• Title/Summary/Keyword: plastic pollution

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Current Status of Microplastics and Impact on Human Health (미세플라스틱 현황과 인체에 미치는 영향)

  • Ryu, Ji Hyun;Cho, Chungyeon
    • Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 2019
  • 미세플라스틱은 5 mm 이하의 작은 플라스틱 입자를 말하며, 그 축적에 따른 환경적 문제가 커지면서 현재 심각한 사회문제가 되고 있다. 미세플라스틱은 해양으로 유입되어 해양생물계의 내분비계 교란물질로 작용하며 생태계를 교란시키고 종국에는 먹이사슬의 끝인 인류에게 큰 위험으로 다가오고 있다. 미세플라스틱에 대한 사회적 이슈가 높아지고 있는 현 시점에서 이들 문제점을 제대로 인식하고 해결방안을 모색할 필요성이 있다. 본 총설에서는 미세플라스틱의 현황과 해양생태계와 인체에 미치는 영향 그리고 미세플라스틱 검출법과 제거를 위한 정책과 연구 동향에 대해서 논의하고자 한다.

Characteristics of Gasification for a Refused Plastic Fuel (플라스틱 고형 연료의 가스화 특성)

  • Chun, Young Nam;Lim, Mun Sup;Jo, Dae Young
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.37 no.11
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    • pp.636-641
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    • 2015
  • Waste energy conversion to SRF (Solid Refuse Fuel) has the effects not alternative fossil fuel usage but also the reduction of greenhouse gas. But the direct burning of the SRF including a plastic waste generates air pollution problem like soot, dioxin, etc. so that an application of pyrolysis and gasification treatment should be needed. The purpose of this study is to supply a basic thermal data of the pyrolysis gasification characteristics in the plastic-rich SRF which are needed for developing the novel pyrolyser or gasifier. To do so, a bench-scale test rig was newly engineered, and then experiments were achieved for the production characteristics of gas, tar, and char. While SRF sample, gasification air ratio, holding time changed as 2 g, 0.691, 32 min respectively, the $H_2$ 1.36%, $CH_4$ 2.18%, CO 1.88%, $Cl_2$ 15.9 ppm, HCl 6.4 ppm were composed. Also light tar benzene $4.03g/m^3$, naphthalene $0.39g/m^3$, anthracene $0.11g/m^3$, pyrene $0.06g/m^3$, gravimetric tar $18g/m^3$, and char 0.29 g was formed.

Development of Multi-functional Mulch Papers and Evaluation of Their Performance-Studies for Reducing the Basis Weight of Mulch Paper- (다기능성 멀칭지의 개발 및 적용성 평가(제l보)-멀칭지의 저평량화를 위한 연구-)

  • Lee, Hak-Lae;Ryu, Jung-Yong;Youn, Hye-Jung;Joo, Sung-Bum;Park. Yong
    • Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.38-45
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    • 1998
  • Soil and water contamination caused by the abundant use of agricultural chemicals including herbicides and fertilizers draws public concerns since these chemicals may pollute the agricultural lands as well as the food products grown on these lands. As a method to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals mulching with thin plastic film has been commonly practised for many years. Although use of the plastic film for mulching is very effective in preventing the growth of weed, it is almost impossible to remove all of the plastic film from the agricultural land and the remaining film eventually contaminates the soils. Therefore, it is very imperative to develop a mulching material that decomposes completely to prevent soil pollution problems and to enhance the competitive edge of domestic agriculture. Mulch papers are believed to have many positive characteristics in preventing problems caused by the plastic mulch film since it decomposes completely after use. However, the basis weight of mulch papers needs to be reduced to improve its handling properties and to reduce the raw material costs of pulps. In this paper the possibilities of using domestic old corrugated containers in producing mulch papers were examined. Also use of unbleached softwood kraft pulps and dry strength additives were exploited along with two-layered sheet forming technology in decreasing the basis weight of the mulch paper. Results showed that reduction of 20g/$m^2$ of basis weight of mulch paper was possible by the appropriate raw material selection and application of strength resin. To use the mulch papers in paddy fields, however, further research to improve its durability should be pursued.

