• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1294-1303
• /
• 2019

Perchlorate is an anionic pollutant that is very soluble and stable in water. It has been detected not only in soil/ground water but also in surface water, drinking water, food, fish, and crops. Perchlorate inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid gland and reduces production of thyroid hormones that are primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. Although various technologies have been developed to remove perchlorate from the environment, biodegradation is the method of choice since it is economical and environmentally friendly. However there is limited information on perchlorate biodegradation in salt environment such as salt water. Therefore this paper reviews biodegradation of perchlorate in salt water and related microorganisms. Most biodegradation research has employed heterotrophic perchlorate removal using organic compounds such as acetate as electron donors. Biodegradation research has focused on perchlorate removal from spent brine generated by ion exchange technology that is primarily employed to clean up perchlorate-contaminated ground water. Continuous removal of perchlorate at up to 10% NaCl was shown when bioreactors were inoculated with enriched salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing bacteria. However the reactors did not show long-term stable removal of perchlorate. Microorganisms belonging to ${\beta}$- and ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria were dominant in bioreactors used to remove perchlorate from salt water. This review will help our understanding of perchlorate removal from salt water to develop a decent biotechnology for the process.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.353-366
• /
• 2019

This research proposes an optimal flushing operation technique in an effort to prevent secondary water pollutions and accidents in aged pipes, and to improve the cleaning effect of unidirectional flushing. Water flow directions were analyzed using EPANET 2.0, while flushing and air scouring experiments in forward and reverse directions were performed in the field. In 42 experiments, average residual chlorine concentration and turbidity were improved after cleaning compared to before cleaning. It was found that even when the same cleaning method was used, further improvement of cleaning effect was possible by applying air injection and reverse direction cleaning techniques. By means of one-way ANOVA(Analysis of variance), it was also possible to statistically verify the need of actively utilizing air injection and reverse direction cleaning. Based on correlation between turbidity and TSS, the total amount of suspended solids removal was estimated for 874 flushing operations and 194 air scouring operations. The result showed that air scouring used more discharge water than flushing by an average of $4.9m^3$ yet with larger amounts of suspended solids removal by an average of 145.9 g. The result of analysis on turbidity values from 887 flushing operations showed low cleaning effect of unidirectional flushing for the pipes with diameters over 300 mm. In addition, the turbidity values measured during cleaning showed an increasing tendency as pipe age increased. The methodology and results of this research are expected to contribute to the efficient maintenance and improvement of water quality in water distribution networks. Follow-up research involving the measurement of water quality at regular time intervals during cleaning would allow a more accurate comparison of discharge water quality characteristics and cleaning effects between different cleaning methods. To this end, it is considered necessary to develop a standardized manual that can be used in the field and to provide relevant trainings.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.62-69
• /
• 2014

In the results of monitoring nitrate concentration in more than 8,000 groundwater wells around agro-livestock, the average and maximum nitrate concentration was 9.4 mg/L and 101.2 mg/L, respectively. Since about 31% of the monitoring wells was exceed the quality standard for drinking water, nitrate control such as remediation or source regulation is required to conserve safe-groundwater in South Korea. Typical nitrate-treatment technologies include ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and biological denitrification. Among the treatment methods, biological denitrification by indigenous microorganism has environmental and economic advantages for the complete elimination of nitrate because of lower operating costs compared to other methods. Major mechanism of the process is microbial reduction of nitrate to nitrite and nitrogen gas. Three functional genes (nosZ, nirK, nirS) that encode for the enzyme involved in the pathway. In this work, we tried to develop simple process to determine possibility of natural denitrification reaction by monitoring the functional gene. For the work, the functional genes in nitrate-contaminated groundwater were monitored by using PCR with specific target primers. In the result, functional genes (nosZ and nirK) encoding denitrification enzymes were detected in the groundwater samples. This method can help to determine the possibility of natural-nitrate degradation in target groundwater wells without multiplex experimental process. In addition, for field-remediation application we selected nitrate-contaminated site where 200~600 mg/L of nitrate is continuously detected. To determine the possibility of nitrate-degradation by stimulated-natural attenuation, groundwater was sampled in two different wells of the site and nitrate concentration of the samples was 300 mg/L and 616 mg/L, respectively. Fumarate for different C/N ratio was added into microcosm bottles containing the groundwater to examine denitrification rate depending on carbon concentration. In the result, once 1.5 times more than amount of fumarate stoichiometry required was added, the 616 mg/L of nitrate and 300 mg/L of nitrate were completely degraded in 8 days and 30 days. The nitrite, byproduct of denitrification process, was also completely degraded during the experimental period.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.87-100
• /
• 2021

