• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.227-238
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• 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of polyethylene microplastic (PE-MPs) via measuring the growth performance, hematological parameters, and antioxidant responses in Korean rockfish Sebastes schlegelii exposed to waterborne polyethylene microplastic with dimensions of 22-71 ㎛. S. schlegelii (mean weight, 34.55±5.82 g; mean length, 12.59±0.79 cm) were exposed to PE-MPs at concentrations of 0, 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 ㎍/L for 10 and 20 days. PE-MPs significantly affected growth performance, hematological parameters, plasma components, and antioxidant responses in a concentration-dependent manner. At a concentration ≥1,600 ㎍/L, PE-MPs significantly decreased body weight gain and specific growth rate, and significantly increased the hepatosomatic index. Hematological parameters showed a significant decrease in total red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels. Plasma components showed a significant increase in glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine transaminase levels, whereas total protein, calcium, and magnesium levels significantly decreased. Exposure to ≥1,600 ㎍/L PE-MPs also induced reactive oxygen species generation in the gill and liver, significantly increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. These findings suggest that exposure to ≥1,600 ㎍/L PE-MPs could significantly change growth performance, hematological parameters, plasma components, and antioxidant responses, resulting in physiological toxicity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.357-371
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• 2020

Microplastics have become a rising issue in due to its detection in oceans, rivers, and tap water. Although a large number of studies have been conducted on the detection and quantification in various water bodies, the number of research conducted on the removal and treatment of microplastics are still comparatively low. In the current research, the inflow and removal of microplastics were investigated for various drinking water treatment plants around the world. Addition to the investigation of filed research, a survey was also conducted on the current research trend on microplastic removal for different treatment processes in the drinking water treatment plants. This includes the researches conducted on coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, dissolved air flotation, sand filtration and disinfection processes. The survey indicated mechanisms of microplastic removal in each process followed by the removal characteristics under various conditions. Limitations of current researches were also mentioned, regarding the gap between the laboratory experimental conditions and field conditions of drinking water treatment plants. We hope that the current review will aid in the understanding of current research needs in the field of microplastic removal in drinking water treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2022

Recently microplastic (MP) biofilm is being attracted as an important environmental issue because it can act as a pollutant carrier in aqueous system. Therefore, this study investigated the MP biofilm communities originated from freshwater. The results showed the bacterial community structure of MP biofilm was distinctively different from the freshwater regardless of biofilm-forming condition and MP type. For MP biofilm communities exposed to raw freshwater, Solimonas variicoloris-like microbe, Frigidibacter albus-like microbe, Nitrospirillum amazonense-like microbe, and Pseudochroococcus couteii-like microbe became abundant, while Acinetobacter johnsonii, Macellibacteroides fermentans, and Sedimentibacter acidaminivorans-like microbe were found as major bacteria for MP biofilm communities exposed to organic rich condition. The results of this study suggest that the unique freshwater biofilm community could be formed on the MP surface.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.344-353
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• 2021

Juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (mean weight 66.7±7.1 g; mean length 19.2±0.9 cm) in a bio-floc environment were exposed to microplastic (PE: polyethylene, size 40-48 ㎛) at 0, 4, 20, 100, 500 and 2,500 mg L^-1 for 96 hours. No P. olivaceus deaths were observed following microplastic exposure. In the plasma components, calcium was significantly decreased whereas there was no significant change with magnesium following microplastic exposure. Glucose was significantly decreased with over 100mg L^-1 at 48 hours and 20mg L^-1 at 96 hours. Cholesterol was significantly decreased with over 20mg L^-1 after 48 hours, whereas there was no significant change in the total protein content. In enzymatic plasma components, the AST(Aspartate aminotransferase) was significant decreased by microplastic exposure. The results of this study indicate that acute exposure to microplastic induces blood physiological changes in P. olivaceus.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2023

Microplastic particles are ubiquitous in the environment and not standardized particles of size, shape, or type. Therefore, it is very limited to establish a risk assessment framework that accurately evaluated and manage the multi-dimension of marine environment including seawater and sediment based on toxic data. In the study, we review the characteristics and effects of marine environmental microplastic and suggest risk assessment framework (draft) based on the distribution and impact of marine environmental microplastics. Although, the characteristics of environmental microplastic are very widely but the most abundant toxic data are concentrated on unique shape and type, and there are also large gaps of test organism between laboratory-exposed organisms and resident species. Great limitations with respect to toxicity data quality also exist for traditional effect assessment methods, which in reliability of the resulting risk characterizations. However, considering the fact that the international community's movement on microplastics management is gradually strengthening and the pollution level of microplastics in marine environment is increasing, further research on environmental relevant risk assessment technique should be proposed based on the characteristics of microplastics in the marine environment.

• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2016.03a
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• pp.576-581
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• 2016

해양환경에서 큰문제가 되고 있는 아주 작은 크기의 플라스틱 입자인 미세플라스틱(Microplastic)은 잔류성이 크고 생물축적성이 있는 잔류성 유기오염 물질(POP)을 잘흡착하여 해양환경과 먹이사슬에 지대한 피해를 끼친다. 본 연구에서는 해양에 존재하는 대표적인 미세플라스틱 uPVC와 입자상의 잔류성 유기오염 물질 PAH를 원형 실린더로 가정하여 해양 환경에서 침강하고 있는 미세플라스틱이 잔류성 유기오염 물질에 의해 오염될 가능성을 알아보았다 이를 위해 표층및 심층수 환경에서 반지름에 따른 충돌효율과 접촉 시간을 구하여 두 실린더가 접촉할 시간의 기댓값인 기대 접촉시간을 계산하였다.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Plastics have become essential materials in human life for several decades. Meanwhile, the inadvertent spread of plastic debris from the use of many plastic products has raised global environmental concerns. The risk of microplastics in subsurface environment has received little attention because soil is considered to confine microplastics within the matrix. However, the concentration of microplastics in soil unavoidably increased as a result of an increase in plastic production and use. Based on lab experiments, several researches claimed that microplastics possibly penentrate soil layers. Recently, a few researches reported the occurrence of microplastics in groundwater. This study reviewed the recent reports of microplastic occurrences in soil and groundwater, and the modeling studies for simulating transport of microplastics. Additionally, the difficulties and limits in microplastics researches in soil and groundwater are discussed. Finally, several perspectives on microplastic studies in subsurface environment are suggested.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.28-39
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• 2019

This study was conducted to elucidate microplastics detection of freshwater ecosystems in Geum river. Samples are collected at 6 points in freshwater, 5 points in fishes. Freshwater was sampled 100 L per each points and fish species were Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, Hemibarbus labeo, Pseudogobio esocinus, Zacco platypus, Micropterus salmoides and Cyprinus carpio. FTIR analyis was adopted to identify microplastic types. Extracted microplastics were PES (polyester), PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC(Polyvinyl chloride) in freshwater, and PES, PE, PP, PET, PVC in fishes. Our results were expected to be used basic research information for further study in microplastics of freshwater ecosystems.

• Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.25-43
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• 2019

미세플라스틱으로 인한 환경생태오염이 심화함에 따라, 기존 난분해성 플라스틱을 대체할 수 있는 친환경 소재에 관심이 높아지고 있다. 또한 석유 기반 자원의 고갈 및 이산화탄소 배출로 인한 온난화 환경문제 등으로 기존 석유계 플라스틱 소재를 대체 보완하는 친환경 천연소재 개발의 사회적 요구는 더욱 커지고 있다. 이에, 생분해가 가능한 천연자원으로부터 다양한 물리 화학적 엔지니어링 기능성을 추가하여 플라스틱의 환경문제를 극복하려는 시도들이 활발히 진행되고 있다. 본 기고에서는 나노셀룰로오스, 생분해성 고분자, 멜라닌 소재를 중심으로 친환경 기능성 천연소재의 최신 연구 동향을 소개하고, 이의 기존 합성 플라스틱 대체응용 방안의 가능성을 탐색한다.

• Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

미세플라스틱은 5 mm 이하의 작은 플라스틱 입자를 말하며, 그 축적에 따른 환경적 문제가 커지면서 현재 심각한 사회문제가 되고 있다. 미세플라스틱은 해양으로 유입되어 해양생물계의 내분비계 교란물질로 작용하며 생태계를 교란시키고 종국에는 먹이사슬의 끝인 인류에게 큰 위험으로 다가오고 있다. 미세플라스틱에 대한 사회적 이슈가 높아지고 있는 현 시점에서 이들 문제점을 제대로 인식하고 해결방안을 모색할 필요성이 있다. 본 총설에서는 미세플라스틱의 현황과 해양생태계와 인체에 미치는 영향 그리고 미세플라스틱 검출법과 제거를 위한 정책과 연구 동향에 대해서 논의하고자 한다.