• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.386-391
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• 2014

Atmospheric-pressure nonthermal corona discharge plasma was applied to the sterilization of biologically contaminated scoria powder. Escherichia coli (E. coli) culture solution was uniformly sprayed throughout the scoria powder for artificial inoculation, which was well mixed to ensure uniformity of the batch. The effect of the key parameters such as discharge power, treatment time, type of gas and electrode distance on the sterilization efficiency was examined and discussed. The experimental results revealed that the plasma treatment was very effective for the sterilization of scoria powder; 5-min treatment at 15 W could sterilize more than 99.9% of E. coli inoculated into the scoria powder. Increasing the discharge power, treatment time or applied voltage led to an improvement in the sterilization efficiency. The effect of type of gas on the sterilization efficiency was in order of oxygen, synthetic air (20% oxygen) and nitrogen from high to low. The inactivation of E. coli under the influence of corona discharge plasma can be explained by cell membrane erosion or etching resulting from UV and reactive oxidizing species (oxygen radical, OH radical, ozone, etc.), and the destruction of E. coli cell membrane by the physical action of numerous corona streamers.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2015

Plasma is an ionized gas mixture, consisting of neutral particles, positive ions, negative electrons, electronically excited atoms and molecules, radicals, UV photons, and various reactive species. Also, plasma has unique physical properties distinct from gases, liquids, and solids. Until now, non-thermal plasmas have been widely utilized in bio-medical applications (called bio-plasma) and have been developed for the plasma-related devices that are used in the medical field. Although numerous bio-plasma studies have been performed in biomedicine, there is no confirmation of the nonthermal effect induced by bio-plasma. Standardization of the biological application of plasma has not been evaluated at the molecular level in living cells. In this context, we investigated the biological effect of bio-plasma on living cells. Hence, we treated the fibroblasts with Dielectric Bauvier Discharge bio-plasma (DBD), and assessed the characteristic change at the molecular level, one of the typical cellular responses. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) regulates its own protein level in response to stimuli. HSP70 responds to heat shock by increasing its own expression at the molecular level in cells. Hence, we confirmed the level of HSP70 after treatment of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with DBD. Interestingly, DBD-plasma induced cell death, but there was no difference in the level of HSP70, which is induced by heat shock stimuli, in DBD-treated MEFs. Our data provide the basic information on the interaction between MEFs and DBD, and can help to design a molecular approach in this field.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.17-24
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• 2001

To solve the problems of energy and environment conservation issued recently, mainly in mechanical engineering point of view, R&D's on the thermal, fluid and environmental engineering technology have been carried out by two R&D departments in the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM). Now there are 65 researchers in the two. The representative projects in the field of thermal and fluid engineering are development of an inactive gas generator and development of a cryogenic cooler for electronic sensors. Pyrolysis and melting of wastes, gas treatment using nonthermal plasma, and desalination are important technology to be developed in environmental R&D areas. To reduce the emission from the existing diesel engines for buses, an LPG direct injection type of bus engine is being developed supported by LPG supply companies. These several R&D projects which have been carried out in KIMM are introduced briefly.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.101-112
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• 2015

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process occurring in a wide range of astrophysical, heliospheric and laboratory plasmas. This process alters magnetic topology and triggers rapid conversion of magnetic energy into thermal heating and nonthermal particle acceleration. Efforts to understand the physics of magnetic reconnection have been made across multiple disciplines using remote observations of solar flares and in-situ measurements of geomagnetic storms and substorms as well as laboratory and numerical experiments. This review focuses on the progress achieved with solar flare observations in which most reconnection-related signatures could be resolved in both space and time. The emphasis is on various observable emission features in the low solar atmosphere which manifest the coronal magnetic reconnection because these two regions are magnetically connected to each other. The research and application perspectives of solar magnetic reconnection are briefly discussed and compared with those in other plasma environments.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.44.2-44.2
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• 2012

Cosmological shock waves result from supersonic flow motions induced by hierarchical clustering during the large-scale structure formation in the Universe. Suprathermal particles are known to be produced via plasma interactions at collisionless shocks in tenuous plasmas and they can be further accelerated to become cosmic rays (CRs) via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). The presence of CR electrons has been inferred from observations of diffuse radio halos and relics in some merging galaxy clusters. We have calculated the emissions from CR electrons accelerated at weak planar shocks, using time-dependent DSA simulations that include energy losses via synchrotron emission and Inverse Compton scattering. The simulated nonthermal emission are used to model the synchrotron emission from several observed radio relics.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1996.07c
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• pp.1910-1912
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• 1996

This paper presents the results of laboratory experimentals to remove $SO_2$ and $NO_x$ by a pulsed corona discharge in the wire-plate reactor. A rotating spark gap switch was used to generate the pulse by chewing the dc high voltage. Repetition frequency of the pulse was 60Hz and rising time of 50ns. The photo pictures of positive streamer corona taken by ICCD camera, pulse voltage and current were measured using a digital oscilloscope. Simultaneous effects of $C_{2}H_{4}$ injection and heterogeneous chemical reactions on nonthermal plasma process to remove $SO_2$ and $NO_x$ from flue gas were investigated in the present study

