• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.995-1000
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• 2010

To investigate the relationship between polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) sources and concentration level in sediment, total 63 sediment samples with three-time sampling at one site were measured at 21 sites in Nakdong River. As a result of analysis, total concentrations and toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentration of Dioxin-like PCBs were ranged from 3.0 to 6,600 pg/g-dry with a mean value of 440 pg/g-dry and

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.520-528
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• 2007

A practical and efficient disposal of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in waste transformer oil by a chemical dechlorination process has been reported. The transformer oil containing commercial PCB mixtures (Aroclor 1242, 1254 and 1260) was treated by the required amounts of PEG 600 (polyethylene glycol 600), potassium hydroxide (KOH) and aluminum (Al), along with different reaction temperatures and times. The reaction of PEG with PCBs under basic condition produces arylpolyglycols, the products of nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The relative efficiencies of PCB treatment process were assessed in terms of destruction and removal efficiency (DRE, %). Under the experimental conditions of PEG600/KOH/Al/100 oC/2hr, average DRE of PCBs was approximately 78%, showing completely removal of PCBs containing 7-9 chlorines on two rings of biphenyl which appear later than PCB no. 183 (2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptaCB) in retention time of GC/ECD. However, when increasing the reaction temperature and time to 150 oC and 240 min, average DRE of PCBs including the most toxic PCBs (PCB no. 77, 105, 118, 123 and 169) in PCB family reached 99.99% or better, with the exception of PCB no. 5 and 8 (2,3-diCB and 2,4'-diCB). In studying the reaction of PEG with PCBs, it confirmed that the process led to less chlorinated PCBs through a stepwise process with the successive elimination of chlorines. The process also permits complete recovery of treated transformer oil through simple segregating procedures.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.247-257
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• 2002

Persistent organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been used intensively in agriculture or industry for a long time. The occurrence of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in the environment and subsequently in parts of the food chain, resulting in the intake of these compounds by man and animal. The measure of the levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in tissues or blood of human populations are good markers in determining the extent of exposure and in the evaluating the hazards. So, most countriess have conducted initial monitoring programs to determine organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in human tissues. But a few report has been presented in Korea. In this study, $\alpha$-BHC, $\beta$-BHC, ${\gamma}$-BHC, $\delta$-BHC, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, endrin, dieldein, aldrin and 7 marker PCBs (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were determined in human blood, adipose tissue and liver tissues collected at autopsy of 10 men and 10 women, 13-79 year of age. Significant differences in the levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs between districts where they had lived were found in the following chemicals: total PCB in the blood : $\beta$-BHC, total BHC, p,p'-DDE and total DDT in the adipose tissue : p,p'-DDE, total DDT and PCB 118 in the liver. No significant difference was found in the levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs between sexes and ages. Though the levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs were relatively lower than that of other countries, we could know that organochlorine pesticides and PCBs have been widely distributed in Korean human body.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.11-17
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• 2000

There are among the most relevant toxic emissions from incinerators such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Induction of cytochrome P4501A1 catalyzed 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase(EROD) activity in mammalian cell culture(EROD bioassay) is thought to be a selective and sensitive parameter used for the quantification of dioxin-like components. In this study, the toxic emissions from several school waste incinerators were evaluated by determination of CYPIA catalytic activity and cytotoxicity using cell culture microbioassay. The incinerator residue and soil samples were collected from the schools located in Kyunggi province from April to June 1999. The samples were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus using toluene for 20 hours. In order to clean-up, concentrated crude extracts were applied to basic alumina column. The EROD activities of extracts in the H4IIE cells were from 1.91$\pm$0.32 ng-TEQ/g to 24.54$\pm$3.48 ng-TEQ/g of biochemical-TEQ value. In soil samples, CYP1A catalytic activity was 0.09~0.64 ng-TEQ/g. EROD bioassay, seems to be a useful short-term bioassay when information about the biological response of complex environmental samples is needed. Although further study is needed, these results indicate that the potent toxic emissions are produced from school waste semi-incinerators.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.463-468
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• 2003

Polychlorinated biphenyl are toxic pollutants and their degradation is quite slow in the environment. Recently, interest if bioremediation using PCB-degrading bacteria has increaset,. In a previous report, plant terpenes (p-cymene, (S)-(-)-limonene, ${\alpha}-pynene$, and ${\alpha}-terpinene$) have been found to be utilized by a PCB degrader and to induce the biphenyl dioxygenase gene in pure culture. In this study, Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707, a PCB-degrading Gram-negative soil bacterium, was used to determine whether the terpene stimulation of PCB degrader occurred in the natural environment. First, P. pseudoalcaligenes KF707 was genetically tagged using a transposon with gfp (green fluorescent protein) as a reporter gone. The population dynamics of P. pseudoalcaligenes KF707 harboring gfp gene in a PCB-contaminated environment was examined with or without terpenoids added to the microcosm. About 10-100-fold increase was found in the population of PCB degraders when terpene was added, compared with control (non-terpenes samples and biphenyl added samples). It was proposed that the gfp-monitoring system is very useful and terpenes enhance the survivability of PCB degraders in PCB-contaminated environments.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.157-165
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• 2012

