• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.11-22
• /
• 2014

The buffer capacity of food waste lowers during the collecting and transportation period. Food waste usually shows deficiency of micro nutrients especially molybdenum(Mo) and cobalt(Co). Therefore, food waste can be considered as a good mixture of livestock waste to enhance methane production. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between properties of substrates (local food waste and livestock manure) and methane yields for successive anaerobic fermentation process and its stable management. Food wastes were taken at an intermediate storage or treatment system provided by eight local authorities (Gangnam, Gangdong, Gwanak, Guro, Dongjak, Songpa, Yeongdeungpo, and Younsan) in Seoul. The solid content and potential methane yield of food wastes were average of 16% and $446.6STP-m{\ell}/g-VS$ (range from 334.8 to $567.5STP-m{\ell}/g-VS$) respectively. As for the beef cattle manure, the solid content and potential methane yield had an average of 26% and $280.6STP-m{\ell}/g-VS$ respectively. Potential methane yield had a positive correlation with fat content, and hydrogen content and a negative correlation with carbohydrate content ($r^2>0.8$). Therefore, the potential methane yield can be predicted based on the substrate characterization results with reasonable accuracy. Further research may be needed to investigate the relation of the properties of the mixture substrate and methane production rate. The mixtures may include food waste, livestock waste, and bulking agents (saw dust, rice hull, or agricultural byproducts etc.) to determine best combination of these substrates for maximum methane production rate.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.55-62
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study set out to measure the heavy metal concentrations in waste water produced in the casting pickling process at dental technical laboratories and examine the actual state of its treatment. Methods:The investigator measured the concentrations of each heavy metal at 55 dental technical laboratories using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission system. Results: The annual usage of electrolytes was under 10 L in 50 (90.9%), and was 10L or more in five (9.1%) laboratories. Among the laboratories, 15 (27.3%) commissioned the treatment of waste,12 (21.8%) treated the waste with general sewage,and 28 (50.9%) treated the waste in aseptic tank. The arithmetic $mean{\pm}standard$ deviation and the geometric mean of chrome(Cr) were $75.3{\pm}50.9$ and 58.3 mg/L; those of cobalt (Co) were $112.3{\pm}106.7$ and 66.1 mg/L; those of nickel (Ni) were $62.9{\pm}83.5$ and 8.9 mg/L; those of molybdenum (Mo) were $17.1{\pm}13.4$ and 12.0 mg/L; those of iron (Fe) were $31.5{\pm}44.1$ and 6.2 mg/L; those of lead (Pb) were $0.3{\pm}0.3$ and 0.3 mg/L; those of beryllium (Be) were $3.6{\pm}3.6$ and 2.0 mg/L. The hydrogen ion concentration was under pH 2 across all the samples. Conclusions: The findings show that the dental technical laboratories were not doing well with the separation, storage, collection, and treatment of the electrolytes they discarded, and that most of the electrolytes were introduced through the general sewage or aseptic tank. The causes of this include alack of perception among the practitioners at dental technical laboratories and contracted companies avoiding collection for economic reasons. There is a need for education to improve the perceptions of waste water treatment among the practitioners at dental technical laboratories. Environment-related departments should be stricter with legal applications in the central and local governments. It is also required to provide proper management of commissioned treatment.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.60 no.11
• /
• pp.27.1-27.8
• /
• 2018

Background: Enteric methane ($CH_4$) accounts for about 70% of total $CH_4$ emissions from the ruminant animals. Researchers are exploring ways to mitigate enteric $CH_4$ emissions from ruminants. Recently, nano zinc oxide (nZnO) has shown potential in reducing $CH_4$ and hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) production from the liquid manure under anaerobic storage conditions. Four different levels of nZnO and two types of feed were mixed with rumen fluid to investigate the efficacy of nZnO in mitigating gaseous production. Methods: All experiments with four replicates were conducted in batches in 250 mL glass bottles paired with the ANKOM$^{RF}$ wireless gas production monitoring system. Gas production was monitored continuously for 72 h at a constant temperature of $39{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ in a water bath. Headspace gas samples were collected using gas-tight syringes from the Tedlar bags connected to the glass bottles and analyzed for greenhouse gases ($CH_4$ and carbon dioxide-$CO_2$) and $H_2S$ concentrations. $CH_4$ and $CO_2$ gas concentrations were analyzed using an SRI-8610 Gas Chromatograph and $H_2S$ concentrations were measured using a Jerome 631X meter. At the same time, substrate (i.e. mixed rumen fluid+ NP treatment+ feed composite) samples were collected from the glass bottles at the beginning and at the end of an experiment for bacterial counts, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) analysis. Results: Compared to the control treatment the $H_2S$ and GHGs concentration reduction after 72 h of the tested nZnO levels varied between 4.89 to 53.65%. Additionally, 0.47 to 22.21% microbial population reduction was observed from the applied nZnO treatments. Application of nZnO at a rate of $1000{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ have exhibited the highest amount of concentration reductions for all three gases and microbial population. Conclusion: Results suggest that both 500 and $1000{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ nZnO application levels have the potential to reduce GHG and $H_2S$ concentrations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.08a
• /
• pp.91-91
• /
• 2013

