• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.46-52
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• 2007

As flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater contains high concentrations of nitrate and is very low in organic carbon, the feasibility of nitrate removal by autotrophic denitrification using Thiobacillus denitrificans was studied. This autotrophic bacteria oxidizes elemental sulfur to sulfate while reducing nitrate to elemental nitrogen gas, thereby eliminating the need for addition of organic compounds such as methanol. Owing to the unusually high concentrations of dissolved salts $(Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Na^+,\;K^+,\;B^+,\;SO_4^{2-},\;Cl^-,\;F^-,)$ in the FGD wastewater, extensive laboratory-scale and pilot-scale tests were carried out in sulfur-limestone reactors (1) to determine the effect of salinity on autotrophic denitrification, (2) to evaluate the use of limestone for pH control and as source of inorganic carbon for microbial growth, and, (3) to find the optimum environmental and operational conditions for autotrophic denitrification of FGD wastewater. The experimental results demonstrated that (1) autotrophic denitrification is not inhibited up to 1.8 mol total dissolved salt content; (2) inorganic carbon and inorganic phosphorus must be present in sufficiently high concentrations; (3) limestone can supply effective buffering capacity and inorganic carbon; (4) the high calcium concentration may interfere with pH control, phosphorus solubility and limestone dissolution, hence requiring pretreatment of the FGD wastewater; and, 5) under optimum conditions, complete autotrophic denitrification of FGD wastewater was obtained in a sulfur-limestone packed bed reactor with a sulfur:limestone volume ratio of 2:1 for volumetric loading rates up to 400g $NO_{3^-}N/m^3.d$. The interesting interactions between autotrophic denitrification, pH, alkalinity, and the unusually high calcium and boron content of the FGD wastewater are highlighted. The engineering significance of the results is discussed.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2018

The spatio-temporal variations of nitrate concentrations in groundwater of Jeju Island were evaluated by an analysis of time series groundwater quality data (N = 21,568) that were collected from regional groundwater monitoring (number of wells = 4,835) for up to 20 years between 1993 and 2015. The median concentration of $NO_3-N$ is 2.5 mg/L, which is slightly higher than those reported from regional surveys in other countries. Nitrate concentrations of groundwater in wells tend to significantly vary according to different water usage (of the well), administrative districts, and topographic elevations: nitrate level is higher in low-lying agricultural and residential areas than those in high mountainous areas. The Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope analysis show that nitrate concentration in mid-mountainous areas tends to increase, possibly due to the expansion of agricultural areas toward highland. On the other hand, nitrate concentrations in the Specially Designated Groundwater Quality Protection Zones show the temporally decreasing trend, which implies the efficiency of groundwater management actions in Jeju. Proper measures for sustainable groundwater quality management are suggested in this study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.270-273
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• 2012

These studies were conducted to determine the effects of various concentrations of ammonium and nitrate on current generation using dual-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Current generation was not affected by ammonium up to $51.8{\pm}0.0$ mg/l, whereas $103.5{\pm}0.0$ mg/l ammonium chloride reduced the current slightly. On the other hand, when $60.0{\pm}0.0$ and $123.3{\pm}0.1$ mg/l nitrate were supplied, the current was decreased from $10.23{\pm}0.07$ mA to $3.20{\pm}0.24$ and $0.20{\pm}0.01$ mA, respectively. Nitrate did not seem to serve as a fuel for current generation in these studies. At this time, COD and nitrate removal were increased except at $123{\pm}0.1$ mg ${NO_3}^-/l$. These results show that proper management of ammonium and nitrate is very important for increasing the current in a microbial fuel cell.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2002

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants were grown under hydroponic system to characterize the diurnal change of nitrate concentration and nitrate uptake rate and to examine the effect of short term cold treatment to rhizosphere on nitrate concentration and uptake rate in lettuce plant. The nitrate concentrations in midrib were two times higher than those in leaf. Nitrate concentration in the shoot reached to minimum (8.7 mg-N/GDW) at 14:00 and, thereafter, increased continuously until 23:00. During 11:00$\sim$17:00, nitrate uptake by lettuce plant was maximum (4.8 mg-N/GDW-Root/hr). Short term cold treatment reduced nitrate concentration in the shoot by 14$\sim$18%, and nitrate uptake rate by 50$\sim$55%, respectively. These results showed that short term cold treatment before harvest could be applied for the purpose of reduction of nitrate concentration in the leaf under hydroponic culture.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.645-654
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• 2009

