This study investigated the applicability of horticultural media with recycled coir substrates the growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Pekinensis) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) crop. The six different types of coir based substrates were A, Coir 45: Perlite 35: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), B, Coir 55: Perlite 25: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), C, Coir 65: Perlite 15: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), D, Coir 75: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), E, Coir 85: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 5: Zeolite 5 (%) and F, nursery media (control). The pH and Electric conductivity of the horticultural nursery media were 6.06–7.00 and 0.45–1.10 dS/m-1, respectively. The nursery media containing coir substrates had higher level of Total N, Ca, K, Mg and P than those without coir. Additionally, it was observed that the growth of Chinese cabbage was the best on D (containing 75% coir) while that of lettuce was the best on E (containing 85% coir). In general, when substrates containg a higher percentage of coir were used, the growth of Chinese cabbage and lettuce was ideal. Additionally, the P, Ca, and Mg content in both plants was not significantly altered by the amount of coir present in the media. However, with an increase in the amount of coir substrate, the chlorophyll, N, and K content was increased. After harvesting, there was no significant difference in the chemical properties of the horticultural nursery media of both plants. Thus, it can be suggested that, coir substrate after a single use could be recycled as horticulture nursery media.
Trains have been a major means of transport in Korea during these past decades. However, train facilities such as stations and repair shops are contaminated with organic and inorganic substances. There is a high probability of train facility contamination with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study evaluated the PAH and heavy metal contamination of soil near railroads in the Kyungpook area. A total of 18 soil samples were collected from the railroads and analyzed for 16 PAHs and 6 heavy metal species. The contamination level of the top soil was found to be slightly higher than that of the subsoil for contamination with PAHs. The ratio of carcinogenic PAH concentration to the total PAH concentration was relatively high, with a maximum of 0.9. The toxicity equivalent (TEQ) of the PAHs were 500.6 ng/kg in the topsoil and 355.5 ng/kg in the subsoil. The ratio of low molecular PAHs (LPAHs) to high molecular PAHs (LPAHs) ranged from 6.7 to 29.5; this shows that contamination is primarily due to combustion of fuel rather than due to petroleum. The ratio of phenanthrene to anthracene and the ratio of fluoranthene to pyrene also show that contamination occurred due to combustion for transportation. The heavy metal contamination level was lower than the Korean standard, but higher than the background concentration; this indicates that the soil was affected by the operation of the railways.
This study intend to induce citizen's voluntary preliminary disaster prevention activity to reduce damage of typhoon that occurs every year. For this purpose, a survey was conducted to develop Typhoon information contents. The number of samples used in the survey was set to 500 people, and citizens living in Jeju, Busan, and Jeonlanam-do were surveyed for areas with high typhoon disasters in order to develop practical and efficient information. The survey consisted of perception about natural disaster, how to get and use weather information, satisfaction with typhoon information and requirements. The general public perceived the typhoon as the first natural disaster. As a result of responding to the method of obtaining and utilizing weather information, the frequency of collecting weather information at the time of issuance of typhoon special report is higher than usual. The purpose of using weather information is clear and the response rate is high for the purpose of disaster prevention. The medium mainly collecting weather information is Internet portal site and mobile phone besides television. The current satisfaction with typhoon weather information is 34.8%, in addition to the accuracy of prediction, it is necessary to improve the information (that is content) provided. Specific responses to the content were investigated not only for single meteorological factors, but also for possible damage and potential countermeasures in the event of a disaster such as a typhoon. As can be seen from the above results, people are requested to provide information that can be used to detect and cope with disasters. The development of new content using easy accessible media will contribute to the reduction of damages caused by the typhoon that will occur in the future, and also to the disaster prevention activity.
