• Biomaterials Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.328-336
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• 2018

Background: Biogenic fabrication of silver nanoparticles from naturally occurring biomaterials provides an alternative, eco-friendly and cost-effective means of obtaining nanoparticles. It is a favourite pursuit of all scientists and has gained popularity because it prevents the environment from pollution. Our main objective to take up this project is to fabricate silver nanoparticles from lichen, Usnea longissima and explore their properties. In the present study, we report a benign method of biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from aqueous-ethanolic extract of Usnea longissima and their characterization by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Silver nanoparticles thus obtained were tested for antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria. Results: Formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by the appearance of an absorption band at 400 nm in the UV-vis spectrum of the colloidal solution containing both the nanoparticles and U. longissima extract. Poly(ethylene glycol) coated silver nanoparticles showed additional absorption peaks at 424 and 450 nm. FTIR spectrum showed the involvement of amines, usnic acids, phenols, aldehydes and ketones in the reduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles. Morphological studies showed three types of nanoparticles with an abundance of spherical shaped silver nanoparticles of 9.40-11.23 nm. Their average hydrodynamic diameter is 437.1 nm. Results of in vitro antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Streptococcus viridans, Corynebacterium xerosis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae (gram positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneuomoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram negative bacteria) showed that it was effective against tested bacterial strains. However, S. mutans, C. diphtheriae and P. aeruginosa were resistant to silver nanoparticles. Conclusion: Lichens are rarely exploited for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles. In the present work the lichen acts as reducing as well as capping agent. They can therefore, be used to synthesize metal nanoparticles and their size may be controlled by monitoring the concentration of extract and metal ions. Since they are antibacterial they may be used for the treatment of bacterial infections in man and animal. They can also be used in purification of water, in soaps and medicine. Their sustained release may be achieved by coating them with a suitable polymer. Silver nanoparticles fabricated from edible U. longissima are free from toxic chemicals and therefore they can be safely used in medicine and medical devices. These silver nanoparticles were stable for weeks therefore they can be stored for longer duration of time without decomposition.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 1998

This study was carried out to granulate artificial zeolite powder that remove ammonium nitrogen and phosphorous simultaneously in wastewater treatment. Optimum water content was required for 30 percent volume to granulate artificial zeolite with 1.7mm diameter and 1~2cm length using granulator. Portland cement could remove much $NH_4{^+}$ and $PO_4{^{3-}}$ from the wastewater than other binding materials. Mixed 33, 25. 20. 16 percent of portland cement to artificial zeolite powder(v/v), cation exchange capacity of the granulars were 66.5, 81.4, 126.8, $151.2cmol^+kg^{-1}$ and hardness of that were 176.1, 24.4, 4.1, $0.4kg\;cm^{-2}$, respectively. Content of portland cement in the granular were related with removal of $PO_4{^{3-}}$ positively and that of $NH_4{^+}$ negatively. Shaked 1g of the granulars that made of portland cement 33 percent with 40ml synthetic wastewater containing $NH_4{^+}$ $1545mgl^{-1}$ and $PO_4{^{3-}}$ $417mgl^{-1}$, 99.4 percent of $NH_4{^+}$ and 90.3 percent of $PO_4{^{3-}}$ were removed simultaneously after 48 hours shaking. The longer shaking, the more $NH_4{^+}$ and $PO_4{^{3-}}$were removed. The artificial zeolite granular had both micropore and macropore that could be useful in the wastewater purification.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2019

It is an urgent issue to manage and reduce non-point pollution sources for improving the water quality of stream and lakes in rural areas. In this study, in order to reduce non-point pollution sources in rural area, Gabion mattresses was proposed to provide protection of riverbanks with anaerobic and aerobic area. The utilization of this was assessed by lab scale model test and pilot plant test. After filling the inside of the gabion mattresses with aggregate, the filtration zone under anaerobic and aerobic conditions was formed to treat the contaminants. In addition, vegetation was deposited on the surfae of the gabion to prevent the inflow of soil and to promote purification by the plant. COD and nitrogen content (T-N, $NH_4{^+}$, -N, $NO_3{^-}N$) were monitored in model and field tests. The lab scale model test showed removal efficiency of 17% of TCOD, 35% of SCOD, 14% of TN, 62% of $NH_4{^+}$, -N, and 33% of $NO_3{^-}$ N. Also, pilot plant test showed removal efficiency of 24% of TCOD, 29% of SCOD, 47% of TN, 50% of $NH_4{^+}-N$, 33% of $NO_3{^-}$, N and 29% of TP.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.481-491
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• 2022

