• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.77-80
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• 2003

Hydrocarbon-hydrocarbon separations are one of the most important processes in petroleum refining. Distillation process has been used for separating hydrocarbons, but this conventional process is very energy consuming. Pervaporation separation through polymeric membranes is an emerging process alternative to distillation because of energy savings, compact system installation, reduced capital investment, and other performance attributes. In hydrocarbon separations, polymeric membranes are easily swollen by hydrocarbons and can lose mechanical strength. Chemically robust membranes are needed for the separation of hydrocarbons. In this study, the blend membrane was applied to separate benzene and cyclohexane. This is a model system for aliphatic and aromatic separation. Cyclohexane is also physically very similar to benzene and as a result of the very closing boiling points (0.6$^{\circ}C$), benzene and cyclohexane form an azetrope. Thus the system provides a good model for azeotrope breaking by pervaporation. The semi-quantitative thermodynamic model predicts that the calculated selectivity increases with increasing Hydrin contents in the blend membranes. Pervaporation experiments utilizing various operating temperatures and feed concentrations with different blend membranes are compared with the result from semi-quantitative thermodynamic calculations.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2011

Germination tests were conducted to determine the practical concentration levels at which plants can reproduce naturally during the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with a high concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The effects of humic acids on plant growth and soil physicochemical properties were also investigated. The results show that phytoremediation can be applied in soils contaminated by multiple contaminants at the former soil contamination potential level of Korean soil quality standards considering successful natural reproduction. It was observed that germination rates of Helianthus annuus and Festuca arundinacea were high after all treatments, and transplantation was more appropriate for Phragmites communis in phytoremediation. Humic acids had a positive effect on the growth of both aboveground and belowground biomass of herbaceous plants. Growth inhibition by multiple contaminants is more severe in the case of aboveground biomass. Germination and growth tests suggest that Helianthus annuus is a suitable phytoremediation plant for soils contaminated with a high concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The addition of humic acids also caused changes in the physicochemical properties of contaminated soils. An increase in the carbon and nitrogen content due to the addition of humic acids and a correlation between cation exchange capacity(CEC) and the organic matter content were observed.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2007

Hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are mainly originated from imperfect combustion of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal. The consumptions of not only petroleum but also coal have been increasing in the East Asian countries. This review describes the result of international collaboration research concerning characteristics and major contributors of atmospheric PAHs and NPAHs in cities in Japan, Korea, China and Russia. We collected airborne particulates in ten cities in the above countries and six PAHs and eleven NPAHs were determined by HPLC methods using fluorescence and chemiluminescence detections. The total PAH concentrations were much higher in Chinese cities (Fushun, Tieling, Shenyang and Beijing) than those in other cities (Vladivostok, Busan, Kanazawa, Kitakyushu, Sapporo and Tokyo). The total NPAH concentrations were also higher in Chinese cities than those in the other cities. The [NPAH]/[corresponding PAH] ratios are much larger in diesel-engine exhaust particulates than those in coal-burning particulates. The [1-nitropyrene]/[pyrene] ratio of airborne particulates was much smaller in the four Chinese cities, suggesting that coal combustion systems such as coal heaters were the main contributors. On the other hand, the ratios were larger in Korean and Japanese cities, suggesting the large contribution of diesel-engine vehicles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.119-122
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• 2003

Quantitation methods of total petroleum hydrocarbons to determinate oil contaminated level in soil were discussed. Extraction characteristics of several pretreatment methods and practical detection limit and reappearances in gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. with each pretreatment method were investigated. The obtained results showed that the newly adopted quantitation method and mechanical shaking extraction method using methanol with extraction solvent are more practical and applicable to real sample than the conventional methods. In applying these methods to gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil which are major source of soil contamination, the practical quantitation limit and % relative standard deviation was able to determine with range of 2.5 - 10 ppm, 5 - 7 ％.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.35-44
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• 2014

In this study, the bio-phytoremediation and phytoremediation technologies were applied to the soils contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and heavy metals to evaluate the remediation efficacy from May 2012 to December 2013. Poplar (Populus bonatii Levl.) and Sun Hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) were selected and planted in phytoremediation practice. These plants were also utilized in the bio-phytoremediation practice, with the addition of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) and petroleum-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonos sp. NKNU01). Furthermore, physiological characteristics, such as photosynthesis rate and maximal photochemical yield, of all testing plants were also measured in order to assess their health conditions and tolerance levels in adverse environment. After 20 months of remedial practice, the results showed that bio-phytoremediation practice had a higher rate of TPH removal efficacy at 30-60 cm depth soil than that of phytoremediation. However, inconsistent results were discovered while analyzing the soil at 100 cm depth. The study also showed that the removal efficiency of heavy metals was lower than that of TPH after remediation treatment. The results from test field tissue sample analysis revealed that more Zinc than Chromium was absorbed and accumulated by the tested plants. Plant height measurements of Poplar and Sun Hemp showed that there were insignificant differences of growth between the plants in remediation plots and those in the control plot. Physiological data of Poplar also suggested it has higher tolerance level toward the contaminated soils. These results indicated that the two testing plants were healthy and suitable for this remediation study.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.606-614
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• 1998

