석탄과 철광석은 산업발달의 시작부터 현재까지 지속적으로 사용되고 있다. 이에 따라 수반된 석탄 및 철광석 정제산업의 발달은 석탄철광폐수의 양적 증가를 초래하여 그 처리가 많은 관심 속에 활발하게 연구되고 있다. 석탄철광폐수는 페놀, 시안과 같은 독성 물질 뿐 만 아니라 혐기성미생물과 경쟁관계에 있는 황산염환원균활성증가를 초래하는 SO42-를 고농도로 함유한다. 이 석탄철광폐수의 처리법으로는 물리적, 화학적, 생물학적 처리가 다양하게 연구되어왔는데, 고농도의 폐수처리에 익히 알려진 혐기성미생물을 이용한 석탄철광폐수의 처리는 경제성과 재생에너지 측면에서 최근 큰 관심을 받고 있다. 하지만 폐수에 함유된 페놀, 시안, 등과 같은 독성물질이 생물학적 처리에 심각한 저해를 초래할 수 있어 문제로 지적되고 있으나 그 독성에 대한 현재까지의 연구는 미진한 형편이다. 이에 본 연구는 입상 혐기성미생물이 석탄철광폐수 소화 시 받게 되는 급성독성에 대하여 실험적 고찰을 진행하고 그 적응 방안을 연구하였다. 석탄철광폐수는 석탄철광정제의 완료시점에 실폐수 샘플을 채취하여 사용하였다. 폐수특성 분석결과 pH 7, 페놀 589±23 mg/L, 시안 49 mg/L, 암모니아성질소 39±9 mg/L, SO4-2는 735 mg/L이며 화학적 산소요구량은 3.9 g/L으로 나타났다. 석탄철광폐수에 대한 물벼룩 급성독성시험 결과 TU가 28로 매우 높게 측정되었다. 이 폐수에 UASB의 입상슬러지를 이용하여 혐기성소화를 수행하였다. 약 20일간 유기물 부하 0.6 g COD/L/day에서 초기 적응을 수행하였고, 혐기성소화조의 정상상태에서 COD 제거율은 98%, 메탄수율은 약 80 mL CH4/g COD로 나타났다. 이 혐기성소화조가 석탄철광폐수 유기물부하 0.76 g COD/L/day에 노출 되었을 경우 미생물의 활성을 모니터링한 결과, 폐수유입 즉시 메탄가스발생이 80% 이상 감소되는 강한 독성이 감지되었으며 COD 제거효율은 점차 감소하여 약 20일 후 10%로 낮아졌다. 유출수 내 페놀은 약 210 mg/L로 제거율 60%을 나타났지만 시안은 106 mg/L로 분해되지 않고 축적되어 유입 대비 2배가량 증가하였다. SO4-2 는 2000 mg/L로 급격하게 농도가 증가한 후 약 20일 후 1000 mg/L 이하로 감소하였다. 이로보아 석탄철광폐수 내 시안과 황화합물로 인하여 혐기성미생물 내의 메탄균의 저해가 이루어짐을 짐작할 수 있다. VFA 분석결과는 산발효균과 메탄발효균의 공생관계가 파괴되었음을 보여주었다. 더불어 높은 SO4-2 농도는 황산염환원균과의 경쟁이 유도될 수 있는 농도로 밝혀졌다. 이러한 석탄철광폐수의 급성독성은 고농도의 독성물질 제거를 위한 전처리 혹은 혐기성미생물의 적응기간이 필요함을 나타내었으며, 후자를 선택하여 약 30일 간 단계적인 미생물의 독성적응절차를 거친 결과 급성독성을 극복하고 유기물 및 페놀 분해가 점진적으로 가능함을 확인 하였다.

본 연구에서는 유황을 폴리머화하여 콘크리트 표면보호재로 활용가능성을 검토하기 위하여 내구성능 및 생물독성 평가를 실시하 였다. 평가 결과, 콘크리트 표면보호재의 내화학성능은 산, 알칼리 용액에 대하여 화학저항성이 우수한 것으로 나타났다. 배합조건별 촉진내후 성 실험 후 부착강도평가 결과 규사분말 및 플라이애시를 동시에 혼합한 배합에서 가장 우수한 강도특성을 나타내었다. 콘크리트용 표면보호 재 시험체의 온냉반복 후에도 모든 배합조건에서 부착강도 1 MPa을 상회하였고, SFS배합에서 가장 높은 부착강도를 나타내었다. 표면보호재 를 도포한 콘크리트의 촉진탄산화 및 염소이온침투저항성을 검토한 결과, 규사분말을 채움재로 사용한 표면보호재를 도포한 시험체에서 가장 우수한 내구성능을 나타내었다. 유황폴리머를 콘크리트 표면보호재로 사용시 생물독성 검토를 위해 어독성 실험을 수행한 결과, 유황폴리머 는 생물에 미치는 영향은 없는 것으로 나타났다. 표면보호재의 내화학성, 동결융해저항성, 탄산화, 염소이온침투저항성 등을 모두 고려하여 볼 때, 본 연구범위에서는 유황폴리머에 채움재로서 규사분말과 플라이애시를 각각 20%씩 대체하는 것이 적절한 수준인 것으로 판단된다.

