• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2022

Membrane distillation (MD) has emerged as a sustainable desalination technology to solve the water and energy problems faced by the modern society. In particular, the surface wetting properties of the membrane have been recognized as a key parameter to determine the performance of the MD system. In this study, a novel surface modification technique was developed to induce a Janus-type hydrophilic/hydrophobic layer on the membrane surface. The hydrophilic layer was created on a porous PVDF membrane by vapor phase polymerization of the pyrrole monomer, forming a thin coating of polypyrrole on the membrane walls. A rigid polymeric coating layer was created without compromising the membrane porosity. The hydrophilic coating was then followed by the in-situ growth of siloxane nanoparticles, where the condensation of organosilane provided quick loading of hydrophobic layers on the membrane surface. The composite layers of dual coatings allowed systematic control of the surface wettability of porous membranes. By the virtue of the photothermal property of the hydrophilic polypyrrole layer, the desalination performance of the coated membrane was tested in a solar MD system. The wetting properties of the dual-layer were further evaluated in a direct-contact MD module, exploring the potential of the Janus membrane structure for effective and low-energy desalination.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.111-120
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• 2006

In this research, numerical simulations by PFC considering discrete element method are conducted to predict experimental results of large triaxial compression test with rockfill material for dam construction. For generation of compacted assembly with specific grain size distribution and initial material porosity, the clump logic method and expansion of generated particles are adapted. To predict stress-stain behavior of large triaxial test, discrete particle modelling is applied with micro parameters which are chosen by calibration process. It is expected that distinct particle modelling method could be used as a useful tool to investigate micro and macro behavior associated with geotechnical problems and develop a numerical laboratory.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.510-518
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• 2016

Ethyl cellulose-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (EP) was synthesized by esterification of carboxylic acid functionalized methoxy polyethylene glycol (MPEG-COOH) with ethyl cellulose (EC) in order to develop a hydrophilic substrate for thin-film composite (TFC) membrane in a forward osmosis (FO) system. A porous EP substrate, fabricated by a non-solvent induced phase separation method, was found to be more hydrophilic than the EC substrate due to the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chains in the EP. Since the EP substrate exhibits smaller water contact angles and higher porosity, the structural parameter (S) of TFC-EP is smaller than that of TFC-EC, indicating that internal concentration polarization (ICP) within porous substrates can occur less when TFC-EP is used as a membrane. For example, the water flux value of the TFC-EP is 15.7 LMH, whereas the water flux value of the TFC-EC is only 6.6 LMH. Therefore, we strongly believe that the TFC-EP could be a promising candidate with good FO performances.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.509-515
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• 1998

Activated coffee chars were prepared from coffee waste by chemical activation with zinc chloride. In this study, the following processes were carried out ; roasting step, carbonization step, chemical activation step, and washing and drying step. The roasting step of coffee waste was carried out at $300{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for 10 minutes. The optimum condition of carbonization was at $650^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The most important parameter in chemical activation of coffee char was found to be the chemical ratio of activation agents. Activated coffee chars prepared by various activation methods were characterized in terms of the nitrogen BET surface area, the BJH pore volume and pore size distribution at 77 K. The $N_2$-BET surface areas and total pore volume of coffee chars prepared by the chemical activation with $ZnCl_2$ were determined as about $1110{\sim}1580m^2/g$ and $0.51{\sim}0.81cm^3/g$, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the porosity and surface of activated coffee chars. From the results of SEM analysis, it was shown that active surface and many pores were formed after the chemical activation. The preparation of the activated coffee char from coffee waste was successfully carried out, which previews a possibility for exploitation of resources by recycling the waste.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.24-31
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• 2021

The soundproof tunnels have been generally designed with H-beam girders, and the high weight of H-beam may cause the excessive design of the substructure. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new soundproof tunnel girder design composed of pipes and discontinuous plates. First, the structural behavior of the straight girder according to the design parameters was examined through finite element analysis. The arrangement and shape of the plates were determined as the design parameter, to obtain the optimal design of girder. After then, the structural behavior and buckling stability of the arched girder were subsequently evaluated. As a result of the parameter analysis, it was confirmed that the axial force acting on the girder increased and the moment decreased as the ratio of unsupported sections decreased or the number of supporting plates increased. The stress concentration on the pipe member was relieved by increasing the long axis length of the elliptical plate. Arched girder analysis showed that the structural efficiency increase as the long axis of elliptical plate increase. As a result of the buckling evaluation, the buckling threshold load of the three connected girders was about 3.7 times higher than the design load. Consequently, it was confirmed that the proposed soundproof tunnel structure design satisfies both light weight and structural safety.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.23-39
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• 2014

