• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2018

After signing the WHO FCTC in 2003, South Korea ratified the FCTC in 2005. This study was conducted to provide data on toxic constituents that can be used as useful information for the level of exposure to Korean smokers. Emissions data from five brands of cigarettes were tested under the ISO and "Canadian Intense (HCI)" smoking regimes, respectively. We conducted an analysis of 25 compounds containing nicotine, tar, carbonyls, phenolics, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and semi-VOC cigarette smoke. Tar and nicotine showed levels of 4.3 to 5.8 mg/cig and 0.4 to 0.5 mg/cig, respectively, which are within the range of tolerance presented in ISO 8243. In the case of carbonyls, formaldehyde was detected within a range of 8.2 to $14.3{\mu}g/cig$, and acetaldehyde was present within a range of 224.7 to $327.2{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO smoke regime. Crotonaldehyde was not detected under the ISO regime, and all of the carbonyls showed values 2.3 to 4.5 times higher under the HCI regime than those under the ISO regime. Catechol, which showed a level of 47.0 to $80.5{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO regime and 117.5 to $184.7{\mu}g/cig$ under the HCI regime, was the highest constituent among the phenols. The amount of isoprene was 91.7 to $158.3{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO regime and 221.0 to 377.0 under the HCI regime. To summarize, most of the constituents showed a tendency to be detected at levels 2 to 4 times higher under the HCI regime than under the ISO regime. Above all, these results represent the first analysis in Korea from an independent institute of tobacco companies under accreditation of ISO 17025.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2005

To investigate the characteristics of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentration in the groundwater around Ulsan, Korea, 168 groundwaters, 12 stream waters, and 6 sewage waters were analyzed for 61 VOCs. Results showed that VOCs were not detected in stream waters and total VOCs concentration in 5 sewage waters was in the range of ND-22.3 ${\mu}$g/L. In 78 groundwater samples more than one VOCs were detected and VOCs concentration of the samples ranged from 0.1 ${\mu}$g/L to 387.1 ${\mu}$g/L. However, VOCs concentration of 66 samples out of 78 samples showed less than 10 ${\mu}$g/L and that of only 6 samples exceeded Korea drinking water limit (KDWL). 42 VOCs detected from the 168 groundwaters were 14 aromatic hydrocarbons out of 25, 27 chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons out of 35, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Detection rate of each VOCs in the groundwaters was as follows: chloroform in 43 samples (25.6%), methylene chloride in 36 samples (21.4%), TCE in 26 samples (15.5%), 1,1-dichloroethane in 19 samples (1.3%), PCE in 16 samples (9.5%), cis-1,2-DCE in 15 samples (8.9%), and toluene in 14 samples (8.3%). Even though VOCs concentration in the groundwaters of the study area is still low, the city is expanding and the drinking water limit is becoming strict, and therefore continuous monitoring is necessary.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.447-459
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• 2012

In this study, the emission characteristics of volatile and odorant species released from salted meat product (Spam) was investigated as a function of time. Gas samples released from Spam samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOC) and sulfur compounds (RSC) at five different times for the elapsed (E) days of 0, 1, 3, 6, and 9 (E-0 to E-9) by GC/MS and GC/PFPD system, respectively. Results indicated that reduced sulfur, aldehyde, and ketone groups were the dominant odorants. Especially, hydrogen sulfide was the predominant in concentration and odor activity value (OAV) during the fresh stage. Its concentration was 1465 ${\mu}g/m^3$ (60.0% of the total mass) in E-0 and 455 ${\mu}g/m^3$ (28.0%) in E-1, while its OAV was 19.4 (78.3%: E-0) and 6.02 (41.7%: E-1). On the other hand, the concentration of acetone showed the maximum values in the decaying stage (E-3: 451 (43.2%), E-6: 369 (64.2%), and E-9: 1150 ${\mu}g/m^3$ (70.2%)). Furthermore, the concentration of 2,3-butanedione was also detected considerably from decaying sample (E-3: 17.6 (1.68%), E-6: 16.1 (2.80%), and E-9: 179 ${\mu}g/m^3$ (10.9%)). However, OAV of acetone was insignificant (<0.01%) in the decaying stage, while that of 2,3-butanedione was relatively high in the range of 1.14-11.6 (14.5-76.2% of ${\Sigma}OAV$). It thus confirmed that the major odorant groups generated from Spam samples changed with the progress of decay such as sulfur (fresh stage), aldehyde (intermediate stage), and ketone compounds (decaying stage).