In this study, we evaluated the photocatalytic oxidation efficiency of aromatic volatile hydrocarbons by using WO3–doped TiO2 nanotubes (WTNTs) under visible-light irradiation. One-dimensional WTNTs were synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal method and impregnation. XRD analysis revealed successful incorporation of WO3 into TiO2 nanotube (TNT) structures. UV-Vis spectra exhibited that the synthesized WTNT samples can be activated under visible light irradiation. FE-SEM and TEM images showed the one-dimensional structure of the prepared TNTs and WTNTs. The photocatalytic oxidation efficiencies of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene were higher using WTNT samples than undoped TNT. These results were explained based on the charge separation ability, adsorption capability, and light absorption of the sample photocatalysts. Among the different light sources, light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) are more highly energy-efficient than 8-W daylight used for the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene, though the photocatalytic oxidation efficiency is higher for 8-W daylight.
In this study, zeolite (Z-C1) was synthesized using a fusion/hydrothermal method from coal fly ash. The morphological structures of Z-C1 were confirmed to be highly crystalline with a cubic crystal structure. Exchange capacities of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in a single and a mixed solution reached equilibrium within 120 min. The exchange kinetics of these ions were well predicted by the pseudo-second-order rate equation. The exchange isotherms of the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions matched the Langmuir isotherm better than the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum cation exchange capacities (qm) obtained by the Langmuir isotherm model were 2.11 mmol/g (84.52 mg/L) and 1.13 mmol/g (27.39 mg/L) for the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, respectively.
The real-time monitoring of surface vegetation is essential for the management of droughts, vegetation growth, and water resources. The availability of land cover maps based on remotely collected data makes the monitoring of surface vegetation easier. The vegetation index in an area is likely to be proportional to meteorological elements there such as air temperature and precipitation. This study investigated relationship between vegetation index based on Moderate Resolution Image Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and ground-measured meteorological elements at the Yongdam catchment station. To do this, 16-day averaged data were used. It was found that the vegetation index is well correlated to air temperature but poorly correlated to precipitation. The study provides some intuition and guidelines for the study of the droughts and ecologies in the future.
The aim of the study were to investigate the influences of krill (Euphausia superba) meal on the body weight, lipid metabolism functional improvement, blood glucose level, protein component in the sera of rats which fed experimental diets for 5 weeks. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, free cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), phospholipid (PL) and blood glucose were higher in the control diet group (G1 group) than the control diet plus 10% krill meal group (G2 group), the control diet plus 20% krill meal group (G3 group), the control diet plus 30% krill meal group (G4 group), and a general dose and time independent one-way analysis of variance was performed to assess efficacy. Conversely depending on the content of krill meal for the High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol level, it showed higher results. The concentrations of total protein, albumin and globulin in sera, there were not significant difference among the groups (p<0.05). The results indicate that a krill meal diet effectively inhibited increases in lipid elevation, blood glucose level in the sera of rats.
The purpose of this study was to probe the influences of krill (Euphausia superba) meal with NaF oral administration on a dose-effect relationship between fluoride levels of krill meal and serum enzyme activity such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in rats fed experimental diets for 5 weeks. There were no significant decreases in the activities of ALP, AST, ALT, and LDH in sera among krill meal diet groups (KF10, KF20, KF30). However, these groups were significantly (p<0.05) lower enzyme activities than normal diet (ND) plus NaF 10 mg group (NF). The fluoride levels of serum and organ tissues (liver, brain, heart, lung, kidney) in NaF 10 mg groups (NF, KF10, KF20, KF30) were significantly increased by adding krill meal in comparison with normal diet group. The results indicate that a difficult to found toxicity to the tissues from krill meal diet groups.
Community dynamics of benthic macroinvertebrates and biological evaluation of water quality were investigated at Gigyecheon of Pohang and Gyeongju, Korea. The survey was carried out at 8 sites from May to October, 2017. As a result, total of 104 species under 54 families, 15 orders, 8 classes in 4 phyla with 5,052 individuals were revealed. The number of species was the most abundantly identified in aquatic insects, 76 species under 34 families, 6 orders. Among them, the order Odonata was the most abundant taxon as 21 species(20.2%). The most abundant individuals were collected in the phylum Mollusca as 1,453 individuals(28.8%). Various species appeared dominantly at each site by season, and the most dominant species was Caridina denticulata denticulata belonging to the class Malacostraca with 0.08 of dominance index. According to the results of community structure analyses, the diversity and richness indices were the highest at site Ⅱ, the evenness index was the highest at site Ⅰ, and the dominance index was the highest at site Ⅳ. The number of species and individuals of gathering collectors were the highest among functional feeding groups. Those of sprawlers were the highest among habitat orientation groups. The ESB showed a tendency to change according to season and site, and it was the highest in May at most surveyed sites. The KSI was also somewhat fluctuated according to season and site. From these indices, average biological water quality was evaluated as class Ⅱ.