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Study on Structural Strength and Application of Composite Material on Microplastic Collecting Device (휴대형 미세플라스틱 수거 장비 경량화 부품 설계 및 구조강도 평가)

  • Myeong-Kyu, Kim;Hyoung-Seock, Seo;Hui-Seung, Park;Sang-Ho, Kim
    • Composites Research
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    • v.35 no.6
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    • pp.447-455
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    • 2022
  • Currently, the problem of pollution of the marine environment by microplastics is emerging seriously internationally. In this study, to develop a lightweight portable microplastic collection device, the types and number of microplastics in 21 coastal areas nationwide in Korea were investigated. And CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene copolymer) and aluminum were applied for design and analysis of microplastic collection device to have the durability, corrosion resistance and lightweight. As a result of sample collection and classification from the shore, it was confirmed that microplastics were distributed the most in Hamdeok beach, and the polystyrene was found to be mainly distributed microplastics. Particle information through coastal field survey and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis were used to analyze the flow rate and distribution of particles such as sand and impurities, which were applied to the structural analysis of the cyclone device using the finite element method. As a result of structural analysis considering the particle impact inside the cyclone device, the structural safety was examined as remarkable in the order of CFRP, GFRP, aluminum, and ABS. In the view of weight reduction, CFRP could be reduced in weight by 53%, GFRP by 47%, and ABS by 61% compared to aluminum for the cyclone device.

A study on press plasticity of A3003-O aluminum material (A3003-O 알루미늄 소재의 프레스 성형성에 대한 연구)

  • Kim, Hyeok-Jin;Han, Seong-Ryeol;Kim, Kyung-A
    • Design & Manufacturing
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.23-27
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    • 2019
  • People's interest in the environmental problems of the Earth is growing as they come to the modern world, and research is being actively conducted on how to protect the environment. As a result, the automobile industry, one of the causes of environmental pollution, is also affected. Therefore, research is being conducted to improve the fuel economy and light weight of cars, development of pollution-free cars such as electric cars, and aluminium materials that are lighter than ordinary steel sheets and easier to recycle are gaining attention. In this experiment, the material was formed to form a form of aluminium and the material reduction rate of the side wall of the foam was tested according to the amount of side wall. The material used in the experiment was A3003-O, which is less plastic than normal steel plates, but has excellent corrosion resistance, plasticity and weldability compared to aluminium materials, but has poor tensile strength. For tensile testing, a certain array of Forming Shapes was molded and the height of the Forming was set to 5mm, and the height of the Forming was 4.7mm, indicating that the difference between the first 5mm Forming and the height was not large. In addition, the material reduction rate was tested by giving 15, 0, and -0.15 teas, respectively, and was found to be valuable as a product only for -0.15.

Effect of the Kind of Modified Bubble Sheets on the Temperature Profiles and Crack Reduction of the Concrete under Hot Weather (표면개량 버블시트 종류 변화가 서중환경 콘크리트의 온도 및 균열발생에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Sang-Woon;Han, Min-Cheol
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.251-257
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    • 2018
  • There are various quality deteriorations of concrete such as plastic, drying shrinkage due to abrupt moisture evaporation, slump loss and cold joint under hot weather condition. To protect from above deteriorations, several kinds of modified bubble sheets have been applied to secure heat insulation performance. But, there is not enough application cases of bubble sheets at job site under hot weather condition. The objective of the paper is to investigate the temperature profile and crack occurrence of the concrete covered with five different kinds of surface curing sheets, which is placed under hot weather condition. Single layer transparent bubble sheet, white colored bubble sheet, aluminum metalizing bubble sheet and PE film are adopted for surface curing sheets. Test results indicated that application of aluminum metalizing bubble sheet had most favorable effect on the reduction of on temperature rise and on the crack reduction of concrete. But due to larger reflection of light by aluminum, it brings about visual pollution to the workers. Hence, the application of white colored bubble sheet can be the most desirable alternative to protect the concrete from hot weather in the field.

New composites based on low-density polyethylene and rice husk: Elemental and thermal characteristics

  • Anshar, Muhammad;Tahir, Dahlang;Makhrani, Makhrani;Ani, Farid Nasir;Kader, Ab Saman
    • Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.250-257
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    • 2018
  • We developed new composites by combining the solid waste from Low-Density Polyethylene in the form of plastic bag (PB) and biomass from rice husk (RH),in the form of $(RH)_x(PB)_{1-x}$ (x = (1, 0.9, 0.7, 0.5)), as alternative fuels for electrical energy sources, and for providing the best solution to reduce environmental pollution. Elemental compositions were obtained by using proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and the thermal characteristics were obtained from thermogravimetric analysis. The compositions of carbon and hydrogen from the ultimate analysis show significant increases of 20-30% with increasing PB in the composite. The activation energy for RH is 101.22 kJ/mol; for x = 0.9 and 0.7, this increases by 4 and 6 magnitude, respectively, and for x = 0.5, shows remarkable increase to 165.30 kJ/mol. The range of temperature of about $480-660^{\circ}C$ is required for combustion of the composites $(RH)_x(PB)_{1-x}$ (x = (1, 0.9, 0.7, 0.5)) to perform the complete combustion process and produce high energy. In addition, the calorific value was determined by using bomb calorimetry, and shows value for RH of 13.44 MJ/kg, which increases about 30-40% with increasing PB content, indicating that PB has a strong effect of increasing the energy realized to generate electricity.

