• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-35
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• 2019

Andong-dam was built up in 1967 and it is one of the biggest dams in Korea. Previous studies showed that the sediments are highly contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Many research projects are going on to find out the source of the contamination, to evaluate the toxicities to ecosystem, to estimate the volume of sediment to be treated and to find out a good remediation method. Reports show that the sediment is highly contaminated and the main contamination source is supposed to be abandoned mines and a zinc refinery located upper stream of the river. A magnetic separation has been tested as a treatment method for the dredged sediment. Lab scale test showed that the magnetically captured portion is about 10% in weight but the contamination of heavy metal is much higher than the contamination of the passed portion. This indicates that a magnetic separation could be applied for the purpose of reduction of sediment to be treated and for increasing the volume of low toxic sediments which can be dumped as general waste. A magnetic separation using a HGMS has been tested for the sediment with variable magnetic field and the results showed the higher magnetic field increase the captured portion but the concentrating effect of heavy metal was weakened. Further study is needed to establish a useful technology and optimization between decontamination and reduction of sediment volume.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2022

Mackinawite (FeS), as a ubiquitous reduced iron mineral, is known as a key controller of redox reactions in anaerobic subsurface environment. The reaction of FeS with redox-sensitive toxic element such as arsenic is substantially affected by pH conditions of the given environments. In this study, the interaction of As(V) with FeS was studied under strict anaerobic conditions with various pH conditions. The pH-dependent arsenic removal tests were conducted under wide ranges of pH conditions and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was applied to investigate the reaction mechanisms under pH 5, 7, and 9. The removal efficiency of FeS for As(V) showed the higher removal of As(V) under low pH conditions and its removal efficiency decreased with increasing pH, and no As(V) reduction was observed in 1 g/L FeS solution. However, XAS analysis indicated the reduction of As(V) to As(III) occurred during reaction between FeS and As(V). The reduced form of As(III) was particularly identified as an arsenic sulfide mineral (As₂S₃) in all pH conditions (pH 5, 7, and 9). As₂S₃ precipitation was more pronounced in pH 5 where the solubility of FeS is higher than in other pH conditions. The linear combination fitting results of XAS demonstrated that As(V) removal mechanism is concerted processes of As₂S₃ precipitation and surface complexation of both arsenic species.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.431-439
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• 2014

The purposes of this research were to investigate the enrichment of metal-reducing bacteria from KURT groundwater and the identification of the microbial diversity by 16S rRNA as well as to examine microbial Fe(III)/Mn(IV) reduction and to analyze morphological features of interactions between microbes and precipitates and their mineralogical composition. To cultivate metal-reducing bacteria from groundwater sampled at the KURT in S. Korea, different electron donors such as glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate and Fe(III)-citrate as an electron accepter were added into growth media. The enriched culture was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for the diversity of microbial species. The effect of electron donors (i.e., glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate) and electron acceptors (i.e., akaganeite, manganese oxide) on microbial iron/manganese reduction and biomineralization were examined using the 1st enriched culture, respectively. SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses were used to determine morphological features, chemical composition of microbes and mineralogical characteristics of the iron and manganese minerals. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, the four species, Fusibacter, Desulfuromonas, Actinobacteria, Pseudomonas sp., from KURT groundwater were identified as anaerobic metal reducers and these microbes precipitated metals outside of cells in common. XRD and EDX analyses showed that Fe(III)-containing mineral, akaganeite (${\beta}$-FeOOH), reduced into Fe(II)/Fe(III)-containing magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) and Mn(IV)-containing manganese oxide (${\lambda}-MnO_2$) into Mn(II)-containing rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$) by the microbes. These results implicate that microbial metabolism and respiratory activities under anaerobic condition result in reduction and biomineralization of iron and manganese minerals. Therefore, the microbes cultivated from groundwater in KURT might play a major role to reduce various metals from highly toxic, mobile to less toxic, immobile.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.105-119
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• 2012

