• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.217-224
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of the conversion of the forest management type from a natural deciduous broad-leaved forest to an artificial evergreen coniferous forest based on organic matter dynamics. We investigated the amounts and carbon contents of the forest floor and the litterfall, soil chemical characteristics and cellulose decomposition rates in the natural deciduous broad-leaved forest and adjacent artificial evergreen coniferous forest. In the artificial evergreen coniferous forest were planted Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) on the upper slope and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) on the lower slope. The soil carbon and nitrogen contents, CEC and microbial activity had decreased due to the conversion of the forest management type from a natural deciduous broad-leaved forest to an artificial Japanese cypress forest, and were almost the same for the conversion to a Japanese cedar forest. Under the same conditions, it is considered that the soil fertility was different by planting specific tree species because the organic matter dynamics were changed by them.

• Korean Membrane Journal
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2009

We investigated the effect of organic materials on membrane fouling in advanced drinking water treatment by a hybrid module packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) outside multi-channel ceramic microfiltration membrane. Synthetic water was prepared with humic acid and kaolin to simulate natural water resouces consisting of natural organic matter and inorganic particles. Kaolin concentration was fixed at 30 mg/L and humic acid was changed as 2~10 mg/L to inspect the effect of organic matters. Periodic back-flushing using permeate water was performed for 10 sec per filtration of 10 min. As a result, both resistance of membrane fouling (Rf) and permeate flux (J) were influenced highly by concentration of humic acid. It proved that NOM like humic acid could be an important factor on membrane fouling in drinking water treatment. Turbidity and UV254 absorbance were removed up to above 97.4% and 59.2% respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.719-726
• /
• 2006

Adsorption isotherms and kinetics for taste and odor (T&O) compounds and natural organic matters (NOMs) were performed to evaluate the impacts of activated carbon particle size on coagulation and adsorption. Adsorption capacities for iodine, T&O compounds, and NOM of all the activated carbons under #325 mesh were more excellent than those of virgin activated carbons. Small activated carbon particles were more rapidly adsorbed low molecular weight T&O compounds in the water, while those were slowly adsorbed high molecular weight NOM. When the activated carbon and alum were added simultaneously, the adsorption capacity for organics was better than alum was added alone.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.653-661
• /
• 2007

The Disinfectants/Disinfection By-products (D/DBP) Rule proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency requires the implementation of enhanced coagulation as a control strategy for natural organic matter (NOM) removal and as a means of limiting the formation of all DBPs, i.e., not just the trihalomethanes and haloacetica acids. To control DBP formation, several best available technologies (BATs) were determined for removal of DBPs and DBP precursors. The enhanced coagulation is one of the BATs for DBP precursors removal. Treatment facilities that achieve a specified percent removal of total organic carbon (TOC) prior to the application of a continuous disinfectant or that achieve a residual TOC concentration < 2mg/L prior to the application of a continuous disinfectant are considered to be in compliance with enhanced coagulation. The enhanced coagulation was applied to raw water in Korea, the Han River. Raw water were examined and effects of different raw water qualities on enhanced coagulation were investigated. Three analyses were used for raw water characteristics, water quality measurement, molecular weight distributions, hydrophobic/hydrophilic fractionation. The Han River had the relatively low alkalinity and low organic carbon concentration. The results of molecular weight distributions showed significant portions of low molecular weight organics, which is very different from most water in USA. The alum doses for the required TOC removal guided from USEPA manual were quite low (i.e. 10~30 mg/L alum) for the water, probably due to the specific water quality of the Han River.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2022

A number of different methods have been used for modeling the sorption of volatile organic chlorinated compounds such as tetrachloroethylene/perchloroethylene (PCE). In this study, PCE was adsorbed in several natural sorbents, i.e., Pahokee peat, vermicompost, BionSoil^®, and natural soil, in the batch experiments. Several sorption models such as linear, Freundlich, solubility-normalized Freundlich model, and Polanyi-Manes model (PMM) were used to analyze sorption isotherms. The relationship between sorption model parameters, organic carbon content (f_oc), and elemental C/N ratio was studied. The organic carbon normalized partition coefficient values (log K_oc = 1.50-3.13) in four different sorbents were less than the logarithm of the octanol-water partition coefficient (log K_ow = 3.40) of PCE due to high organic carbon contents. The log K_oc decreased linearly with log f_oc and log C/N ratio, but increased linearly with log O/C, log H/C, and log (N+O)/C ratio. Both log K_F,oc or log K_F,oc decreased linearly with log f_oc (R² = 0.88-0.92) and log C/N ratio (R² = 0.57-0.76), but increased linearly with log (N+O)/C (R² = 0.93-0.95). The log q_max,oc decreased linearly as log f_oc and log C/N increased, whereas it increased with log O/C, log H/C and log (N+O)/C ratios. The log q_max,oc increased linearly with (N+O)/C indicating a strong dependence of q_max,oc on the polarity index. The results showed that PCE sorption behaviors were strongly correlated with the physicochemical properties of soil organic matter (SOM).

