• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.337-349
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• 2015

This study has focused on investigation of correlation for As and heavy metals in paddy soil and rice crops sampled in the vicinity of the abandoned Munmyung Au-Ag mine. Soil samples extracted by various methods including aqua regia, 1 M $MgCl_2$, 0.01 M $CaCl_2$ and 0.05 M EDTA were analyzed for As and heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn). Rice grain samples grown on the soils were also analyzed for the same elements to evaluate the relationships between soils and rice crops. According to soil extraction methods, As and heavy metal contents in the soils were decreased in the order of aqua regia > 0.01 M $CaCl_2$ > 1 M $MgCl_2$ > 0.05 M EDTA. In addition to correlation analysis, statistically significant correlation with the four extraction methods (p<0.01) were found in the soil and rice samples. As calculation of biological accumulation coefficients (BACs) of the rice crops for As and heavy metals, the BACs for Cd, Zn and Cu were relatively higher than those for As and Pb. This study also carried out a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to identify the dominant factors influencing metal extraction rates of the paddy soils. Furthermore, daily intakes of As and heavy metals from regularly consumed the rice grain (287 g/day) grown on the contaminated soils by the mining activities were estimated, and found that Cd and As intakes from the rice reached up to 73.7% and 51.8% for maximum allowance levels of trace elements suggested by WHO, respectively. Therefore, long-term consumption of the rice poses potential health problems to residents around the mine, although no adverse health effects have yet been observed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.590-596
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• 2015

Estimating potential of $CO_2$ emission reduction of non-capture $CO_2$ utilization (NCCU) technology was evaluated. NCCU is sodium bicarbonate production technology through the carbonation reaction of $CO_2$ contained in the flue gas. For the estimating the $CO_2$ emission reduction, process simulation using process simulator (PRO/II) based on a chemical plant which could handle $CO_2$ of 100 tons per day was performed, Also for the estimation of the indirect $CO_2$ reduction, the solvay process which is a conventional technology for the production of sodium carbonate/sodium bicarbonate, was studied. The results of the analysis showed that in case of the solvay process, overall $CO_2$ emission was estimated as 48,862 ton per year based on the energy consumption for the production of $NaHCO_3$ ($7.4GJ/tNaHCO_3$). While for the NCCU technology, the direct $CO_2$ reduction through the $CO_2$ carbonation was estimated as 36,500 ton per year and the indirect $CO_2$ reduction through the lower energy consumption was 46,885 ton per year which lead to 83,385 ton per year in total. From these results, it could be concluded that sodium bicarbonate production technology through the carbonation reaction of $CO_2$ contained in the flue was energy efficient and could be one of the promising technology for the low $CO_2$ emission technology.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.267-271
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• 2013

Test bed studies with highly efficient amine $CO_2$ solvent (KoSol-4) developed by KEPCO research institute were performed. For the first time in Korea, evaluation of post-combustion $CO_2$ capture technology to capture 2 ton $CO_2$/day from a slipstream of the flue gas from a coal-fired power station was performed. Also the analysis of solvent regeneration energy was conducted to suggest the reliable performance data of the KoSol-4 solvent. For this purpose, we have tested 5 campaigns changing the operating conditions of the solvent flow rate and the stripper pressure. The overall results of these campaigns showed that the $CO_2$ removal rate met the technical guideline ($CO_2$ removal rate: 90%) suggested by IEA-GHG and that the regeneration energy of the KoSol-4 showed about 3.0~3.2 GJ/$tCO_2$ which was, compared to that of the commercial solvent MEA (Monoethanolamine), about 25% reduction of regeneration energy. Based on these results, we could confirm the good performance of the KoSol-4 solvent and the $CO_2$ capture process developed by KEPCO research institute. And also it was expected that the cost of $CO_2$ avoided could be reduced drastically if the KoSol-4 is applied to the commercial scale $CO_2$ capture plant.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.469-477
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• 2018

Hanabusaya asiatica is an endemic species whose distribution is limited in the mid-eastern part of the Korean peninsula. Due to its narrow range and small population, it is necessary to protect its habitats by identifying it as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In this paper, we estimated potential natural habitats for H. asiatica using maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) and identified candidate sites for KBA based on the model results. MaxEnt is a machine learning algorithm that can predict habitats for species of interest unbiasedly with presence-only data. This property is particularly useful for the study area where data collection via a field survey is unavailable. We trained MaxEnt using 38 locations of H. asiatica and 11 environmental variables that measured climate, topography, and vegetation status of the study area which encompassed all locations of the border region between South and North Korea. Results showed that the potential habitats where the occurrence probabilities of H. asiatica exceeded 0.5 were $778km^2$, and the KBA candidate area identified by taking into account existing protected areas was $1,321km^2$. Of 11 environmental variables, elevation, annual average precipitation, average precipitation in growing seasons, and the average temperature in the coldest month had impacts on habitat selection, indicating that H. asiatica prefers cool regions at a relatively high elevation. These results can be used not only for identifying KBAs but also for the reference to a protection plan for H. asiatica in preparation of Korean reunification and climate change.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.588-597
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• 2016