An artificial rainwater reservoir installed in urban areas for recycling rainwater is an eco-friendly facility for reducing storm water effluence. However, in order to recycle the rainwater directly, the artificial rainwater reservoir requires an auxiliary system that can remove non-point source pollutants included in the initial rainfall of urban area. Therefore, the conventional soil filtration technology is adopted to capture non-point source pollutants in an economical and efficient way in the purification system of artificial rainwater reservoirs. In order to satisfy such a demand, clogging characteristics of the sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions were studied with real non-point source pollutants. For this, a series of lab-scale chamber tests were conducted to make a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants, based on the clogging theory. The laboratory chamber experiments were carried out by permeating two types of artificially contaminated water through five different types of sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions. The two artificial contaminated waters were made by fine marine-clay particles and real non-point source pollutants collected from motorcar roads of Seoul, Korea. In the laboratory chamber experiments, the concentrations of the artificial contaminated water were measured in terms of TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and compared with each other to evaluate the performance of sand filter layers. In addition, the accumulated weight of pollutant particles clogged in the sand filter layers was estimated. This paper suggests a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants with theoretical consideration of the physical characteristics such as the grain-size distribution and composition, and change in the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of sand filter layers. The lumped parameter ${\theta}$ related with the clogging property was estimated by comparing the accumulated weight of pollutant particles obtained from the laboratory chamber experiments and calculated from the prediction model based on the clogging theory. It is found that the lumped parameter ${\theta}$ has a significant influence on the amount of the pollutant particles clogged in the pores of sand filter layers. In conclusion, according to the clogging prediction model, a double-sand-filter layer consisting of two separate layers: the upper sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 1.49 mm and the lower sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 0.93 mm, is proposed as the optimum system for removing non-point source pollutants in the field-sized artificial rainwater reservoir.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.586-593
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• 2014

Newly reclaimed tidal land is known to be in low status of soil fertility. The incorporation of crop residue is an effective method to improve soil properties and fertility in reclaimed saline soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of rice straw (RS) application to improve physico-chemical properties of saline-sodic soil and its contribution to productivity of whole crop barley. Increasing rate of rice straw improved growth parameter related to yield of whole crop barley, which increased tiller number significantly (p<0.05).The yield increased by 15% (F.W) and 9% (D.W) in rice straw-amended plots. The content of soil organic matter (SOM) in the surface soil (0-20cm) with rice straw incorporation increased by 5~9% (RS 2.5~RS 7.5) compared to RS 0, in which the content of SOM decreased after two consecutive cultivations. Rice straw incorporation promoted soil physico-chemical properties and nutrient-availability of the test crop, as indicated in change in soil bulk density, porosity and increased nutrient uptake of plant. Especially, the P content and uptake of whole crop barley increased with increasing the rate of rice straw application. In conclusion, the rice straw application at rates of $5.0-7.5ton{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ in reclaimed saline soils effectively improved soil properties and crop productivity, which has potentials to reduce the loss of chemical fertilizers and facilitate the favorable condition for crop growth under adverse soil condition.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2012

To provide domestic values of input parameters in a safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal under domestic deep underground environments, various kinds of experiments have been carried out under KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) conditions. The input parameters were classified, and some of them were selected for this study by the criteria of importance. The domestic experimental data under KURT environments were given top priority in the data review process. Foreign data under similar conditions to KURT were also gathered. The collected data were arranged and the statistical calculations were processed. The properties and distribution of the data were explained and compared to foreign values in view of their validity. The following parameters were analysed: failure time and early time failure rate of a container, solubility of nuclides, porosity and density of the buffer, and distribution coefficients of nuclides in the geomedia, hydraulic conductivity, diffusion depth of nuclides, groundwater flow rate, fracture aperture, length of internal fracture, and width of faulted rock mass in the host rock.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.247-259
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• 2007

In this study, we examined the flux of carbon and water using an eco-hydrological model, Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys). Our purposes were to develop a set of parameters optimized for a well-designed experimental watershed (Gwangneung Research Watershed, GN) and then, to test suitability of the parameters for predicting carbon and water fluxes of other watershed with different regimes of climate, topography, and vegetation structure (i.e Gangseonry Watershed in Mt. Jumbong, GS). Field datasets of stream flow, soil water content (SWC), and wood biomass product (WBP) were utilized for model parameterization and validation. After laborious parameterization processes, RHESSys was validated with the field observations from the GN watershed. The parameter set identified at the GN watershed was then applied to the GS watershed in Mt. Jumbong, which resulted in good agreement for SWC but poor predictability for WBP. Our study showed that RHESSys simulated reliable SWC at the GS by adjusting site-specific porosity only. In contrast, vegetation productivity would require more rigorous site-specific parameterization and hence, further study is necessary to identify primary field ecophysiological variables for enhancing model parameterization and application to multiple watersheds.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.302-310
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• 2007

The effects of various system parameter on the absorption of sulfur dioxide into the absorbent liquid were investigated in a circulatory porous polymer membrane contactor. A feed gas and an absorbent used in the study were the gas mixture of air and $SO_2$ and the $Na_2SO_3$ aqueous solution, respectively. The separation of sulfur dioxide was measured in terms of the concentration of $Na_2SO_3$ absorbent, the concentration of sulfur dioxide, the feed flow rate, the absorbent velocity and the different membrane material. As the concentration of absorbent increased from 0.05 to 0.2 M, the removal efficiency increased from 74 to 100%. By increasing the concentration of sulfur dioxide from 700 to 2,500 ppm, the removal efficiency decreased from 100 to 75%. Also as the absorbent velocity increased from 2.5 to 15 mL/min, the removal efficiency increased from 85 to 100%. As the porosity of the membrane increased, the removal efficiency increased.