• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.609-614
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• 2010

The effluent from anaerobic digestion contains organic nitrogen and phosphorus, which are both required for growth of Spirulina platensis. Effluent (20%) from the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) from a pig farm, supplemented with 4.5 g/l sodium bicarbonate ($NaHCO_3$) and 0.2 g/l urea fertilizer (46:0:0, N:P:K), was found to be not only a suitable medium for the growth of Spirulina platensis but also a low-cost alternative. Cost calculation showed that this medium is 4.4 times cheaper than modifized Zarrouk's medium. The average productivities of a semi-continuous culture grown under outdoor conditions in a 6-1 scale and a 100-1 pilot scale were 19.9 $g/m^2/d$ and 12 $g/m^2/d$, respectively. In addition, the biomass of organisms grown in UASB effluent contained approximately 57.9% protein, 1.12% $\gamma$-linolenic acid, and 19.5% phycocyanin. The average rates of bicarbonate, total nitrogen, and phosphorus removal were 380 mg/l/d, 34 mg/l/d, and 4 mg/l/d, respectively.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1513-1520
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• 2013

Novel chitosan (CS) based membrane networks were developed by solution casting and followed by crosslinking with different crosslinkers such as glutaraldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, and thiourea-formaldehyde. The developed membrane networks were designated as CS-GA, CS-UF and CS-TF. Crosslinking reaction of CS membranes was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Membrane rigidity and compactness were studied by the differential scanning calorimetry. The surface morphology of CS membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The sorption behaviour with respect to contact time, initial pH and initial metal ion concentration were investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity of CS-GA, CS-UF and CS-TF sorbents was found to be 1.03, 1.2 and 1.18 mM/g for $Cu^{2+}$ and 1.48, 1.55 and 2.18 mM/g for $Ni^{2+}$ respectively. Swelling experiments have been performed on the membrane networks at $30^{\circ}C$. Desorption studies were performed in acid media and EDTA and it was found that the membranes are reusable for the metal ion removal for three cycles. The developed membranes could be successfully used for the separation of $Cu^{2+}$ and $Ni^{2+}$ metal ions from aqueous solutions.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.208-217
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• 2011

The effects of pH and temperature on the removal of two dyes (neutral red; NR and malachite green oxalates; MG) from aqueous effluents using Maghnia montmorillonite clay in a batch adsorption process were investigated. The results showed the stability of the optical properties of MG in aqueous solution and adsorbed onto clay under wide range of pH 3-9. However, the interaction of NR dye with clay is accompanied by a red shift of the main absorption bands of monomer cations under pH range of 3-5, whereas, those of neutral form remains nearly constant over the pH range of 8-12. The optimal pH for favorable adsorption of the dyes, i.e. ${\geq}$90% has been achieved in aqueous solutions at 6 and 7 for NR and VM respectively. The most suitable adsorption temperatures were 298 and 318 K with maximum adsorption capacities of 465.13mg/g for NR and 459.89 mg/g for MG. The adsorption equilibrium results for both dyes follow Langmuir, Freundlich isotherms. The numerical values of the mean free energy $E_a$ of 4.472-5.559 kj/mol and 2.000-2.886 kj/mol for NR and MG respectively indicated physical adsorption. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as ${\Delta}H^{\circ}$, ${\Delta}S^{\circ}$, ${\Delta}G^{\circ}$ and Ea have been calculated. The data showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The sticking probability model was further used to assess the potential feasibility of the clay mineral as an alternative adsorbent for organic ion pollutants in aqueous solution.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.227-232
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• 2007

Water pollution in enclosed water bodies such as lake and river has become a serious problem over the world. Domestic wastewater is responsible for more than 60 % pollution load in public water area in Korea. Effluent of the treated domestic wastewater at low removal level is abundantly fed rivers and lakes and thus be an serious cause of lake pollution. Therefore, effective implement of domestic wastewater treatment in basin of lake and river must be prepared. The septic tank is one of the effective domestic wastewater treatment equipment and used in individual treatment for a unit of household, The purpose of septic tank as biological treatment system is simultaneously to remove BOD, T-N, T-P and reduce turbidity from influent. Accordingly, the appropriate control of functional microorganisms is important subject for the establishment of stability and economy of the biological treatment method. Especially, microanimals as a high-ranked microorganisms of food-chain are important, because microanimals control the other microorganisms especially various bacteria and effect on function of treatment. Therefore, it is necessary that functional predator like rotifers are attached in wastewater treatment process. In this study, the methods for attachment high density the rotifer to and improvement of transparency in the effluence by a dense rotifer was examined using laboratory scale biological treatment reactor simulated septic tank and real one.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to investigate strength and water purification characteristics of effective microorganism-applied volcanic ash block using flexural strength test and water quality analysis. The specimens were prepared with volcanic ash from Mt. Baekdusan and Mt. Hallasan, and cement as the ratios of 3.5:1, 4.0:1, 4.5:1, 5.0:1 with and without metakaolin. Flexural strength degraded with increasing of the amount of volcanic ash, and increased with addition of metakaolin as a binder. Based on these results, the optimal ratio for fabricating volcanic ash-cement mixture block is determined as 3.5:1 with metakaolin. Furthermore, from water quality analysis on contaminated water, removal ability of effective microorganism-applied volcanic ash-cement mixture block and caged volcanic ash block against T-N, T-P and SS was highly evaluated because of adsorption due to the large specific surface area of volcanic ash. Hence, volcanic ash-cement mixture block and caged volcanic ash block possibly contribute to water purification.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2003