With a striking increase in the level of contamination and subsequent degradations in the environment, detection and monitoring of contaminants in various sites has become a crucial mission in current society. In this review, we have summarized the current research areas in membrane-based colorimetric sensors for trace detection of various molecules. The researches covered in this summary utilize membranes composed of cellulose fibers as sensing platforms and metal nanoparticles or fluorophores as optical reagents. Displaying decent or excellent sensitivity, most of the developed sensors achieve a significant selectivity in the presence of interfering ions. The physical and chemical properties of cellulose membrane platforms can be customized by changing the synthesis method or type of optical reagent used, allowing a wide range of applications possible. Membrane-based sensors are also portable and have great mechanical properties, which enable on-site detection of contaminants. With such superior qualities, membrane-based sensors examined in the researches were used for versatile purposes including quantification of heavy metals in drinking water, trace detection of toxic antibiotics and heavy metals in environmental water samples. Some of the sensors exhibited additional features like antimicrobial ability and recyclability. Lastly, while most of the sensors aimed for a detection enabled by naked eyes through rapid colour change, many of them investigated further detection methods like fluorescence, UV-vis spectroscopy, and RGB colour intensity.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.238-246
• /
• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of mineral components, health and taste index for water supply plants, spring water located in northern Gyeonggi area and bottled waters in market to analyze Ca, K, Mg Na, Si, $F^-$ and $SO_4{^{2-}}$. Method: The samples were source and tap water in 15 water supply plants over 9 river basin, 172 spring water and 20 bottled water. The Ca, K, Mg Na and Si were analyzed by ICP-OES. The $F^-$ and $SO_4{^{2-}}$ were determined by Ion Chromatograph. Then, taste and health index were calculated using Hashimoto equation. Results: The average concentration of major minerals showed in same order of Ca > Na > Mg > K for all kinds of drinking water from water supply plants, spring waters and bottled waters. Total concentration of major minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na) was calculated that showed 26.79 mg/L of tap water, 21.81 mg/L of spring water, 32.94 mg/L of bottled water on average. So, the spring waters indicated the lowest minerals sum. The tap water from water supply plants was categorized to Group I, II for 33.3, 44.4% according to K-index and O-index. Otherwise, spring water was classified as Group I, II for 44.0, 46.3%. Conclusion: According to the results of K and O-index, water from water supply plant showed higher K-index which means good for the health. Otherwise, spring water indicated higher O-index that people can feel more delicious than tap water. Futhermore, the mineral distribution of source water from water supply plants and spring water had indicated high correlation with geological effect.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.52 no.9
• /
• pp.637-645
• /
• 2019

Among various ecosystem services provided by the basin, this study deals with water yield (WY) estimation in the Bagmati basin of Nepal. Maps of where water used for different facilities like water supply, irrigation, hydropower etc. are generated helps planning and management of facilities. These maps also help to avoid unintended impacts on provision and production of services. Several studies have focused on the provision of ecosystem services (ES) on the basin. Most of the studies have are primarily focused on carbon storage and drinking water supply. Meanwhile, none of the studies has specifically highlighted water yield distribution on sub-basin scale and as per land use types in the Bagmati basin of Nepal. Thus, this study was originated with an aim to compute the total WY of the basin along with computation on a sub-basin scale and to study the WY capacity of different landuse types of the basin. For the study, InVEST water yield model, a popular model for ecosystem service assessment based on Budyko hydrological method is used along with ArcGIS. The result shows water yield per hectare is highest on sub-basin 5 ($15216.32m^3/ha$) and lowest on sub-basin 6 ($10847.15m^3/ha$). Likewise, built-up landuse has highest WY capacity followed by grassland and agricultural area. The sub-basin wise and LULC specific WY estimations are expected to provide scenarios for development of interrelated services on local scales. Also, these estimations are expected to promote sustainable land use policies and interrelated water management services.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.241-260
• /
• 2010

