• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.221-229
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• 2023

Extracted from the metropolitan area, the Paldang Lake, which supplies approximately 8 million tons of water, has achieved a BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) of 1.1 mg/L as a result of water quality preservation policies. However, concerning the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) component that encompasses refractory organic matter, there has been an observable upward trend in concentration. The introduction of refractory organic matter into the water source of Paldang Lake brings potential increments in BOD, generates off-putting tastes and odors in tap water, increases THM (Trihalomethane) formation, and triggers algae proliferation. Moreover, if residual hazardous refractory pollutants persist in aquatic environments, they may induce endocrine disruption and phenomena such as antibiotic resistance. In this study, a monitoring campaign was executed to discern the concentration of refractory organic matter emissions from point and non-point sources within Paldang Lake and its upstream region, with the aim of managing refractory organic matter in Paldang Lake. By comparing refractory organic matter emission concentrations across monitored areas, the elimination efficiency at wastewater treatment plants was assessed. Additionally, employing the Pearson correlation correlation analysis technique, correlations among refractory organic matter indices, antecedent wet days, and antecedent dry days were explored. The concentrations of refractory organic matter in rivers and Paldang Lake exhibited a similar pattern. Wastewater treatment plant effluents exhibited higher concentrations compared to rivers and Paldang Lake. The assessment of refractory organic matter removal at wastewater treatment plants indicated a removal efficiency of 65.73%. However, no significant correlation emerged between refractory organic matter emission concentration and antecedent wet days or priory antecedent dry days. This absence of correlation is attributed to data scarcity, underscoring the need for long-term monitoring and data accumulation.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.393-399
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• 2013

To control organic matters, it needs to manage not only biodegradable organic matters but also refractory organic matters. Refractory organic matters from municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, non-point sources and etc., have been continuously discharged to the near watersheds. It is estimated that the refractory organic matter ratios are continuously increased in waterbody. In watersheds of the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), it was investigated that COD/BOD ratios increased in many unit watersheds of the 4 major river basins. The portions COD/BOD ratios increased were found to be a 97% of Geum River unit watersheds, a 81% of Yeongsan/Seumjin River unit watersheds, a 78% of Nakdong River unit watersheds, a 70% of Han River unit watersheds, respectively. Therefore, it has become important for establishment of effective management strategies to control refractory organic matter in watersheds of the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). In order to properly manage organic matters including refractory organic matters, the present organic indicator (BOD) has to be converted to TOC (or COD). Compared to COD and BOD, TOC, as a organic matter indicator, is evaluated more appropriate.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.306-313
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• 2011

In this paper, runoff characteristics of South-Han river watershed in terms of refractory organic matters were investigated. The concentrations of DOC, POC, R-DOC, R-POC in runoff and flow rates were determined by monitoring 27 times in dry season and 4 times in rainy season. The concentrations of the dissolved refractory organic matter, R-DOC was the lowest in fall and similar in the other dry seasons. The particulate refractory organic matter, R-POC showed less fluctuation than R-DOC. In summer, mass loading was the highest than other dry seasons. The concentrations of R-DOC, R-POC were showed to be affected by runoff volume. The mass loading grows higher as runoff volume gets higher.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.353-358
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• 2017

As a drinking water source of 26 millions people of Seoul metropolitan region, Han river is one of the most important basin. Managing the Non-point source pollution which is regarded as the main cause of water pollution including refractory organic matter is important thing. This research investigates the runoff characteristics of organic matters from main 3 rivers (South Han, North Han, Kyungan). Water quality measurement items include not only carbon-based TOC (Total Organic Carbon), DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon), POC (Particulate Organic Carbon) but also R-TOC (Refractory Total Organic Carbon), R-DOC (Refractory Dissolved Organic Carbon), R-POC (Refractory Particulate Organic Carbon) is researched. The research shows that R-TOC takes approximately 61~83% of TOC. Most of the R-TOC is consist of R-DOC (72~77%). Refractory organic matter have a stable runoff characteristics compared to other organic matter. The organic matter concentrations of South Han river and Kyungan river are the highest in spring time and show a gradual decline. The concentrations of Kyunan river is the highest. Kyungan river's small area and the high city land use ratio seem to be the reason. Loading of organic matter in summer time takes the most loading (62~84%). TOC loadings per unit area of each river is Kyungan river ($1.22ton/km^2$), South Han river ($1.01ton/km^2$), North Han river ($0.91ton/km^2$).

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.427-434
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• 2013

The leachate from landfill (Andong city) contaminated by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) contains 44%-50% hydrophilic organic matter, compared with 22%-27% in natural water bodies such as ground water, lake water, and river water. In such natural water, the organic matter content is reduced by the metabolism of microbes in the water. However, in the case of leachate-1 and -2, the concentrations of RTOC (refractory total organic carbon) and RDOC (refractory dissolved organic carbon) were higher than the initial TOC and DOC after burial. According to time elapsed after burial, the concentrations of RTOC and RDOC were decreased below the initial TOC and DOC. In the case of leachate-6 (386 days after burial), RDOC made up 91% of RTOC. This result shows that organic matter in the leachate was composed dominantly of RDOM, most of which was not removed by the metabolism of microbes. Hence, the presence and characteristics of RDOM provide a valuable indication of the effect of leachate on the quality of surface water and ground water. Such information is useful in understanding leachate environments.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.969-975
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• 2010

