• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.9-18
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• 2014

London Convention on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matter prohibits the deliberate disposal of paper mill sludges at sea. In order to explore the alternative plan on the prohibition of sludge disposal at sea, the biodegradable seedling pot was developed by mixing the sludge with old newspaper (ONP) in appropriate mixing ratios. The C/N ratio of the mixed sludge was below 20, leading to rapid deterioration of the organic matters composing the seedling pot. The increased ONP contents in the seedling pot resulted in the increase of pot thickness and thereafter in the decrease of pot density. Cellulose fibers in ONP promoted water absorption of the pot but AKD addition helped the seedling pot to repel water during raising seedling. Breaking length and burst strength of the seedling pot were improved by addition of wet strength additives but air permeability was a little diminished. Biodegradable rate of the seedling pot in a soil was accelerated by the attack of soil microbes at the beginning, and finally the pot was completely degraded in 150 days in a soil.

• Clean Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

Aqueous cleaning agents which are considered to be environmental-friendly and promising alternative ones among various industrial cleaning agents were evaluated in this words. In order to formulate aqueous cleaning agents, primary alcohol ethoxylates with 3, 5 and 7 moles of ethylene oxides among nonionic surfactants were selected as main surfactants. And anionic surfactants and alcohols were chosen as their cosurfactants. Builders such as NaOH, KOH, $Na_2CO_3$ and $NaHCO_3$ were also evaluated as additives for improvement of cleaning efficiency of aqueous cleaning agents. The experimental results of cleaning ability tests show that introduction of anionic surfactant TLS as cosurfactant in alcohol ethoxylate-based aqueous solution gives the best cleaning efficiency for removing mixed soil of cutting oil and grease. NaOH and $Na_2CO_3$ are also shown to play an important role for improvement of cleaning efficiency in a aqueous cleaning agent.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 1995

For development of microbial additives applicable to in-vessel composting system of food waste, thermophilic bacteria which showed amylase, protease, lipase and cellulase activity were isolated from soil, compost and food waste. Among 81 isolates, the growth characteristic of 20 strains with high enzyme activity were examined. All strains are Gram positive rod with catalase activity and 17 strains are spore formers. At $50^{\circ}C$, most of the strains were able to grow from pH 5 to pH 10 and in presence of 8% of NaCl. In trypticase soy broth, the growth of these strains was greatly increased by aeration, but decreased at elevated temperature above $50^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.43-71
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• 1999

This research is an experimental work of developing a construction material using municipal wastewater sludge as liner and cover materials for waste disposal landfill. Weathered granite soil and flyash, produced as a by-product in the power plant, were used as the primary additives to improve geotechnical engineering properties of sludge. For secondary additives, bentonite and cement were mixed with sludge to decrease the permeability and to increase the shear strength, respectively. Various laboratory test required to evaluate the design criteria for liner and cover materials, were carried out by changing the mixing ratio of sludge with the additives. Basic soil properties such as specific gravity, grain size distribution, liquid and plastic limits were measured to analyze their effects on permeability, compaction, compressibility and shear strength properties of mixtures. Laboratory compaction tests were conducted to find the maximum dry densities and the optimum moisture contents of mixtures, and their effectiveness of compaction in field was consequently evaluated. Permeability tests of variable heads with compacted samples, and the stress-controlled consolidation tests with measuring permeabilities of samples during consolidation process were performed to obtain permeability, and to find the compressibility as well as consolidational coefficients of mixtures, respectively. To evaluate the long term stability of sludges, creep tests were also conducted in parallel with permeability tests of variable heads. On the other hand, for the compacted sludge decomposed for a month, permeability tests were carried out to investigate the effect of decomposition of organic matters in sludges on its permeability. Direct shear tests were performed to evaluate the shear strength parameters of mixed sludge with weathered granite, flyash and bentonite. For the mixture of sludge with cement, unconfined compression tests were carried out to find their strength with varying mixing ratio and curing time. On the other hand, CBR tests for compacted specimen were also conducted to evaluate the trafficability of mixtures. Various test results with mixtures were assessed to evaluate whether their properties meet the requirements as liner and cover materials in waste disposal landfill.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.453-467
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• 2018

The excavation performance and the cutting tool wear prediction of shield TBM are very important issues for design and construction in TBM tunneling. For hard-rock TBMs, CSM and NTNU model have been widely used for prediction of disc cutter wear and penetration rate. But in case of soft-ground TBMs, the wear evaluation and the excavation performance have not been studied in details due to the complexity of the ground behavior and therefore few testing methods have been proposed. In this study, a new soil abrasion and penetration tester (SAPT) that simulates EPB TBM excavation process is introduced which overcomes the drawbacks of the previously developed soil abrasivity testers. Parametric tests for penetration rate, foam mixing ratio, foam concentration were conducted to evaluate influential parameters affecting TBM excavation and also ripper wear was measured in laboratory. The results of artificial soil specimen composed of 70% illite and 30% silica sand showed TBM additives such as foam play a key role in terms of excavation and tool wear.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 1996

