• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.249-256
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• 2006

Catalytic combustion of toluene was investigated on the Cu-Mn oxide catalysts prepared by the impregnation(Imp) and the deposition-precipitation(DP) methods. The mixing of copper and manganese has been found to enhance the activity of catalysts. It is then found that catalytic efficiency of the Cu-Mn oxide catalyst prepared by the DP method on combustion of toluene is much higher than that of the Cu-Mn oxide catalyst prepared by Imp method with the same chemical composition. The catalyst prepared by the deposition-precipitation method observed no change of toluene conversion at time on stream during 10 days and at the addition of water vapor. On the basis of catalyst characterization data, it has been suggested that the catalysts prepared by the DP method showed uniform distribution and smaller particle size on the surface of catalyst and then enhanced reduction capability of catalysts. Therefore, we think that the DP method leads on progressive capacity of catalyst and promotes stability of catalyst. It was also presumed that catalytic conversion of toluene on the Cu-Mn oxide catalyst depends on redox reaction and $Cu_{1.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ spinel phase acts as the major active sites of catalyst.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.38-48
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• 2004

Natural attenuation of petroleum hydrocarbon was investigated at an industrial complex about 45 Km away from Seoul. The three-years monitoring results indicated that the concentrations of DO, nitrate, and sulfate in the contaminated area were significantly lower than the background monitoring groundwater under the non-contaminated area. The results also showed a higher ferrous iron concentration, a lower redox potential, and a higher (neutral) pH in the contaminated groundwater, suggesting that biodegradation of TEX(Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene) is the major on-going process in the contaminated area. Groundwater in the contaminated area is anaerobic, and sulfate reduction is the dominant terminal electron accepting process in the area. The total attenuation rate was about 0.0017∼0.0224day$^{-1}$ and the estimated first-order degradation rate constant(λ) was 0.0008∼0.0106day$^{-1}$ . However, the reduction of TEX concentration in the groundwater was resulted from not only biodegradation but also dilution and reaeration through recharge of uncotaminated surface and groundwater. The natural attenuation was, therefore, found to be an effective, on-going remedial process at the site.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.228-236
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• 2019

This study investigated the effect of the sediment phosphorus fraction sampled from the southern coast of Korea on the release characteristics of sediments by environmental changes of water quality. We conducted the release experiment in the laboratory for 20 days and measured the phosphorus fraction properties, the environmental factors of water quality, and the release rate of total phosphorus. The results showed a decrease in dissolved oxygen by the growth of microorganisms in the water layer, leading to the anaerobic condition in which the redox potential of the sediments decreased. As such, the decreasing variability of phosphates bonded to iron oxide in the sediment phosphorus was higher after 20 days of the release experiment than the first day. It means that the metal ions and the separated inorganic phosphorus transfer into the water when the iron oxide is reduced. The separated inorganic phosphorus is easily absorbed by the plankton. The analysis of total phosphorus in the water layer showed that it continuously increased to up to 0.304 mg/L for 20 days, and the release rate had a high correlation with the decrease of dissolved oxygen after 5 days of culture. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the characteristics of iron bonded to phosphorus in the phosphorus fraction and dissolved oxygen to manage the eutrophication of the system.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.213-222
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• 2018

