• Membrane Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.157-167
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• 2008

Removal of organic substances and taste/odor control are ones of the main issues in water supply, resulting in introduction of advanced processes such as ozon/GAC, or PAC. However, raw water quality deteriorates, new pollutants advent, so water quality is not acceptable enough even with those existing advanced processes. In this paper, a new advanced water treatment process using PAC slurry blanket, where PAC particles stay in the basin as slurry blanket, coupled with submerged membranes is introduced. A pilot plant $(80m^3/day)$ was installed to assess the performance of this new process using actual raw water, and DOC was removed higher than 90% in the beginning and $70{\sim}80%$ afterwards, while 2-MIB and geosmin were removed completely. This new process still requires future study on process optimization and long-term assessment, however it seems highly possible to countermeasure as a new advanced process with high removal efficiency.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.10
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• pp.569-574
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• 2014

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) degrades heme to carbon dioxide, biliverdin, and $Fe^{2+}$, which play important roles in various biochemical processes. In this study, we examined the protective function of HO-1 against oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells and in a Parkinson's disease mouse model. Western blot and fluorescence microscopy analysis demonstrated that PEP-1-HO-1, fused with a PEP-1 peptide can cross the cellular membranes of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, the transduced PEP-1-HO-1 inhibited generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death caused by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion ($MPP^+$). In contrast, HO-1, which has no ability to transduce into SH-SY5Y cells, failed to reduce $MPP^+$-induced cellular toxicity and ROS production. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injected PEP-1-HO-1 crossed the blood-brain barrier in mouse brains. In a PD mouse model, PEP-1-HO-1 significantly protected against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced toxicity and dopaminergic neuronal death. Therefore, PEP-1-HO-1 could be a useful agent in treating oxidative stress induced ailments including PD.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1273-1280
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• 2008

This study sought to establish the optimum operating condition for the recovery of caustic (NaOH) solution from mercerization in textile process. As main factors, the silt density index (SDI) evaluation of ceramic membrane for the application of nanofiltration/reverse osmosis (NF/RO) membrane, the recovery yield measurement of caustic solution for the application of polymeric membrane, the optimum condition of chemical cleaning for the membrane regeneration, the optimum removal condition of total organic carbon (TOC), turbidity, color, and the permeate flux of ceramic membrane/polymeric membrane combined process were investigated. As results, ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) in the first step and nanofiltration (NF) in the second step were found to be suitable for the removal of total suspended solid (TSS), residual organics, turbidity including color, and the recovery of caustic solution from caustic wastewater stream in mercerization process. When only the ceramic UF membrane was used, the rejection efficiency of both of TSS and turbidity was more than 99.0%, and the color and TOC were rejected about 74.7% and 49.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, the combined membrane precess of UF and NF membranes showed even more efficient removal abilities and thus more than 99.9% of TSS and turbidity, 87.7% of color, and 78.2% of TOC were removed. In particular, 91.3% of NaOH was successfully recovered with 83.7% of total volume in the combined membrane process. With this regard, a clean caustic solution was obtained in a high purity, which can be reused for mercerization process, expecting to offer economical benefits.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2010

There are four key factors for gas-phase biofilters; biocatalysts(microorganisms), packing materials, design/operating techniques, and diagnosis/management techniques. Biofilter performance is significantly affected by microbial community structures as well as loading conditions. The microbial studies on biofilters are mostly performed on basis of culture-dependent methods. Recently, advanced methods have been proposed to characterize the microbial community structure in environmental samples. In this study, the physiological, biochemical and molecular methods for profiling microbial communities are reviewed, and their applicability to biofilters is discussed. Community-level physiological profile is based on the utilization capability of carbon substrate by heterotrophic community in environmental samples. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis method is based on the variability of fatty acids present in cell membranes of different microorganisms. Molecular methods using DNA directly extracted from environmental samples can be divided into "partial community DNA analysis" and "whole community DNA analysis" approaches. The former approaches consist in the analysis of PCR-amplified sequence, the genes of ribosomal operon are the most commonly used sequences. These methods include PCR fragment cloning and genetic fingerprinting such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism, ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, and random amplified polymorphic DNA. The whole community DNA analysis methods are total genomic cross-DNA hybridization, thermal denaturation and reassociation of whole extracted DNA and extracted whole DNA fractionation using density gradient.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2012

