• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 1969

Organophosphorous compounds can be reduced by zinc metal in acidic solution after alkaline hydrolysis. Although phosphates and phosphonates did not evolve any gas, dithioates did evolve hydrogen sulfide and phosphine, thionates and thiolates did evolve only hydrogen sulfide. The evolved gases were qualitatively detected by means of lead acetate and silver nitrate or mercuric bromide papers and determined by spectrophotometrically. The reduction mechanism and analytical method of dithioates were proposed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.161-166
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• 2004

The impact of dissolved wastewater constituents on the treatment of synthetic bisphenol A (BPA) solutions was investigated under a variety of reaction conditions. The laccase enzyme from Trametes vesicolor was used for the BPA treatment. The constituents studied included various inorganic salts, organic compounds and heavy metal ions. BPA degradation was inhibited by sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfide, nitrite, and cyanide ions at 25 mg/$\ell$, 100mg/$\ell$, 25 mg/$\ell$ 150 mg/$\ell$, and 2.5 mg/$\ell$, respectively. However, the inhibitive effects of sulfide and sulfite on BPA degradation were diminished by additional aeration to oxidize them. Formaldehyde significantly reduced the rate of BPA degradation at 1.0% among organic compounds studied. Among heavy metal ions tested, Fe(II) substantially suppressed BPA removal at 1 mM. MgCl$_2$ and CaCl$_2$ exhibited great inhibition of BPA degradation at 25mM.

• Clean Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2015

Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are one of the common malodorous compounds that can be found in emissions from many sewages treatment plants and industrial plants. Therefore, removing these harmful gases from emissions is of significance in both life and industry because they can cause health problems to human and detrimental effects on the catalysts. In this work, pyrolytic carbon blacks from waste tires were used to develop adsorbent with good adsorption capacity for removal of hydrogen and ammonia. Pellet-type adsorbents were prepared by a mixture of carbon black, metal oxide and sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid, and their adsorption capacities were estimated by using breakthrough curve of a continuous fixed bed adsorption column at ambient condition. The adsorbent manufactured with a mixture of carbon black, iron oxide(III) and sodium hydroxide showed the maximum working capacity of hydrogen sulfide. For ammonia, maximum working capacity was obtained by the adsorbent manufactured with a mixture of carbon black, copper oxide(II) and hydrochloric acid.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.413-413
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• 2012

Lead sulfide (PbS) Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising material for the photovoltaic device due to its various outstanding properties such as tunable band-gap, solution processability, and infrared absorption. More importantly, PbS CQDs have large exciton Bohr radius of 20 nm due to the uniquely large dielectric constants that result in the strong quantum confinement. To exploit desirable properties in photovoltaic device, it is essential to fabricate a device exhibiting stable performance. Unfortunately, the performance of PbS NQDs based Schottky solar cell is considerably degraded according to the exposure in the air. The air-exposed degradation originates on the oxidation of interface between PbS NQDS layer and metal electrode. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the stability of Schottky junction device by inserting a passivation layer. We investigate the effect of insertion of passivation layer on the performance of Schottky junction solar cells using PbS NQDs with band-gap of 1.3 eV. Schottky solar cell is the simple photovoltaic device with junction between semiconducting layer and metal electrode which a significant built-in-potential is established due to the workfunction difference between two materials. Although the device without passivation layer significantly degraded in several hours, considerable enhancement of stability can be obtained by inserting the very thin LiF layer (<1 nm) as a passivation layer. In this study, LiF layer is inserted between PbS NQDs layer and metal as an interface passivation layer. From the results, we can conclude that employment of very thin LiF layer is effective to enhance the stability of Schottky junction solar cells. We believe that this passivation layer is applicable not only to the PbS NQDs based solar cell, but also the various NQDs materials in order to enhance the stability of the device.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.107-124
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• 1985