Metasediment-hosted Pb-Zn mineralized zone has been found in Dyusembay of Kazakhstan. Its petrological properties, metal index, alteration index and redox-sensitivity are compared with those of SEDEX type deposit. Mineralization is developed along foliation of host rock (graphitic phyllite) and controlled by folds and faults; major ore minerals including pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and galena are disseminated or interlayered with fine-grained quartz. The margin of the mineralized zone is metamorphosed accompanying sericite and chlorite. Hydrothermal brecciation and Pb-Zn mineralization formed in quartz-calcite stockworks are confirmed at the around of Maytyubin granitoid intrusions. The mineralization is classified into three types according to those of occurrence, paragenesis, chemical composition and isotopic characteristics. Type 1 whose fine-grained pyrite, pyrrhotite and sphalerite are formed in parallel yet discontinuous to well-developed foliations of the host rock; its geochemistry is similar to those of the earlier stage in SEDEX-type mineralization. In case of type 2, the ore minerals of which are concentrated being parallel to a foliation by regional metamorphism, and most of them associated with quartz and muscovite (${\pm}$ biotite) paragenetically. Type 3 is formed in the hydrothermal breccia zone whose ore minerals are controlled by foliation and breccia and developed in quartz ${\pm}$ calcite veins having a form such as stratification, stockwork or veinlets. Host rocks in the mineralized zone indicate homogeneous metamorphic grade and there is no specific alteration zonation. Also, all types (type 1, type 2, and type 3) represent similar REEs patterns, it can be interpreted that these are originated from a same source. Sulphides occurred in mineralized zone indicate a limited range of sulphur isotope values (type 2, ${\delta}^{34}S=-13.3{\sim}-11.7$‰; type 3, ${\delta}^{34}S=-13.9{\sim}-8.2$‰), and a result of geothermometry presents different temperature ranges: type 2($251{\pm}38^{\circ}C{\sim}277{\pm}40^{\circ}C$); type 3($360{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ to $537{\pm}29^{\circ}C$). It is estimated to be due to the effect of metamorphism and Maytyubin granitoid intrusions, respectively. In addition, ternary chart of thorium, scandium, and zircon for discrimination of tectonic setting and redox sensitivity using V/Mo values indicate that hydrothermal sediments put on reduction environment after precipitation, before being affected by metamorphism and intrusion activity. Geochemical data are plotted on a distal trend of SEDEX-type with discrimination plot using SEDEX index. As a result, petrological-geochemical properties demonstrate that Dyusembay Pb-Zn mineralized zone is comparable to distal-type of SEDEX deposit.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2009

This experiment was performed to understand the relationship between uptake of Fe and Mn by plants, red pepper and tomato, and soil physico-chemical properties under different soil conditions at an environmentally controlled chamber in NAAS(National Academy of Agricultural Science) in 2008. After the dipping for 3 days, four treatments, dipping, dipping+aeration, drainage, drainage+aeration, were set up to investigate the changes in soil redox potential and moisture content. Drainage+aeration changed soil to the oxidation condition from 72 hrs of treatment, and soil moisture content was immediately reduced after treatment. Uptake of Fe and Mn of red pepper was investigated with two treatments, soil only and the mixed[soil(50%) : bed soil(35%) : bark(15%)]. Red pepper leaves taken at 30 days after treatment absorbed excessively Mn from the treatment of soil only and the mixed, and thus uptake of iron was strongly reduced. Also, uptake pattern of Fe and Mn of tomato was examined with four treatment, soil only, soil(50%) + rice straw(50%), soil(50%) + compost(50%) and soil + aeration. Contents of Fe and Mn in tomato leaves was measured at 60 days after treatment. Fe content was the greatest in soil(50%) + compost(50%) whereas Mn content was the highest in soil only. As a result of this experiment, plant growth was stronger influenced by soil moisture content than redox potential or porosity, and the oxidation status of soil was likely to promote that plant predominantly absorbed Mn from soil and thus resulted in Fe deficiency.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2006

SH group modifying chemicals were used to characterize the eight cysteine residues of cabbage PLD. 5,5-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate)(DTNB) was used to titrate the SH group of cysteine residues . Based on the optical density at 412nm due to the reduced DTNB, 4 SH groups are found to be present in a native PLD while 8 SH groups in the denatured PLD whose tertiary structure was perturbed by 8M urea. The results imply that among the 8 cysteine residues of PLD, the half(4) are exposed on the surface whereas the other half are present at the interior of the enzyme tertiary structure. The PLD was inactivated by SH modifying reagents such as p-chloromercuribenzoate(PCMB), iodoacetate, iodoacetamide, and N-ethylmaleimide. At the addition of dithiothreitol(DTT) only the PCMB inhibited PLD activity was recovered reversibly. The micro-environment of the exposed SH group of cysteine residues was examined with various disulfide compounds with different functional groups and we found that anionic or neutral disulfides appear to be more effective than the positively charged cystamine for inactivating the PLD activity. The effect of redox state of cysteine residues on the PLD activity was further explored with H2O2. The oxidation of SH groups by H2O2 inhibited the PLD activity more than 70%, which was mostly recovered by DTT. From these results, we could confirm chemically that all the cysteine residues of PLD are present as in their reduced SH forms and the 4 SH groups exposed on the surface of the enzyme may play important roles in the regulation of PLD activity.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2018