Low-temperature carbon dioxide stripping by a vacuum membrane stripping technology was studied as a substitute for the stripping process in a conventional aqueous amine process. Composite membranes with $5{\mu}m$ thickness of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) dense layer on a PE (polyethylene) support layer were prepared by a casting method and used as a membrane contactor for $CO_2$ stripping. Aqueous amine solutions of 30 wt% MEA (monoethanolamine) were used as absorbents. $CO_2$ flux was examined under various operating conditions by varying the vacuum pressure (60~360 mmHg (abs.)), stripping temperature ($25{\sim}80^{\circ}C$), $CO_2$ loading (0.5~0.7). $CO_2$ stripping flux increased with increasing temperature and $CO_2$ loading as well as decreasing vacuum pressure. PDMS-PE composite membrane has stability for vacuum stripping process compared with PTFE porous membrane.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2019

Much research has been made for finding new and eco-friendly alternative sources of energy to solve the problems related with the pollution caused by emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide as the use of fossil fuels increases worldwide. Among them, fuel cells draws particular interests as an eco-friendly energy generator because only water is obtained as a by-product. Anion exchange membrane-based alkaline fuel cell (AEMFC) that uses anion exchange membrane as an electrolyte is of increased interest recently because of its advantages in using low-cost metal catalyst unlike the PEMFC (potton exchange membrane fuel cell) due to the high-catalyst activity in alkaline conditions. The main properties required as an anion exchange membrane are high hydroxide conductivity and chemical stability at high pH. Recently we reported a chemically crosslinked poly(2-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) by reacting PPO with N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine as novel anion exchange membranes. In the current work, we further developed the same crosslinked polymer but having enhanced physicochemical properties, including higher conductivity, increased mechanical and dimensional stabilities by using the PPO with a higher molecular weight and also by increasing the crosslinking density. The obtained polymer membrane also showed a good cell performance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.442-455
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• 2022

High-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) has been studied as an alternative to low-temperature PEMFC due to its fast activation of electrodes and high resistance to electrode poisoning by carbon monoxide. It is highly required to develop stable PEMs operating at high temperatures even doped by ion-conducting materials for the development of high-performance and durable HT-PEMFC systems. A number of studies have been conducted to develop polybenzimidazole (PBI)-based PEMs for applications in HT-PEMFC due to their high interaction with doped ion-conducting materials and outstanding thermomechanical stability under high-temperature operation. This review focused on the development of PBI-based PEMs showing high performance and durability. Firstly, the characteristic behavior of PBI-based PEMs doped with various ion-conducting materials including phosphoric acid was systematically investigated. And then, a comparison of the physicochemical properties of the PEMs according to the different membrane manufacturing processes was conducted. Secondly, the incorporation of porous polytetrafluoroethylene substrate and/or inorganic composites to PBI matrix to improve the membrane performances was studied. Finally, the construction of cross-linked structures into PBI-based PEM systems by polymer blending method was introduced to improve the PEM properties.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2022

Solid-state supercapacitors with high safety and robust mechanical properties are attracting global attention as next-generation energy storage devices. As an electrode of a supercapacitor, an economical carbon-based electrode is widely used. However, when an aqueous electrolyte is introduced, the charge transfer resistance increases because the interfacial contact between the hydrophobic electrode surface and aqueous electrolyte is not good. In this regard, we propose a method to obtain higher electrochemical performance based on improved interfacial properties by treating the electrode surface with oxygen plasma. The surface hydrophilization induced by the enriched oxygen functionalities was confirmed by the contact angle measurement. As a result, the degree of hydrophilization was easily adjusted by controlling the power and duration of the oxygen plasma treatment. As the electrolyte of the supercapacitor, PVA/H₃PO₄, which is a typical solid-state aqueous electrolyte, was used. Free-standing membranes of PVA/H₃PO₄ electrolyte were prepared and then pressed onto the electrode. The optimal condition was to perform oxygen plasma treatment for 5 seconds with a low power of 15 W, and the energy density of the supercapacitor increased by about 8%.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.119-136
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• 1998