This study aims to fully understand the experience of elderly men living alone in a single room occupancy(Chokbang) by identifying the meaning and essence of their experiences. This research used purposive sampling. The data were collected for 7 months from september 2008 to march 2009. Eight elderly men participated in the interview. Mainly the semi-structured in-depth interview and focus group interview were used. The data analysis was based on Giorgi's 4 types of specific steps. As a result, 4 components and 16 subordinate components were drawn from the analysis. The components resulted from the analysis are: , , , . Based on these results, I discussed the attitudes of the elderly men living alone in Chokbang in meaningful and gender-sensitive ways. Moreover, I provided social welfare connotation and future research suggestions.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.215-224
• /
• 2021

In this study, to investigate the effect of stabilization of Pb-contaminated soil near a smelter site for the reduction of environmental risk of Pb leaching, commercial stabilizers were amended with the Pb-contaminated soil and evaluated leaching characteristics of Pb in soil by TCLP and SPLP leaching test. Also, performing sequential extraction procedure speciation of Pb in the amended soil was investigated. Limestone, AC-2 (Amron), Metafix (Peroxychem) that possess stabilization performance towards heavy metal in soil and mass production is available were selected as candidates. AC-2 contained a CaCO₃ and MgO crystalline phase, while Metafix had a Fe₇S₈ crystalline phase, according to XRD studies. Pb content in SPLP extract was lower than the South Korean drinking water standard for Pb in groundwater at 4% AC-2 and Metafix treatment soil, and TCLP-based stabilization effectiveness was more than 90%. The findings of the sequential extraction method of soil treated with Metafix revealed that fractions 1 and 2 of Pb, which correspond to relatively high mobility and bioavailable fractions, were lowered, while the residual fraction (fraction 5) was raised. As a consequence, the order of performance for Pb stabilization in polluted soil was Metafix>AC-2>limestone.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2022

Objective : This study was designed to investigate anti-diabetic effects of fermented soy bean extract with herbal medicines (Godjang) in diabetic rat models induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Method : Changes in body weight, drinking water, and food intake were observed for 4 weeks before and after induction of diabetes mellitus in rats. The anti-diabetic capacity of Godjang was analyzed by fasting blood glucose (FBG) every week. Also, after 4 weeks of administration, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed, and then blood levels of insulin were checked. And serum levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined. Histomorphological changes of liver, kidney and pancreatic tissues were also observed in STZ-induced diabetic rats and Godjang administered rats. Result : In Godjang administered group, body weight and water intake were more lower than that of STZ-induced diabetic rats. FBG was decreased in the Godjang administered group than STZ-induced diabetic group. According to OGTT, blood glucose levels at 30 minutes and 60 minutes significantly decreased in Godjang administered group than in STZ-induced diabetic control group. Administration of Godjang extract for 4W significantly decreased levels of serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) in diabetic rats. In histomorphological analysis of kidney, liver, Godjang administrated groups showed the inhibition of pathological damage. Conclusion : These results suggest that Godjang extract has an anti-diabetic action through decrease in serum glucose, TC, TG levels and recovery of the morphological changes in kidney and liver in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.33-39
• /
• 2009

Objects : This study propose to compare on general characteristics of acute stroke patients between Fire-Heat group and Deficiency of Yin group. Method : We recruited acute stroke patient within 4 weeks after stroke admitted to Department of Internal Medicine of Kyunghee University Oriental Medicial Center, Dongguk University Ilsan Oriental Medical Center, Kyungwon University Songpa Oriental Medical Centar and Kyungwon University Incheon Oriental Medical Center from April 2007 to August 2009. We investigate age, sex, type of stroke, past history, general characteristics, smoking, drinking alcohol, marriage sasang constitution, etc. Result : It was significant different in sex, smoking, dringking alcohol and marriage between Fire-Heat group and Deficiency Yin group. We need more cases for another result that could associate with diagnosis of stroke. Conclusion : We found that Fire heat group was more associated with lifestyle than deficiency yin group. Further study will be needed to analysis for the diagnosis and the treatments of stroke.