• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.27-39
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• 2019

In this study, thermal-alkali pre-treatment (THAP) optimal condition and co-digestion efficiency with THAP of the mixture food waste and sewage sludge were evaluated for improving the performances of co-digestion for mixed food waste and sewage sludge. The optimal condition of THAP was evaluated for solubilization COD, CST(Capillary Suction Time), TTF(Time to Filter), and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with THAP temperature and NaOH concentration. In addition, the co-digestion of mixed food waste and sewage sludge were evaluated using biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. The optimal THAP reaction temperature and NaOH concentration of food waste and sewage sludge were $140^{\circ}C$ and 60 meq/L to solubilization COD over 20%, CST and TTF under 60sec and VFAs concentration over 12,000 mg-COD/L, respectively. The optimal condition of co-digestion of mixed food waste and sewage sludge equal to THAP condition. Therefore, it was determined that the optimal condition of THAP reaction temperature and NaOH concentration for co-digestion of mixed food waste and sewage sludge were $140^{\circ}C$ and 60 meq/L, respectively.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2019

The Nakdong Estuary has experienced hydraulic and topographic changes over the last century, which have had negative effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. The population of Scirpus planiculmis, a major food plant for wintering birds in Nakdong Estuary, has decreased over the last decade. To identify factors that influence S. planiculmis population, 6 short core samples (about 30cm) were collected in June and August, 2018. The sand percentage was over 80% in every samples and the average sediment salinity in June and August were $17.8{\pm}1.12psu$ and $18.4{\pm}1.83psu$, respectively. ${\delta}^{13}C$ of sediment cores varied from -25.4‰ to -22.6‰ which fall within the estuarine particulate organic matters. In cores collected in Eulsuk area, the highest ${\delta}^{13}C$ values were observed at the surface (0~1cm) indicating inputs of marine POM (particulate organic matter) to the Nakdong Estuary. No significant difference between vegetation and non-vegetation stations was observed in every items we investigated which might indicate that the physicochemical environment of vegetation area is almost same as that of non-vegetation area. Therefore, the high sand percentage and sediment salinity of Nakdong Estuary might affect the reduction in S. planiculmis population.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.781-792
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• 2020

Mine tailings, which are inevitably formed by the development of manganese nodules, manganese crusts, and hydrothermal seafloor deposits, have attracted attention because of their quantity and potential toxicity. However, there is a lack of data on the quantity of mine tailings being generated, their physicochemical properties, and their effects as environmental hazards and on marine ecosystems in general. The importance of treating mine tailings in an environmentally friendly manner has been recognized recently and related reduction/treatment methods are being considered. In the case of deep-sea mineral resource development, if mine tailings cannot be treated aboard a ship, the issue becomes one of the cost of transporting them to land and solving the problem of environmental pollution there. Therefore, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology conducted research on the harmfulness of mine tailings, their effect on marine ecosystem, the diffusion model of contaminated particles, and candidate purification treatment technologies based on five representative controlling factors: 1) effects of pollution /on the environment, 2) effects of environmental/ biological hazards, 3) diffusion of particles, 4) mineral dressings, and 5) reducing/processing mine tailings. The results of this study can provide a basis for minimizing environmental problems by providing scientific evidences of the environmental effects of mine tailings. In addition, it is also expected that these results could be applied to the treatment of pollutants of different origins and at land-based mining waste sites.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate the properties of mixtures of mixed organic fertilizer (MOF) and various organic sources such as livestock manure compost (LMC), dried compost of poultry manure (CPM), dried food waste powder (FWP) and amino acid by-product fertilizer (ABF) and their influences on growth of lettuce and Chinese cabbage. The content of N, P2O5 and K2O of mixture of MOF, LMC and FWP (MLF) was 3.6~3.9%, 2.1~2.2% and 1.3~1.4%, respectively. Lettuce dry weight of MLF3 treatment blending with MOF (60%), LMC (10%) and FWP (30%) was increased by about 29% than that of MOF. The content of N, P2O5 and K2O of mixture of MOF, CPM, FWP and ABF (MCFA) was 4.5~4.7%, 1.7~1.9% and 1.3~1.4%, respectively. Compared to MOF, growth factors of lettuce and Chinese cabbage in the MCFA treatments were not significantly deferent. These results indicated that MLFs and MCFAs, the mixtures of respectively organic sources and MOF, could be applied as orgnic fertilizer in the cultivation of lettuce and Chinese cabbage, and were expected that LMC and ABF might be used as another sources of organic fertilizer.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2022

Bentonite is being considered as a candidate for buffer material in geological disposal systems for high-level radioactive wastes. In this study, the effect of cement-bentonite interactions on bentonite alteration was investigated by reviewing the literature on studies of cement-bentonite interactions. The major bentonite alteration by hyperalkaline fluids produced by the interaction of cementitious materials with groundwater includes cation exchange, montmorillonite dissolution, secondary mineral precipitation, and illitization. When the hyperalkaline leachate from the reaction of the cementitious material with the groundwater comes into contact with bentonite, montmorillonite, the main component of bentonite, is dissolved and a small amount of secondary minerals such as zeolite, calcium silicate hydrate, and calcite is produced. When montmorillonite is continuously dissolved, the physicochemical properties of bentonite may change, which may ultimately causes changes in bentonite performance as a buffer material such as adsorption capacity, swelling capacity, and hydraulic conductivity. In addition, the bentonite alteration is affected by various factors such as temperature, reaction period, pressure, composition of pore water, bentonite constituent minerals, chemical composition of montmorillonite, and types of interlayer cations. This study can be used as basic information for the long-term stability verification study of the buffer material in the geological disposal system for high-level radioactive wastes.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2022