This study investigates the characteristics of the GAC adsorption behavior during the operation of a multi-stage cross-flow filtration and GAC adsorption process for the purpose of devising an advanced treatment of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and evaluates the regeneration efficiency of spent GAC that has reached the design breakpoint. During the filtration process, suspended substances are easily removed, but dissolved organic substances are not removed, necessitating a process capable of removing dissolved organic substances for the advanced treatment of CSOs. In general, GAC adsorption has been applied under low-concentration organic conditions, such as for water purification and tertiary treatments of sewage, and has rarely been applied under conditions with high organic concentrations, such as with sewage or CSOs. Accordingly, this study will provide a new and interesting experience. Also in this study, the continuous operation and breakthrough characteristics of GAC according to the strength of the inflow organic matter were investigated, electrochemical regeneration was applied to the used GAC, and the regeneration efficiency was evaluated through desorption and re-adsorption tests. The results showed that the breakthrough period was 21 days under high concentration conditions, 28 days at medium concentrations, and 32 days under low concentration conditions. The desorption of adsorbed organic matter through electrolysis occurred in the range of 188 to 609 mgCOD/L depending on the electrolysis conditions, and the effect of the electrolyte type led to the finding that NaOH was slightly higher than H₂O₂.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.194-202
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• 2006

In this work, extraction and purification of the possible whitening agents from the Chinese plants; Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat (xizang cai ju hua), Rhodiola sachalinensis, and Terminalia chebula Retzius have been described. The chopped leaves of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat and Terminalia chebula Retzius were added to water and ethyl ether, respectively. Components were separated on a GS310 column ($21.5{\times}500mm$ i.d., $10-15{\mu}m$) and concentrated into four or three portions. The chopped leaves of Rhodiola salientness were added to methanol and separated and concentrated on a column ($C_{18}$ column, $3.9^{\circ}$�F8;300 mm i.d., $15{\mu}m$) into two parts. The whitening effects of extracts were examined by in-vitro melanin production assay, in melana and B16 cells at a concentration of $10{\mu}g/ml$. The ethyl acetate layer of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat showed 92% melanin inhibitory at $200{\mu}g/ml$, the extract of Rhodiola sachalinensis showed a whitening effect of about 60% melanin inhibitory, which was more efficient than the whitening effect of arbutin (45.6%). The methanol extract of Terminalia chebula Retzius inhibited melanin expression by 90% at $100{\mu}g/ml$; however, it was toxic to B16 melanoma cells.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2009

The steroid compounds in Rhodiola sachalinensis were determined with adsorption column chromatographic purification and GC/MS. Sterols were extracted by sonication and Soxhlet with ethanol and dichloromethane, respectively. The extract was partitioned with chloroform and water using liquid-liquid extraction, and purified with a silica column after the sterols had been converted to the corresponding silyl derivatives with BSTFA. Eighteen free sterols, including $\beta$-sitosterol, stigmasterol and cycloartenol, and nine sterol conjugates were found from Rhodiola sachalinensis by GC/MS. Among them, cholest-5-ene-3-ol, cholesterol, stigmasterol, $\beta$-sitosterol were confirmed and quantified with sterol standards. Most sterols were presented in the chloroform part, with $C_{29}$ being the most abundant group in this sterol group. $\beta$-sitosterol was the most abundant compound with a relative content of 45.94% followed by ergost-7-ene-3-ol (11.33%), 4,14-dimethyl-ergosta-8,24(28)-diene-3-ol (7.07%), stigmasterol (6.09%), cycloartenol (5.43%) and 4-methyl-cholest-5-ene-3-ol (5.39%).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.114-114
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• 2022

There are 28 families and 166 species of exotic weeds on agricultural land and among these, 23 families and 80 species of exotic weeds occur on pastures. Among them, the Solidago altissima is a perennial weed belonging to the asteraceae family and it is an exotic weed that spreads to the surrounding area using methods such as high seed production, vegetative propagation using underground rhizomes and allelochemical. Accordingly, in 2009, the Ministry of Environment designated it as an ecosystem-disrupting species. This study was conducted to obtain basic data about the effects of S.altissima derived allelochemicals on forage crops. The root of S.altissima was separated, dried in the shade and then pulverized to prepare an root powder. Powder was repeatedly extracted with methanol for 3 days and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain an root methanol extract. Dissolve the extract in distilled water, dispense it in a separate-funnel and proceed with liquid-liquid extraction by adding equal amounts of n-haxane (Hex), chloroform (CHCI₃), ethyl acetate (EtoAC), and butanol (BuOH) in order of increasing polarity. A seed-bioassay was performed using fractions for each solvent, followed by separation and purification by silica gel column chromatography. As a result of the fraction germination test for each solvent, the IC₅₀ values using the fresh weight of each fraction were 898.3 mg L^-1, 676.3 mg L^-1, 1160 mg L^-1 and 1360 mg L^-1. CA, CB, and CC fractions were obtained through primary silica gel column chromatography that used CHCI₃ fraction. As a result of seed-bioassay using each fraction, the IC₅₀ values for the fresh weight of each fraction was 537.3 mg L^-1, 1280 mg L^-1 and 1947 mg L^-1. Based on this, 5 fractions were obtained as a result of secondary silica gel column chromatography using the CA fraction. A seed-bioassay was performed, as a result, the lowest IC₅₀ value was calculated as 226.7 mg L^-1 in the CAE fraction. Based on this, the fraction was analyzed by GC-MS. The results of this study can be used as basic research data on the effects of weeds on forage crops and allelochemicals secreted from S. altissima.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.165-171
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• 2006