More than fifty copper veins are emplaced around late Cretaceous granitoid stock in Haman-Gunbuk district, southernmost part of Korea. These veins cut both late Cretaceous granitoids and hornfels of Jindong formation which is intruded by the granitoids. The paragenesis of veins is nearly the same, consisting of (1) an early vein stage in which most iron oxide minerals, tourmaline and other silitcate minerals were deposited, (2) a calcite and quartz with base·metal sulfide stage and (3) late vein lets of barren calcite stage. Fluid inclusion studies reveal highly systematic trends of salinity and temperature during mineralization. Ore fluids of early vein stage were complex NaCl-KCl rich brines. Salinities of polyphase inclusions in quartz and scapolite in thie stage reached up to 72 wt.% and gradually decreased to 10.5wt. % in closing stage. Homogenization temperatures of inclusions in the beginning of this stage were up to $490^{\circ}C$ and then declined steadly to $290^{\circ}C$ in the late stage. Salinities of fluid inclusions in quartz and calcite of base·metal sulfide stage were 37.4~5.7wt. % and homogenization temperatures range from $373^{\circ}C$ to $170^{\circ}C$. Intermittent boiling of early vein fluid is indicated by fluid inclusions in quartz. Potassic alteration of granodiorite adjacent to early vein seems to be related to early saline vein fluid. Fluid inclusion data of base-metal sulfide stage of this area reveal nearly the same range as those of Koseong copper mining district about 30km apart from this area.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.128-135
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• 2000

The thiosulfate reductase gene (PhsABC) from Salmonella typhimurium was expressed in Escherichia coli in order to produce sulfide from inorganic thiosulfate and precipitate metals as metal sulfide complexes. A 5.1-kb DNA fragment containing the native phsABC and a 3.7-kb DNA fragment, excluding putative promoter and regulatory regions were inserted into expression vectors pTrc99A and pJB866, respectively. Upon expression of phsABC, E. coli DH5$\alpha$ harboring the phsABC constructs showed higher thiosulfate reductase activity and produced significantly more sulfide than the control strain (E. coli DH5$\alpha$) under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Among the four constructs, E. coli DH5$\alpha$ harboring pSB74 produced the highest level of thiosulfate reductase and removed most of heavy metals from solution under anaerobic conditions. In a mixture of 100 $\mu$M each of cadmium, lead, and zinc, the strain could remove $99\%$ of the total metals from solution within 10 hours. Cadmium was removed first, lead second, and zinc last. In contrast, a negative control did not produce any measurable sulfide and removed very little metals from solution. These results have important implications for removal of metals from wastewater contaminated with several metals.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

In this study, column tests using relatively uniform Jumunjin sand media were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of calcium polysulfide (CaS_x, CPS) in removing high concentration of Zn²⁺ in groundwater. The injected CPS solution reacted rapidly with Zn²⁺ in artificial groundwater and effectively reduced Zn²⁺ by more than 99% through metal sulfide precipitation. Since the density (d = 1.27 g/cm³ ) of CPS solution was greater than that of water, CPS solution settled down rapidly while capturing Zn²⁺ and formed stable CPS layer similar to dense nonaqueous phase liquid. Mass balance analysis on Zn²⁺ in CPS solution suggested that CPS solution effectively reacted with Zn²⁺ to form metal sulfide precipitates except for high groundwater seepage velocity of 400 cm/d. With greater groundwater seepage velocity, injected CPS did not completely dissolve at the CPS-water interface, but a partially-misible CPS layer continuously moved and reacted with Zn²⁺+ in the direction of groundwater flow. Since hydraulic conductivity (K_h) decreased slightly due to the generated metal precipitates in the inter-pores of media, injection of CPS solution should be optimized to prevent clogging. As evidenced by both XRF and SEM/EDS results, ZnS precipitates were clearly observed through the reaction between the CPS solution and Zn²⁺. Further study is warranted to evaluate the feasibility of CPS to remove high-concentration heavy metalcontaminated groundwater in complex and heterogeneous media.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

