• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.214-217
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• 2016

In this study, we studied the enhancement of the energy densities of electrochemical capacitors by improving the working voltage range of the electrolyte. To prevent the decomposition of the electrolyte, stable SEI layers were formed by reductive degradation of additive materials such as fluoro-ethylene carbonate (FEC) and vinyl ethylene carbonate (VEC) before degradation of the base electrolyte. As a result, the solution resistance (R_s) of EC:DMC + SL 20 % + VEC 1 % electrolytes observed 1.47 Ω and the charge transfer resistance (R_ct) was 2.64 Ω at the open circuit voltage. Additionally, a cycle retention of 94 % was observed for EC:DMC + SL 20 % + VEC 1 % after 500 cycles at 3.5 V.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.22-37
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• 2006

The applicability of biobarrier or in situ microbial filter technology for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent was investigated through batch microcosm study. The efficiency and rates of reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are known to be highly dependent on hydrogen concentration. In this study, the effect of electron donors on the reductive dechlorination of PCE was investigated using vermicompost (or worm casting) and peat as a biobarrier medium. The effect of organic acids (lactate, butyrate and benzoate), yeast extract and vitamin $B_{12}$ on the reductive dechlorination was investigated. In the absence of biobarrier medium (adsorbent), addition of electron donors stimulated the dechlorination rate of PCE compared to the control experiment (i.e., no electron donor added). Among the treatments, addition of lactate or lactate/benzoate as hydrogen donor exhibited the highest dechlorination rate ($k_1=0.0260{\sim}0.0266\;day^{-1}$). In case of using vermicompost as a biobarrier medium, amendment of lactate/benzoate exhibited the highest dechlorination rate following with a pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant of $k_1=0.0849\;day^{-1}$. In contrast, when Pahokee peat was used as a biobarrier medium, either butyrate or lactate addition exhibited the highest dechlorination rate with $k_1$ values of 0.1092 and $0.1067\;day^{-1}$, respectively. The results of this study showed the potential applicability of in situ biobarrier technology using vermicompost or peat as a barrier material for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.117-126
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• 2015

Reductive degradation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) was investigated to evaluate the feasibility of using it for in-situ groundwater remediation. Batch experiments were conducted to quantify the kinetics and efficiency of RDX removal by nZVI, and to determine the effects of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and ionic strength on this process. Experimental results showed that the reduction of RDX by nZVI followed pseudo-first order kinetics with the observed rate constant (k_obs) in the range of 0.0056-0.0192 min⁻¹. Column tests were conducted to quantify the removal of RDX by nZVI under real groundwater conditions and evaluate the potential efficacy of nZVI for this purpose in real conditions. In column experiment, RDX removal capacity of nZVI was determined to be 82,500 mg/kg nZVI. pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and DO concentration varied significantly during the column experiments; the occurrence of these changes suggests that monitoring these quantities may be useful in evaluation of the reactivity of nZVI, because the most critical mechanisms for RDX removal are based on the chemical reduction reactions. These results revealed that nZVI can significantly degrade RDX and that use of nZVI could be an effective method for in-situ remediation of RDX-contaminated groundwater.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was carried out to examine whether the apparent photolysis with or without sensitizers [NaOH and humic acid (HA)] was prompted photodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in aqueous solution. Methods: PCBs photodegradation occurred using fluorescence black lamps at ${\lambda}_{max}=300nm$. PCB congeners were exposed in 10 ppm HA or 0.05N NaOH solutions, to investigate the decreasing profile of PCB concentration with time. The PCBs were then analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Reductive degradation profile of PCB congeners in the presence of both sensitizers under oxygen-saturated protic conditions was described using the wind-rose diagrams. Results: Use of HA or NaOH decreased PCB concentration with time in the dark and on irradiation, indicating that photolysis underwent through reductive dechlorination through energy transfer and possibly with reactive oxygens. The dechlorination was marked by a chromatographic shift, observed in the GC-MS plots. Therefore it is logical to assume that increasing the dose of sensitizers would increase the photodegradation rates of PCBs. The half-lives of pentachloro-PCB (penta-3) in 0.05N NaOH and 10 ppm HA were estimated at about 47 hours and 39 hours, respectively, under the same experimental conditions of photolysis. It was found that the rate of photolysis of pentachloro-PCB in aqueous solution followed apparent first-order kinetics compared to other congeners. Conclusion: Photochemical degradation (using 328 nm UV light) of penta- and hexa-PCBs in HA or alkaline solution is a viable method for pretreatment method. The results are helpful for the further comprehension of the reaction mechanism for photolytic dechlorination of PCBs in aquatic system.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.114-121
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• 2010

Oxygen sensitivity and substrate requirement have been known as possible reasons for the intricate growth of Dehalococcoides spp. and limiting factors of for routinely applying bioaugmentation using anaerobic Dehalococcoides-containing microbes for remediating chlorinated organic compounds. To explore the effect of the short-term exposure of the short-term exposure of oxygen on Dehalococcoides capability, dechlorination performance, and hydrogen production fermentation from formate, an anaerobic reductive dechlorination mixed-culture (Evanite culture) including dehalococcoides spp. was in this study. In the results, once the mixed-culture were exposed to oxygen, trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation rate decreased and it was not fully recovered even addition of excess formate for 40 days. In contrast, hydrogen was continuously produced by hydrogen-fermentation process even under oxygen presence. The results indicate that although the oxygen-exposed cells cannot completely dechlorinate TCE to ethylene (ETH), hydrogen fermentation process was not affected by oxygen presence. These results suggest that dechlorinating microbes may more sensitive to oxygen than fermenting microbes, and monitoring dechlorinators activity may be critical to achieve an successful remediation of a TCE contaminated-aquifer through bioaugmentation using Dehalococcoides spp..