In this study, we attempted to improve the biogas production efficiency by varying the mixing ratio of the mixed sludge of organic wastes in the improved single-phase anaerobic digestion process. The types of organic waste used in this study were raw sewage sludge, food wastewater leachate and livestock excretions. The biomethane potential was determined through the BMP test. The results showed that the biomethane potential of the livestock excretions was the highest at $1.55m^3CN4/kgVS$, and that the highest value of the composite sample, containing primary sludge, food waste leachate and livestock excretions at proportions of 50%, 30% and 20% respectively) was $0.43m^3CN4/kgVS$. On the other hand, the optimal mixture ratio of composite sludge in the demonstration plant was 68.5 (raw sludge) : 18.0 (food waste leachate) : 13.5 (livestock excretions), which was a somewhat different result from that obtained in the BMP test. This difference was attributed to the changes in the composite sludge properties and digester operating conditions, such as the retention time. The amount of biogas produced in the single-phase anaerobic digestion process was $2,514m^3/d$ with a methane content of 62.8%. Considering the value of $2,319m^3/d$ of biogas produced as its design capacity, it was considered that this process demonstrated the maximum capacity. Also, through this study, it was shown that, in the case of the anaerobic digestion process, the two-phase digestion process is better in terms of its stable tank operation and high efficiency, whereas the existing single-phase digestion process allows for the improvement of the digestion efficiency and performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2009

PAHs(Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) compounds may enter into the marine environment in a number of ways, and PAHs in coastal area and estuary adjacent to urban area and industrial activities region are mainly introduced into marine environment via atmosphere or river. The field surveys to evaluate the pollution of PAHs in rivers of Jinhae bay were carried out in August, 2008. The water samples collected from seven main rivers and Deokdong WWTP(Waste water Treatment Plant) which lead to Jinhae bay. 16 PAHs which had been selected as priority pollutants by EPA were analyzed. The range and mean of dissolved Total PAHs concentrations in the rivers and Duckdong WWTP that lead to Jinhae bay were shown to be 9.79~128.25(mean 36.94)ng/L, while the range and mean of Total PAHs concentrations in SPM(Suspended Particulate Matter) were shown to be 1,81434~8,893.37(mean 4,657.73)${\mu}g$/kg dry wt. The dissolved Total PAHs and Total PAHs in SPM were shown to be high concentrations in the Semhocheon which leads to Masan bay that is the most polluted area of Jinhae bay, while those were shown to be low concentrations at rivers which lead to the west area of the bay. The ranges and means of the loading fluxes from rivers and Duckdong WWTP were calculated at 0.06~12.05(mean 1.86)g/day for dissolved Total PAHs and at 0.12~16.00(mean 2.41)g/day tor Total PAH in SPM. The loading flux of Total PAHs from Duckdong WWTP was shown to be the greatest, occupying more than 80% of Total loading flux from all rivers and WWTP to Jinhae bay. The composition patterns of PAHs compound by the number of benzene ring between dissolved PAHs and PAHs of SPM were different each other. Low molecuar weight PAHs of dissoloved compounds were in high concentration, while high molecular weight PAHs of SPM were in high concentration. These results were due to physical and chemical characteristics of PAHs and were similar to those of other studies. The total PAHs concentrations of dissolved and SPM in this study are lower than those of other studies. The extent of PAHs pollution appeared to be not serious in reverine waters of Jinhae bay.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.348-356
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• 2007

Statistical and probabilistic method was used in the analysis of data, which is the most effective one in describing the various natures, and the methodology relating the results with the design was developed. Influents and effluents of three treatment plants were analyzed and the focus was made on BOD, COD, SS, IN, TP The fluctuations of influent such as BOD, COD, SS were extremely large and their standard deviations(st.dev) were more than 10 mg/L. but those of TN, TP were small; the st.dev was 6.6 mg/L for TN, 0.6 mg/L for TP, respectively. But, effluent concentration showed consistent pattern regardless of the influent fluctuations, the st.dev was ranged between 0.28 and 4.48 mg/L. Effluent distributional characteristics were as follows; BOD, COD were distributed normally, but SS, TN, and TP, log-normally; unsymmetric and skewed to the right. The coefficient of reliability(COR) based on the results of statistics of data was introduced to evaluate the process performance an4 to reflect the process performance to the process design. The coefficient of reliability relates the design value(the goal) with the standards and it can be used in operating treatment facilities under a certain reliability level and/or in evaluating the reliability of the treatment facilities on operation. Each treated water quality of effluent showed the half of water quality standards in the level of 50% percentile and all treatment plant was achieved 100% probability of water quality standards. It was concluded that the variability of the process performance should be reflected to the design procedure and the standards through the analysis based on the statistics and the probability.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2014