An estuary is a water ecosystem with a high abundance of the species diversity, due to a variety of complex physicochemical factors of the area where freshwater and ocean mixed. The identification of Corbicula species in the estuary environments is difficult because of various morphological characteristics. In this study, we provide taxonomic information on Corbicula species with taxonomic difficulties using morphological and genetic analysis. This study was conducted on clams from the Seomjin River-Gwangyang Bay, one of the major production area of marsh clam in Korea. As a result, we characterized Cytocrome C Oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of the Corbicula. The 636 bp nucleotide sequences of COI have 98% homology among Corbicula species collected from 2 sites of Seomjin River-Gwangyang Bay. The phylogenetic analysis with 17 species of Corbicula indicated that most of the species collected from Seomjin River-Gwangyang Bay were brackish water clam (Corbicula japonica), and only one Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea). The evolutionary distance between C. japonica and C. fluminea was less than 0.003. Therefore, it was confirmed that C. japonica is phylogenetically closely related to C. fluminea. In 9 species of Cyrenidae, phylogenetic tree was classified into three lineages. These results will be used as an important data for an identification of clam species by providing genetic information for Corbicula species with a morphological diversity.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.352-361
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• 2023

Steam methane reforming is currently the most widely used technology for producing hydrogen, a clean fuel. Hydrogen produced by steam methane reforming contains impurities such as carbon monoxide, and it is essential to undergo an appropriate post-purification step for commercial usage, such as fuel cells. Recently, membrane separation technology has been gaining great attention as an effective purification method; in this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using commercial polysulfone membranes for biogas upgrading to separate and recover hydrogen from a hydrogen/carbon monoxide gas mixture. Initially, we examined the physicochemical properties of the commercial membrane used. We then conducted performance evaluations of the commercial membrane module under various conditions using mixed gas, considering factors such as stage-cut and operating pressure. Finally, based on the evaluation results, we carried out simulations for process design. The maximum H₂ permeability and H₂/CO separation factor for the commercial membrane process were recorded at 361 GPU and 20.6, respectively. Additionally, the CO removal efficiency reached up to 94%, and the produced hydrogen concentration achieved a maximum of 99.1%.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.409-419
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• 2023

Okadaic acid (OA) group toxins, including OA and its analogs, such as dinophysis toxins (DTXs), have been reported to cause diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP). These toxins are primarily produced by dinoflagellates and are accumulated in bivalves. Recently, the presence of Dinophysis sp., a causative alga of DSP, has been reported along the coasts of Korea, posing a potential risk of contamination to domestic seafood and exerting an impact on both the production and consumption of marine products. Accordingly, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established standards for the permissible levels of OA group toxins in marine products for safety management. Additionally, in line with international initiatives, the domestic inclusion and regulation of DTX2 among the substances falling under the purview of management outlined by the 2022 diarrheal shellfish toxin standard have been implemented. In this study, we reviewed the physicochemical properties of OA group toxins, their various exposure routes (such as acute toxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity), and the relative toxicity factors associated with these toxins. We also performed a comparative assessment of the methods employed for toxin analysis across different countries. Furthermore, we aimed to conduct a broad review of human exposure cases and assess the international guideline for risk management of OA group toxins.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.701-716
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• 2023

Microplastics (<5 mm diameter) in aquatic environments adsorb heavy metals, potentially exposing humans to their toxic effects via food chains. We investigated factors influencing the adsorption of heavy metals on microplastics in aquatic environments, examining their adsorption processes and mechanisms. Adsorption characteristics vary with polymer type, crystallinity, particle size, and environmental conditions (pH, temperature, weathering), and the adsorption capacity for heavy metals increases with weathering and reduction in polymer particle size. However, correlations between environment temperature, polymer crystallinity, and adsorption capacity for heavy metals could not be confirmed. The adsorption behavior of heavy metals can be explained in terms of physicochemical adsorption processes and evaluated through adsorption kinetics and isothermal studies, with multiple mechanisms usually being involved. An understanding of the adsorption of heavy metals by microplastics should aid evaluation of the potential risks of microplastics in aquatic environments.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2013

In this study, based on a natural monument forest research by Camellia japonica L. Forest appointed as a natural monument located environment and growth environment and the soil environment, Camellia japonica L. Forest soil in order to analyze effects of soil in Camellia japonica L. Forest correlation analysis the results can be summarized as follows: First, a natural monument Camellia japonica L. forest located on the foot of a mountain valley or within the stream, a lot of sunshine southeast, east, and south in the direction of the share due to external factors, making it a good, but, $15{\sim}30^{\circ}$ of distributed in the soil slopes in the slope there is a risk of loss are appearing. Second, the growth of the Status of Camellia japonica L. forest represents the distribution of the uneven-aged forest diameter class. but increases the density of the upper forest trees Camellia japonica L. occurred in lower saplings do not have growth. The width of crown diameter class caused a narrow oppressed tree, the average tree height in the 8.09m, camellia in common was lower than that of tree height, variation diameter class in the width of crown distribution severe low correlations were analyzed. Third, the natural monument Camellia japonica L. forest soil composition, properties of soil pH, etc. 10 entries were analyzed components of the soil. In summary analysis properties of soil, soil pH, calcium, organic matter, magnesium was good and potassium content was insufficient, nitrogen and phosphorus were excess. Fourth, the growth condition of Camellia japonica L. forest and soil physicochemical properties, the results of the correlation analysis. magnesium, calcium, nitrogen affects the growth of Camellia japonica L. forest. Other seven kinds of items showed no effect on growth. Current Status and Future Growth of Camellia japonica L. forest soil and soil environments as well as the relationship between, Camellia Forest Factors affecting the growth of the state in terms of long-term ecological research and conservation status of settled Camellia japonica L. forest research for building materials there will be continued.