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.11-19
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• 2004

Chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds are non-degradable substances that are extremely toxic and are known to be carcinogens and mutation causing agents. Moreover, the half-lives of substances such as carbon tetrachloride, hexachloroethane and nitroaromatic compounds are several decades. In this study, the optimal conditions to detoxify chlorinated compounds by the reductive degradation were investigated. The following results were obtained in the reductive degradation of CCl$_4$, C$_2$Cl$\_$6/, C$_2$HCl$\_$5/, C$_2$Cl$_4$, and C$_2$HCl$\_$5/ by using Fe, FeS and FeS$_2$ as mediators. CCl$_4$ was reduced to CH$_2$Cl$_3$ and CH$_2$Cl$_2$in anaerobic conditions when FeS was used as a mediator. While the reduction of CCl$_4$ to CHCl$_3$ was rapidly proceeded, the reduction of CHCl$_3$ to CH$_2$Cl$_2$ was occurred slowly. Further reduction to CH$_3$Cl was not observed. Unlike CCl$_4$, C$_2$Cl$\_$6/ was degraded to C$_2$HCl$\_$5/, C$_2$Cl$_4$. C$_2$HCl$_3$ and cis-1,2-C$_2$H$_2$Cl$_2$ by complicated pathways such as hydrogenolysis, dehalo-elimination and dehydrohalogenation. A small amount of C$_2$HCl$\_$5/ was detected only in the early stages of the reduction. However, majority of the C$_2$Cl$\_$6/ was reduced to C$_2$Cl$_4$. cis-1,2-C$_2$H$_2$C1$_2$ was the only product among other possible isomers.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.293-306
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• 2014

The present study primarily focuses on the evaluation of the comparative effect of chemical coagulation and ultrasonication for elimination of aromatic amines (AAs) present in anaerobically pretreated textile wastewater containing different types of dyes including azo dyes. Color and COD reduction was also monitored at the optimized conditions. The production of AAs was measured spectrophotometrically in the form of total aromatic amines (TAAs) and also verified with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) selectively. A composite coagulant, magnesium chloride (MC) aided with aluminium chlorohydrate (ACH) in an equal ratio (MC + ACH) was utilized during the coagulation process, which yielded 31% of TAAs removal along with 85% of color and 52% of COD reduction. At optimized power (200 W) and sonication time (5 h), an appreciable TAAs degradation efficiency (85%) was observed along with 51% color reduction and 62% COD removal using ultrasonication. The chromatographic data indicate that sulphanilic acid and benzidine types of aromatic amines were produced after the reductive cleavage of utilized textile dyes, which were effectively mineralized after ultrasonication. The degradation followed the first order kinetics with a correlation coefficient ($R^2$) of 0.89 and a first-order kinetic constant (k) of $0.0073min^{-1}$.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.20-27
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• 2004

Kinetic characteristics dependent on several factors such as iron mineral and organic solvents were investigated. When F $e^{0}$ , FeS and Fe $S_2$ were used as mediators, minerals affecting reaction rate were in the following order : $Fe_{0}$ 0/ ＞ FeS ＞ $FeS_2$ when in contact $C_2$C $l_{6}$ . The more chloride substituted, the higher reaction rate were observed. The reaction rates were dependent on pH, shaking rate, temperature and specific surface area. 1, 10-phenanthroline and EDTA degradation rates were fast, indicating that they adsorbed on the surface of the iron which makes the electron transfer reaction easy. Nitrate which has $\pi$＊ orbital of molecular can increase electron transfer rate because it is delocalized in its entity. The reaction rates were not affected by hydroquinone. Degradation rates were much enhanced with naturally occurring kaolinite because of the surface corrosion of Fe mineral. However, The reaction rate was not affected by F $e^{2+}$ or S $O_4$$^{2-}$ presented in solution.n.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.101-113
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• 2016

To properly manage and remediate groundwater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (TCE), it is necessary to assess natural attenuation processes of contaminants in the aquifer along with investigation of contamination history and aquifer characterization. This study evaluated natural attenuation processes of TCE at an industrial site in Korea by delineating hydrogeochemical characteristics along the flow path of contaminated groundwater, by calculating reaction rate constants for TCE and its degradation products, and by using geochemical and reactive transport modeling. The monitoring data showed that TCE tended to be transformed to cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE) and further to vinyl chloride (VC) via microbial reductive dechlorination, although the degree was not too significant. According to our modeling results, the temporal and spatial distribution of the TCE plume suggested the dominant role of biodegradation in attenuation processes. This study can provide a useful method for assessing natural attenuation processes in the aquifer contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons and can be applied to other sites with similar hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical settings.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.737-752
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• 2000

Wood-rotting basidiomycetous fungi are the most efficient degraders of lignin on earth. The white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been used as a model microorganism in the study of enzymology and its application. Because of the ability of the white-rot fungus to degrade lignin, which has an irregular structure and large molecular mass, this fungus has also been studied in relation to degrading and mineralizing many environmental pollutants. The fungus includes an array of enzymes, such as lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP), cellobiose:quinone oxidoreductase, and $H_2O_2$-producing enzymes and also produces many other components of the ligninolytic system, such as veratryl alcohol (VA) and oxalate. In addition, the fungus has mechanisms for the reduction of degradation intermediates. The ligninolytic systems have been proved to provide reductive reactions as well as oxidative reactions, both of which are essential for the degradation of lignin and organopollutants. Further study on the white-rot fungus may provide many tools to both utilize lignin, the most abundant aromatic polymer, and bioremediate many recalcitrant organopollutants.