• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.78-85
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• 2015

In the past several decades, biofuels have emerged as candidates to help mitigate the issues of global warming, fossil fuel depletion and, in some cases, atmospheric pollution. To date, the only biofuels that have achieved any significant penetration in the global transportation sector are ethanol and biodiesel. The global consumption of biodiesel was rapidly increased from 2005. The goal of this study was to examine the chemical composition on particulate pollutant emissions from a diesel engine operating on several different biodiesels. Tests were performed on non-road diesel engine. Experiments were performed on 5 different fuel blends at 2 different engine loading conditions (50% and 75%). 5 different fuel blends were ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD, 100%), soy biodiesel (Blend 20% and Blend 100%) and canola biodiesel (Blend 20% and Blend 100%). The chemical properties of particulate pollutants were characterized using an Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). Organic matter and nitrate were generally the most abundant aerosol components and exhibited maximum concentration of $1207{\mu}g/m^3$ and $30{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. On average, the oxidized fragment families ($C_xH_yO_1{^+}$, and $C_xH_yO_z{^+}$) account for ~13% of the three family sum, while ~87% comes from the $C_xH_y{^+}$ family. The two peaks of $C_2H_3O_2$ (m/z 59.01) and $C_3H_7O$ (m/z 59.04) located at approximately m/z 59 could be used to identify atmospheric particulate matter directly to biodiesel exhaust, as distinguished from that created by petroleum diesel in the AMS data.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제30권sup호
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• pp.8.1-8.5
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• 2015

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the biodegradation potential of four perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) alternatives that were developed at Changwon National University. While PFOS has been used widely in industrial and consumer products, it is known to be a persistent organic pollutant. Therefore, greener alternatives are highly desirable. Methods Biodegradation tests were run for 28 days using standard test protocols. The biochemical oxygen demand was measured daily throughout the experimental period, and the data were used to calculate the biodegradation rates. Microorganisms were isolated from the some of the tests that showed evidence of biodegradation. Results $C_8H_8F_9KO_3S$, which has the same number of carbons as the parent compound PFOS but a reduced number of fluorines, showed the highest biodegradation rate followed by $C_{10}H_8F_{13}KO_3S$. Chemical alternatives with lower number of carbons did not biodegrade readily in the experiments. Conclusions Together, these results suggest that it may be advantageous to develop PFOS alternatives with 8 carbons, the same as PFOS, but a reduced number of fluorines; as such, chemicals are more susceptible to biodegradation than the parent compound.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• 제17권7호
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• pp.65-76
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate economical ventilation effectiveness to reduce hazardous materials exposure and damage of workers by analyzing exposure amount of noxious substances under various ventilation conditions of nail salon for indoor environments. Research design, data, and methodology - This study was carried out with cooperation of Nail shop located in SeongNam city to involve an analysis of the environmental impact indoor air quality, pollutant exposure and economical cost-effectiveness in the nail workplace. The hazardous substances were PM-10(Particulate Matter-10㎛), VOCs(Volatile Organic Compounds) and Formaldehyde, which are the major materials of nail workplace. Results - PM-10 is reduced by about 60% with air cleaner, forced artificial ventilation by 32%, and natural ventilation by about 12%. TVOCs and Formaldehyde showed similar efficiency (80~100%) after natural ventilation and ventilation after 60 minutes. The removal efficiencies of VOCs and formaldehyde were similar to those of natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation system. However, in case of dust, natural ventilation was reduced by artificial ventilation system due to inflow of external dust during natural ventilation. Conclusions - If the pollution degree of outdoor air is not high, air volume is high, and natural ventilation is performed when the air conditioning and heating system is not operated. Even at the end of the work, it keeps operating for 60 minutes to remove the pollutants generated. Results of this analysis demonstrated that the worker environment can be improved by adopting institutional legislation and guidelines for ventilation.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.141-151
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• 2004