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.475-490
• /
• 2012

Since 1997, Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Ministry of Environment have established data on some 400 basic raw and subsidiary materials and process like energy, petro-chemical, steel, cement, glass, paper, construction materials, transportation, recycling and disposal etc by initiating establishment of LCI database. Regarding agriculture, Rural Development Administration has conducted establishment of LCI database for major farm products like rice, barley, beans, cabbage and radish etc from 2009, and released that they would establish LCI database for 50 items until 2020 later on. The domestic LCI database for seeds, seedling, agrochemical, inorganic, fertilizer and organic fertilizer etc is only at initial stage of establishment, so overseas LCI databases are brought and being used. However, since the domestic and overseas natural environments differ, they fall behind in reliability. Therefore, this study has the purpose to select organic farming materials, survey the production process for various types of organic farming materials and establish LCI database for the effects of greenhouse gas emitted by each crop during the process. As for selecting methods, in this study organic farming materials were selected in the method of direct observation of material and bottom-up method a survey method with focus on the organic farming materials admitted into rice production. For the basic unit of carbon emission amount by the production of 1kg of organic farming material, the software PASS 4.1.1 developed by Korea Accreditation Board under Ministry of Knowledge Economy was used. The study had the goal to ultimately provide basic unit to calculate carbon emission amount in executing many institutions like goal management system and carbon performance display system etc in agricultural sector to be conducted later on. As a result, emission basic units per 1kg of production were calculated to be 0.04968kg-$CO_2$ for oystershells, 0.004692kg-$CO_2$ for expanded rice hull, and 1.029kg-$CO_2$ for bordeaux mixture liquid.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.39-53
• /
• 1999

This study quantified carbon uptake and emissions in urban landscape, and the role of urban greenspace in atmospheric carbon reduction for several cities of Chuncheon and Kangleung in Kangwon province. Mean carbon storage by trees and shrubs was 26.0 t (mertric tons)/ha in Chuncheon and 46.7 t/ha in Kangleung for natural lands, and ranged from 4.7 to 6.3 t/ha for urban lands (all land use types except natural and agricultural lands) in both cities. Mean annual carbon uptake by trees and shrubs ranged from 1.60 to 1.71 t/ha/yr for natural lands, and from 0.56 to 0.71 t/ha/yr for urban lands. There was no significant difference (95% confidence level) between the two cities in the carbon storage and annual carbon uptake per ha, except the carbon storage for natural lands. Organic carbon storage in soils (to a depth of 60 cm) of Chuncheon average 24.8 t/ha for urban lands and 31.6 t/ha for natural lands, 1.3 times greater than for urban lands. Annual carbon accumulation in soils was 1.3 t/hr/yr for natural lands of the study cities. Annual per capita carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption were 1.3 t/yr in Chunceon and 1.8 t/yr in Kangleung. The principal carbon release in urban landscapes was from transport and industry. Total carbon storage by urban greenspace (trees, shrubs, and soils) equaled 66% of total carbon emissions in Chuncheon and 101% in Kangleung. Carbon uptake by urban greenspace annually offset total carbon emissions by approximately 4% in the study cities. Thus, urban greenspace played a partial important role in reducing atmospheric $CO_2$ concentrations. To increase $CO_2$ uptake and storage by urban greenspace, suggested are conservation of natural lands, minimization of hard surfaces and more plantings, selection of tree species with high growth rate, and proper management for longer healthy tree growth.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.453-458
• /
• 2010

DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) is an operational terminology for organic carbon molecules dissolved in natural waters. DOC has been studied by ecologists extensively, because it plays a key role in various ecological functions such as substrates for secondary production and the carbon cycle. DOC also represents a substrate for microbial growth within potable water distribution systems, and can react with disinfectants (e.g., chloride) to form harmful disinfection by-products. In addition, residual DOC may carry with it organically bound toxic heavy metals. DOC in aquatic ecosystems may ultimately be transported to the oceans, or released back to the atmosphere by heterotrophic respiration, which can accelerate global climate change. There is evidence that DOC concentrations in aquatic ecosystems are increasing in many regions of the world including Europe, North America, and even in Korea. Land use changes, elevated temperature, elevated $CO_2$, recovery from acidification, and nitrogen deposition have been proposed as mechanisms for the trend. However, the key driving mechanism is yet to be conclusively determined. We propose that more extensive and longer-term observations, research of chemical properties of DOC, impacts of elevated DOC on environmental issues and interdisciplinary approaches are warranted as future studies to fill the gaps in our knowledge about DOC dynamics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.249-255
• /
• 2011

It is complicate problem to optimize removing natural organic matter (NOM) by activated carbon in drinking water treatment because the activated carbon has heterogeneous surface area and pore structure. Seven different coals based activated carbons which have different pore structures were used in the study. Sand filtered effluents which normally used as GAC adsorber influent were used. The molecular weight distribution showed that most of the NOM was bigger than 10,000Da. In this study, systematical approaches such as characteristics of surface area and pore volume were evaluated on NOM adsorption. Especially, the adsorption capacities for NOM were evaluated by effect of micro-pores and meso-pores in surface area and pore structure. The results show that the higher ratio of meso-pore compare to the micro-pore has not only the better adsorption capacities for NOM but also the higher strongly-adsorbable fraction. Therefore, the overall adsorption capacity is increased with higher meso-pore ratio with existing of reasonable micro-pore surface area and volume.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.587-592
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this study was to identify the controlling factors to construct tidal flat ecosystems having similar characteristics as natural ones. We transplanted the soil in a constructed tidal flat to a natural one and vice versa. Parameters monitored after these transplantations were silt content, organic matter, bacterial population and oxidation-reduction potential. Moreover, the relationship among silt content, organic matter and bacterial population was investigated by laboratory column experiment. The silt content, organic matter, bacterial population and vertical profile of oxidation-reduction potential in the soil transplanted from the constructed tidal flat to the natural one changed to similar values to those in the natural one. On the contrary, all the parameters for the soil transplanted from the natural tidal flat to the constructed one changed to similar values as those in the constructed one. The silt contents in thses two transplanted solis were in proportion to the organic carbon contents and bacterial population. Similarly, the bacterial population in laboratory column experiment increased with the increase in silt and organic matter contents. It seemed to be important to select a place to enhance accumulative of silt and/or to maintain the silt content by hydrodynamic control of seawater in order to construct a tidal flat having similar characteristics as natural one.