Investigation of the Effect of Seaweed Nanofibers in Jute Fiber-reinforced Composites as an Additive (해초 나노섬유가 황마섬유 강화 복합재료의 기계적 물성에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Jae-Cheol;Lee, Dong-Woo;Song, Jung-Il
    • Composites Research
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.398-403
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    • 2018
  • Recently, environmental pollution caused by plastic waste, ecosystem disturbance of micro-plastics and human body accumulation are becoming big problems. In order to replace the traditional plastic, eco-friendly resin and natural fiber-based composite materials have been developed, but they have a disadvantage that their mechanical properties are significantly lower than those of synthetic fiber-based composites. In this study, eco - friendly nanofiber was extracted from seaweed and used as an additive in order to improve the mechanical properties of jute fiber-reinforced composites. Through the hand lay-up process, the composites were fabricated, and it was confirmed that the nanofiber was effective in improving the mechanical properties of natural fiber composites through tensile, bending and drop weight impact tests.

Effects of Microplastic Exposure against White Spot Syndrome Virus Infection in Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

  • Hye Jin Jeon;Sangsu Seo;Chorong Lee;Bumkeun Kim;Patharapol Piamsomboon;Ji Hyung Kim;Jee Eun Han
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.34 no.8
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    • pp.1705-1710
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    • 2024
  • Plastic waste has emerged as a major environmental concern in recent years. As plastic waste discharged into the marine environment, it undergoes a breakdown process, eventually accumulating in aquatic organisms in the form of microplastics (MPs). To date, reduced food intake, nutritional absorption, and impaired immune system are known adverse effects of MPs-exposed aquatic organisms. This study aims to investigate whether MP exposure accelerated white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection in Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) via laboratory tests. Briefly, experimental shrimp were divided into four groups; WSSV (group 1); MP (group 2); WSSV + MP (group 3); and Control (group 4). No mortality was observed in group 2, group 4, and even in group 1. However, group 3 showed a cumulative mortality of 50% during the experimental period. The PCR assay results showed no WSSV in the other three groups (groups 1, 2, and 4), but the dead and alive shrimp collected from group 3 were confirmed to be infected with the virus. Histopathological examination revealed normal structures in the hepatopancreas, gill, and muscle tissues of group 4, whereas numerous abnormally shaped nuclei were detected in the gill tissue of group 2. Moreover, group 1 showed minor WSSV-related lesions with few basophilic inclusion bodies in the gills, interestingly, group 3 exhibited severe lesions with numerous basophilic inclusion bodies in the gills. In conclusion, this study confirmed the correlation between the viral disease of shrimp and MPs, which can cause significant economic losses to the shrimp aquaculture industry.

Mechanical and Electrochemical Characteristics in Welding with Robot on 6061-T6 Al Alloy for Al Ship (로봇으로 용접한 알루미늄 선박용 6061-T6 합금의 기계적, 전기화학적 특성)

  • Kim, Seong-Jong;Jang, Seok-Ki
    • Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.313-321
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    • 2009
  • The construction of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats is decreasing trend since the application of international regulations on the control of marine environmental pollution, which recommended the use of environmentally friendly materials. The aluminum alloy used with material for ship is a superior to FRP. It is environmental friendly, easy to recycle, and provides a high added value to fishing boats. However, the welding for Al alloy materials have many problems, such as deformation by welding heat and effect of the working environment. In this paper, it was carried out welding by robot with welding material of ER5183 and ER5556 on 6061-T6 Al alloy for ship. The mechanical and electrochemical characteristics evaluated for specimen welded by robot. The cathodic polarization trend for the base metal and welding metal showed the effects of concentration polarization due to oxygen reduction and activation polarization due to hydrogen generation. The hardnesses of welding zone and heat affected zone are lower than that of base metal. At the result of tensile test, the specimen welded with ER5183 presented excellent property compared with ER5556.