We exposed juvenile puffer fish, Takifugu obscurus(30 days after hatching) to various aqueous pollutants including 4 kinds of inorganic metals (Ag, Cd, Cu and Hg), 2 organotin compound.; (tributyltin ［TBT］ and triphenyltin［TPhT］) and 5 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds (chrysene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene) to estimate median lethal concentrations (LC50s) of each pollutant after the 96-hour acute exposure. Among the inorganic metals, Hg (52 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L; 96-h LC50) was most toxic to test animals and followed by Ag (164 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L), Cu (440 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) and Cd (1180 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L). Aqueous TBT was more toxic between the two organotins; the 96-h LC50 for TBT (5.1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) was 3 times lower than that of TPhT (17.3 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L). The acute toxicity of PAH compounds was highest for chrysene (1.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L; 96-h LC50) and decreased in the order of pyrene (65 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) > fluoranthene (158 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) > phenanthrene (432 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) > naphthalene (8690 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L). The toxicity of PAH compounds wat closely related to their physico-chemical characteristics such as $K_{ow}$ and water solubility, and well explained by simple QSAR relationship. The sensitivity of puffer fish to various inorganic and organic pollutants was generally comparable to various fish species widely used as standard test species in previous studies and further evaluation should be conducted to develop adequate testing procedure for T. obscurus when used in various toxicity tests.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2010

While increased use of motor cycles in the recent years for various demands could worsen air quality, only few studies have been conducted on estimation of emission factors and characterization of emissions from motorcycle. In this study, emissions from selected six models of motorcycle based on largest market share and production rate were investigated. To investigate gaseous and carbonaceous air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbon (THC), nitrogen oxide ($NO_x$), elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC), total 124 motorcycles between 2003 and 2007 model year were tested with regulatory driving conditions, such as CVS-40 and CVS-47 mode. These motorcycles were further sub-categorized based on their displacement (< 50 cc, 50~150 cc, and $\geq$ 150 cc), type of stroke (2- and 4 strokes) and model year (2003~2005 and 2006~2007). Tested motorcycles with recent model year (2006~2007) exhibited less emissions of regulatory gaseous and carbonaceous air pollutants compared to old model year (2003~2005). Chemical analysis showed that CO present in highest concentration followed by THC and $NO_x$ for all tested motorcycles. Interestingly, two strokes motorcycle produced higher THC emission but less CO and $NO_x$ than those of four strokes. For all types of displacement and stroke, emission factors (gram per kilometer) of THC and CO except $NO_x$ with recent model year (2006~2007) showed decreased trend compared to old model year (2003~2005). In addition to this, due to mixed combustion between gasoline fuel and lubricant, two strokes motorcycle showed OC > EC emission trend.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.38-45
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• 2009

Since the seventies and the oil crisis, energy-saving measures have led to a reduction in the ventilation of room. The use of synthetic materials which emit various chemical substances had led to an increase in the concentration of indoor pollutants. "Sick building syndrome (SBS)" and "Sick house syndrome (SHS)" are worldwide problems. Also, the number of complaints about indoor air pollution caused by VOCs (Volatile organic compound) and HCHO (Formaldehyde) has increased. It is important that evaluating and understanding emission of indoor air pollutant from building materials. The object of this study was to evaluate emission test method for flooring such as wood based flooring, carpet tile, rubber tile, PVC sheet and tile, and to determine emission of TVOC and form-aldehyde. The quantity of TVOC and carbonyl compounds emission were sampled and measured by Tenax TA and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MSD), 2,4-DNPH cartrige with ozone scrubber and high performance liquid from flooring. The TVOC concentration emitted from carpet tile was ($7.419\;mg/m^2 h$) the highest among 5 groups of test materials. In wood based flooring and PVC tile, the emitted concentration of toluene was high. And the dodecane emission was highest in carpet. The concentration of TVOC decreased by an increase in emission test period. After 7 days, the concentration of TVOC from floorings were about 50% below of the concentration at the first day. TVOC emission from wood based flooring, carpet tile, rubber tile, PVC sheet and tile were decreased in 28 days and remained steady after about 15 days. The concentration of formaldehyde emission from floorings showed extremely low.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.330-342
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• 2017

