This study evaluated the fungicidal efficacy of weakly acidic hypochlorous acid water (WAHW) against Microsporum canis (M. canis) and its therapeutic effect on M. canis-infected mouse skin. WAHW was produced by a WAHW generation module. A fungicidal efficacy test by the broth dilution method was used to determine the lowest effective concentration of the WAHW. The lowest effective concentration of WAHW was less than 10 ppm. For T-1, T-2, and T-3, 30 ppm of WAHW was applied to the infected skin once, twice, and three times a day, respectively, and for T-4, 50 ppm of WAHW was applied once a day. On the 3rd day after the initiation of treatment, skin scores in all of the WAHW-treated groups were significantly decreased compared to those in the positive control group (PC) (p<0.05), and there were no significant differences compared to the normal control (NC). The area of the infected skin in all of the WAHW-treated groups was significantly decreased compared to PC from the first day after the initiation of WAHW treatment (p<0.05). The results showed that WAHW had a fungicidal efficacy on M. canis at less than 10 ppm, and it was effective in improving skin symptoms when 30 ppm of WAHW was applied to the M. canis-infected area once a day for five days or 50 ppm of WAHW was applied once a day.

Economical radioactive soil treatment technology is essential to safely and efficiently treat of high-concentration radioactive areas and contaminated sites during operation of nuclear power plants at home and abroad. This study is to determine the performance of BERAD (Beautiful Environmental construction’s RAdioactive soil Decontamination system) before applying magnetic nanoparticles and adsorbents developed by the KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) which will be used in the national funded project to a large-capacity radioactive soil decontamination system. BERAD uses Soil Washing Process by US EPA (402-R-007-004 (2007)) and can decontaminate 0.5 tons of radioactive soil per hour through water washing and/or chemical washing with particle size separation. When contaminated soil is input to BERAD, the soil is selected and washed, and after going through a rinse stage and particle size separation stage, it discharges decontaminated soil separated by sludge of less than 0.075 mm. In this experiment, the concentrations of four general isotopes (A, B, C, and D which are important radioisotopes when soil is contaminated by them.) were analyzed by using ICP-MS to compare before and after decontamination by BERAD. Since BERAD is the commercial-scale pilot system that decontaminates relatively large amount of soil, so it is difficult to test using radioactive isotopes. So important general elements such as A, B, C, and D in soil were analyzed. In the study, BERAD decontaminated soil by using water washing. And the particle size of soil was divided into a total of six particle size sections with five sieves: 4 mm, 2 mm, 0.850 mm, 0.212 mm, and 0.075 mm. Concentrations of A, B, C, and D in the soil particles larger than 4 mm are almost the lowest regardless of before and after decontamination by BERAD. For soil particles less than 4 mm, the concentrations of C and D decreased constantly after BERAD decontamination. On the other hand, the decontamination efficiency of A and B decreased as the soil particle became smaller, but the concentrations of A and B increased for the soil particle below 0.075 mm. As a result, decontamination efficiency of one cycle using BERAD for all nuclides in soil particles between 4 mm and 0.075 mm is about 45% to 65 %.

Domestic nuclear power plants can affect the environment if multiple devices are operated on one site and even a trace amount of pollutants that may affect the environment after power generation are simultaneously discharged. Therefore, not only radioactive substances but also ionic substances such as boron should be discharged as minimally as possible. We adopted pilot CDI and SD-ELIX sytem to separating and concenrating of boron containing nulcear power plant discharge water. The boron concentration of the initial inflow water tended to decrease over time. The water quality of concentrated water also reached its peak until the initial 60 minutes, but tended to decrease in line with the decrease in the inflow water concentration. The boron removal rate was in the range of 85 to 99% with respect to the initial boron concentration of 15 to 25 mg/L. On the other hand, performance degradation due to the use of electrochemical modules is also observed, and regeneration through low ion-containing water cleaning effective. We shortened processing time by considering the optimal flow rate conditions and conductivity conditions and converting electrochemical modules into series or parallel.

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute’s Post Irradiated Examination Facility safely stores spent nuclear fuel using a wet storage method to conduct research. Here, in order to remove the radioactivity released into the water, the stored water is passed through an ion exchange resin tower, and the radionuclides are exchanged with the bead-shaped ion exchange resin filled inside to lower the radioactivity concentration. At this time, because the stored water passes in one direction, clogging of the ion exchange resin occurs. If this phenomenon continues, the flow rate of the water treatment process decreases and operation efficiency decreases, so a backwashing process is necessary to re-mix the ion exchange resin and secure the flow rate again. In this study, the flow rate reduction trend according to the lifespan of the ion exchange resin and the flow rate recovery according to the backwash process operation amount were analyzed. The flow rate reduction trend of the ion exchange process was analyzed immediately after the backwashing process was started. In addition, the amount of flow recovery according to the backwash process operation amount was evaluated by the amount of waste generated during the backwash process and the number of days of operation until the backwash process was needed again. As a result, the flow rate of the ion exchange process decreased rapidly right after the backwash process until the position of the ion exchange resins was stabilized, and then stabilized. After that, it gradually decreased and reached the point where the backwash process was necessary. However, the decline trend was analyzed to be the same regardless of the lifespan of the ion exchange resin. In addition, the amount of waste generated during the operation of the backwash process was increased in the order of 400 L, 600 L, 1,100 L, 1,400 L, 3,500 L, and 4,200 L to increase the amount of operation of the backwash process. As a result, the number of days of ion exchange resin operation was 285 days, 338 days, and 342 days, was analyzed as 422 days, 322 days, and 720 days. Based on this study, it was confirmed that the flow rate reduction trend is the same regardless of the lifespan of the ion exchange resin, and as the backwash process operation increases, the number of days the ion exchange process can be operated increases, but there is a turning point where the waste treatment cost exceeds the number of days of operation.

Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae from industrial insects are traditionally recognized as functional health foods in South Korea. We evaluated the immuno-modulatory effects of feeding beneficial microorganism (Bacillus velezensis TJS119) to P. brevitarsis larvae as a dietary source. In this study, we investigated the immune-enhancing activities of P. brevitarsis larvae hot-water extract (PLW) and PLW after treatment with B. velezensis TJS119 (PLWB) using the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. We examined the effects of PLWB on cell proliferation, cytokine production, and nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells. PLWB showed no cytotoxicity at concentrations ranging from 7.8 to 1,000 μg/mL in RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with PLWB increased the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)] at doses of 62.5 to 1,000 μ g/mL in RAW264.7 cells. As a result, PLWB exhibited a stronger immune-enhancing effect compared to PLW. In conclusion, the results of this study offer experimental evidence to support the potential utilization of PLWB as an immunity-enhancing nutraceutical ingredient.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sterilization, storage period and washing yuzu, according to the washing method, during the storage period. The results showed that the fungus size increased as the storage period increased, and no mold occurred in the yuzu washed with ozone water until 20 days. After 30 days of storage, a mold of 124.1±13.9 mm2 was observed. The no-treatment sample had a fungus of 814.5±72.8 mm2 in size on day 0 and the fungus the largest fungus was 6,362±636.7 mm2 on day 30. In the case of water treatment, the fungus was 286.4±31.5~4,836.4±484.6 mm2 in size. The results of the study confirmed that washing yuzu with ozone water has a sterilizing effect.

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) have stored ion exchange resins, which are used in deuteration, dehydrogenation systems, liquid waste treatment systems, and heavy water cleaning systems, in spent resin storage tanks. The C-14 radioactivity concentration of PHWR spent resin currently stored at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant is 4.6×10E+6 Bq/g, which exceeds the limited concentration of low-level radioactive waste. In addition, when all is disposed of, the total radioactivity of C-14, 1.48×10E+15 Bq, exceeds the disposal limit of the first-stage disposal facility, 3.04×10E+14. Therefore, it is currently impossible to dispose of them in Gyeongju intermediate- and low-level disposal facilities. As to dispose of spent resins produced in PHWR, C-14 must be removed from spent resins. This C- 14 removal technology from the spent resin can increase the utilization of Gyeongju intermediate- and low-level disposal facilities, and since C-14 separated from the spent resin can be used as an expensive resource, it is necessary to maximize its economic value by recycling it. The development of C-14 removal technology from the spent resin was carried out under the supervision of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in 2003, but there was a limit to the C-14 removal and adsorption technology and process. After that, Sunkwang T&S, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology developed spent resin treatment technology with C-14-containing heavy water for the first and second phases from 2015 to 2019 and from 2019 to the present, respectively. The first study had a limitation of a pilot device with a treatment capacity of 10L per day, and the second study was insufficient in implementing the technology to separate spent resin from the mixture, and it was difficult to install on-site due to the enlarged equipment scale. The technology to be proposed in this paper overcomes the limitations of spent resin mixture separation and equipment size, which are the disadvantages of the existing technology. In addition, since 14CO2 with high concentration is stored in liquid form in the storage tank, only the necessary amount of C-14 radioactive isotope can be extracted from the storage tank and be used in necessary industrial fields such as labeling compound production. Therefore, when the facility proposed in this paper is applied for treating mixtures in spent resin tanks of PHWR, it is expected to secure field applicability and safety, and to reflect the various needs of consumers of labeled compound operators utilizing C-14.

In this study, four technologies were selected to treat river water, lake water, and groundwater that may be contaminated by tritium contaminated water and tritium outflow from nuclear power plants, performance evaluation was performed with a lab-scale device, and then a pilot-scale hybrid removal facility was designed. In the case of hybrid removal facilities, it consists of a pretreatment unit, a main treatment unit, and a post-treatment unit. After removing some ionic, particulate pollutants and tritium from the pretreatment unit consisting of UF, RO, EDI, and CDI, pure water (2 μS/cm) tritium contaminated water is sent to the main treatment process. In this treatment process, which is operated by combining four single process technologies using an inorganic adsorbent, a zeolite membrane, an electrochemical module and aluminumsupported ion exchange resin, the concentration of tritium can be reduced. At this time, the tritium treatment efficiency of this treatment process can be increased by improving the operation order of four single processes and the performance of inorganic adsorbents, zeolite membrane, electrochemical modules, and aluminum- supported ion exchange resins used in a single process. Therefore, in this study, as part of a study to increase the processing efficiency of the main treatment facility, the tritium removal efficiency according to the type of inorganic adsorbent was compared, and considerations were considered when operating the complex process.

