• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.474-484
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• 2005

Biological treatment is a promising alternative to conventional air pollution control methods. Bioreactors for air pollution control have found most of their success in the treatment of dilute and high flow waste air streams containing volatile organic compounds and odor compounds. They offer several advantages over traditional technologies such as incineration or adsorption. These include lower treatment costs, absence of formation of secondary pollutants, no spent chemicals, low energy demand and low temperature treatment. The most widely used bioreactor for air pollution control is biofilter, but it has several limitations. In the past years major progress has been accomplished in the development of vapor phase bioreactor, in particular biotrickling filters. Biotrickling filters are more complex than biofilters, but are usually more effective, especially for the treatment of compounds which are difficult to degrade or compounds that generate acidic by-products. While the level of understanding of biotrickling filtration process for VOCs still remains limited, the evident success of biotreatment of VOC in air stimulated the pursue of acitve research. This paper presents fundamental and theoretical/practical aspect of air pollution control in biotrickling filter. Special emphasis is given to the operating parameters and the factors influencing performance for air pollution control in biotrickling filter.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.315-323
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• 2019

Large amounts of sludge produced by paper mill industries represent one of the most serious environmental problems in the world. Recently, beekeepers living in the neighborhood of the paper mill in Hwasan County, Youngcheon city, GB, Korea, became alarmed that honey bee colonies were dying off suddenly across the neighborhood. A preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity (oral, fumigation, repellent) of recycled solid paper mill sludge (SPMS) and leachate paper mill sludge (LPMS) to honey bee workers under laboratory conditions, and to analyze the volatile organic compounds(VOC). The SPMS and LPMS were separately subjected to a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) at three temperatures to extract VOC(highest VOC yields: 1.52% SPMS and 0.34% LPMS). A total of 70 chemicals were detected in the VOC of paper mill sludges, of which 49 and 21 volatile organic compounds from SPMS and LPMS, respectively. The SPMS was dominated by high degree presence of stanols (saturated sterols), such as cholestanol, cholestan-3-ol and also saturated hydrocarbons. However, LPMS was characterized by the absence of sterols. Both SPMS and LPMS showed an influence on the olfactory behavior of honey bee on Y-tube assay, with repulsion rates of 72 and 68%, respectively. Both SPMS and LPMS at concentration of 100mg/mL caused higher honey bee oral mortality than the untreated controls at 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after treatment(highest oral mortality at 120 hr: 85.74%(SPMS); 93.51 % (LPMS)). A similar pattern was observed when honey bees were tested to fumigant toxicity. Both SPMS and LPMS caused significant higher mortality than the untreated control 24 hour after the exposure (highest fumigation mortality at 120 hr: 69.4% (SPMS); 56.8% (LPMS)). These preliminary results indicated that paper mill sludge could be partly responsible for sudden death and disappearance of honey bees, especially in hot humid summer days. With climate change, the risk of environmental chemical exposure to honey bee would pose greater attention.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.952-959
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• 2012

The photocatalytic reactor was designed to have improved efficiency by enhancing a light intensity of photocatalytic reactor using a reflector coated on the surface at the outer radius of annular shaped photocatalytic reactor. The improved photocatalytic reactor performed to treat waste air containing malodor and VOC with the enhanced light intensity, of which the effect on their removal efficiency was investigated. The intensities of illumination of the improved photocatalytic reactor filled with porous silica-based media and nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst were observed to increase by 28.5% and 30.1%, respectively, compared to those of photocatalytic reactor without any reflector. Using the improved photocatalytic reactor filled with porous silica-based media and nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst, the removal efficiencies were enhanced by 2~3% and insignificantly, respectively. The removal efficiencies of the optimized photocatalytic reactor with reflectors, filled with porous silica-based media carrying photocatalyst, were observed to increase by 26% and 60%, compared to those of photocatalytic reactor (i.e., 19% and 53%), without any reflector, filled with nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst, for hydrogen sulfide and toluene, respectively. The roughness of used reflector surface was measured to be ca. four times as big as that of a commercial mirror. However, their removal efficiencies are expected to be enhanced by increasing an light intensity resulting from lowering the roughness of used reflector coated on the improved photocatalytic reactor in the future.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.945-951
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• 2012