This experimental study was performed to obtain thermal energy from the combustion of synthetic gas, produced by the pyrolysis of insulating oil containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a high temperature and high pressure reactor. The average synthetic gas generated was $59.67Am^3/hr$ via the steady state gasification of insulating oil waste (20 kg/hr) with average concentrations (standard deviation) of $CO_2$, CO, and $H_2$ in the synthetic gas of $38.63{\pm}3.11%$, $35.18{\pm}1.93%$, and $28.42{\pm}1.68%$, respectively. The concentrations of the PCBs in the transformer insulating oil and synthetic gas after its gasification, and the concentrations of the dioxins that could be produced from the incomplete degradation of PCBs were measured. It was revealed that the PCBs in the insulating oil were composed of the series from tetrachlorobiphenyl to octachlorobiphenyl. However, only the #49, #44, #52, and #47/75/48 congeners were detected from the synthetic gas after gasification of the insulating oil and in the flue gas from the combustor. In conclusion, the experimental conditions suggested in this study were very useful for the appropriate treatment of insulating oil containing PCBs. Also, fuel gas containing CO and $H_2$ can be obtained from the pyrolysis of insulating oil containing PCBs.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 1985

Water samples collected monthly between November 1982 and October 1983 from seven reserviors and a river in the periphery of Suwon, Korea were subjected to gas chromatographic analysis for PCBs and organochlorine insecticide residues. PCBs were positively detected in the most samples. The average residue levels of PCBs were found in the range of 0.009${\sim}$0.5 ppb while those of organochlorine insecticides were in the range of "not detected"${\sim}$0.008 ppb. The ratio of average residue levels of PCBs to those of total DDT was found to vary with sampling sites. The highest ratio of 500 was found in the water samples of Han River and the lowest in water of Won-chun Reservior. Both industrial and urban waste appear to be responsible for PCBs in the irrigation waters.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.174-182
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• 2008

The study on the development of rapid analytical method of PCBs containing waste was performed by considering the extraction, column cleanup process, analytical condition and so on. In the established method, new sample clean-up procedure, new quantification peaks and temperature program were introduced. Method detection limit of the method was 0.5 mg/L, and the method could save the total run time to 2/3, therefore save the analysis cost, The new rapid analytical method of transformer oil was suggested to the waste official test method.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.952-957
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• 2008

A Gram-negative bacterium, named LY402, was isolated from contaminated soil. 16S rDNA sequencing and measurement of the physiological and biochemical characteristics identified it as belonging to the genus Enterohacter. Degradation experiments showed that LY402 had the ability to aerobically transform 79 of the 91 major congeners of Aroclor 1242, 1254, and 1260. However, more interestingly, the strain readily degraded certain highly chlorinated and recalcitrant polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Almost all the tri- and tetra-chlorobiphenyls (CBs), except for 3,4,3',4'-CB, were degraded in 3 days, whereas 73% of 3,4,3',4'-, 92% of the penta-, 76% of the hexa-, and 37% of the hepta-CBs were transformed after 6 days. In addition, among 12 octa-CBs, 2,2',3,3',5,5',6,6-CB was obviously degraded, and 2,2',3,3',4,5,6,6'- and 2,2',3,3',4,5,5',6'-CB were slightly transformed. In a metabolite analysis, mono- and dichlorobenzoic acids (CBAs) were identified, and parts of them were also transformed by strain LY402. Analysis of PCB degradation indicated that strain LY402 could effectively degrade PCB congeners with chlorine substitutions in both ortho- and para-positions. Consequently, this is the first report of an Enterobacteria that can efficiently degrade both low and highly chlorinated PCBs under aerobic conditions.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to develop and assess a method for estimating the rain scavenging ratios (RSRs) of particle-bound PAHs and PCBs using measured scavenging ratio of particulate matters (PM) and routinely available data of physico-chemical properties of PM. Paired atmospheric and rainwater sampling was conducted for a total of 4 rain events. Assuming equilibrium partitioning in rainwater-gas-PM system, an equation was derived for estimating the RSR of particle-bound chemicals as a function of RSR of PM and three equilibrium partition constants (i.e. dimensionless Henry's law constant, gas-particle partition coefficient, and water-particle partition coefficient). For all PAHs, the model significantly under-predicted the RSR while the model prediction for PCBs agreed with observation mostly within a factor of 5. The RSR model for the chemicals is of limited use as its accuracy critically depends on how close the observed partitioning of the chemicals in the gas-PM-rainwater system is to that estimated under the equilibrium assumption.