Shape memory materials are widely used in high-tech industries. Although shape memory polymers have been developed, they have a disadvantage, only unidirectional resilience. Shape memory polymers with bi-directional recovery resilience have been actively studied. In this study, a bidirectional shape memory polyurethane was synthesized using poly(ε-caprolactone) diol, methylene dicyclohexyl diisocyanate, and hydroxyethyl acrylate. The first physical curing occurred between hard segments and hydrogen bondings when the solution was dried. The second curing in acrylate groups was performed by UV exposure. A degree of curing was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The shape memory properties of 2 step-cured polyurethanes were investigated as a function of UV curing time.
In this study, seasonal Mann - Kendall test method was applied to 12 stations of the water quality measurement network of Nam-River based on data of BOD, COD, TN and TP for 11 years from January 2005 to December 2015 The changes of water quality at each station were examined through linear trends and the tendency of water quality change during the study period was analyzed by applying the locally weighted scatter plot smoother (LOWESS) method. In addition, spatial trends of the whole Nam-River were examined by items. The flow-adjusted seasonal Kendall test was performed to remove the flow at the water quality measurement station. As a result, BOD, COD concentration showed "no trand" and TN and TP concentration showed "down trand" in regional Kendall test throughout the study period. BOD and TP concentration in "no trand", COD, and TN concentration showed an "up trand" tendency in Nam-River dam. LOWESS analysis showed no significant water quality change in most of the analysis items and stations, but water quality fluctuation characteristics were shown at some stations such as NR1 (Kyungho-River 1), NR2 (Kyungho-River 2), NR3 (Nam-River), NR6 (Nam-River 2A). In addition, the flow-adjusted seasonal Kendall results showed that the BOD concentration was "up trand" due to the flow at the NR3 (Nam-River) station. The COD concentration was "up trand" due to the flow at NR1 (Kyungho-River 1) and NR2 (Kyungho-River 2) located upstream of the Nam-River. The effect of influent flow on water quality varies according to each site and analysis item. Therefore, for the effective water quality management in the Nam-River, it is necessary to take measures to improve the water quality at the point where the water quality is continuously "up trand" during the study period.
This study aims to analyze and compare environmental attitudes of interest groups, including visitors, local residents, Buddhist monks, and staff of the Korea National Park Service in Gayasan National Park. To achieve this purpose, five hypotheses were formulated and tested. While three hypotheses were statistically rejected, two were accepted. In every interest group, the environmental attitude level of women was higher than that of men. Local residents particularly showed statistically significant differences in accordance with occupation. The difference in environmental attitude between visitors and local residents was not statistically significant. Finally, the environmental attitude level between interest groups was divided into three groups. The staff of the Korea National Park Service showed the highest level of environmental attitude, followed by Buddhist monks, and a group of visitors and residents recorded the lowest. However, the average level of environmental attitude of every interest group scored above the mid-point of 3. Therefore, it can be concluded that there exists no difference between or conflicts among interest groups related to strengthening conservation and management policies regarding the protection of Gayasan National Park.
