• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.E1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2005

The concentration levels of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in ambient air have been investigated from a monitoring station located in Yang Jae district of Seoul, Korea for a long-term period covering 1997 through 2002. The mean concentration of Hg, if computed based on its hourly measurement data for this six-year period, was $5.32\pm3.53 ng m^{-3} (N = 27,170)$. The inspection of the diurnal distribution patterns indicated the presence of notably high concentration levels during nighttime relative to daytime (e.g., the mean hourly value as high as $9 ng m^{-3}$ in winter nighttime). When divided seasonally, the highest mean of $6.12 ng m^{-3}$ was also observed during winter followed by spring, fall, and summer. The results of our analysis confirmed the relative dominance of winter (seasonally) or nighttime (diurnally), while exhibiting a complicated trend on a long-term basis. Examination of our data over a different temporal scale consistently indicated that dynamic changes in Hg concentrations occurred through time in line with changes in the strength and diversity of the source processes. It is thus acknowledged that the presence of unusually high Hg levels is the consequence of intense man-made activities, while such signatures can vary in a competitive manner.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1-6
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• 2021

Mercury, once released, is not destroyed but accumulates and circulates in the natural environment, causing serious harm to ecosystems and human health. In the United States, sulfur-impregnated activated carbon is being considered for the removal of vapor mercury from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants, which accounts for about 32 % of the anthropogenic emissions of mercury. In this study, a high-efficiency porous mercury adsorption material was developed to reduce the mercury vapor in the exhaust gas of coal combustion facilities, and the mercury adsorption characteristics of the material were investigated. As a result of the investigation of the vapor mercury adsorption capacity at 30℃, the silica nanotube MCM-41 was only about 35 % compared to the activated carbon Darco FGD commercially used for mercury adsorption, but it increased to 133 % when impregnated with 1.5 % sulfur. In addition, the furnace fly ash recovered from the waste copper regeneration process showed an efficiency of 523 %. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity was investigated at temperatures of 30 ℃, 80 ℃, and 120 ℃, and the best adsorption performance was found to be 80 ℃. MCM-41 is a silica nanotube that can be reused many times due to its rigid structure and has additional advantages, including no possibility of fire due to the formation of hot spots, which is a concern when using activated carbon.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.274-282
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• 2019

Mercury-resistant ($Hg^R$) bacteria were isolated from heavy metal polluted wastewater and soil collected near to tanneries of district Kasur, Pakistan. Bacterial isolates AZ-1, AZ-2 and AZ-3 showed resistance up to $40{\mu}g/ml$ against mercuric chloride ($HgCl_2$). 16S rDNA ribotyping and phylogenetic analysis were performed for the characterization of selected isolates as Bacillus sp. AZ-1 (KT270477), Bacillus cereus AZ-2 (KT270478) and Bacillus cereus AZ-3 (KT270479). Phylogenetic relationship on the basis of merA nucleotide sequence confirmed 51-100% homology with the corresponding region of the merA gene of already reported mercury-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The merE gene involved in the transportation of elemental mercury ($Hg^0$) via cell membrane was cloned for the first time into pHLV vector and transformed in overexpressed C43(DE3) E. coli cells. The recombinant plasmid (pHLMerE) was expressed and the native MerE protein was obtained after thrombin cleavage by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The purification of fusion/recombinant and native protein MerE by Ni-NTA column, dialysis and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC/SEC) involved unfolding/refolding techniques. A small-scale reservoir of wastewater containing $30{\mu}g/ml$ of $HgCl_2$ was designed to check the detoxification ability of selected strains. It resulted in 83% detoxification of mercury by B. cereus AZ-2 and B. cereus AZ-3, and 76% detoxification by Bacillus sp. AZ-1 respectively (p < 0.05).

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2012

Dental amalgam is an alloy composed of a mixture of approximately equal parts of elemental liquid mercury and an alloy powder. Amalgam has been the most popular and effective restorative material used in dentistry. Despite the long history and popularity of dental amalgam as a restorative material, there have been periodic concerns regarding the potential adverse health effects arising from exposure to mercury in amalgam. Since children are more at risk for mercury toxicity, we aimed to assess the association between dental amalgam filling and urinary mercury concentration in children. 581 of elementary school children in grades 1st4th were conveniently recruited from two schools located in Daegu city, Korea. To obtain dental caries experience states, oral examination were conducted using the full term for DFS index, number of amalgam filling surfaces and the type of filling materials. A questionnaire was used to collect information about general characteristics and the frequencies of tooth brushing, gum chewing and fish/seafood consumption. The statistical analysis was done using the SPSS 18.0 program. The mean urinary mercury concentration in children having more surfaces was highest. As a results Urinary mercury concentration of children who have 79 teeth of amalgam filling and more than 10 is higher than without amalgam filling. The number of amalgam filling surface is closely related with urinary mercury concentration.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.481-482
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.200-201
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• 2003

