This experiment evaluated the efficiency of mechanical ventilation, one of the measures to reduce indoor radon concentration in residential spaces. In the most popular ventilation rates of the air conditioning system, the most efficient air conditioning system was confirmed by checking the time when the radon concentration reached the lowest level, the radon reduction rate, and the radon concentration that could be lowered as much as possible. The results showed a reduction rate of up to 80% or more as a result of conducting the experiment by blocking the inflow of outside air. It was confirmed that the time to reach the lowest concentration after starting the mechanical ventilation was about 6 hours to a maximum of 7 hours. Therefore, this study verified that indoor radon concentrations can be efficiently reduced by using a mechanical ventilation system.

Charcoal canisters are broadly used for radon detection because of their handiness and short sampling period. Radon detection using charcoal canisters are known to be susceptible to surrounding conditions such as temperature and humidity. Public radon inspectors cannot handle extreme temperature, and the relative humidity can differ in districts due to the use of different types of construction. Thus, if relative humidity can be controlled at the entrance of a charcoal canister, radon inspectors will be able to procure more reliable data. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of existing filters in a charcoal canister and to apply a new type of filter (Super Absorbent Polymers, SAP) that can control the moisture penetrating into the charcoal canister. Based on adequate case studies using the new filter, radon data have shown over 98% close to the reference data irrespective of varying moisture levels. Meanwhile, basic filters showed 88% similarity compared to the reference data, which means that charcoal canisters were affected by moisture. The SAP filter is reasonably inexpensive and once it turns into its gel shape (which, in turn, is saturated by moisture), it can be easily replaced. This filter will not only be able to provide more accurate radon data, but also apply to other gas phase material detections that are sensitive to moisture in the air.

Recently, applications of high voltage impulse (hereafter HVI) technique to desalting, sludge solubilization and disinfection have gained great attention. However, information on how the operating condition of HVI changes the water qualities, particularly production of hydroxyl radical (·OH) is not sufficient yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of operating conditions of the HVI on the generation of hydroxyl radical. Indirect quantification of hydroxyl radical using RNO which react with hydroxyl radical was used. The higher HVI voltage applied up to 15 kV, the more RNO decreased. However, 5 kV was not enough to produce hydroxyl radical, indicating there might be an critical voltage triggering hydroxyl radical generation. The concentration of RNO under the condition of high conductivity decreased more than those of the low conductivities. Moreover, the higher the air supplies to the HVI reactor, the greater RNO decreased. The conditions with high conductivity and/or air supply might encourage the corona discharge on the electrode surfaces, which can produce the hydroxyl radical more easily. The pH and conductivity of the sample water changed little during the course of HVI induction.

Several disposal processes for waste sludge from wastewater treatment plants such as landfill, ocean dump, incineration, reuse as fuels or fertilizers are practiced. However, ocean dumping is prohibited by international treat. New constructions of landfill sites or incineration facilities are limited by NIMBY and reuse processes are still suffering from low energy yield. Therefore, development of alternative processes for sludge disposal are currently needed. In this study, alternative technique for sludge solubilization using HVI (high voltage impulse) was suggested and verified experimentally. Sludge solubilization was carried out for 90 minutes using HVI discharge with peak voltage of 16 kV and pulse duration for 40 microsecond. About 3∼9 % of MLSS and MLVSS concentration were reduced, but the soluble COD, TN, TP of the sludge increased to 372 %, 56 % and 102 % respectively. It indicates that the flocs and/or cells of the sludge were damaged by HVI. These resulted in flocs-disintegration and cells-lysis, which means the internal matters were bursted out of the flocs as well as the cells. Thus, electrical conductivity in bulk solution was increased. All of the results verified that the HVI could be used as an alternative technique for sludge solubilization processes.

In this study, a system was developed that can evaluate the radon gas removal efficiency of air cleaner filters. The system has three acrylic chambers connected in series;: the 1st chamber, the filter chamber and the 2nd chamber. In the 1st chamber, a radon source and an air pump were installed to create an environment with a constant radon concentration. Radon concentration in the two chambers was continuously monitored by ionization chamber detectors(RD-200, FRD1600, FTLab, Korea) and, in the 2nd chamber, the radon concentration increase of air filtrated by each filter was inter-compared. HEPA filters and two honeycomb type filters were evaluated. Results of HEPA filter, GAC 1 and GAC 2 were 1142 Bq, 7016 Bq and 12053 Bq, respectively. HEPA filter showed a significantly lower capacity for radon removal than the GAC filters. Also, the GAC 2 filter showed a more than 70 % better result compared to GAC 1 due to the difference in filter materials. Therefore, this system can be used to evaluate the radon removal ability of air cleaner filters, by filter type and filter material.

Radon is an inert gas, and a naturally occurring radioactive material. Radon is produced by radium and uranium. Generated radon causes lung cancer through the inhalation. Therefore, If uranium contaminated soil is close to indoor spaces, residents may be exposed to this radioactive material(Radon). Generally, radon affects the first to third floors of buildings. But our research team has often detected high radon concentration in the indoor air of high-rise apartments. The reason for this is that building materials containing uranium and radium are brought into apartments. This study was conducted an investigation into the radon emission rate of building materials being used in South Korea. Also, our team conducted an investigation into the radon emission rate of gypsum tiles and concrete found in an apartment(17th floor apartment indoor radon concentration 5.03 pCi/L, Rad- 7(DURRIDGECo.USA)). Finally, we investigated the radon emission rate of bricks containing the soil near a uranium mine. The average radon emission rates of general building materials are as followings: (gypsum board : 0.20·h-1/kg, gravel : 0.05, gypsum tile : 0.02, indoor tile : 0.08, general brick : 0.02, red clay tile : 0.02, concrete : 0.11, uranium mine soil : 4.81). The results regarding the radon emission rate from a 17th floor apartment’s building materials are as followings: (gypsum board : 0.70, concrete : N/A). The results regarding the radon emission rate from bricks containing soil near a uranium mine was 0.19. This experiment indicates that gypsum boards show the highest radon emission rate among general building materials. In particular, the radon emission rate from the gypsum boards in a 17th floor apartment was 3.5 times higher than general gypsum boards. Overall the results suggest that building materials that possess high levels of uranium emit more radon gas than any other materials. South Korea has not established legal regulations on radon emission from building materials. However, the results of this study strongly suggest that it is of the utmost importance to manage the radon emission rate of building materials and control their usage before construction.