The effect of photocatalyst-carrying media porosity on the photocatalytic removal efficiency of malodor and VOC of waste air was evaluated when the photocatalytic removal efficiency of porous silica-based media was compared with that of glass bead as control. The amount of photocatalyst coated on the surface of porous silica-based media was observed to be $1,716.3{\mu}g/cm^2$, which was 250% as much as that of nonporous glass bead (control) of $670{\mu}g/cm^2$. The removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene in case of porous silica-based media were observed to be 22% and 82%, respectively, while the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene in case of nonporous glass bead media were observed to be 19% and 53%, respectively. Therefore, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene increased by 16% and 55%, respectively, when the removal efficiencies of porous silica-based media were compared with those of nonporous glass bead media. Thus the increment ratio of the removal efficiency of toluene was observed to be 3.4 times higher than that of hydrogen sulfide.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.139-152
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• 2017

Excessive amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odorants discharged into the environment are highly dangerous to human health as well as to ecological systems. Biological treatments of waste gas streams, called biofiltration, containing VOCs and odorous compounds has gained much attention because biofilters are more cost effective and environmentally friendly than conventional air pollution control technologies. This review provides an overview of biotrickling filtration, which is a type of biofiltration including continuous trickled-water flow inside filter media, for VOC and odor abatement. The configuration, design, cost effectiveness, removal capacity and environmental impact of this techniques and the future research and development needs in this area are all considered.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.97-104
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• 2001

Decomposition of trichloroethlyene(TCE) in electron beam irradiation was examined on order to obtain information on the treatment of VOC in air. Air containing vaporized TCE has been studied in a flow reactor with different reaction environments, at various initial TCE concentration and in the presence and absence of water vapor. Maximum decomposition was observed in oxygen reaction environment and the degree of decomposition was about 99% at 20kGy for 2,000ppm initial TCE. The concentration of TCE exponentially decreased with dose in air and pure oxygen. The effect of water vapor on TCE decomposition efficiency was examined. The decomposition rate of TCE in the presence of water vapor (5,600 ppm) was approximately 10% higher than that in the absence of water vapor. Dichloroacetic acid, dichloroacethyl chloride and dichloroethyl ester acid were identified as primary products of this reaction adn were decomposed and oxidized to yield CO and $CO_2$. Perchloroethylene, hexachloroethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride were also observed as highly chlorinat-ed by products.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.335-338
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• 2000

To separate BTX degrading microorganisms, four kinds of activated sludges were obtained from waste water treatment plants and VOC generating plants, and adjusted 500 mg/L of BTX for three months. Y consortia degraded benzene and toluene in either individual or mixed compounds fast whereas A consortia degraded p-, m-, o-xylene fast.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.93-94
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• 2001

Biofilter operating parameters such as incoming VOCs concentrations, temperature, and packing materials were studied. The performance of a lab-scale biofilter in the treatment of air contaminated with mixtures vac has been evaluated in this study. The biofilter was operated for 80 days packed with compost. Empty bed residence time (EBRT) was 3 to 1.5 min. After 80 days of operation, the removal efficiency was 94% and 73% at $25^{\circ}C$ and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. Removal efficiencies of m-xylene (93%), o-xylene (92%) and toluene (92%) were better than that of benzene (84.7%).

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.137-146
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• 2012

Poor indoor air quality is now worldwide concern due to its adverse impacts on our health and environment. Moreover, these impacts carry a significant burden to the economy. Various technical approaches (e.g., biological, activated carbon fiber (ACF), photocatlytic oxidation (PCO), etc.) have gained popularity in controlling indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is because removing indoor VOC sources or increasing ventilation rates is often not feasible or economical. This review provides an overview of the various air purification technologies used widely to improve indoor air quality. Although most of these technologies are very useful to remove indoor VOCs, there is no single fully satisfactory method due to their diversity and presence at the low concentration. To achieve technical innovations and the development of specific testing protocols, one should possess a better knowledge on the mechanisms of substrate uptake at VOC concentrations.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.183-184
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• 2002

도시와 산업의 발달 및 인구의 도시 집중화로 다양한 종류의 오염물질이 다량으로 대기 중으로 배출되는 통 환경오염이 날로 심각해지고 상황에서, 특히 악취(odor)와 VOCs(Volatile Organic Compounds) 물질이 사회의 중요한 환경오염 문제고 부각되고 있다 광화학스모그의 선구물질인 VOC의 주요 배출원은 도로차량, 비도로차량, 용제사용과 유류저장으로 파악되고 있으며 그중 용제사용 부문에는 세정, 인쇄, 세탁, 도장, 농약살포, 소비용품, 도로포장 통에서 대부분 배출되는 것으로 알려져 있다 또한 환경기초시설인 하폐수처리장, 폐기물 소각장 및 매립장 등에서도 다량의 VOC/악취 물질들이 배출되고 있다. (중략)