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.287-297
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• 2013

The optimization of analytical method for the thermal desorption of seven VOCs (volatile organic compounds) by TD-GC/MS (thermal desorption-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer) with solid phase sorbent tube, and comparative analysis for the determination of VOCs plotted by standard sorbent tubes prepared using both gas phase and liquid phase materials were investigated. The result of paired t-test showed that a liquid phase standard sorbent tube method was in agreement with a gas phase standard sorbent tube method for six species of VOCs including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, and p-xylene except for styrene at the significance level (${\alpha}=0.01$), while the 15.6% of difference in response factor between both of gas phase and liquid phase standard plotting for the determination of styrene showed that both methods were significantly different at the significance level. Therefore, the liquid phase standard plotting method was employed to reduce erroneous data for the determination of styrene including BTEX. Under the optimized analytical method by liquid phase standard sorbent tube, recovery was between $100{\pm}5%$ for 7 species of VOCs, reproducibility ranged from 0.3 to 7.7%, and method detection limit (MDL) ranged from $0.01{\mu}g/m^3$ for o-xylene to $0.27{\mu}g/m^3$ for toluene. The optimized standard method was applied to determine VOCs VOCs from indoor air of of dormitory, one bedroom apartment, and a new car.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.104-114
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the atmospheric concentration of VOCs and the urinary concentration of t,t-MA, HA, MA in the industrial complex of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. Methods: In order to study seasonal patterns of air concentration of VOCs, measurements were taken at five sampling sites around Yeosu from June 2013 to June 2014. Urinary metabolite excretionsfrom 671 subjects, exposure and comparison area were analyzed. Results: The average concentration of VOCs in the air was 1.53ppb for benzene, 0.73ppb for toluene, 0.22ppb for ethylbenzene, 0.52ppb for xylene and 0.12ppb for styrene. The concentration of benzene was somewhat higher than the year-average standard ($5{\mu}g/m^3$, about 1.5ppb) of the domestic air-environment criteria newly established in 2010.The metabolic concentration of VOCs in the urine of the entire sample was analyzed at $47.76{\mu}g/g\;cr.$, 213.07mg/g cr., and $290.09{\mu}g/g\;cr.$ for t,t-MA, HA, and MA, respectively. Compared with the average values for Korea as presented in the first basic survey of national environmental conservation ( $49.8{\mu}g/g\;cr.$ for t,t-MA, 0.17g/g cr. for HA, and 0.26mg/g cr. for MA), the metabolic concentrations of HA and MA in urine were higher than the average values. Conclusions: The concentration of VOCs in the air and urinary metabolites of the exposed and control areas showed that the concentrations of all substances were higher in the exposed area than in the control area.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.243-254
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• 2015

In this study, the stability of the adhesive was determined through the Oddy Test that is Verification Test for potential damage by various materials. And to find the factor causing the corrosion of the metal samples, the adhesives and coatings those are usually used in the metal preservation process were selected and treated on the samples. Six kinds of adhesives and four kinds of metal specimens Fe, Pb, Cu, Ag were used. As results, the weight change showed high increasement in the rate of weight change 29.87% of Fe sample. The chromaticity measurement showed the high change value of the Cellulose-based adhesive. In case of the VOCs test from adhesive by using GC-MS, Acetic acid was detected from all six kinds of the adhesives. Compared to cellulose-based adhesives and the other adhesives, the amount of VOCs per 1mg concentration is higher than 900 times and was detected small amount of Formic acid. This is assumed to be facilitated by acid impurities and the light. This reaction was considered as the result of reducing a large amount of molecular and of generating a large amount of Nox. And thus the reacted sulfur changes was considered as the factor for causing corrosion.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.307-316
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• 2013

