• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.425-432
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• 2022

Antifouling paints that inhibit the attachment and contamination of marine organisms mainly use TBT compounds, but because of their toxic components, they cause ecosystem disturbance and environmental destruction problems, so It is necessary to research eco-friendly antifouling paints that are easy to maintain and effective antifouling technologies. In this study, physical surface treatment of silane coating and chemical antifouling technology were applied to the metal surface to secure the stability of the surface of the marine structure and inhibit the attachment and growth of marine organisms. Adhesion of marine organisms was evaluated according to the coating conditions through surface evaluation of the charged material for 15 months in the waters of the west coast of Korea. In accordance with ASTM D6990-05, antifouling properties fouling rates (FR) and physical degradation rates(PDR) were evaluated through visual inspection of the evaluation specimens. As a result of evaluating the antifouling performance of the coated surface, it was confirmed that the antifouling performance was maintained at the 50% level even after 15 months in the sample subjected to physical processing and silane coating.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2021

Photocatalytic green energy H2 production utilizing inexhaustible solar energy has been considered as a potential solution to problems of energy scarcity and environmental contamination. However, the design of a cost-effective photocatalyst using simple synthesis methodology is still a grand challenge. Herein, a low-cost transition metal, Cu-loaded one-dimensional TiO2 nanorods (Cu/TNR) were fabricated using an easy-to-use synthesis methodology for significant H2 production under simulated solar light. X-ray photoelectron spectral studies and electron microscopy measurements provide evidence to support the successful formation of the Cu/TNR catalyst under our experimental conditions. UV-vis DRS studies further demonstrate that introducing Cu on the surface of TNR substantially increases light absorption in the visible range. Notably, the Cu/TNR catalyst with optimum Cu content, achieved a remarkable H2 production with a yield of 39,239 µmol/g after 3 h of solar light illumination, representing 7.4- and 27.7-fold enhancements against TNR and commercial P25, respectively. The notably improved H2 evolution activity of the target Cu/TNR catalyst was primarily attributed to its excellent separation and efficiently hampered recombination of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. The Cu/TNR catalyst is, therefore, a potential candidate for photocatalytic green energy applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.469-478
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• 2022

Tritium was extracted from tritium-contaminated aluminum samples by heating it in a high-temperature furnace at 200, 300, or 400 ℃ for 15 h. The extracted tritium was analyzed by using a liquid scintillation counter (LSC); the sample thicknesses were 0.4 and 2 mm. The differences in tritium extraction over time were also investigated by cutting aluminum stick samples into several pieces (1, 5, 10, and 15) with the same thickness, and subsequently heating them. The results revealed that there are most of the hydrated material based on tritium on the surface of aluminum. When the temperature was increased from 200 or 300 ℃-400 ℃, there are no large differences in the heating duration required for the radioactivity concentration to be lower than the MDA value. Additionally, at the same thickness, because the surface of aluminum is only contaminated to tritiated water, cutting the aluminum samples into several pieces (5, 10, and 15) did not have a substantial effect on the tritium extraction fraction at any of the applied heating temperatures (200, 300, or 400 ℃). The proportion of each tritium-release materials (aluminum hydrate based on tritium) were investigated via diverse analyses (LSC, XRD, and SEM-EDS).

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.22-36
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• 2022

Cadmium is a class 1 carcinogen classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and has a high potential for leaching into groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to address cadmium contamination by employing adequate treatment methodologies. Although various methods have been suggested to reduce cadmium in groundwater, their applications often suffer from various limitation arising from heterogeneous field conditions and technical difficulties. In this work, several in-situ technologies to treat cadmium contaminated groundwater were reviewed and discussed by separately addressing physicochemical, chemical and biological methods. In particular, the optimum cadmium remediation strategies that involve physical removal of source area → physicochemical and chemical remediation → biological remediation were proposed by considering reduction efficiency, adsorption rate, economic feasibility and ease of field application in groundwater.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.12-24
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• 2023

With the improvement of laser technology, the strategic needs of efficient and precise decontamination of various components in nuclear application units can be fulfilled by laser decontamination. The surface contaminants of nuclear facilities mainly exist both as loose contaminated layer and fixed oxide layer. The types of radionuclides and contamination layer thickness are closely related to the operation status of nuclear facilities, which have an important influence on the laser decontamination process. This study reviewed the mechanism of laser surface treatment and the influence of laser process parameters on the decontamination thickness, decontamination factor, decontamination efficiency and the distribution of aerosol particle. Although multiple studies have been performed on the mechanism of laser processing and laser decontamination process, there are few studies on the microscopic process mechanism of laser decontamination and the influence of laser decontamination on surface properties. In particular, the interaction between laser and radioactive contaminants needs more research in the future.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.14-18
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• 2023

Superconducting layers deposited on the metal substrate using the pulsed laser deposition process (PLD) play a crucial role in exploring new applications of superconducting wires and enhancing the performance of superconducting devices. In order to improve the superconducting property and increase the throughput of superconducting wire fabricated by pulsed laser deposition, high temperature heating device is needed that provides high temperature stability and strong durability in high oxygen partial pressure environments while minimizing performance degradation caused by surface contamination. In this study, new heating device have been developed for PLD process that deposit and growth the superconducting material continuously on substrate using reel-to-reel transportation apparatus. New heating device is designed and fabricated using iron-chromium-aluminum wire and alumina tube as a heating element and sheath materials, respectively. Heating temperature of the heater was reached over 850 ℃ under 700 mTorr of oxygen partial pressure and is kept for 5 hours. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the developed heating device system in maintaining a stable and consistent temperature in PLD. These research findings make significant contributions to the exploration of new applications for superconducting materials and the enhancement of superconducting device performance.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1339-1346
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• 2024