The lipids of milk provide energy and many essential nutrients for the newborn animal. They also have distinctive physical properties that affect the processing of dairy products. Milk fat globules mainly consist of neutral lipids like triacylglycerols, whereas the globule membranes contain the complex lipids mostly, Phospholipids are a small but important fraction of the milk lipids and are found mainly in the milk fat globule membrane and other membranous material in the skim-milk phase. The milk fats of ruminant animals are characterized by the presence of relatively high concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, especially butyric and hexanoic acids, which are rarely found in milks of non-ruminants. The fatty acids of milk lipids arise from de novo synthesis in the mammary gland and uptake from the circulating blood. The fatty acid compositions of milks are usually complex and distinctive, depending on the nature of the fatty acids synthesized de novo in the mammary gland and those received from the diet in each species. The content and composition of milks from different species vary widely; presumably, these are evolutionary adaptations to differing environments. The actual process by which these globules are formed is unkonwn, but there are indications that triglyceride-containing vesicles which bleb from endoplasmic reticulum may serve as nucleation sites for globules. Recent studies on milk have centred on the manipulation of milk lipids to increase specific fatty acids, i.e. 20-carbon omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5n3, decosahexaenoic acid 22:6n3) from marine sources because the fatty acids are closely associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.543-553
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• 2023

The current status of domestic a agalmatolite mines in South Korea was investigated with a view to establishing a stable supply of agalmatolite and managing its demand. Most mined agalmatolite deposits were formed through hydrothermal alteration of Mesozoic volcanic rocks. The physical characteristics of pyrophyllite, the main constituent mineral of agalmatolite, are as follows: specific gravity 2.65~2.90, hardness 1~2, density 1.60~1.80 g/cm³, refractoriness ≥29, and color white, gray, grayish white, grayish green, yellow, or yellowish green. Among the chemical components of domestic agalmatolite, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents are respectively 58.2~67.2 and 23.1~28.8 wt.% for pyrophyllite, 49.2~72.6 and 16.5~31.0 wt.% for pyrophyllite + dickite, 45.1 and 23.3 wt.% for pyrophyllite + illite, 43.1~82.3 and 11.4~35.8 wt.% for illite, and 37.6~69.0 and 19.6~35.3 wt.% for dickite. Domestic agalmatolite mines are concentrated mainly in the southwest and southeast of the Korean Peninsula, with some occurring in the northeast. Twenty-one mines currently produce agalmatolite in South Korea, with reserves in the order of Jeonnam (45.6%) > Chungbuk (30.8%) > Gyeongnam (13.0%) > Gangwon (4.8%), and Gyeongbuk (4.8%). The top 10 agalmatolite-producing mines are in the order of the Central Resources Mine (37.9%) > Wando Mine (25.6%) > Naju Ceramic Mine (13.4%) > Cheongseok-Sajiwon Mine (5.4%) > Gyeongju Mine (5.0%) > Baekam Mine (5.0%) > Minkyung-Nohwado Mine (3.3%) > Bugok Mine (2.3%) > Jinhae Pylphin Mine (2.2%) > Bohae Mine. Agalmatolite has low thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, thermal deformation, and expansion coefficients, low bulk density, high heat and corrosion resistance, and high sterilization and insecticidal efficiency. Accordingly, it is used in fields such as refractory, ceramic, cement additive, sterilization, and insecticide manufacturing and in filling materials. Its scope of use is expanding to high-tech industries, such as water treatment ceramic membranes, diesel exhaust gas-reduction ceramic filters, glass fibers, and LCD panels.