Clay soils typically have low hydraulic conductivities in the presence of high polarity pore fluid, such as water. Low polarity fluids, such as hydrocarbon fuels and halogenated organic solvents, typically cannot migrate into clay pores because they cannot displace the pore water. Oxygenated additives in gasoline, such as alcohols and methyl-tert-butyl ether, are increasingly used to control air pollution emissions. These relatively polar and highly water-soluble compounds may facilitate displacement of pore water and enhance migration of fuels and solvents through clay-rich soil strata. In the reported research, the migration of gasoline-alcohol fuel mixtures (gasohol) through consolidated clay was examined. Prepared kaolinite clay samples were consolidated from slurry, and various combinations of gasoline, alcohol, and water were applied to the clays under 152 Pa gauge pressure. Movement of the fluids into the clay samples was monitored by measur ing displaced pore fluid and by magnetic resonance imaging of the samples. The structures of selected samples were examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Results of the research suggest that alcohol added to hydrocarbon fuels can enhance migration through some clays significantly. Gasoline did not migrate appreciably into water saturated clay, even after 14 days under pressure. The gasohol mixture migrated readily into the clay in only 20 minutes. Increased hydraulic conductivity of the clay in the presence of gasohol is hypothesized to be due to the collapse of the clays pore structure when ethanol is present, creating larger pores. Increasing pore diameter decreases the capillary pressure needed for the gasohol to replace water and allows gasohol to migrate through the clay.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.352-357
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• 2008

We evaluated cultivation methods to obtain pure cultures of previously uncultivated bacteria from soil. Soil bacteria (suspensions) were inoculated onto various oligotrophic media with one of the following additives: 1) soil extract; 2) anthraquinone disulfonate (humic acid analogue); 3) acyl homoserine lactones (quorum-signaling compounds); 4) catalase (for the protection of bacteria from exogenous peroxides). After the relatively long period (60 days) of incubation with elevated concentrations of $CO_2$ (5%, v/v), the media containing catalase showed the highest colony count. We purified 147 randomly selected colonies from the media and the isolates were subjected to the phylogenetic analyses of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that approximately 30% of the isolates might belong to novel species or novel family, suggesting that the media and incubation conditions used could be useful for the cultivation of as-yet-uncultured bacteria. Especially, bacteria belonging to the phylum Acidobacteria, ubiquitous bacterial taxon known as an uncultured bacterial group (at least difficult to culture from environmental samples), were successfully cultured in this study.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.31-37
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• 2011

Only a few studies have been conducted using reduced slag as recycled material. The reduced slag in electric furnace is produced as a by-product in making a steel and a few applications of the reduced slag as expensive additives and bonding materials or as the stabilized soils was reported. The purpose of this study is to present the feasibility of the reduced slag as recycled material, especially, in a field of civil engineering. In order to achieve the purpose experiments such as SEM and XRF analysis was conducted for the reduced slag in electric furnace. Based on the results various geotechnical experiments were conducted to know engineering properties of slag-soil mixtures. Weathered soils and clay are mixed with reduced slag for various ratios. As the ratio of reduced slag to weathered soil increases, the maximum dry unit weight of the mixture decreased with increasing optimum moisture content. The results indicates that there is no effect on a reduced slag by compaction efforts. The shear strengths of the weathered soil-slag mixtures are slightly higher or similar to those of weathered soils. The permeability of the weathered soil-slag mixtures is similar to that of silty or sandy soils. Therefore, it is possible to use the mixtures as embankment or backfill materials in the fields. The unconfined strength of the mixtures of reduced slag and clay is higher than that of clay and it tends to increase with the curing time. Therefore it can be used to improve the soft ground.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.209-222
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• 2024

The Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) shield Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is widely used for underground tunnel construction for its advantages, such as eliminating the need for additional facilities compared to the slurry shield TBM, which requires Slurry Treatment Plant (STP). During EPB shield TBM excavation, a soil conditioning technique is employed to enhance the physical properties of the excavated soil by injecting additives, thus broadening the range of applicable ground conditions to EPB shield TBMs. This study explored the use of xanthan gum, a type of biopolymer, as an alternative to the commonly used polymer additive. Biopolymers, derived from biological sources, are fully biodegradable. In contrast to traditional polymers such as polyacrylic acid, which contain environmentally harmful components, xanthan gum is gaining attention as an eco-friendly material due to its minimal toxicity and environmental impact. Test conditions with similar workability were established through slump tests, and the rheological characteristics were assessed using a laboratory pressurized vane shear test apparatus. The experiments demonstrated that, despite exhibiting similar workability, the peak strength in the flow curve decreased with increasing the content of xanthan gum. Consequently, a correlation between the xanthan gum content and peak strength was established. Replacing the traditional polymers with xanthan gum could enable stable EPB shield TBM operation by reducing equipment load, in addition to offering environmental benefits.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.533-549
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• 2024

Soil conditioning is a critical process when tunneling with an earth pressure balance (EPB) shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) to enhance performance. To determine the optimal additive injection conditions, it is important to understand the rheological properties of conditioned soil, which is typically assessed using a rheometer. However, a rheometer cannot simulate the actual process of muck discharge in a TBM. Therefore, in this study, a scaled-down model of an 8-meter-class EPB shield TBM chamber and screw conveyor, reduced by a factor of 1:20, was fabricated and its applicability was evaluated through laboratory experiments. A lab-scale model experiment was conducted on artificial sandy soil using foam and polymer as additives. The experimental results confirmed that screw torque was consistent with trends observed in previous laboratory pressurized vane shear test data, establishing a positive proportional relationship between screw torque and yield stress. The muck discharge efficiency according to foam injection ratio (FIR) showed similar values overall, but decreased slightly at 60% of FIR and when the polymer was added. In addition, the pressure distribution generated along the chamber and screw conveyor was assessed in a manner similar to the actual EPB TBM. This study demonstrates that the lab-scale screw conveyor model can be used to evaluate the shear properties and muck discharge efficiency.