In this study, biodegradation rate of Arabian light crude oil by mixed cultures of selected petroleum-degraders was determined. Their modes of hydrocarbon uptake were then observed to determine whether there are differences in biodegradation rate by the mixed cultures. By the mixed cultures of petroleum-degraders having same modes of hydrocarbon uptake, such as strain US1 and K1 (using pseudo-solubilized hydrocarbons by a biosurfactants), K2-2 and P1(using hydrocarbons by direct contact), CL 180 and IC-10 (mixed type of uptake modes), the biodegradation rates of aliphatics in the crude oil were increased more than those by their pure cultures, about 40%, 25% and 20%, respectively. Biodegradation rate of strain KH3-2 (using only water- dissolved hydrocarbons) was increased by mixed cultures with strain K1, CL180 or IC-10 possessing high emulsifying activity. However, the biodegradation rate of the crude oil was decreased about 20%-40% by the mixed cultures of petroleum-degraders having different mode of hydrocarbon uptake, such as addition of strain US1 or K1 in the cultures of K2-2 or P1. Biosurfactants produced by US1 or K1 seems to enhance the emulsification of crude oil in aqueous phase but inhibit the attachment of K2-2 or P1 to crude oil. As same phenomena, the addition to Triton X-100 into the culture of strain US1, K1, CL180, IC-10 or KH3-2 increased the biodegradation rate, but the addition in the culture of strain K2-2 or P1 decreased the biodegradation rate. The mixed culture made of CL180, IC-10 and KH3-2 degraded 61.5% of aliphatics and 69% of aromatics in 3% (v/v) of Arabian light crude oil added.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.161-167
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• 2011

We previously showed that five strains belonging to Pseudomonas could remove TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) efficiently when they are applied to TPH-contaminated soil. We optimized the bioremediation condition using different hydrocarbons and nutrients conditions to improve the efficiency. We setup lab-scale column bioreactor to monitor TPH and diesel removal efficiency. When we applied five Pseudomonas sp. mixtures to 25,000 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ TPH-contaminated soil (diesel 10,000 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$, kerosene 10,000 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$, gasoline 5,000 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) with the optimum condition, 76.3% of TPH removal efficiency was shown for 25 days. Meanwhile, in the application of five Pseudomonas sp. mixtures to 20,000 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ diesel-contaminated soil with the optimum condition, 99.2% of diesel removal efficiency was shown for 40 days. In the application to lab-scale bioreactor with five high efficiency bacteria, 88.5% of TPH removal efficiency was shown for 45 days. Based on the results from this study, we confirmed that this mixed Pseudomonas sp. consortium might improve the bioremediation of TPH in contaminated soil, the efficacy can be controlled by improving the nutrients. We also confirmed that the nutrients and oxygen for biodegradation of TPH could contribute on the management and control of applications of these strains for the study of bioremediation of TPH-contaminated soil.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.185-195
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• 2006

Phytoremediation is an economical and environmentally friendly bioremediation technique using plants which can increase the microbial population in soil. Unlike other pollutants such as heavy metals, poly-chlorinated biphenyl, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and so on, petroleum hydrocarbons are relatively easily degradable by soil microbes. For successful phytoremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, it is important to select plants with high removal efficiency through microbial degradation. In this study, we clarified the roles of plants and rhizobacteria and identified their species effective on phytore-mediation by reviewing the papers previously reported. Plants and rhizobacteria can degrade and remove the petroleum hydrocarbons directly and indirectly by stimulating each other's degradation activity. The preferred plant species are alfalfa, ryegrass, tall fescue, poplar, corn, etc. The microorganisms with a potential to degrade hydrocarbons mostly belong to Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., and Alcaligenes spp. It has been reported that the elimination efficiency of hydrocarbons by soil microorganisms can be improved when plants were simultaneously applied. For more efficient restoration, it's necessary to understand the plant-rhizobacteria interaction and to select the suitable plant and microorganism species.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.368-371
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• 2003

Leaking underground storage tanks are a major source of groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons. Bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments is often limited by dissolved oxygen. Aerobic bioremediation has been highly effective in the remediation of many fuel releases, but Many aromatic hydrocarbons degrade very slowly under anaerobic conditions. Nitrate is a good alternative electron acceptor to oxygen and denitrifying bacteria are commonly found in the subsurface and in association with contaminated aquifer materials. Because nitrate is less expensive and more soluble than oxygen. it may be more economical to restore fuel-contaminated aquifers using nitrate rather than oxygen. This study show that biodegradation of BTEX and MTBE is enhanced by the nitrate-amended microcosms under aerobic/anaerobic conditons. Although aromatic hydrocarbons degrade very slowly under anaerobic conditions. Biodegradaton was observed for all of the test compounds.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 1993

In 12:12 hour light/dark cycle cultivation of D. salina 1650, maximum specific growth rate of 0.59 (l/day) and 0.35 (g-crude hydrocarbons/l/day) were obtained. The cell growth was inhibited at above 15$\times$$10^{-4} (kcal/cm^2/h)$ of light intensity in an outdoor cultivation. It was also showed that temperature is one of the critical growth parameters in the outdoor cultivation. The hydrocarbon production from D. salina 1650 seems to be partially growth related production process, and these algal hydrocarbons can be used for subsituting petroleum directly or through cracking processes. The value of weight fraction carbon of D. salina 1650 was similar to that of Botryococcus braunii and so was the hydrocarbon productivity.