Sodium salicylate, a plant stress hormone that plays an important role(s) in defenses against pathogenic microbial and herbivore attack, has been shown to induce a variety of cell responses such as anti-inflammation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in animal cells. p38MAPK plays a critical role(s) in the cell regulation by sodium salicylate. However, the signal pathway for sodium salicylate-induced p38MAPK activation is yet unclear. In this study, we show that although sodium salicylate enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a general ROS scavenger, did not prevent sodium salicylate-induced p38MAPK, indicating ROS-independent activation of p38MAPK by sodium salicylate. Sodium salicylate-activated p38MAPK appeared to be very rapidly down-regulated 2 min after removal of sodium salicylate. Interestingly, sodium salicylate-pretreated cells remained fully responsive to re-induction of p38MAPK activity by a second sodium salicylate stimulation or by other stresses, $H_2O$$_2$ and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), thereby indicating that sodium salicylate does not exhibit both homologous and heterologous desensitization. In contrast, pre-exposure to MeJA, $H_2O$$_2$, heat shock, or hyperosmotic stress reduced the responsiveness to subsequent homologous stimulation. Sodium salicylate was able to activate p38MAPK in cells desensitized by other heterologous p38MAPK activators. These results indicate that there is a sensing mechanism highly specific to sodium salicylate for activation of p38MAPK, distinct trom pathways used by other stressors such as MeJA, $H_2O$$_2$ heat shock, and hyperosmotic stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2013

A combined process consisted of a biofilm reactor and a continuously stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) was investigated for highly loaded ammonium wastewater treatment via nitrite accumulation. To enhance ammonium oxidizing bacteria over nitrite oxidizing bacteria on the surface of carriers, the biofilm reactor was operated at temperature of $35^{\circ}C$ for more than three months but the influent ammonium (500 mg-N/L) was partially oxidized to nitrite (240 mg-N/L). As pH was increased from 7.5 to 8.0, nitrite accumulation was fully achieved due to the inhibition of nitrite oxidizing bacteria under high free ammonia concentration. The biofilm reactor performance was severely deteriorated at the hydraulic retention time of 12 hr, at which incomplete nitrification of ammonia was observed. Various solubilization methods were applied to sewage sludge for enhancing its biodegradability and the combined method, alkaline followed by ultrasonic, gave the highest solubilization efficiency (58%); the solubilized solution was used as the external carbon source for denitrification reaction in CSTR. FISH analysis showed that the dominant microorganisms on the carriers were ammonium oxidizing bacteria such as Nitrosomonas spp. and Nitrospirar spp. but low amounts of nitrite oxidizing bacteria as Nitrobacter spp. was also detected.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.20 no.A
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• pp.57-62
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• 2000

This experiment was done to investigate the leaching and adsorption properties of heavy metals on porphyry. The comparison with respect to the leachability of heavy metals from porphyry between the Korea Standard Leaching Test (KSLT) and the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) was carried out. The fractional composition of leachate and the total concentration of heavy metal of porphyry were studied through Sequential Extraction Procedure (SEP) and EPA Method 3050. Adsorption experiment of porphyry has pointed out that the optimum dosage of porphyry for 50ppm Pb was over 10g/L, the effective particle size for absorption was below 200 mesh and the optimum pH was about 7. From the Freundlich' adsorption equation, 1/n was 1.0722, and k was 0.0041. After adsorption, the fractional composition of Pb was changed. The exchangeable, carbonate, reducible fractions were increased, and the organic fraction was not changed, and the residual fraction was decreased.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.699-706
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• 2007

Many lakes or irrigative reservoirs in Korea are rapidly contaminated due to the ever increasing pollutants. Although lots of treatment processes have been recommended and practiced, economical and technical improvement is currently needed. In this study, contaminated irrigation reservoir was treated using the proposed process which is consisted of fine air bubbles, coagulation and flotation. Fine bubbles, approximate diameter of 3 to $10{\mu}m$, were generated using cavitation in the pressurized tank and polyaluminum chloride was used as coagulants. This fine bubbles, coagulation and flotation effectively controlled the low density algae, for example, Chlorophyll-a was removed more than 97 %. Removal efficiency of COD, SS, T-N and T-P were 80.7%, 94.3%, 64.1 % and 92.4%, respectively. Pollutants released from the sediments was removed more than 80% of organics and 60-70 % of nutrients. Consequently, fine bubbles coagulation and flotation process could be effectively used as an alternative treatment method for the purpose of control of lake water quality.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.161-165
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• 2004

This study has been conducted to develop a new recycling technology of sewage sludge using a carbonization process. The carbonizing yield, the calorific value and EC(electric conductivity) of carbonized sewage sludge had a tendency to be decreased with increase of the carbonizing temperature and time, but pH and the C/N were increased with increase the carbonizing temperature and time. The whole pore volume of carbonized sludge processed in the carbonizing furnace was /g, which was smaller than that in the electric furnace. But, the rates of mesopore and macropore were found to account for 100% therein. Rate of color and organic materials removal for dyeing wastewater were determined 70~97%, 78~83% on cotton yarn, 88~96%, 69~80% on wool wastewater and 77~89%, 77~87% on towel compared with powder activated carbon. Effect of carbonized sludge on chrysanthemum growth was investigated. Plant height and number of leaves was better mixture of carbonized sludge than comparison.