• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2009

Esterase EM2L8 gene isolated from deep sea sediment was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the esterase activity of the cell-free extract was assayed using p-nitrophenyl butyrate-spectrophotometric method. Its optimum temperature was $40-45^{\circ}C$ and 45% activity of the maximum activity was retained at $15^{\circ}C$. The activation energy at $15-45^{\circ}C$ was calculated to be 4.9 kcal/mol showing that esterase EM2L8 was a typical cold-adapted enzyme. Enzyme activity was maintained for 6 h and 4 weeks at $30^{\circ}C$ and $4^{\circ}C$, respectively. When each ethanol, methanol, and acetone was added to the reaction mixture to 15% concentration, enzyme activity was maintained. In the case of DMSO, enzyme activity was kept up to 40% concentration. (S)-4-Chloro-3-hydroxy butyric acid is a chiral intermediate for the synthesis of Atorvastatin, a hyperlipemia drug. When esterase EM2L8 (40 U) was added to buffer solution (1.2 mL, pH 9.0) containing ethyl-(R,S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate (38 mM), it was hydrolyzed into 4-chloro-3-hydroxy butyric acid with a rate of $6.8\;{\mu}mole/h$. The enzyme hydrolyzed (S)-substrate more rapidly than (R)-substrate. When conversion yield was 80%, e.e.s value was 40%. When DMSO was added, hydrolysis rate increased to $10.4\;{\mu}mole/h$. The plots of conversion yield vs e.e.s in the presence or absence of DMSO were almost same, implying that the reaction enantioselectivity was not changed by the addition of DMSO. Taken together, esterase EM2L8 had high activity and stability at low temperatures as well as in various organic solvents/aqueous solutions. These properties suggested that it could be used as a biocatalyst in the synthesis of useful pharmaceuticals.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.432-438
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• 1996

This study was carried out to prepare information for the establishment of countermeasures for an area contaminated with minewaste from an old zinc mine at Kahak-long in Kwangmyong. Minewaste and bottom sediments from the streams in this area were sampled and were analyzed for Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn extracted with different solution. Total heavy metal contents in both minewaste and bottom sediments were fairly high. Cadmium and Zn contents in the minewaste and Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn contents in the bottom sediments extracted with 0.1 N HCl showed a much higher level than those in the background level of paddy soils and in the soils around the other metal mines regardless of the distance from the mine. Sulfide/residue forms of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn covered the highest portions for the minewaste. For bottom sediments, sulfide/residue forms of Cu and Zn formed the highest portions, whereas the contents of both carbonate and sulfide/residue forms of Cd and Pb were significant. The lower the pH of the extracting solutions, the more heavy metals extracted from both minewaste and bottom sediments.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.366-372
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• 2009

In the course of screening of useful enzyme-producing microorganisms from marine sedimentary layers, we isolated 2 amylase producing strains and tested their amylase producing activities. Analyses of 16S rDNA sequences and biochemical methods (BIOLOG) of two isolates showed that they were confirmed to be a gram positive Bacillus sp. and gram negative Pseudoalteromonas sp., respectively. Excellent amylase producing strains were termed Bacillus sp. ST-63 and Pseudoalteromonas sp. ST-140, and further studies were conducted on their amylase producing characteristics. Optimum conditions for cell growth in amylase activity were obtained when the isolate (Bacillus sp. ST-63 and Pseudoalteromonas sp. ST-140) was cultured at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH $7{\sim}8$.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.33-40
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• 2022

Sedimentation and pH neutralization has been investigated as preteatment of acid contaminate water. The settling and neutralizing process derive more effective degradation efficiency as the pre-treatment process before the removal process of adsorption, volatile, biodegradation, or oxidation. Settling velocity, uniformity coefficient, coefficient of curvature, and grain size index can define in the sedimentation process for characteristics of the soil. The stainless steel sieve has been used to separate each particle size of the dry soil by assembling in order of 4, 10, 20, 40, 80, 100, and 200 mesh sizes. The soil from Gamcheon Port in Busan drops upper side of the sieve and shakes back and forth to separate each different size of the particle. The 1L of Imhoff cone and 200 mL of the mass cylinder were used as settling tanks to calculate settling velocity. Stokes' equation was used to figure out the average density of dry soil with a value from settling velocity. In the results, the average particle density and lowest settling velocity were 1.93 g/cm³ and 0.11 cm/s, respectively. These values can detect the range of settling points of sediment to prevent chemical accidents. In pH neutralization, the initial pH of 2, 3, 4, and 5 of nitric acid and sulfuric acid are used as an acid solution; 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 M of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide are used as a base solution. The main goal of this experiment is to figure out the volume percentage of the acid solution becomes pH 7. The concentration of 0.001 M of base solution exceeds all the conditions, 0.01 M exceeds partially, and 0.1 M does not exceed 5 v/v% except pH 2. Calcium hydroxide present less volume than sodium hydroxide at pH neutralization both sulfuric and nitric acid.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.474-479
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• 2008

Radioactivity of naturally occurring radioactive nuclides (NORN) such as $^{226}Ra$, $^{228}Ac$ and $^{40}K$ were investigated for surface sediments collected from Ordos, Alashan, Taklimakan deserts and Loess plateau regions in China. By a Gamma-ray spectrometry, specific activity (SA) and SA ratio (SAR) of the NORN were determined for each source region of Asian dust. Characterization of the source regions of Asian dust was performed with the SA and SAR values. SA of $^{226}Ra$ in the three desert regions have almost same values in the range of mean value 17.9~21.9 Bq/kg, however, the SA in Loess Plateau has much higher values in the mean value of 35 Bq/Kg. SA of $^{228}Ac$ in the Ordos and Alashan desert regions have almost same values in the range of mean value 27.1~27.2 Bq/kg, and those in Taklimakan desert and Loess Plateau were 31.7 and 49.0 Bq/kg, respectively. In case of 40K, the SA in all regions have similar values in the range of 636~943 Bq/kg. The mean SAR value of $^{226}Ra/^{228}Ac$ in four source regions was almost same in the range of 0.708-0.721. It is shown that relationship between $^{226}Ra$ and $^{228}Ac$ is clearly presented in the source regions. The mean SAR values of $^{226}Ra/^{40}K$, $^{228}Ac/^{40}K$ are 0.0209-0.056, 0.0287-0.0773, respectively.