Bioremediation has been recognized as a suitable alternative to conventional methods of removing contaminants, and it uses fungi, bacteria and microalgae. In contrast to other organisms, microalgae are unique in that they have the ability to perform photosynthesis like plants and to utilize organic/inorganic carbon substrates, in a process called phytoremediation. Microalgae can populate a reaction site rapidly and enhance the bioremediation efficiency. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris was used to evaluate the removal potentials of the nutrients (N and P) and heavy metals (Cu and Zn) from swine wastewater. The optimum growth conditions for Chlorella vulgaris and the removal potentials of N, P, Cu, and Zn from synthetic wastewater using Chlorella vulgaris were investigated. Based on the results, the applicability of this microalga to on-site wastewater treatment was examined. Optimal growth conditions for Chlorella vulgaris were established to be 28℃, a pH of 7, and light and dark cycles of 14:10 h. As the concentrations of the nutrients were increased, the efficiencies of N and P removal efficiencies by Chlorella vulgaris were decreased in the single and binary mixed treatments of the nutrients, respectively. Further, the efficiencies of Cu and Zn removal also decreased as the heavy metals concentrations added were increased, both in the single and binary mixed treatments. In addition, the efficiency of Cu removal was higher than that of Zn removal. Our results indicate that Chlorella vulgaris could be used in treatment plants for the removal of nutrients and heavy metals from swine wastewater.
In this study, an operational data set was analysed by establishing a path model to figure out the actual cause-effect relationship of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP); in particular, for the effluent concentrations of T-N and T-P. To develop the path models, data sets of operational records including effluent concentrations and operational factors were obtained from a field scale WWTP of 680,000 m3 of treatment capacity. The models showed that the relationship networks with the correlation coefficients between variables for objective expressions indicated the strength of each relationship. The suggested path models were verified according to whether the analyzation results matched known theories well, but sophisticated minute theoric relationships could not be cropped out distinctly. This indicates that only a few paths with strong theoric casual relationships were represented as measured data due to the high non-linearity of the mechanism of the removal process in a biological wastewater treatment.
In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of six waterfront users who are currently being used to select indicators for waterfront development. It can be classified into urban type, inland type and coast type according to the place where waterfront space is located. These waterfront design elements include accessibility, public activity, and waterfront characteristics. Waterfront environment involves selecting the elements for considered and examined these with resepect to the goals of the study. In terms of accessibility to most waterfronts, it is analyzed that users who are located within 30 minutes' distance of walking are most likely to use it. As shown in the satisfaction survey of this study, the unsatisfactory satisfaction of water quality and quantity was found to be low in Unam pond, and the result shows that the overall satisfaction of waterfront space is also low. In the case of Chunggye Chun, the results of the survey on weekdays showed that the office workers, such as the offices located in the surrounding area, were mainly resting places. In the case of Naesungchun, it is possible to select the indicators that can help the direction of the festival as a survey on the users during the festival period. In this study, waterfront location, purpose of use, characteristics, environment, and subdivision are presented as indicators to be considered when developing the waterfront. It is expected that the proposed indicators will be able to determine the direction of development by reflecting characteristics of users.
The adsorption characteristics of bisphenol A (BPA) were investigated using activated carbon based on waste citrus peel (which is abandoned in large quantities in Jeju Island), denoted as WCP-AC, and surface-modified with various P2O5 concentrations (WCP-SM-AC). Moreover, coconut-based activated carbon (which is marketed in large amounts) was surface-modified in an identical manner for comparison. The adsorption equilibrium of BPA using the activated carbons before and after surface modification was obtained at nearly 48 h. The adsorption process of BPA by activated carbons and surface-modified activated carbons was well-described by the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The experimental data in the adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir isotherm model. With increasing P2O5 concentration (250-2,000 mg/L), the amounts of BPA adsorbed by WCP-SM-AC increased till 1,000 mg/L of P2O5; however, above 1,000 mg/L of P2O5, the same amounts adsorbed at 1,000 mg/L of P2O5 were obtained. With increasing reaction temperature, the reaction rate increased, but the adsorbed amounts decreased, especially for the activated carbon before surface modification. The amounts of BPA adsorbed by WCP-AC and WCP-SM-AC were similar in the pH range of 5-9, but significantly decreased at pH 11, and increased with increasing ionic strength due to screening and salting-out effects.