Estrogen can promote or inhibit cellular proliferation depending on tissue cell types and physiological condition and acts through the signal transduction pathways mediated primarily by estrogen receptors. This study examined the effects of fulvestrant (Ful), a well-known antagonist for the estrogen receptor, on the action of $17{\beta}$-estradiol (E2) with respect to the proliferation and apoptosis of Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells. We used different concentrations of E2, Ful, and E2 plus Ful during different treatment durations. Treatment with 15-40 ${\mu}M$ E2 significantly inhibited proliferation in a time-dependent manner, although it had no influence in concentrations up to 1 ${\mu}M$. Interestingly, Ful at 10-40 ${\mu}M$ also inhibited cellular proliferation in both a concentration- and time-dependent manner. In addition, Ful enhanced rather than decreased the inhibitory effect on cellular proliferation by E2 in combined treatment for 10 days. Thus, Ful does not appear to have an antagonistic effect on estrogen's anti-proliferative action in CHO cells. In TUNEL assays to confirm DNA fragmentation by E2 and/or Ful, CHO cells treated with 20 ${\mu}M$ E2 showed a TUNEL-positive reaction in most DAPI-stained nuclei, and cells treated with either 40 ${\mu}M$ Ful or 40 ${\mu}M$ Ful plus 20 ${\mu}M$ E2 also exhibited a TUNEL-positive reaction but at a lower rate compared to the E2-treated cells. These results indicate that Ful does not have an antagonistic effect on estrogen's anti-proliferative action in CHO cells, suggesting that the anti-proliferative and apoptosis-related mechanism(s) through DNA fragmentation by E2 and Ful may be mediated by different signal transduction pathways.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.156-164
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• 2004

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the application of green manure in the form of either green barley and Chinese milkvetch in reducing the amounts of N fertilizers and conventional fertilizers needed for paddy rice. Prior to rice transplanting, the green barley and Chinese milkvetch as a green manure produced respectively $668kg\;10a^{-1}$ and 3,492kg\;$10a^{-1}$ in fresh shoot weight basis. Calculated nitrogen content from harvested green manures was 3.9 and $17.8kg\;10a^{-1}$, respectively. Plant height and tiller number of rice increased when two kinds of green manure incorporated into soil. Above mentioned parameters also increased with increasing amounts of N fertilizers at both ear formation and heading stage of rice. Rice grain number was not affected by green manures treatment but increased when N fertilizers were applied. Although rice panicle and grain number increased with green manure treatments and fertilizer applications, whereas the percentage of ripened grain decreased. Chinese milkvetch with additional N fertilizer applications increased brown rice yield from 1 to 5% compared to rice yields in plots where non-green manure with the conventional amount of fertilizer application was applied. Rice treated with Chinese milkvetch and 30% of the conventional N fertilizer rate yielded the same as rice fertilized conventionally. During the rice growing season, $NH_4-N$ content of paddy soil was higher in green manures treatment than non-green manure one. Average $NH_4-N$ content in paddy soil drastically decreased after heading stage below $5.7mg\;kg^{-1}$ in non-green manure treated plots. While on the other, $NH_4-N$ content in soil slowly decreased in plots those were treated with green manures at harvesting stage, average $NH_4-N$ content was still greater than $5.5mg\;kg^{-1}$. Nitrogen content of rice shoot and brown rice seed was higher in green manure treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.64-74
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• 2014

Ecological parks enable the sustainable use of natural resources and can be used as a place for site based environmental education. This study presented an opportunity to expand the scope of user perceptions and leisure benefits into urban ecological parks. However, in-depth studies which are aimed at eco-park visitors seeking the leisure benefits of the eco experience programs are lacking. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the urban ecological park user' characteristics which were derived by analyzing the leisure benefits and attitudes for the environment. Also, the attitudes about the environment, and the leisure benefits of visiting urban ecological parks was found to influence visitors' overall satisfaction. To accomplish the purposes of this study, a questionnaire survey with 282 samples was carried out on the urban ecological park(Gildong ecological park, Yeouido tributary ecology park). The results of the analyses are as following: urban ecological park visitors had a positive attitude about the environment, and felt satisfied by the visitors' leisure benefits. The study also examined the relationships between visitors' expectations of the leisure benefits both before visiting and after visiting. The results showed that ecological park visitors had greater expectations regarding the leisure benefits of the ecological program. Leisure benefits have a positive influence on overall satisfaction, and a positive attitude for the environment does not affect satisfaction. This study reaches the conclusion that the ecology experience program utilizing ecological parks is very effective with regard to overall satisfaction in urban areas toward the general environment and ecological parks. One of the major implications of this study is to offer a way to improve user leisure benefits and promote ecological programs by developing ecological parks for the future.