Indigenous bacteria isolated from contaminated sites play important roles to remediate contaminated groundwater. Chromium has the most stable oxidation states. Cr(VI) is toxic, carcinogenic, and mobile, but Cr(III) is less toxic and immobile. In this study, indigenous microorganism (MMPH-0) was enriched from Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater, and identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Using MMPH-0, the effect of stimulating with e-donors (glucose, lactate, acetate, and no e-donor control), respiration conditions, biomass, tolerance, and geochemical changes on Cr(VI) reduction were investigated in batch experiments for 4 weeks. The changes of Cr(VI) concentration and geochemical conditions were monitored using UV-vis-spectrophotometer and Eh-pH meter. And the morphological and chemical characteristics of MMPH-0 and precipitates in the effluents were characterized by TEM-EDS and SEM-EDS analyses. MMPH-0 (Enterobacter aerogenes) was able to tolerate up to 2000 mg/L Cr(VI) and reduce Cr(VI) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. MMPH-0 performed faster and higher efficiency of Cr(VI) reduction with electron donors (over 70% after 1 week with e-donor, 10-20% after 4 weeks without e-donor). The changes of Eh-pH in effluents showing the tendency from oxidizing to reducing condition and a bit of acidic change in pH due to microbial oxidation of organic matters donating electrons and protons suggested the roles of MMPH-0 on Cr(VI) in the contaminated water catalyzing to transit geochemical stable zone for more stable $Cr(OH)_3$ or Cr(III) precipitates. TEM/SEM-EDS analyses of MMPH-0 and precipitates indicate direct and indirect Cr(VI) reduction: extracellular polymers capturing Cr component outside cells. These results suggested diverse indigenous bacteria and their biogeochemical reactions might enhance more effective and feasible remediation technology of redox sensitive heavy metals in metal-contaminated in groundwater.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.667-675
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• 2016

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has been effectively applied for environmental remediation due to its ability to reduce various toxic compounds. However, quantification of nZVI reactivity has not yet been standardized. Here, we adapted colorimetric assays for determining reductive activity of nZVIs. A modified indophenol method was suggested to determine reducing activity of nZVI. The method was originally developed to determine aqueous ammonia concentration, but it was further modified to quantify phenol and aniline. The assay focused on analysis of reduction products rather than its mother compounds, which gave more accurate quantification of reductive activity. The suggested color assay showed superior selectivity toward reduction products, phenol or aniline, in the presence of mother compounds, 4-chlorophenol or nitrobenzene. Reaction conditions, such as reagent concentration and reaction time, were optimized to maximize sensitivity. Additionally, pretreatment step using $Na_2CO_3$ was suggested to eliminate the interference of residual iron ions. Monometallic nZVI and bimetallic Ni/Fe were investigated with the reaction. The substrates showed graduated reactivity, and thus, reduction potency and kinetics of different materials and reaction mechanism was distinguished. The colorimetric assay based on modified indophenol reaction can be promises to be a useful and simple tool in various nZVI related research topics.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2009

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a clinical technique that therapeutically removes toxic solutes from body fluids and normalizes endogenous solutes whose aberrant concentrations disrupt normal physiology. This study retrospectively evaluated clinical outcomes and complications of PD in 20 dogs with renal failure. Blood works (total count of red blood cells (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), the serum biochemical, and electrolyte values related to renal insufficiency) and complications associated with peritoneal dialysis, and clinical outcomes were recorded before and after PD. Additionally, creatinine reduction ratio (CRR) and urea nitrogen reduction ratio (URR) were calculated for evaluating the efficacy of PD. PD resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration in 19 dogs, while a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in creatinine concentration in 17 dogs. The complications of PD were hypoalbuminemia (12/20, 60%), anemia (10/20, 50%), subcutaneous dialysate leakage (9/20, 45%), bacterial peritonitis (6/20, 30%), dialysate retention (5/20, 25%) and limb edema (4/20, 20%). This study demonstrated that PD was effective in reducing the magnitude of azotemia in dogs with renal failure especially in acute phase, although the complication rate was high but manageable.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.98-105
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• 1997

The study on the cytotoxicity of heavy metals was carried out to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of those on mouse L929 fibroblast cell in 96-well microtiter plates. The cytotoxicity was assayed by the neutral red, tetrazolium MTT, total protein, micronuclei test. The cytotoxicity of the heavy metals by neutral red and tetrazolium MTT was showed in order, cadmium > zinc > nickel for the cationic metals tested. The effect of metal-metal interaction on the cytotoxicity showed a marked reduction of cadmium toxicity by zinc, to a lesser degree, by nickel. The amount of total protein in treated group added heavy metals was less than that of the control and treated cadmium alone was less than those of combination with nickel or zinc. At midpoint cytotoxicity values of heavy metals, the frequency of micronuclei on the cell treated heavy metals was more than that of control and treated cadmium alone was more than those of combination with nickel or zinc. From those results, it could be suggested that the heavy metals decreased the viability of mouse fibroblast L929 cells in a concentration-dependent manner and have cytogenic toxic effects, but mixed group decreased the cytotoxic and cytogenic toxicity on L929 cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.267.2-267.2
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• 2016