The aim of this study was to collect crucial data for the improvement of water quality and ecosystem conservation by analyzing water samples, sediments, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Seosan reservoir. The average values of water quality parameters from 2001 to 2016 were a chemical oxygen demand of 10 mg/L, total nitrogen of 1.22 mg/L, and total phosphorus of 0.074 mg/L. Cadmium was detected in the range of 0.531–0.748 mg/kg in the reservoir sediment. Fish belonging to 6 families and 9 species were identified in the reservoir. The dominant species were Carassius auratus and Micropterus salmoides. Benthic macroinvertebrates belonging to 22 families and 28 species were identified. The ecological score of the benthic macroinvertebrate community was 15 inside the reservoir (St. 2). Micropterus salmoides, an invasive alien species, was determined to be the subdominant fish species based on the number of captures, and the presence of the invasive species, Sicyos angulatus L. and Paspalum distichum L. was confirmed among the land flora.
This study was carried out to gather basic data for the purpose of proposing a plan to improve the water quality and conserve the aquatic ecosystem of the Singu Agricultural Reservoir in Korea. The water quality, sediment composition, benthic macroinvertebrate distribution, and fish distribution in the Singu Reservoir were analyzed; the reservoir is located close to farmlands, forests, villages, and livestock breeding areas. The results of the water quality analysis are as follows: 5.8~7.8 mg/L for dissolved oxygen, 13.1~20.7 mg/L for chemical oxygen demand, 14.4~18.8 mg/L for suspended solid, 0.96~1.70 mg/L for total nitrogen, 0.07~0.11 mg/L for total phosphorous, and 41.9~49.8 μg/L for chlorophyll-a. In total, 75 benthic macroinvertebrate specimens belonging to 4 classes, 7 orders, 14 families, and 17 species were recorded. The ecological scores of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities ranged from 11 to 23. Fish specimens recorded belonged to two families and four species. The dominant fish species were Carassius auratus and Pseudorasbora parva, both of which are water-pollutant tolerant species.
Temporal and spatial characteristics of the frequency of several weather types and the change in air pollutant concentrations according to these weather types were analyzed over a decade (2007-2016) in seven major cities and a remote area in Korea. This analysis was performed using hourly (or daily) observed data of weather types (e.g., mist, haze, fog, precipitation, dust, and thunder and lighting) and air pollutant criteria (PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2, CO, and SO2). Overall, the most frequent weather type across all areas during the study period was found to be mist (39%), followed by precipitation (35%), haze (17%), and the other types (≤ 4%). In terms of regional frequency distributions, the highest frequency of haze (26%) was in Seoul (especially during winter and May-June), possibly due to the high population and air pollutant emission sources, while that of precipitation (47%) was in Jeju (summer and winter), due to its geographic location with the sea on four sides and a very high mountain. PM10 concentrations for dust and haze were significantly higher in three cities (up to 250 μg/m3 for dust in Incheon), whereas those for the other four types were relatively lower. The concentrations of PM2.5 and its major precursor gases (NO2 and SO2) were higher (up to 69 μg/m3, 48 ppb, and 16 ppb, respectively, for haze in Incheon) for haze and/or dust than for the other weather types. On the other hand, there were no distinct differences in the concentrations of O3 and CO for the weather types. The overall results of this study confirm that the frequency of weather types and the related air quality depend on the geographic and environmental characteristics of the target areas.
Numerical experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of data assimilation of observational data on weather and PM (particulate matter) prediction. Observational data applied to numerical experiment are aircraft observation, satellite observation, upper level observation, and AWS (automatic weather system) data. In the case of grid nudging, the prediction performance of the meteorological field is largely improved compared with the case without data assimilations because the overall pressure distribution can be changed. So grid nudging effect can be significant when synoptic weather pattern strongly affects Korean Peninsula. Predictability of meteorological factors can be expected to improve through a number of observational data assimilation, but data assimilation by single data often occurred to be less predictive than without data assimilation. Variation of air pressure due to observation nudging with high prediction efficiency can improve prediction accuracy of whole model domain. However, in areas with complex terrain such as the eastern part of the Korean peninsula, the improvement due to grid nudging were only limited. In such cases, it would be more effective to aggregate assimilated data.