The sensitivity of ozone to $NO_x$ and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission rates under different ventilation rates and $NO_2-to-NO_x$ emission ratios in a street canyon is investigated using a chemistry box model. The carbon bond mechanism IV (CBM-IV) with 36 gaseous species and 93 chemical reactions is incorporated. $NO_x$ and VOCs emission rates considered range from 0.01 to $0.30ppb\;s^{-1}$ with intervals of $0.01ppb\;s^{-1}$. Three different ventilation rates and three different $NO_2-to-NO_x$ emission ratios are considered. The simulation results show that the ozone concentration decreases with increasing $NO_x$ emission rate but increases with increasing VOCs emission rate. When the emission ratio of VOCs to $NO_x$ is smaller than about 4, the ozone concentration is lower in the street canyon than in the background. On average, the magnitude of the sensitivity of ozone to $NO_x$ emission rate is significantly larger than that to VOCs emission rate. As the $NO_x$ emission rate increases, the magnitude of the sensitivity of ozone to $NO_x$ and VOCs emission rates decreases. Because the ozone concentration is lower in the street canyon than in the background, the increased ventilation rate enhances ozone inflow from the background. Therefore, the increase in ventilation rate results in the increase in ozone concentration and the decrease in the magnitude of the sensitivity of ozone to $NO_x$ and VOCs emission rates when the emission ratio of VOCs to $NO_x$ is smaller than about 4. On the other hand, the increase in $NO_2-to-NO_x$ emission ratio results in the increase in ozone concentration because the chemical ozone production due to the $NO_2$ photolysis is enhanced. In the present experimental setup, the contribution of the change in $NO_2-to-NO_x$ emission ratio to the change in the sensitivity of ozone to $NO_x$ emission rate is larger than that of the change in ventilation rate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.648-653
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• 2006

As an alternative for the traditional materials packed in biofilters treating gaseous VOCs, a novel packing material has been developed and tested. In the packing material(named as Hydrogel Bead, HB), pollutant-degrading microorganisms were immobilized in hydrogel consisted of alginate, polyvinyl alcohol(PVA), and powdered activated carbon. A closed-bottle study showed that the HB rapidly removed gaseous styrene without the losses of adsorption and biodegradation capacity. Biofilter column experiments using the HBs also demonstrated that greater than 95% of removal efficiencies were found at an inlet styrene loading rate of $245g/m^3/hr$, which was higher biofilter performance than other elimination capacity reported earlier. Furthermore, when the inlet styrene concentration increased stepwise, the adsorption played an important role in overall styrene removals. The absorbed styrene was found to be biodegraded in the following low inlet loading condition. Consequently, the new HB material is able to successfully minimize the drawbacks of activated carbon(necessity of regeneration) and biological processes(low removal capacity at dynamic loading conditions), and maximize the overall performance of biofilter systems treating VOCs.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.21-38
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• 2020

Currently, in-port emissions are a serious problem in port cities. However, emissions, especially non-greenhouse gases, from the operation of cargo handling equipment (CHE) have received significant attention from scientific circles. This study estimates the amount of emissions from on-land port diesel-powered CHE in the Port of Incheon. With real-time activity data provided by handling equipment operating companies, this research applies an activity-based approach to capture an up-to-date and reliable diesel-powered CHE emissions inventory during 2017. As a result, 105.6 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), 243.2 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 0.005 tons of sulfur oxide (Sox), 22.8 tons of particulate matter (PM), 26.0 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 0.2 tons of ammonia (NH3) were released from the landside CHE operation. CO and NOx emissions are the two primary air pollutants from the CHE operation in the Port of Incheon, contributing 87.71% of the total amount of emissions. Cranes, forklifts, tractors, and loaders are the four major sources of pollution in the Port of Incheon, contributing 84.79% of the total in-port CHE emissions. Backward diesel-powered machines equipped in these CHE are identified as a key cause of pollution. Therefore, this estimation emphasizes the significant contribution of diesel CHE to port air pollution and suggests the following green policies should be applied: (1) replacement of old diesel powered CHE by new liquefied natural gas and electric equipment; (2) the use of NOx reduction after-treatment technologies, such as selective catalytic reduction in local ports. In addition, a systematic official national emission inventory preparation method and consecutive annual in-port CHE emission inventories are recommended to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of green policies conducted in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1218-1224
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• 2008

A liquid culture of yeast "Candida tropicalis" was used in a fluidized bioreactor to achieve high removal efficiencies of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as a fluidized material to improve adsorptive capacity as well as mass transfer of gaseous toluene, the model VOC. The GAC fluidized bioreactor demonstrated toluene removal efficiencies ranging from 50 to 80%, when inlet toluene loading varied in a range between 13.1 and 37.4 g/m$^3$-hr. The maximum elimination capacity determined in the GAC fluidized bioreactor was 172 g/m$^3$-hr at a toluene loading of 291 g/m$^3$-hr. Transient loading experiments revealed that the removal efficiency was remained unchanged during an increased loading period, and toluene introduced to the bioreactor was first absorbed to GAC and then slowly desorbed and became available to the yeast culture. Hence the fluidized GAC helped to achieve an improved mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases, resulting in high toluene removal capacity. Consequently, the GAC fluidized bioreactor using C. tropicalis can be successfully applied for the removal of VOCs, and is a feasible alternative over conventional processes such as packed-bed biofilters.