최근 들어 미국에서는 석탄 연소배가스 중에 포함된 미량의 중금속이 인체 및 환경에 심각한 피해를 줄 수 있다고 보고 이에 대한 연구를 진행하고 있으며, 특히 수은에 대해서는 SOx, NOx, 먼지와 더불어 배출규제를 시행할 계획을 가지고 있다. 수은배출 규제에 대비하여 미국의 정부산하 연구소와 기업들은 연소 배가스로부터 수은을 제거하기 위한 흡착제 분사, 수은 산화 등 여러 가지 저감기술에 대해 실험실 규모로부터 실증 규모까지 연구를 진행하고 있다. (중략)

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 1991

Inorganic mercury in urine and airborne was determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Detailed sampling methods and analylical results are as follows : 1. 100~200ml of urine for each person was taken in 250 ml borosilicate bottle and $K_2S_2O_8$ (0.1g/100ml urine) was added to prevent bacterial contamination. About 1001 air of workingplace was absorbed in l0ml of absorbing solution. Urine samples and absorbing solution tubes were stored at $4^{\circ}C$. Dillution solution to prepare standard solution used deionized water (D.W) for urine and absorbing solution (A.S) for air. 2. 1n this procedure deteclion limit was 1ng/ml and mercury contents of blank reagent solution was 1~2ng/ml. 3. Calibration range was $0.02{\sim}0.1{\mu}g/ml$ and in this range r.s.d for each calibration curve in D.W and A.S and ${\pm}7.9%$ and ${\pm}3.7%$, respectively. 4. Repeatability (n=5 times, conc. $0.05{\mu}g/ml$) was ${\pm}5.8%$, in D.W. and ${\pm}4.4%$ in A.S, respectively. 5. Recovery for urine adding spiked concentration ($0.05{\mu}g/ml$) was about 90%. 6. Analytical result of samples was $1{\sim}139{\mu}g/l$ in urine and ${\sim}0.127mg/m^3$ in airborne.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 2020

This study was carried out to evaluate the applicability of the soil washing process to remediation mercury-contaminated mine tailing or solid material (soil and sediments etc.) around abandoned mines. First, the physicochemical characteristics of mine tailing were analyzed through particle size analysis and sequential extraction. Secondly, laboratory scale washing experiments were performed using hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, potassium iodide and sodium thiosulfate. As a results of particle size analysis, mine tailing particle were concentrated below 40 mesh and the particle size below 200 mesh was the most analyzed. As a result of sequential extraction, elemental mercury fraction was analyzed as the highest with 69.12%, with strongly bound fraction 15.25% and residual and HgS fractions 11.97%, respectively. Laboratory scale washing experiments showed low applicability for nitric acid and sodium thiosulfate solutions. In case of hydrochloric acid solution, it was analyzed that mercury removal was possible at particle size of 200 mesh or more. Therefore, it is considered to be performed together with the physical sorting process. Potassium iodide solution was analyzed to have high washing efficiency at all concentrations and particle sizes. In particular, the mercury removal efficiency is high in the micro particles, and thus the applicability of the washing technology is the highest.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.200-206
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• 2024

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has been used for the elemental composition of the soils. In this technique, a high energy laser pulse is focused on a sample to produce plasma. From the spectroscopic analysis of such plasma plume, we have determined the different elements present in the soil. This technique is effective and rapid for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of all type of samples. In this work a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser operating with its fundamental mode (1064 nm laser wavelength), 5 nanosecond pulse width, and 10 Hz repetition rate was focused on soil samples using 10 cm quartz lens. The emission spectra of soil consist of Iron (Fe), Calcium (Ca), Titanium (Ti), Silicon (Si), Aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Potassium (K), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Mercury (Hg), Barium (Ba), Vanadium (V), Lead (Pb), Nitrogen (N), Scandium (Sc), Hydrogen (H), Strontium (Sr), and Lithium (Li) with different finger-prints of the transition lines. The maximum intensity of the transition lines was observed close to the surface of the sample and it was decreased along the axial direction of the plasma expansion due to the thermalization and the recombination process. We have also determined the plasma parameters such as electron temperature and the electron number density of the plasma using Boltzmann's plot method as well as the Stark broadening of the transition lines respectively. The electron temperature is estimated at 14611 °K, whereas the electron number density i.e. 4.1 × 10¹⁶ cm^-3 lies close to the surface.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.190-194
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• 2006

Silajit is a blackish brown pitch-like gummy substance. It is an important Unani and Ayurvedic medicine widely used in the treatment of many diseases and as nutritional supplement It is found in certain mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Australia and Russia. Silajit samples of Pakistani origin were obtained from different sources and analyzed for their physical characteristics and biochemical & elemental composition. X-ray diffraction studies on Silajit showed that it is an amorphous substance and has no crystalline structure. Also, pH studies of Silajit (2 g/L of water) indicated that it was slightly acidic in nature and ranged from 3.45 to 7.23. Conductivity ranged from 157.7 to 330. Amino acid analysis revealed that Silajit contained lysine and alanine in higher amounts than all other amino acids and ranged from 1456 to 2240 and 68 to $1615{\eta}mole/g$, respectively. Mean concentration of arsenic, mercury, cadmium, lead, copper and zinc was 73.15, 104.92, 0.496, 3.89, 4.04 and 17.23 ppm, respectively. Silajit samples were also analyzed for calcium, potassium and sodium.