The emergence of micropollutants in natural water sources due to the overuse of anthropogenic chemicals in industry and households has threatened the production of clean and safe tap water in drinking water treatment plants. Conventional physicochemical processes such as coagulation/flocculation followed by sand filtration are not effective for the control of micropollutants, whereas chemical oxidation processes (applying chlorine, permanganate, ozone, etc.) are known to be promising alternatives. Determining the optimum oxidant dose is important issue related to the production of disinfection by-products as well as unnecessary operating cost, and is made possible by simulations of target-micropollutant abatement based on kinetic model equation consisting of second-order rate constant (between the oxidant and the target) and oxidant exposure. However, the difficulty in determining oxidant exposure as a function of complex water quality parameters limits the field application of kinetic model equation. With respect to representative oxidants used in drinking water treatment plants, this article reviews two main approaches for determining oxidant exposure: i) direct measurement in situ and ii) prediction by empirical models based on key water quality parameters. In addition, we discussed research requirements to improve the predictive accuracy of the empirical models for oxidant exposure and to develop a rational algorithm to determine optimal oxidant dose by considering the priority of the target pollutants to be treated.

To improve the safety of tap water, a study was conducted on the introduction of sanitation safety certification system for water treatment plants(WTPs). In order to produce and supply safe tap, the inflow of pollutants should be blocked as much as possible during the tap water production process, and contaminated materials should be removed or inactivated to a safe level in the WTPs. In order to block the inflow of pollutants in WTPs, it is necessary to strengthen the sanitation management such as installation of facilities for preventing inflow and habitat of larvae, and to remove or inactivate pollutants in the tap water production process, strengthening the safety management such as enhanced turbidity management is needed. Sanitation and safety management in the WTPs can be significantly improved by introducing certification system of WTPs. This will induce continuous improvement in water purification plants with insufficient sanitation and safety management, and provide incentives for WTPs with good sanitation and safety management. In addition, when the WTPs sanitation and safety certification system is established, it is desirable to expand the proposed system from WTPs to the entire process of tap water production and supply.

국내 Y정수처리시설에 20-40 m3/m2/h의 표면부하율을 갖는 고속 용존공기부상공정을 도입하였다. 우선, 용존공기부상공정과 입상활성탄 공정이 결합된 반응기를 일처리용량 500 m3/day의 조건으로 운전하였다. 운전결과는 두 공정이 원수내 탁도, 조류, 지오스민, 2-MIB를 감소시킬 수 있음을 증명하였다. 도출된 최적 설계요소를 활용하여 현장규모의 공정(5,000 m3/day)에 용존공기부상공정을 도입하였다. 여름철 56일간 조류와 탁도 제거율을 평가하였다. 처리수 내 조류의 개체수는 20-30 cells/mL 이하로 유지되었으며, 조류 제거효율은 80-89%를 기록하였다. 침전법 및 용존공기부상공정 처리수질의 탁도 제거효율을 비교한 결과 평균 탁도 제거효율은 77%를 나타냈다. 이러한 결과들은 고속 용존공기부상공정이 여름철 음용수의 탁도 및 조류와 같은 저밀도 고형물을 제거하는데 유의미한 방법임을 나타냈으며, GAC는 맛･냄새를 유발하는 화합물(지오스민, 2-MIB)를 제거할 수 있는 공정 옵션인 것을 확인하였다.

본 연구는 장미 ‘Bubble Gum’의 절화수명을 연장시키기 위하여 미산성 차아염소산수(Slightly acidic hypochlorous water, HOCl, pH 6.26)의 처리효과와 절화수명 연장제로써 의 가능성을 구명하고자 수행되었다. 침지처리는 30μL･L-1의 미산성 차아염소산수를 0분, 0.5분, 1분, 3분, 5분간 침지처 리 후 수돗물(Tap water, control)에 꽂아 두었다. 대조구의 절화수명은 8.7일인데 비해 5분 침치처리 시 10.8일로 대조 구보다 2.1일 수명을 연장시켰다. 상대생체중은 모든 처리구 에서 2일까지 증가하였고, 수분흡수율은 모든 처리구에서 6일 까지 증가하다가 감소하는 추세를 보였다. 화색 변화율인 ΔE 값은 3분(5.25), 5분(6.48), 30초(6.65), 1분(6.79) 침지처리 에서 대조구보다 낮았으며, 상대 화폭 증가율은 5분 침지 처 리구가 145%로 화폭의 증가율이 가장 컸고, 엽록소함량은 처 리 간 차이가 없었다. 결론적으로 절화장미 ‘Bubble Gum’의 절화수명은 미산성 차아염소산수의 5분 침지 처리가 효과적 으로 연장시켰다.