Semiconductor photo-catalysis offers the potential for complete removal of toxic chemicals through its effective and broad potential applications. Various new compounds and materials for chemical catalysts were synthesized in the past few decades. As one of the most important II-VI group semiconductors, zinc sulfide (ZnS) with a wide direct band gap of 3.8 eV has been extensively investigated and used as a catalyst in photochemistry, environmental protection and in optoelectronic devices. In this work, the ZnS films and nanostructures have been successfully prepared by wet chemical method. We show that the agglomerates with four successive scales are always observed in the case of the homogeneous precipitation of zinc sulfide. Hydrodynamics plays a crucial role to determine the size of the largest agglomerates; however, other factors should be invoked to interpret the complete structure. In addition, studies of the photocatalytic properties by exposure to UV light irradiation demonstrated that ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) are good photo-catalysts as a result of the rapid generation of electron-hole pairs by photo-excitation and the highly negative reduction potentials of excited electrons. A combination of their unique features of high surface-to volume ratios, carrier dynamics and rich photo-catalytic suggests that these ZnS NCs will find many interesting applications in semiconductor photo-catalysis, solar cells, environmental remediation, and nano-devices.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.5-13
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• 1971

Pot and paddy field tests were conducted to study red discoloration of rice var. IR 667 leaves with reference to the leading Korean native variety Jinhung and Paldal, with the following results: 1. Minor elements such as Mn, Fe, B, Al, Ca and Si had no influence on the discoloration, but a supply of various soluble nitrogen compounds completely restricted it. The more prosperous the growth of IR 667 with nitrogen, the more severe the discoloration appears when nitrogen absorptin becomes limited. 2. Chlorotic pigments extracted from both IR 667 and Jinhung were compared spectrophotometrically, and found to have different spectral peaks. IR 667 had peak closer to red than Jinhung, indicating the characteristic of the variety. IR 667 was observed to be more sensitive to nitrogen deficiency than Jinhung or the other japonica variety. 3. It was concluded that all the factors limiting nitrogen supply for IR 667 growth, such as low nitrogen application, restriction of root respiration (low temperature, poor drainage, toxic gases or substances in the root zone, etc.) and pest injuries, would result in the appearance of the so-called red discoloration, because of the reduction in nitrogen uptake. Since, the discoloration of IR 667 is varietal characteristic when grown in Korea, control of it may be beneficial cultural practice in increasing grain yield, although the increased succeptibility to pests and a drop in the rate of maturity due to relatively high nitrogen level in the leaves may result in an unexpected drop in yield. It is anticipated that further exploration conducted from practical point of view will establish the relatioknships between the extent of red discoloration, nitrogen availability and grain yield in IR 667.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.124-130
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• 2001

Ginkgo biliba has been used for bronchitis and asthma in oriental countries and its leaf extract(GBE) contains 24% ginkgoflavone glycoside and 6% terpenoid. Flavonoids and terpenoids are known to have various antioxidant effects such as scavenging of free radicals and chelation of transtional metals. Antioxidant effect of GBE against 1,2,4-benzenetriol(BT), one of toxic metabolites of benzene, was demonstrated throughbsister chromatid exchange(SCE) analysis, single cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE) analysis, DNA cleavage assay and lipid peroxidation production analysis. The means of SCE frequencies at 10, 25 and 50$\mu$M concentration of BT were 7.72, 8.02, 9.22 respectively. In addition of GBE with concentration of 50, 200 and 500$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$, SCE frequencies were decreased significantly.(p<0.05) According to SCGE analysis, BT induced DNA damage in a dose-dependent manner at concentration of 10 and 50 $\mu$m and the DNA damage induced by BT was significantly protected by GBE(p<0.001). No genotoxicity was observed by GBE treatment alone on DNA cleavage. The effect of BT on lipid peroxidation product, Malondiadehyde(MDA), was increased with concentration of BT(10 and 50 $\mu$M) and reduction in MDA was noted when GBE was added. From above results it is suggested that GBE could protect the cell and DNA from pro-oxidant effect by reactive oxigen species induced by BT.