Environmental impacts of suspended solids (SS) released in coastal area by dredging, reclamation and construction can cause serious damages to coastal habitats and benthic organisms. Acute toxicity tests (4-7 days) were conducted to identify the relationship between SS concentration and mortality of three marine benthic species; benthic copepod (Tigriopus japonicus) adult, Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) spat, and olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fry. Benthic copepod was the most sensitive to SS followed by olive flounder fry and Pacific abalone spat, with an LC50 (lethal concentration of 50% mortality) value of 61.0 mg/L and LOEC (lowest observed effective concentration) value of 31.3 mg/L for benthic copepod. LOEC and 7 day-LC50 for Pacific abalone spat were 500.0 mg/L and 1887.7 mg/L, and those for olive flounder fry were 125.0 mg/L and 156.9 mg/L, respectively. The tolerance limits of the test species to SS revealed the various concentration ranges of SS, which reflects the physiology and ecology of the test species. These results are very valuable for the determination of SS concentration of effluents released into the coastal area by dredging, reclamation and construction etc. Also, sharp increase of SS can cause long-term damages to the benthic and sessile fauna by blanketing of benthic substratum. These experimental procedures for marine bioassay and acute toxicity results can be a useful guideline for practical management planning of SS discharge into coastal area.

The mixotrophic marine ciliate Mesodinium rubrum possesses a highly modified algal endosymbiont as a nutrition source for the species. Accordingly, we assumed that the species can reflect the ecotoxicity on marine producer (as phytoplankton) and consumer (as zooplankton) both. A series of experiments were conducted to identify the potential of the species as a standard test species for marine ecotoxicological study. The comparison of species sensitivity on reference toxic materials was made using potassium dichromate for phytoplankton and copper chloride for zooplankton. The ciliate revealed the highest sensitivity on both reference materials among the seven test species including phytoplankton, benthic copepod and rotifer species. The toxicity end point of the species was 72hr-EC50=1.52 mg/L (as potassium dichromate) estimated by population growth inhibition (PGI), which is more sensitive than the most sensitive phytoplankton Skeletonema costatum (72hr-EC50=3.05 mg/L). As comparison to rotifer, it also revealed higher sensitivity on copper chloride; 72hr-EC50=0.38 mg/L for ciliate and 48hr-EC50=0.48 mg/L for rotifer. Also, the elutriate toxicity test of various ocean disposal wastes were conducted to identify the potential of ciliate toxicity test application using industrial waste sludges. The toxicity of leather processing waste sludge was highest on the ciliate, followed by dyeing waste sludge and dye production waste sludge as an increasing order of toxicity. 72h-EC50 of ciliate PGI test was 1.83% and that of S. costatum 3.84% for leather waste sludge which showed highest toxicity. The toxicity test results also revealed that the highest sensitivity was observed on ciliate species on ocean disposed sludge wastes. Also, ciliate toxicity test well discriminated the degree of toxicity between sludge sources; 72h-EC50 values were 1.83% for leather processing waste sludge, 16.75% for dye production waste sludge and 27.75% for textile production waste sludge. Even the laboratory culture methods of the species were not generally established yet, the species has high potential as the standard test species for marine toxicity test in terms of the dual reflection of phyto- and zooplankton toxicity from single test, sensitivity and test replicability.

A series of experiments was conducted to identify the potential of five phytoplankton species as standard test species for marine ecotoxicological tests. The candidate phytoplankton species are Skeletonema costatum, Heterosigma akashiwo, Prorocentrum micans, Isochrysis galbana, and Tetraselmis suecica. Salinity tolerance and sensitivity on potassium dichromate as a reference material were identified. Toxicity of eleven ocean-dumped sewage sludges and four red tide expellent extracts were estimated by the inhibition of population growth rates (PGR) of marine diatom S. costatum. While most species revealed relatively weak tolerance on salinity, T. suecica demonstrated the highest salinity tolerance ranged from 5～35 psu and the others 15～35 psu. H. akashiwo revealed the highest sensitivity as 72h IC50=0.76mg/L and T. suecica the lowest as 72h IC50=8.89mg/L on potassium dichromate. Sludge extracts from industrial waste, domestic sewage and livestock farm waste sludge showed high toxicity as 72h IC50<2% and lowest toxicity from filtration bed sludge as 72h IC50=30.50%. NOEC (No Observed Effective Concentration) of sludge extract ranged from <0.4% to 1.6% and this indicated high phytotoxicity of ocean dumped sewage sludge. The test sensitivity of phytoplankton PGR inhibition was much higher than those of marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis mortality test and bioluminescent inhibition test by marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri, and comparable with the sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius) fertilization test. As a result the phytotoxicity test using phytoplankton PGR inhibition (IC50) must be a useful tool for marine phyto-toxicological evaluation of ocean dumped materials.

Using single cell gel electrophoresis, DNA single strand breaks were determined in various marine organisms. DNA damage on fish blood cells was detected to know whether there was a difference between Incheon, Pohang, Masan, and Tongyeong as a control site. Tongyeong showed the lowest DNA damage among the study areas. Mussels, transplanted to Masan Bay for one month, revealed high DNA damage at sites with high economical activity. In two weeks exposure of polychaete to Incheon sediments, higher DNA damage was detected in the sediment adjacent to Incheon harbor than open sea. These results suggested that the marine organism from the polluted area revealed a relatively high DNA damage. In addition, these areas might be contaminated with genotoxic compounds and comet assay was useful as a bioassay to detect DNA damage in marine organisms.