The final disposal of spent nuclear fuel(SNF) from nuclear power plants takes place in a deep geological repository. The metal canister encasing the SNF is made of cast iron and copper, and is engineered to effectively isolate radioactive isotopes for a long period of time. The SNF is further shielded by a multi-barrier disposal system comprising both engineering and natural barriers. The deep disposal environment gradually changes to an anaerobic reducing environment. In this environment, sulfide is one of the most probable substances to induce corrosion of copper canister. Stress-corrosion cracking(SCC) triggered by sulfide can carry substantial implications for the integrity of the copper canister, potentially posing a significant threat to the long-term safety of the deep disposal repository. Sulfate can exist in various forms within the deep disposal environment or be introduced from the geosphere. Sulfate has the potential to be transformed into sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB), and this converted sulfide can contribute to the corrosion of the copper canister. Bentonite, which is considered as a potential material for buffering and backfilling, contains oxidized sulfate minerals such as gypsum(CaSO4). If there is sufficient space for microorganisms to thrive in the deep disposal environment and if electron donors such as organic carbon are adequately supplied, sulfate can be converted to sulfide through microbial activity. However, the majority of the sulfides generated in the deep disposal system or introduced from the geosphere will be intercepted by the buffer, with only a small amount reaching the metal canister. Pyrite, one of the potential sulfide minerals present in the deep disposal environment, can generate sulfates during the dissolution process, thereby contributing to the corrosion of the copper canister. However, the quantity of oxidation byproducts from pyrite is anticipated to be minimal due to its extremely low solubility. Moreover, the migration of these oxidized byproducts to the metal canister will be restricted by the low hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite. We have comprehensively analyzed and summarized key research cases related to the presence of sulfates, reduction processes, and the formation and behavior characteristics of sulfides and pyrite in the deep disposal environment. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the impact of sulfates and sulfides on the long-term safety of high-level radioactive waste disposal repository.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.469-475
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• 2014

The study investigated the physicochemical characteristics and the ecological risk of the Northport sediment in B city and the releasing properties of heavy metals into seawater during the resuspension also studied. The major components of the sediment are fine silt and clay which contains high organic matter and AVS (Acid volatile sulfide) and the ecological risk of the heavy metals in sediment also very high. The release rate of heavy metals into seawater was in order of Pb>>Cu>Cr>>Zn>Cd during the resuspension in a batch experiment, and the heavy metal release mainly attributed to the oxidation of metal sulfides. Heavy metals which came from easily oxidisable metal sulfides rapidly contaminated seawater within about 1.0 h of the sediment resuspension. The sulfide oxidation during the resuspension increased the residual fraction of heavy metals in the sediment, decreased the organic bound fraction, and changed the other fractions of heavy metals in the sediment. The release of heavy metals from the sediment during resuspension was affected by the resuspension time, the oxidation rate of metal sulfides and resuspended concentration of the sediment particle.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.445-455
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• 2009

Microbiological sulfate reduction is the transformation of sulfate to sulfide catalyzed by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria using sulfate as an electron acceptor. Low solubility of metal sulfides leads to precipitation of the sulfides in solution. The effects of microbiological sulfate reduction on in-situ precipitation of arsenic and copper were investigated for the heavy metal-contaminated soil around the Songcheon Au-Ag mine site. Total concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb were 1,311 mg/kg, 146 mg/kg, and 294 mg/kg, respectively, after aqua regia digestion. In batch-type experiments, indigenous sulfate-reducing bacteria rapidly decreased sulfate concentration and redox potential and led to substantial removal of dissolved As and Cu from solution. Optimal concentrations of carbon source and sulfate for effective microbial sulfate reduction were 0.2~0.5% (w/v) and 100~200 mg/L, respectively. More than 98% of injected As and Cu were removed in the effluents from both microbial and chemical columns designed for metal sulfides to be precipitated. However, after the injection of oxygen-rich solution, the microbial column showed the enhanced long-term stability of in-situ precipitated metals when compared with the chemical column which showed immediate increase in dissolved As and Cu due to oxidative dissolution of the sulfides. Black precipitates formed in the microbial column during the experiments and were identified as iron sulfide and copper sulfide. Arsenic was observed to be adsorbed on surface of iron sulfide precipitate.