Statistical design of experiments was employed to optimize the media composition for the production of laccase from Bacillus sp. PK4. In order to find the key ingredients for the best yield of enzyme production from the selected eleven variables viz yeast extract, glucose, zinc sulphate, copper sulphate, potassium chloride, magnesium sulphate, calcium chloride, ferrous sulphate, sodium chloride, potassium dihydrogen phosphate ($KH_2PO_4$) and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate ($K_2HPO_4$), Plackett-Burman design was applied. The $MgSO_4$, $FeSO_4$, and $CuSO_4$ showed positive estimate, and their concentration optimized further. The steepest ascent method and Box-Behnken method revealed that 1.5 mM $MgSO_4$, 0.33 g/l $FeSO_4$ and 1.41 mM $CuSO_4$ were optimal for the laccase production by Bacillus sp. PK4. This optimization strategy leads to enhancement of laccase production from 2.13 U/ml to 40.79 U/ml. Agro-wastes residues replace the carbon source glucose in the optimized media namely sugarcane bagasse, wheat bran, rice husk, and groundnut shell, among these groundnut shells (117 U/ml) was found to enhance the laccase production significantly. The laccase produced by Bacillus sp. PK4 was found to have the potential to degrade persistent organic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.24-37
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• 2007

The Korean Ministry of Environment started controlling indoor air quality (IAQ) in 2004 through the introduction of a law regulating the use of pollutant emitting building materials. The use of materials with formaldehyde emission levels above $1.25 mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ (JIS A 1901, small chamber method) has been prohibited. This level is equivalent to the $E_2$ grade ($>5.0mg/{\ell}$) of the desiccator method (JIS A 1460). However, the $20{\ell}$ small chamber method requires a 7-day test time to obtain the formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission results from solid building interior materials. As a approach to significantly reduce the test time, the field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC) has been proposed in Europe with a total test time less than one hour. This paper assesses the reproducibility of testing formaldehyde and TVOC emissions from wood-based composites such as medium density fiberboard (MDF), laminate flooring, and engineered flooring using three methods: desiccator, perforator and FLEC. According to the desiccator and perforator standards, the formaldehyde emission level of each flooring was ${\le}E_1$ grade. The formaldehyde emission of MDF was $3.48 mg/{\ell}$ by the desiccator method and 8.57 g/100 g by the perforator method. To determine the formaldehyde emission, the peak areas of each wood-based composite were calculated from aldehyde chromatograms obtained using the FLEC method. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde and benzaldehyde were detected as aldehyde compounds. The experimental results indicated that MDF emitted chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xy-lene, styrene, and o-xylene. MDF emitted significantly greater amounts of VOCs than the floorings did.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.541-549
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• 2013

Objectives: We analyzed the characteristics of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in road tunnels in Seoul. Methods: Particle matter ($PM_{10}$), elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and 16 species of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in two road tunnels (NS tunnel and HJ tunnel) were sampled and analyzed from 2007 to 2011. Results: Levels of $PM_{10}$ and carbon ingredients which were mainly emitted from diesel-fueled vehicles showed a declining tendency in both road tunnels. PAHs levels in HJ were declining slightly while PAHs levels in the NS tunnel fluctuated considerably and showed an increasing tendency. Conclusions: These results suggested that the abatement project of diesel vehicle emissions by the Seoul metropolitan government from 2007 has had an impact on the reduction of DVE into the air, though there exist many things to consider for analyses.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.330-339
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• 2018

Objectives: The occurrence characteristics of BTEXS and phytoncides were investigated by type of urban forest. Methods: Four types of urban green space (Hongneung Forest, Mt. Chunjang, residential park, and traffic island) and Gwangneung Forest were selected. Monitoring of phytoncides and BTEXS was conducted considering the activity times of urban residents (five times per day) using a Tenax TA tube and suction pump in June 2017 (one day). Results: Phytoncide concentrations were ranked as Gwangneung Forest>Hongneung Forest>Mt. Cheonjang>traffic island>residential park. Relatively high concentrations of phytoncides were also identified in the urban forest. There was no significant difference between Gwangneung Forest and the urban forest. BTEXS concentrations were ranked as traffic island>residential park>Hongneung Forest>Gwangneung Forest>Mt. Cheonjang. Traffic island and residential park showed high levels of BTEXS depending on the inflow of vehicles. The difference in concentration by time was significant for the traffic island in particular. Pollutant levels in Hongneung Forest were as low as in Gwangneung Forest. Conclusion: The concentrations of phytoncides and BTEXS were different by types of urban green space, and the potential for health and hygiene of urban forests were able to be investigated. This study is expected to provide as basic data for the creation of urban forest spaces in the future.