Lab-scale Electrodialysis(ED) system with different membranes combined with before or after pyroma process were carried out to remove nitrate from two pickling acid wastewater containing high concentrations of $NO_3\;^-$(${\approx}$150,000 mg/L) and F($({\approx}$ 160,000 mg/L) and some heavy metals(Fe, Ti, and Cr). The ED system before Pyroma process(Sample A) was not successful in $NO_3\;^-$ removal due to cation membrane fouling by the heavy metals, whereas, in the ED system after Pyroma process(Sample B), about 98% of nitrate was removed because of relatively low $NO_3\;^-$ concentration (about 30,000 mg/L) and no heavy metals. Mono-selective membranes(CIMS/ACS) in ED system have no selectivity for nitrate compared to divalent-selective membranes(CMX/AMX). The operation time for nitrate removal time decreased with increasing the applied voltage from 10V to 15V with no difference in the nitrate removal rate between both voltages. Nitrate adsorption of a strong-base anion exchange resin of $Cl\;^-$ type was also conducted. The Freundlich model($R^2$ > 0.996) was fitted better than Langmuir mode($R^2$ > 0.984) to the adsorption data. The maximum adsorption capacity ($Q^0$) was 492 mg/g for Sample A and 111 mg/g for Sample B due to the difference in initial nitrate concentrations between the two wastewater samples. In the regeneration of ion exchange resins, the nitrate removal rate in the pickling acid wastewater decreased as the adsorption step was repeated because certain amount of adsorbed $NO_3\;^-$ remained in the resins in spite of several desorption steps for regeneration. In conclusion, the optimum system configuration to treat pickling acid wastewater from stainless-steel industry is the multi-processes of the Pyroma-Electrodialysis-Ion exchange.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.359-379
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• 2005

In order to understand the spatial and temporal variations of nutrients and factors controlling their distribution in Gwangyang Bay, this study was carried out bimonthly from June 2001 to July 2003, Inorganic silicate and nitrate concentrations ranged from $0.04{\mu}M\;to\;69.5{\mu}M(avg.\;12.9{\mu}M)$, and from $0.12{\mu}M\;to\;42.2{\mu}M\;(avg.\;7.83{\mu}M)$, respectively. Silicate concentrations measured just after the typhoon were the highest with an average of $43.2{\mu}M$ at the surface layer in June 2001, whereas the highest nitrate concentration $(avg.\;37.0{\mu}M)$ was observed in the surface layer in July 2003. River runoff apparently influenced variations in silicate and nitrate concentrations (r=0.701 and 0.728, p<0.000, respectively) as well as salinity (r=-0.628, p<0.000). Phosphate concentrations ranged from $0.24{\mu}M\;to\;5.70{\mu}M\;(avg.\;1.34{\mu}M)$ and were highest at stations 5, 6, and 7, near a fertilizer plant with an average of $2.01{\mu}M$. On the basis of N/P and Si/N molar ratios, limiting nutrients have varied temporary and spatially. During 2001-2002, nitrogen was a limiting nutrient in the study area, and Phosphate was limited when a large volume of freshwater flowed into the bay. Silicate was limited when the high standing crops of phytoplankton occurred in the whole study area throughout 2003, and in the inner bay in February and August 2002. During the study period, factors controlling the distribution of nutrients might be summarized as follows; 1) inflow of freshwater by heavy rain accompanied by typhoons and frequent rainfall in summer, showing high concentrations of silicate and nitrate, 2) release of high phosphate concentrations from the fertilizer plant located in the south of Moydo to adjacent stations, 3) release of nutrients from bottom sediment, 4) magnitude of occurrence of phytoplankton standing crops.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.635-646
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• 2004

Chronic outbreaks of green tide in the Nakdong estuary toll a heavy socioeconomic cost. The paper investigates the influence of sediments on the nitrogen eutrophication, being claimed as the primary cause of green tide. To measure the flux of nitrate at the sediments-water interface, sediment cores were taken in Jan., Mar., May and Sep., 2000 at Noksan located in the West-Nakdong river estuary. The dissolved oxygen was profiled and then the pore water was extracted in situ. Core samples were analyzed for their textural characteristics. Cores were incubated by a novel technique to measure the fluxes of nitrate $(NO_3^-)$ and ammonia $(NH_4^+)$ at the sediment-water interface. The dissolved oxygen was depleted usually within several millimeters in the top sediments. Nitrate started to decrease drastically at the layer where dissolved oxygen was nearly depleted. Nitrate was also exhausted within several centimeters, followed by ammonia build up rapidly. The flux at the sediments-water interface calculated from the pore water concentrations revealed that nitrate was removed from the water column into the sediments. The sediment incubation experiment confirmed the above result. On the other hand ammonia were released from the sediment to the water column. As the incubation went on, however, the nitrate concentration in the overlying water was dropped below that of a top sediment. Then the flux is reversed, i.e., nitrate was released from the sediments to the water column. The implication is that the sediment can supply nitrate to the water column if it falls below a certain level. Thus it is likely that sediments in the eutrophicated river buffers the nitrate concentration in the water column, which leads to a prolonged green tide.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.275-284
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• 2017

