• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.292-297
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• 1999

This study was performed to estimate the possibility of use of plant materials as catalytic agents fur the decontamination of waste waters contaminated with organic pollutants by using 2,4-dichlorophenol(2,4-DCP) as a model pollutant. Plant materials containing high peroxidase activity were selected as catalysts for the removal of 2,4-DCP. Peroxidase activity, which plant materials were containing, was measured, and the greatest peroxidase activity was observed in shepherd's purse, followed by turnip, sweet potato, Chinese cabbage and white radish. The peroxidase activity in shepherd's purse was four times higher than that of horseradish purchased in U.S.A. Using shepherd' s purse and turnip, it was investigated the effect of various factors on the decontamination of 2,4-DCP through oxidative coupling. The removal of 2,4-DCP was extremely fast, and a maximal removal could be achieved within 3 min for shepherd' s purse and 15min for turnip. The pH range was from 3.0 to 8.0 and the amount of $H_2O_2$ added was 9mM when maximal removal was achieved(over 90%). No increasing removal of 2,4-DCP was observed due to increasing the amount of $H_2O_2$ added (over 9mM). The initial concentration affected the transformation of 2,4-DCP incubated with plant materials. When turnip was used as catalytic agent, it was observed decreasing transformation of 2,4-DCP due to increasing initial concentration.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.4 s.118
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• pp.489-497
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• 2006

The feasibility of the Natural and Ecological Wastewater treatment System (NEWS) was examined for rural wastewater treatment in Korea. The intermittent trickling biofilter with high hydrophilic filter media was used for pretreatment for suspended solids and organic pollutants. The subsequent constructed wetland with porous granule materials was used for promoting nutrient removal. The results show that the removal efficiencies of the system were high with respect to the water quality parameters except COD. Even if the effluent from the biofilter did not meet the guidelines for wastewater treatment plant effluent in Korea in terms of $BOD_5$ and TN, the final effluent of the system meets the guidelines us to good performance of the constructed wetland. The regression analysis between pollutant loading rate and removal rate indicated that the system could have stable removal for SS, $BOD_5$, TN, and TP in the given influent ranges. The analysis in the winter period indicated that the wetland covered with transparent polycarbonate glass had the statble performance during the winter period dus to increase of temperature inside the wetland without any heating system. With the stable performance, effective poilutant removal, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness, the NEWS could be considered as an alternative treatment system for decentralized regions and rural communities in Korea.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.321-333
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• 2019

A primary aspect of low impact development (LID) design that affects performance efficiency, maintenance frequency, and lifespan of the facility is the type of filter media as well as the arrangement or media profile. Several LID guidelines providing media specifications are currently available and numerous studies have been published presenting the effectiveness of these systems. While some results are similar and consistent, some of them still varies and only a few focuses on the effect of filter media type and arrangement on system performance. This creates a certain level of uncertainty when it comes to filter media selection and design. In this review, a synthesis of filter media specifications from several LID design guidelines are presented and relevant results from different laboratory and field studies are highlighted. The LID systems are first classified as infiltration or non-infiltration structures, and vegetated or non-vegetated structures. Typical profiles of the media according to classification are shown including the different layers, materials, and depth. In addition, results from previous studies regarding the effect of filter media characteristics on hydraulic and hydrologic functions as well as pollutant removal are compared. Other considerations such as organic media leaching, clogging, media washing, and handling during construction were also briefly discussed. This review aims to provide a general guideline that can contribute to proper media selection and design for structural LIDs. In addition, it also identifies opportunities for future research.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.847-854
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• 2011

To deal with issues from global climate changes, renewable bioenergy has become important. Algae have been regarded as a good resource for biorefinery and bioenergy, and also have potential capability to remove nutrient and non-decompositional pollutants for wastewater advanced treatment. Although algal-bacterial ecological interaction would be a crucially important factor in using algae for wastewater advanced treatment and resource recovery from wastewater, very little is known about ecological interaction between algae and bacteria in a real wastewater environment. In this study, under a real municipal wastewater condition, we characterized wastewater pollutant treatability and bacterial communities in response to growth of Ankistrodesmus gracilis SAG278-2, which can grow in wastewater and has a high lipid contents. The growth of algal population using the wastewater was inhibited by increase in wastewater bacteria while bacterial survival and cellular decay rate were not influenced by the algal growth. Removals of recalcitrant organic matters and total nitrogen were improved in the presence of algal growth. According to T-RFLP and statistical analysis, algal growth affected time-course changes in bacterial community structures. The following 16S rRNA gene amplicon, cloning results showed that the algal growth changes in bacterial community structure, and that bacterial populations belonging to Sediminibacterium, Sphingobacterium, Mucilaginibacter genera were identified as cooperative with the algal growth in the wastewater.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1294-1303
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• 2019

