• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.113-128
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• 2019

The concentration and coating thickness of black carbon (BC) were measured along with fine dust in the fall of 2018, at the Seoul Metropolitan Area Intensive Monitoring Station (SIMS). In fall, the concentration of $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ was $23{\pm}12.6{\mu}g/m^3$ and $12{\pm}5.8{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively, lower than that in other seasons. The BC level, measured using an Aethalometer, was $0.73{\pm}0.43{\mu}g/m^3$, while the levels of elemental carbon (EC) and refractory-BC (rBC), measured by semi-continuous carbon analyzer (SOCEC) and single particle soot photometer (SP2), were $0.34{\pm}0.18{\mu}g/m^3$ and $0.32{\pm}0.18{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. As such, the concentration level differed according to the measurement method, but its time-series distribution and diurnal variation showed the same trends. The BC concentration at SIMS was primarily affected by automobiles with higher levels of BC during morning and evening commuting times due to increased traffic congestion. rBC, measured by SP2, had a peak concentration and coating thickness of 84 nm and 43 nm, respectively. Notably, the coating thickness had an inverse relationship with particle size.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.617-622
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• 2018

Air is essential for human beings to survive, but urban air is polluted with soot and harmful gases, due to the increase in industrial development and the population. Thus, air pollution in large cities is of increasing interest in the research community. One of the plausible solutions to this problem is supplying sufficient oxygen to indoor spaces. The main principle of the oxygen generator is to separate oxygen from air using synthetic zeolite. Various synthetic zeolites have been applied to public indoor spaces with the focus being placed on the oxygen exchange quality. Among the characteristics of zeolites which can be applied to oxygen generators is their ability to adsorb nitrogen from the air and, in this way, generate only oxygen. Thus, we investigated the degree of nitrogen adsorption by five kinds of natural zeolite and LTA zeolite 3A, 4A, and 5A (two different sizes). Using the PSA method, the higher the degree of nitrogen adsorption, the higher the oxygen saturation concentration, it was found that the nitrogen adsorption degree of the 5A zeolite was the highest. 6% on average. It was also found that the size of the zeolite had a significant effect on the degree of nitrogen adsorption.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.8-15
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• 2017

Most fire victims succumb to smoke inhalation, and fire smoke toxicity from interior materials is increasing with increased use of plastics. Large amounts of hazardous effects of smoke are related to deposition of smoke particles in respiratory tracts, and deposition characteristics are influenced by size distribution of particles. Thus, it is essential to know the size distribution of smoke particles from plastics for hazard analysis of fire smoke. In a recent study, it has been shown that size distributions of smoke particles from PP are different from wood in many aspects. In order to know whether other plastics show the same characteristics as PP, size distributions of smoke particles from four plastic materials (LDPE, PA66, PMMA, and PVC) were measured in real time under each fire type with various temperature and oxygen supply. In this study, smoke particles from different plastics were generated uniformly by using steady-state tube furnace method provided in ISO/TS 19700. Their size distributions were measured by using an electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI). Results of measurements showed that size distributions of smoke particles from these four plastic materials were similar to those from PP in many aspects. However, they were distinctively different from those of wood.