Microcystis aeruginosa causes harmful algal blooms in the Nakdong River of Korea. We studied the effect of different concentrations and ratios of ammonium ($NH_4{^+}$), nitrate ($NO_3{^-}$), and phosphate ($PO{_4}^{3-}$) on growth of this species in BG-11 medium: each nutrient alone, $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratio, the N : P ratio with fixed total N (TN), and the N : P ratio with fixed total P (TP). The single nutrient experiments indicated that M. aeruginosa had the highest growth rate at $NH_4{^+}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ concentrations of $500{\mu}M$, and at a $PO{_4}^{3-}$ concentration of $5{\mu}M$. The $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratio experiments showed that M. aeruginosa had the highest growth rate at a ratio of 1 : 1 when TN was $100{\mu}M$ and $250{\mu}M$, and the lowest growth rate at a ratio of 1 : 1 when the TN was $500{\mu}M$. The N : P ratio with fixed TN experiments indicated that M. aeruginosa had the highest growth rates at 50 : 1, 20 : 1, and 100 : 1 ratios when the TN was 100, 250, and $500{\mu}M$, respectively. In contrast, the N : P ratio with fixed TP experiments showed that M. aeruginosa had the highest growth rates at 200 : 1 ratio at all tested TP concentrations. In conclusion, our results imply that the $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratio and the $PO{_4}^{3-}$ concentration affect the early stage of growth of M. aeruginosa. In particular, our results suggest that the maximum growth of M. aeruginosa is not simply affected by the $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratio and the N : P ratio, but is determined by the TN concentration if a certain minimum $PO{_4}^{3-}$ concentration is present.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.33-42
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• 2005

Wetlands often function as a nutrient sink. It is well known that increased input of nutrient increases the primary productivity but it is not well understood what is the fate of produced biomass in wetland ecosystem. Water and sediment quality, decomposition rate of cellulose, and sediment accumulation rate in 11 montane marshes in northern Sierra Nevada, California were analyzed to trace the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus content in water on nutrient dynamics. Concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) in water were in the range of 27 to 607, 8 to 73, and 6 to 109 ppb, respectively. Concentrations of ammonium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in water were the highest in Markleeville, which has been impacted by animal farming. Nitrate and SRP concentrations in water were the highest in Snow Creek, which has been impacted by human residence and a golf course. Cellulose decomposition rates ranged from 4 to 75 % per 90 days and the highest values were measured in Snow Creek. Concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in sediment ranged from 8.0 to 42.8, 0.5 to 3.0, and 0.076 to 0.162 %, respectively. Accumulation rates of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus fluctuated between 32.7 to 97.1, 2.4 to 9.0, and 0.08 to $1.14gm^{-2}yr{-1}$, respectively. Accumulation rates of carbon and nitrogen were highest in Markleeville and that of phosphorus was highest in Lake Van Norden. Correlation analysis showed that decay rate is correlated with ammonium, nitrate, and SRP in water. There was no correlation between element content in sediment and water quality. Nitrogen accumulation rate was correlated with ammonium in water. These results showed that element accumulation rates in montane wetland ecosystems are determined by decomposition rate rather than nutrient input. This study stresses a need for eco-physiological researches on the response of microbial community to increased nutrient input and environmental change because the microbial community is responsible for the decomposition process.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.319-323
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• 2007

The Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) is being increasingly used to oxidize complex organic constituents in treated effluents from domestic wastewater treatment plants. Generally, ${NO_3}^--N$ concentrations ranges between 5 and 8 mg/L for biologically well-treated effluents. However, nitrate ions, ${NO_3}^-$, affects on oxidation as not only a well-known strong absorber of UV light below 250 nm of wavelength but also as an OH radical scavenger. The objective of this study was to evaluate the AOP systems for degradation of 2,4-DCP, and to delineate the effect of nitrate ions on UV oxidation of 2,4-DCP by conducting a bench-scale operation at various reaction times and initial concentrations of $H_2O_2$. The experimental results indicated that 2,4-DCP could be completely oxidized by $UV/H_2O_2$ process with an initial $H_2O_2$ concentration of 20 mg/L at a retention time of 1.0 min or longer. Nitrate ions did not show any adverse effect on 2,4-DCP oxidation at this high $H_2O_2$ concentration, and the practical initial $H_2O_2$ concentration and reaction time for the 80% oxidation turned out to be 5 mg/L and 1.0 min, respectively.