Perchlorate is an anionic pollutant that is very soluble and stable in water. It has been detected not only in soil/ground water but also in surface water, drinking water, food, fish, and crops. Perchlorate inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid gland and reduces production of thyroid hormones that are primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. Although various technologies have been developed to remove perchlorate from the environment, biodegradation is the method of choice since it is economical and environmentally friendly. However there is limited information on perchlorate biodegradation in salt environment such as salt water. Therefore this paper reviews biodegradation of perchlorate in salt water and related microorganisms. Most biodegradation research has employed heterotrophic perchlorate removal using organic compounds such as acetate as electron donors. Biodegradation research has focused on perchlorate removal from spent brine generated by ion exchange technology that is primarily employed to clean up perchlorate-contaminated ground water. Continuous removal of perchlorate at up to 10% NaCl was shown when bioreactors were inoculated with enriched salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing bacteria. However the reactors did not show long-term stable removal of perchlorate. Microorganisms belonging to ${\beta}$- and ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria were dominant in bioreactors used to remove perchlorate from salt water. This review will help our understanding of perchlorate removal from salt water to develop a decent biotechnology for the process.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.398-409
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• 2021

Background: The types and effects of hazardous pollutants in indoor air may vary depending on the characteristics of the sources and pollutants caused by physical and chemical properties of buildings, the influence of outdoor air, and the exposure and use characteristics of residents. Objectives: This study was conducted to provide basic data on the establish of indoor air quality management for different classes of public-use facilities by presenting the characteristics of concentration distribution of hazardous pollutants by different public-use facilities and the status of the excess proportion of exceeding standards. Methods: This study analyzed self-measurement data from public-use facilities taken from 2017 to 2019 A total of 133,525 facilities were surveyed. A total of 10 types of pollutants that have maintenance and recommended standards stipulated in the Indoor Air Quality Control Act from the Ministry of Environment were investigated. The excess proportion and the substances exceeding the criteria for each type of public-use facilities for these pollutants were investigated. Results: As a result of the analysis of the proportion of exceeding the standard for each type of public-use facility, the facilities with the highest excess proportion of the standards for each hazardous pollutant were: PM₁₀ in railway stations (8.93%), PM_2.5 in daycare centers (7.36%), CO₂ in bus terminals (2.37%), HCHO in postpartum care centers (4.11%), total airborne bacteria in daycare centers (0.69%), CO in museums (0.1%), NO₂ in postpartum care centers (1.15%), Rn in museums (0.78%), total volatile organic compounds in postpartum care centers (7.20%) and mold in daycare centers (1.44%). Conclusions: Although uncertainty may arise because this study is a result of self-measurement, it is considered that this study has significance for providing basic data on the establishment in the future of indoor air quality management measures customized for each type of public-use facility.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.131-143
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the atmospheric concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the urinary concentration of biomarkers in residents near the Shinpyeong·Jangrim Industrial Complex to compare them with those of residents in a control area. Methods: Hazardous air pollutants (PAHs and VOCs) were measured in an exposure area (two sites) and a control area (one site). Urine samples were collected from residents near the industrial complex (184 persons) and residents in the control area (181 persons). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify which factors affected the concentration of PAHs and VOCs metabolites. Results: The average atmospheric concentration of PAHs in Shinpyeong-dong and Jangrim-dong was 0.45 and 0.59 ppb for pyrene, 0.15 and 0.16 ppb for benzo[a]pyrene, and 0.29 and 0.35 ppb for dibenz[a,h]anthracene. The average atmospheric concentration of VOCs was 1.10 and 0.99 ppb for benzene, 8.22 and 11.30 ppb for toluene, and 1.91 and 3.05 ppb for ethylbenzene, respectively. The concentrations of PAHs and VOCs in residents near the Shinpyeong·Jangrim Industrial Complex were higher than those of residents in the control area. Geometric means of urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxypyrene, methylhippuric acid, and mandelic acid concentrations were 0.45, 0.22, 391.51, and 201.36 ㎍/g creatinine, respectively. Those levels were all significantly higher than those in the control area (p<0.05). In addition, as a result of multiple regression analysis, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as gender and smoking, the concentration of metabolites in urine was high in residents near the Shinpyeong·Jangrim Industrial Complex. Conclusion: The results of this study show the possibility of human exposure to VOCs in residents near the Shinpyeong·Jangrim Industrial Complex. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the local community is required for the management of environmental pollutant emissions.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.21-27
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• 2014