This is the research to prepare a purification program for relatively less polluted stream by using phytoremediation. We calculated a treatment amount of nutrients followed by growth of Helianthus annuus (a kind of sunflower), setting up the plant reactor in the hothouse. Moreover, to investigate a field applicability, we could find increased contents of nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen in plants by setting up a H. annuus planted artificial floating island in an irrigation canal. When we changed the dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN) concentration of the influent from 28.5 to 199.2 mg/l and the dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP) concentration of the influent from 13.3 to 25.4 mg/l, growth disorder has not appeared though it is much higher than the criterion of water for irrigation. In this case, the removal rate of DIN was $81.7\sim98.6%$, and that of DIP was $81.9\sim98.4%$ in 3 days stay on average. It has appeared that the efficient hydraulic retention time(HRT) was 48 hours. The following contents of nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen of H. annuus appeared in the artificial floating island: nitrogen was $3.2\sim7.8%$ in the trunk and $3.0\sim6.3%$ in the root. Carbon was $40.1\sim57.7%$ in the trunk and $43.4\sim53.8%$ in the root.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.349-358
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• 2007

In order to understand biogeochemical cycles of organic carbon in the permeable intertidal sandy sediments of the Nakdong estuary, we estimated the organic carbon production and consumption rates both in situ and in the laboratory. The Chl-a content of the sediment and the nutrient concentrations in below surface pore water in the sandy sediment were lower than in the muddy sediment. The sediment oxygen consumption rates were relatively high, especially when compared with rates reported from other coastal muddy sediments with higher organic carbon contents. This implied that both the organic carbon degradation and material transport in the sandy sediment were enhanced by advection-related process. The simple mass balance estimation of organic carbon fluxes showed that the major sources of carbon in the sediment would originate from benthic microalgae and detrital organic carbon derived from salt marsh. The daily natural biocatalzed filtration, extrapolated from filtration rates and the total area of the Nakdong estuary, was one order higher than the maximum capability of sewage plants in Busan metropolitan city. This implies that the sandy sediment contributes greatly to biogeochemical purification in the area, and is important for the re-distribution of materials in the coastal environment.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.195-207
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• 2000

Organic and inorganic characteristics including bacterial cell number, enzyme activity, nutrients, and heavy metals have been monitored in twelve acrylic experimental tanks for two weeks to estimate and compare self-purification capacities in two Korean wet-land environments, tidal flat and rice field, which are possibly different with the environments in other countries because of their own climatic conditions. FW tanks, filled with rice field soils and fresh water, consist of FW1&2 (with paddy), FW3&4 (without paddy), and FW5&6 (newly reclaimed, without paddy). SW tanks, filled with tidal flat sediments and salt water, are SW1&2 (with anoxic silty mud), SW3&4 (anoxic mud), and SW5&6 (suboxic mud). Contaminated solution, which is formulated with the salts of Cu, Cd, As, Cr, Pb, Hg, and glucose+glutamic acid, was spiked into the supernatent waters in the tanks. Nitrate concentrations in supernatent waters as well as bacterial cell numbers and enzyme activities of soils in the FW tanks (except FW5&6) are clearly higher than those in the SW tanks. Phosphate concentrations in the SW1 tank increase highly with time compared to those in the other SW tanks. Removal rates of Cu, Cd, and As in supematent waters of the FW5&6 tanks are most slow in the FW tanks, while the rates in SW1&2 are most fast in the SW tanks. The rate for Pb in the SW1&2 tanks is most fast in the SW tanks, and the rate for Hg in the FW5&6 tanks is most slow in the FW tanks. Cr concentrations decrease generally with time in the FW tanks. In the SW tanks, however, the Cr concentrations decrease rapidly at first, then increase, and then remain nearly constant. These results imply that labile organic materials are depleted in the FW5&6 tanks compared to the FW1&2 and FW3&4 tanks. Removal of Cu, Cd, As from the supernatent waters as well as slow removal rates of the elements (including Hg) are likely due to the combining of the elements with organic ligands on the suspended particles and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Fast removal rates of the metal ions (Cu, Cd, As) and rapid increase of phosphate concentrations in the SW1&2 tanks are possibly due to the relatively porous anoxic sediments in the SW1&2 tanks compared to those in the SW3&4 tanks, efficient supply of phosphate and hydrogen sulfide ions in pore wates to the upper water body, complexing of the metal ions with the sulfide ions, and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Organic materials on the particles and sulfide ions from the pore waters are the major factors constraining the behaviors of organic/inorganic elements in the supernatent waters of the experimental tanks. This study needs more consideration on more diverse organic and inorganic elements and experimental conditions such as tidal action, temperature variation, activities of benthic animals, etc.