Estimating the organic matter loadings from individual treated sewage has become important for establishment of effective management strategies to control refractory organic matter (R-OM) in watersheds. For this study, regression equations were constructed using treated sewage data to convert the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations, which are mostly available from open database, into total organic carbon (TOC) and R-OM concentrations. Effluent samples were collected from five major sewage treatment plants (STPs) located upstream of the lake Paldang. Variations in the OM concentrations were not associated with either the location of the STP or the sampling season. The effluent investigated were characterized by higher ratio of R-OM with respect to biodegradable organic matter (B-OM) and higher presence of dissolved organic matters (DOM) versus particulate organic matter (POM). Compared to $COD_{Mn}$, $COD_{Cr}$ exhibited higher oxidation efficiencies and greater variations in the concentrations. The concentrations of $COD_{Mn}$ were positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total organic carbon (TOC), and R-OM concentrations. There was nearly no seasonal and annual variation in the regression equations between $COD_{Mn}$ and TOC or R-OM concentrations. The constructed regression equations for TOC and R-OM were $0.650({\pm}0.071){\times}COD_{Mn}+1.426({\pm}0.575)$ and $0.340({\pm}0.083){\times}COD_{Mn}+2.054({\pm}0.670)$, respectively. The established equations are expected to contribute to estimating OM loadings from the STPs into the lake Paldang and also to compensating for the deficiency of the data for effluent OM concentrations in STP.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.580-586
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• 2017

The fractionation characteristics of organic matter were investigated in inflow and effluent of each other pollution sources and river. While the DOC/TOC ratio in the influent of public sewage treatment plant and livestock disposal facilities was above 0.58, the POC/TOC ratio of human livestock Night soil treatment plant and stormwater runoff was more than 0.7. The TOC removal efficiency of public sewage treatment plant and human livestock Night soil treatment plant were 88.5 % and 99.6 %, respectively. Although the concentration distribution of organic matter pollution most of total organic carbon (TOC) in effluent of pollution sources accounted for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) type (DOC/TOC ratio >0.89) and Refractory-DOC (RDOC)/TOC ratio was higher (>0.65). The fractionation characteristics of organic matter in river were similar with that of sewage treatment plant and TOC concentration showed the positive correlation with DOC ($r^2=0.93$) and RDOC ($r^2=0.89$) concentration. The decay rate of Labile DOC (LDOC) (avg. $0.128day^{-1}$) was higher than labile particulate organic carbon (LPOC) ($0.082day^{-1}$), while that of DOC ($0.008day^{-1}$) was lower than POC ($0.039day^{-1}$) (paired t-test, p < 0.001, n = 5). These study results suggested that it should consider important both TOC and DOC as the target indicator to control refractory organic matter in pollution sources.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2016

This study examined the effects of environmental conditions and the presence of refractory organic matter on oxidation rates of total organic carbon (TOC) measurements based on high temperature combustion and ultraviolet-sulfate methods. Spectroscopic indices for prediction of oxidation rates were also explored using the UV spectra and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of humic acids. Furthermore, optimum TOC instrument conditions were suggested by comparing oxidation rates of a standard TOC material under various conditions. Environmental conditions included salts, reduced ions, and suspended solids. Salts had the greatest influence on oxidation rates in the UV-sulfate method. However, no effect was detected in the high temperature combustion method. The UV-sulfate method showed lower humic substance oxidation rates, refractory natural organic matter, compared to the other methods. TOC oxidation rates for the UV-sulfate method were negatively correlated with higher specific-UV absorbance, humification index, and humic-like EEM peak intensities, suggesting that these spectroscopic indices could be used to predict TOC oxidation rates. TOC signals from instruments using the UV-sulfate method increased with increasing chamber temperature and increasing UV exposure durations. Signals were more sensitive to the former condition, suggesting that chamber temperature is important for improving the TOC oxidation rates of refractory organic matter.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.625-633
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• 2011

A long-term water quality monitoring in the Han River Basin reveals a consistent increasing trend for the concentration of refractory organic matter (R-OM) in major monitoring sites of the watershed. Because the determination of R-OM concentrations typically requires a long time of microbial incubation, it is essential to present the estimation indices for R-OM for an efficient watershed management. In this study, a number of surface water samples were classified into three groups, each of which were collected from Lake Paldang, rivers at rain and non-rain events, respectively. The corresponding R-OM concentrations were correlated with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations as well as ultraviolet and fluorescence intensities of the filtered samples. Among the traditional organic matter parameters, TOC exhibited the highest correlation coefficient with the R-OM concentrations regardless of the types of the sample groups. The equations for conversing TOC into R-OM concentrations were finally suggested as $0.43{\times}TOC+1.12$, $0.44{\times}TOC+0.61$, $0.24{\times}TOC+1.28$ for river samples at rain and non-rain events, and lake samples, respectively. TOC-BOD(C), the values of the TOC concentrations subtracted by carbon-converted BOD concentrations, was a good index for estimating the absolute concentrations of R-OM. UV absorbance at 254 nm was well correlated with R-OM concentrations of river samples while fluorescence intensities at 350 nm showed an excellent relationship with R-OM concentration of the lake samples. Our results suggests that simple spectroscopic parameters could be applied for in-situ monitoring tool techniques in watersheds.