Pig slurry has been considered as environmental waste to be treated in an appropriate manner. Moreover, water-born pollution loads by agricultural non-point source(NPS) pollution are expected to become intensified due to ongoing precipitation change. This study was conducted to develop a best management practice to reduce NPS pollution load by agricultural activity with pig manure compost. An eco-friendly way, small drainage pond, was suggested in this study to avoid direct drainage of agricultural runoffs and eventually reduce the amount of pollutants discharged into the surrounding aqua-environment. A small pond($12m^2$) was constructed at the corner of a rice paddy field($17,15m^2$) located in Suwon, Korea. Water was allowed to drain only via a small drainage pond. Sampling was repeatedly made at two locations, one from an entrance and the other from an exit of a pond, during the rice cultivation period(May to October, 2013). Generally, sampling was made only when runoff water drained through a pond, such as during and/or after rain(irrigation). The water quality analysis showed that all quality parameters(SS, $COD_{Mn}$, T-N, and T-P) were improved as water passed through the pond. The amount of runoff water was reduced by 67.8%. Suspended solids and $COD_{Mn}$ concentrations were reduced by 79.8% and 71.9%, respectively. In case of T-N and T-P amounts, the reduction rates were 73.6% and 74.9%, respectively. Our data implies that agricultural NPS pollution from rice paddy fields with pig manure-based fertilizer can be effectively managed when an appropriate drainage water management practice is imposed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.554-563
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the possibility of nutrient release at up and downstream of Kangchun weir, upstream of Yuju and Ipo weir in Namhan River. For this survey, we measured basic characteristics of the sediments (water content, ignition loss, TOC, TP, SRP, TN, phosphorus fractionation) and conducted nutrients release experiments under both aerobic and anaerobic condition. The overlying water from the sediment-water column was analyzed for nutrients (i.e. TP, $PO_4$-P, TN, $NO_3$-N, $NH_3$-N) everyday for 18days. Result of soil texture experiment showed that sediments are Sand. SRP concentration before the release experiment was different with the value after the release experiment. According to this result, we can find that there were more activated release processes in anaerobic condition. $PO_4$-P increased from 1 to 8 days and remained at the maximum value (7~8 days) afterward. The rapidly increase of $PO_4$-P was observed from 1 to 2~3 days whereas the TP continuously increase from 1 to 18 days. The $PO_4$-P release rate calculated by up to 7~8 days data highly correlated with initial SRP concentration with $R^2$=0.8502. $NO_3$-N release rate appears constantly decreasing trend as -5.7~-3.08 $mg/m^2{\cdot}day$, otherwise the $NH_3$-N release rate, by-product of a organic matter decomposition using nitrate as electron acceptor, was 0.57~2.41 $mg/m^2{\cdot}day$. Substantial portion in TN can be induced by organic nitrogen which originated from the tributary passing through non-point pollutant source. Compared with other similar researches, phosphorus and nitrogen release rates obtained in this study can be considered as relatively low values. Since this study targeted the sediments accumulated by one time of flooding season, there are limitation to generalize theses results. Therefore, it is necessary to consistently monitor and investigate the accumulation of nutrients in the sediment for understanding the effect of weir construction on the overlying water quality.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.306-314
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• 2023

Stream sediments are an important component of water quality management because they are receptors of various pollutants such as heavy metals and organic matters emitted from upland sources and can be secondary pollution sources, adversely affecting water environment. To effectively manage the stream sediments, identification of primary sources of sediment contamination and source-associated control strategies will be required. We evaluated the performance of machine learning models in identifying primary sources of sediment contamination based on the physico-chemical properties of stream sediments. A total of 356 stream sediment data sets of 18 quality parameters including 10 heavy metal species(Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, As, Zn, Cr, Hg, Li, and Al), 3 soil parameters(clay, silt, and sand fractions), and 5 water quality parameters(water content, loss on ignition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous) were collected near abandoned metal mines and industrial complexes across the four major river basins in Korea. Two machine learning algorithms, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were used to classify the sediments into four cases of different combinations of the sampling period and locations (i.e., mine in dry season, mine in wet season, industrial complex in dry season, and　industrial complex in wet season). Both models showed good performance in the classification, with SVM outperformed LDA; the accuracy values of LDA and SVM were 79.5% and 88.1%, respectively. An SVM ensemble model was used for multi-label classification of the multiple contamination sources inlcuding landuses in the upland areas within 1 km radius from the sampling sites. The results showed that the multi-label classifier was comparable performance with sinlgle-label SVM in classifying mines and industrial complexes, but was less accurate in classifying dominant land uses (50~60%). The poor performance of the multi-label SVM is likely due to the overfitting caused by small data sets compared to the complexity of the model. A larger data set might increase the performance of the machine learning models in identifying contamination sources.