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.394-401
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• 2005

A nonthermal plasma-assisted fuel reformer was developed and the effects of operating variables on the performance of this reformer were studied. The $H_2$-rich reformed gas from the reformer was injected into a diesel engine under an idle condition and the effects of the amount of injected gas on the NO and soot reduction were investigated. It was found that with increasing electric power consumption, the degree of facility of ignition of the reforming reaction in the reformer could be enhanced. The performance of the reformer including $H_2$ concentration, $H_2$ recovery, and energy conversion was affected only by the O/C mole ratio. This was because the equilibrium reaction temperature was governed by the O/C mole ratio. With increasing O/C mole ratio, the $H_2$ recovery and energy conversion passed through the maximum values of 33.4% and 66%, respectively, at an O/C mole ratio between 1.2 and 1.5. The reason why the $H_2$ recovery and energy conversion increased with increasing O/C mole ratio when the O/C mole ratio was lower than $1.2{\sim}1.5$ appeared to be that the complete oxidation reaction occurred more enough with increasing O/C mole ratio in this low O/C mole ratio range and accordingly the reaction temperature increased. Whereas the reason why the $H_2$ recovery and energy conversion decreased with increasing O/C mole ratio when the O/C mole ratio was higher than $1.2{\sim}1.5$ appeared to be that the complete oxidation reaction was further advanced and the $H_2$ recovery and energy conversion decreased. As the weight ratio of reformed diesel to total diesel which entered the diesel engine was increased to $18.2{\sim}23.5%$, NO and soot reduction efficiencies increased and reached as values high as 68.5% and 23.5%, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.215-223
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• 2005

Non-thermal plasma decomposition of gas-phase styrene was investigated in this study using three different types of plasma reactors; dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) reactor, surface discharge (SD) reactor and plasma-driven catalyst (PDC) reactor packed with 2.0 wt% $Ag/TiO_2$ catalysts. The main parameters used for the comparative assessment of the plasma reactors include the decomposition efficiency, carbon balance, byproduct distribution, COx ($CO+CO_2$) selectivity and COx yield. The SD and the DBD reactors showed better conversion efficiency of styrene than that of the PDC reactor due to their larger capability in ozone formation. On the other hand, the PDC reactor showed better carbon balance, the yield and the selectivity of COx. The required specific input energies to achieve 100% carbon balance from the decomposition of 100 ppmv styrene using the plasma alone reactors and the PDC reactor were 420 J/L and 110 J/L, respectively. The major decomposition products in gas-phase were CO, $CO_2$ and HCOOH regardless of the types of plasma reactors. In the case of SD and DBD reactors, the $CO_2$ selectivity ranged in $39.5{\sim}60%$. The $CO_2$ selectivity in the PDC reactor was in range of $68.5{\sim}75.5%$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.735-741
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• 2013

Effects of cold plasma treatment (CPT) against Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated on cabbage and lettuce, naturally occurring bacteria in black pepper powder and red pepper powder, and Bacillus cereus inoculated onto red pepper powder were investigated. The numbers of S. Typhimurium on cabbage and lettuce were reduced by $1.5{\pm}0.2CFU/cm^2$ (900W, 5 min) and $1.1{\pm}0.1$ log $CFU/cm^2$ (900W, 10 min), respectively. The numbers of naturally occurring aerobic bacteria in both black pepper powder and red pepper powder were reduced by $2.3{\pm}0.3$ and $0.6{\pm}0.2$ log CFU/g, respectively. The numbers of B. cereus vegetative cells on red pepper powder were reduced by $1.5{\pm}0.1$ log CFU/g, but the numbers of spores remained unchanged. The inhibition of S. Typhimurium on cabbage was adequately described by Fermi's model and the Weibull model. The predicted optimum treatment power and time for S. Typhimurium inoculated onto cabbage were 746 W and 6.8 min, respectively. Our results indicate that CPT represents a useful method for microbial decontamination of vegetables and spices.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.547-555
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• 2021

A catalyst-plasma reactor was applied to the storage of agricultural products, e.g., apple and kiwi, to remove the ethylene generated during the storage. Two 1-m³ unit containers were prepared, and the long-term storage stability of the control group at room temperature was compared with that of the experimental group of which the produced ethylene was treated by the catalyst-plasma reactor. In case of the experimental group, a small amount of ozone was injected to the unit container to suppress the growth of microorganisms such as mold. The apples and kiwis were stored at room temperature for 50 and 57 days, respectively, and the changes in ethylene concentration, hardness, sugar content, acidity, and loss rate were compared. The ethylene concentration during the storage for the control group was higher than that for the experimental group, indicating that the ethylene was effectively removed. Hardness, sugar content, and sugar acid ratio after the storage were better than before the storage, and in particular, the storage stability of kiwifruit was improved significantly. In addition, after the storage, the loss rates of apples and kiwis in the control group were 10 and 54.1%, respectively, but the loss rates in the experimental group were 6 and 34.8%, respectively. Therefore, the storage stability of the experimental group was a lot better than that of the control group.