Electrorefining in molten salts is used for purifying actinides. Optimizing electrorefining is key to minimizing processing time and radiological waste. One possible way of improving electrorefining efficiency is using an AC superimposed DC waveform. This waveform has demonstrated potential benefits in aqueous solutions but has never been utilized in a molten metal, molten salt application. This work investigates the effects of using an AC superimposed DC waveform on molten bismuth electrorefining in a molten LiCl-KCl-CaCl2 eutectic. Bismuth has been identified as a potential surrogate for plutonium electrorefining and a potential cathode in electrorefining used nuclear fuel (UNF). All electrorefining runs resulted in a high purity cathode ring and high yield with exception of the run using a low-frequency, high-amplitude superimposed AC waveform, which experienced some contamination and a lower yield. The other three AC superimposed DC runs experienced an average yield 6.7 % higher than the average yield of the DC runs. The electrorefining run using the high-frequency, high-amplitude superimposed AC signal had the highest yield. It is recommended in future studies to investigate the statistical variability of electrorefining yield and current efficiency and the impact of AC superimposed DC waveforms on solidified bismuth anodes.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.535-547
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• 2019

In this study, the heavy metal analysis in sediments (surface sediments, sediments cores and settling particles) from Shihwa Lake has been carried out to evaluate the changes of metal pollution levels in sediments after the operation of Tidal Power Plant (TPP). The average concentrations of metals in surface sediments sampled in 2015 were 8% (Cd)~31% (Zn, Hg) lower than in 2009 before TPP operation. Results of calculating the pollution load index (PLI) with 8 metals, the PLI value in 2015 showed a 18% decrease compared to 2009. However, Cu, Zn, Pb concentrations of surface sediments in 2015 at the upper region around industrial complex still exceeded the TEL (threshold effect level) values for sediment quality guideline in Korea. After the operation of TPP, the metal contaminated depths were increasing from 15 cm to 30 cm at S6 site and from 8 cm to 20 cm at S7 site, respectively. Our data showed that the mean concentration of heavy metals in core samples decreased but the contaminated depth increased. The average of the total sedimentation flux for particulate matter increased by 3.2 times from 32.5 g/㎡/d in 2009 to 103.5 g/㎡/d in 2015. This showed that the bottom sediments were resuspended by the operation of TPP, resulting in an increase of particulate matter in the water column. These results suggest that the sediments contaminated with heavy metals seem to be resuspended and relocated due to the water current caused by the operation of TPP. Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd were highly exceeding the TEL values in the upstream region and accumulated more than 40 cm of sediment depth, indicating that heavy metal contamination through industrial activity were still a serious environmental problem of Shihwa Lake. Although the metal pollution of Shihwa Lake has been slightly reduced, the contaminated sediments with heavy metals inside of Shihwa Lake might be discharged to outer sea after the resuspension by TPP operation. It is necessary for the advanced scientific approach and political decision to drastically reduce the heavy metal pollution of the study region.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.131-145
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• 2014

The new passive sampler called "artificial mussel (AM)" offers a potential device to study the spatiotemporal changes of metal concentrations in different marine environment worldwide. The purpose of this study is to characterize metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb) accumulation on the AM and transplanted mussel (Mytilus edulis) at 5 sites of Lake Shihwa. Both the AMs and mussels showed increasing concentrations of all five metals during the 12 weeks exposure period. Higher concentrations of Zn were showed in both the AMs and Mytilus edulis relative to other metals. The AMs accumulated higher concentrations of Cd, Cr and Zn, but they presented lower levels of Cu and Pb than Mytilus edulis. The correlations for Cd, Cu and Pb were statistically significant between the AMs and Mytilus edulis, indicating that the accumulation patterns for those metals were similar. However, no similarities for Cr and Zn were observed between two monitoring devices across all of the sites in Shihwa Lake. According to relationship for metal concentrations between dissolve phase in seawater and both the AMs and Mytilus edulis, the AMs for Cd, Cu and Zn represent more metal contamination than Mytilus edulis. Our results indicated that the AMs give a better resolution to reveal the spatial differences in dissolved metal concentration. This study suggests that the AMs can provide a time-integrated estimate of metal pollution in marine environments as well as freshwater environments of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: This study was to carry out risk assessment of contamination of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and inorganic arsenic (I-As) in agricultural products of 25 crops from the abandoned mine areas. The 36 typical investigation sites located in Gyeongbuk provincial area were selected by considering the heavy metal levels, that had been known that the amount of the heavy metals exceeded the contamination level based on the previous survey. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cadmium, lead, and total arsenic (T-As) concentrations were determined using microwave device and ICP-MS. Inorganic arsenic was determined by HPLC-ICP-MS. The limits of quantification for heavy metals were 0.59 ㎍/kg for Cd, 0.42 ㎍/kg for Pb, 0.55 ㎍/kg for T-As, and sum of As (III) (1.74 ㎍/kg) and As (V) (2.25 ㎍/kg) for I-As, respectively. The contents of Cd, Pb, and I-As (only rice) were N.D.-0.958 mg/kg, N.D.-0.227 mg/kg, and 0.082 mg/kg, respectively, in the agricultural products. For risk assessment, dietary exposures of heavy metals through usual intake were 5.20×10^-4-7.15×10⁰ ㎍/day for Cd, 7.00×10^-5-7.75×10^-1 ㎍/day for Pb, and 1.17×10¹ ㎍/day for I-As, taking 0.01-14.37%, 0.01-2.05%, and 15.16% as risk indices, respectively. CONCLUSION: It requires to consider the critical levels of heavy metals in agricultural products due to unexpectedly high levels in a few places, while concentrations of heavy metals in the samples were relatively low in most areas.