There would be a possibility of uranium contamination around the nuclear power plants and the underground waste disposal sites, where the uranium could further migrate and diffuse to some distant places by groundwater. It is necessary to understand the biogeochemical behaviors of uranium in underground environments to effectively control the migration and diffusion of uranium. In general, various kinds of microbes are living in soils and geological media where the activity of microbes may be closely connected with the redox reaction of nuclides resulting in the changes of their solubility. We investigated the adsorption and precipitation behaviors of dissolved uranium on some solid materials using hydrogen gas as an electron donor instead of organic matters. Although the effect of hydrogen gas did not appear in a batch experiment that used granite as a solid material, there occurred a reduction of uranium concentration by 5~8% due to hydrogen in an experiment using bentonite. This result indicates that some indigenous bacteria in the bentonite that have utilized hydrogen as the electron donor affected the behavior (reduction) of uranium. In addition, the bentonite bacteria have showed their strong tolerance against a given high temperature and radioactivity of a specific waste environment, suggesting that the nuclear-biogeochemical reaction may be one of main mechanisms if the natural bentonite is used as a buffer material for the disposal site in the future.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1290-1297
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• 2015

Studies of the inactivation of a gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase, pdc, in an ethanol-producing bacterium, Zymomonas mobilis, identified a mutant strain with 50% reduced PDC activity. To evaluate the possibility of a carbon-flux shift from an ethanol pathway toward higher value fermentation products, including pyruvate, succinate, and lactate, fermentation studies were carried out. Despite attempts to silence pdc expression in the wild-type strain ZM4 using cat-inserted pdc and pdc-deleted homologs by electroporation, the strain isolated showed partial gene activation. Fermentation experiments with the PDC mutant strain showed that the reduced expression level of PDC activity resulted in decreased rates of substrate uptake and ethanol production, together with increased pyruvate accumulation of 2.5 g l^-1 , although lactate and succinate concentrations were not significantly enhanced in these modified strains. Despite numerous attempts, no strains were isolated in which complete pdc inactivation occurred. This result indicates that the ethanol fermentation pathway of this bacterium is totally dependent on the activity of the PDC enzyme. To ensure a redox balance of intracellular NAD and NADH levels, other enzymes, such as lactate dehydrogenase for lactate, and enzymes involved in the production of succinic acid, such as pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and malic enzymes, may be needed for their increased end-product production.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2009

The XRF core scanner was used, to analyze high resolution chemical elements in deep sea sediment cores from Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone of the northeastern Pacific. Comparison of data estimated by the XRF core scanner with ICP-AES showed relatively weak correlation coefficients between elements (especially Ba, Pb, Sr, Zr) except for Mn contents ($r^2$ > 0.89). However down-core variations of most elements seemed to be well matched each other and furthermore, XRF core scanner data reflected changes of sedimentary facies characterized by sediment colors. Mn/Al ratio dramatically changed at boundaries of facies in BC08-02-05 and BC08-02-13 but progressive changes occured in BC08-02-02, BC08-02-09 and BC08-02-10 where the sediments have been affected by bioturbations. The difference of Mn/Al ratio in each facies (Facies I, Facies II, Facies III) has been caused by redox condition of depositional environment. Vertical change of Mn/Al ratio were divided into two types probably affected by activities of benthic organisms in the study area.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.485-491
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• 2013

Rhodiola spp. and red ginseng have been used for food and medicinal applications in disease chemoprevention in many Asian countries. Increased oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been proposed to be a major cause of muscle fatigue. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of a fermented hot-water extract mixture from Rhodiola sachalinensis and red ginseng (MFR) on cell damage and the antioxidant enzyme system in $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress in skeletal muscle cells. C2C12 myoblasts were treated with various concentrations of NFR (non-fermented Rhodiola sachalinensis extract), FR (fermented hot-water extract from Rhodiola sachalinensis) and MFR for up to 5 days after the standard induction of differentiation, followed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. MFR treatment dose-dependently protected oxidative damage of C2C12 cells. The treatment with MFR also enhanced mRNA expressions of MyoD, Cu/Zn SOD, Mn-SOD and GPX up to 16%. These results indicate that MFR exerts an anti-oxidative effect through a mechanism (s) that may involve the up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes, which may be important for the cellular redox environment in muscle cells.