Imagine a world where we could biomanufacture hybrid nanomaterials having atomic-scale resolution over functionality and architecture. Toward this vision, a fundamental challenge in materials science is how to design and synthesize protein-like material that can be fully self-assembled and exhibit information-specific process. In an ongoing effort to extend the fundamental understanding of protein structure to non-natural systems, we have designed a class of short peptides to fold like proteins and assemble into defined nanostructures. In this talk, I will talk about new strategies to drive the self-assembled structures designing sequence of peptide. I will also discuss about the specific interaction between proteins and inorganics that can be used for the development of new hybrid solar energy devices. Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is one of the promising pathways for solar to energy convertsion and storage system. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been regarded as a major bottleneck in the overall water splitting process due to the slow transfer rate of four electrons and the high activation energy barrier for O-O bond formation. In nature, there is a water oxidation complex (WOC) in photosystem II (PSII) comprised of the earthabundant elements Mn and Ca. The WOC in photosystem II, in the form of a cubical CaMn4O5 cluster, efficiently catalyzes water oxidation under neutral conditions with extremely low overpotential (~160 mV) and a high TOF number. The cluster is stabilized by a surrounding redox-active peptide ligand, and undergo successive changes in oxidation state by PCET (proton-coupled electron transfer) reaction with the peptide ligand. It is fundamental challenge to achieve a level of structural complexity and functionality that rivals that seen in the cubane Mn4CaO5 cluster and surrounding peptide in nature. In this presentation, I will present a new strategy to mimic the natural photosystem. The approach is based on the atomically defined assembly based on the short redox-active peptide sequences. Additionally, I will show a newly identified manganese based compound that is very close to manganese clusters in photosystem II.

• Proceedings of the Korean Ceranic Society Conference
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.1-112
• /
• 2005

This report is results of a research on recent R&D trends in electroceramics, mainly focusing on the papers submitted to the organizing committee of the International Conference on Electroceramics 2005 (ICE-2005) which was held at Seoul on 12-15 June 2005. About 380 electroceramics researchers attended at the ICE-2005 from 17 countries including Korea, presenting and discussing their recent results. Therefore, we can easily understand the recent research trends in the field of electroceramics by analyses of the subject and contents of the submitted papers. In addition to the analyses of the papers submitted to the ICE-2005, we also collected some informations about domestic and international research trends to help readers understand this report easily. We analysed the R&D trends on the basis of four main categories, that is, informatics electroceramics, energy and environment ceramics, processing and characterization of electroceramics, and emerging fields of electroceramics. Each main category has several sub-categories again. The informatics ceramics category includes integrated dielectrics and ferroelectrics, oxide and nitride semiconductors, photonic and optoelectronic devices, multilayer electronic ceramics and devices, microwave dielectrics and high frequency devices, and piezoelectric and MEMS applications. The energy and environment ceramics category has four sub-categories, that is, rechargable battery, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, and advanced energy conversion concepts. In the processing and characterization category, there exist domain, strain, and epitaxial dynamics and engineering sub-category, innovative processing and synthesis sub-category, nanostructured materials and nanotechnology sub- category, single crystal growth and characterization sub-category, theory and modeling sub-category. Nanocrystalline electroceramics, electroceramics for smart sensors, and bioceramics sub-categories are included to the emerging fields category. We hope that this report give an opportunity to understand the international research trend, not only to Korean ceramics researchers but also to science and technology policy researchers.