact is regarded as decisive evidence showing that ${NO_3}^{-}$ and ${SO_4}^{2}$ in the air are attached to yellow sand and move together.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.89-94
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• 1999

The paper first proposes an empirical algorithm for detecting dust-loaded airmass observed by Sea Wide Field-of-view Scanner (SeaWiFS). The proposed dust index formula is based on the curvature of the spectral reflectance estimated from the SeaWiFS band 4 (510 nm band) through band 8 (865 nm band) data, assuming "clear ocean water" reflectance. Evaluation of the algorithm is made over several typical Asian dust images including the ones over the Pacific in April, 1998, when a major dust event was reported. The study analyzes the performance and the characteristics of the algorithm by comparing the satellite-derived dust index images with contemporaneous columnar concentration of dust particles predicted by a numerical dust transport model. The comparison reveals several small-scale differences although their dust distribution patterns show good agreement generally.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.319-326
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• 2014

Mineral dust in the polar snow plays an important role both in the climate system of the Earth and in global biogeochemical cycles. Analysis of the concentration and the particle size distribution of mineral dust has been carried out in the snow from the Antarctic surface snow and the Greenland snowpit. Among the various particle size determination techniques, a Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter in a class 100 clean bench counted all particles between 1.1 and $30.0{\mu}m$ with a $50{\mu}m$ aperture tube. The aperture tube size, the concentration of electrolytes and the accuracy of the particle size distribution were determined in this study. The number concentrations from the Antarctic surface snow were 81,843 particles $mL^{-1}$, but those from the Greenland snowpit were 10,666 particles $mL^{-1}$. In the volume distribution, the distributions of mineral dust in both the Antarctic surface snow and the Greenland snowpit showed lognormal distribution in the size interval 1.1 to $6.0{\mu}m$ with the mode, 3.562 and $3.836{\mu}m$, respectively. The analysis technique using a coulter counter for mineral dust could be used for reconstructing paleoclimates from polar ice cores.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.371-380
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• 2004

In the dust separation by using porous filter media, the structure of dust layer deposited on the filter surface of filter medium directly affects the effective filtration. The present study has investigated the specific resistance (K$_2$') of the dust layer and its porosity ($\varepsilon$$_{c}$) for three different filters; FA composite filter, metal fiber filter and stainless filter. The specific resistance (K$_2$') increased and at the same time the cake porosity ($\varepsilon$$_{c}$) decreased with the increase of filtration velocity, possibly due to the compressible effect of dust layer. However, under the low dust concentration, subsequent dust particles would block the open channels through the layer resulting in high specific resistance of the layer. The FA composite filter among three filters was shown to be the most effective filter for dust cake filtration at low filtration velocities less than 0.1 m/s for an approximate dust concentration of 5 g/㎥.