pH plays a pivotal role in influencing various aspects of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions in electrochemical systems. These reactions are affected by pH in terms of mass transport, electrochemical double layer (EDL) structure, and surface adsorption energy, all of which impact the overall electrochemical processes. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research progress made in elucidating the effects of pH on different electrochemical reactions, the hydrogen evolution reaction/hydrogen oxidation reaction (HER/HOR), oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction (ORR/OER), and carbon dioxide reduction reaction ( CO2RR). To embark on this endeavor, we have conducted a bibliometric analysis to clearly outline of the research trends and advancements in the field concerning the pH effects. Subsequently, we present a systematic overview of the mechanisms governing these reactions, with a special focus on pH’s influence on both the proton and electron aspects. We conclude by discussing the current challenges in this area and suggesting future research avenues that could further our understanding of pH's role in electrochemical reactions.

Montmorillonite plays a key role in engineered barrier systems in the high-level radioactive waste repository because of its large sorption capacity and high swelling pressure. However, the sorption capacity of montmorillonite can be largely varied dependent on the surrounding environments. This study conducted the batch simulation for U(VI) sorption on Na-montmorillonite by utilizing the cation exchange and surface complexation coupled (2SP-NE-SC/CE) model and evaluated the effects of physicochemical properties (i.e., pH, temperature, competing cations, U(VI) concentration, and carbonate species) on U(VI) sorption. The simulation demonstrated that the U(VI) sorption was affected by physicochemical properties: the pH and temperature relate to aqueous U(VI) speciation, the competing cations relate to the cation exchange process and selectivity, the U(VI) concentration relates to saturation at sorption sites. For example, the Kd (L kg−1) of Na-montmorillonite represented the largest values of 2.7×105 L kg−1 at neutral pH condition and had significantly decreased at acidic pH<3, showing non-linear and diverse U(VI) sorption at the ranged pH from 2 to 11. Additionally, the U(VI) sorption on montmorillonite significantly decreased in presence of carbonate species. The U(VI) sorption for long-term in actual porewater chemistry and temperature of high-level radioactive waste repository represented that the sorption capacity of Na-montmorillonite was affected by various external properties such as concentration of competing cation, temperature, pH, and carbonate species. These results indicate that geochemical sorption capacity of bentonite should be evaluated by considering both geological and aquifer environments in the high-level radioactive waste repository.

The overall process, from the pre-treatment of aluminum substrates to the eco-friendly neutral electroless Ni-P plating process, was observed, compared, and analysed. To remove the surface oxide layer on the aluminum substrate and aid Ni-P plating, a zincation process was carried out. After the second zincation treatment, it was confirmed that a mostly uniform Zn layer was formed and the surface oxide of aluminum was also removed. The Ni-P electroless plating films were formed on the secondary zincated aluminum substrate using electroless plating solutions of pH 4.5 and neutral pH 7.0, respectively, while changing the plating bath temperature. When a neutral pH7.0 electroless solution was used, the Ni-P plating layer was uniformly formed even at the plating bath temperature of 50 oC, and the plating speed was remarkably increased as the bath temperature was increased. On the other hand, when a pH 4.5 Ni-P electroless solution was used, a Ni-P plating film was not formed at a plating bath temperature of 50 oC, and the plating speed was very slow compared to pH 7.0, although plating speed increased with increasing bath temperature. In the P contents, the P concentration of the neutral pH 7.0 Ni-P electroless plating layer was reduced by ~ 42.3 % compared to pH 4.5. Structurally, all of the Ni-P electroless plating layers formed in the pH 4.5 solution and the neutral (pH 7.0) solution had an amorphous crystal structure, as a Ni-P compound, regardless of the plating bath temperature.

The present study investigated effects of antifungal and carboxylesterase inoculant on rumen fermentation with different rumen pH. Corn silage was treated without inoculant (CON) and with a mixed Lactobacillus brevis 5M2 and L. buchneri 6M1 (MIX). Rumen fluid was collected from two cannulated Hanwoo heifers before morning feeding (high rumen pH at 6.70) and 3 h after feeding (low rumen pH at 6.20). Dried corn silage was incubated in the rumen buffer (rumen fluid + anaerobic culture medium at 1:2 ratio) for 48 h at 39oC. Eight replications for each treatment were used along with two blanks. Both in a high and a low rumen pH, MIX silages presented higher (p<0.05) the immediately degradable fraction, the potentially degradable fraction, total degradable fraction, and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) than those of CON silages. Incubated corn silages in a low rumen pH presented lower (p<0.05) total degradable fraction, ammonia-N, total VFA (p=0.061), and other VFA profiles except acetate and propionate, than those in a high rumen pH. The present study concluded that application of antifungal and carboxylesterase inoculant on corn silage could improve degradation kinetics and fermentation indices in the rumen with high and low pH conditions.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of pH on the mineral nutrient uptake and growth of the four Chinese chives species. The Chinese chives species used in the experiment were the cultivated species grown in the farm (cultivated Allium tuberosum) and three wild species of wild Allium tuberosum, A. thunbergii and A. senescens. The pH levels of soil medium were set to be 4.5, 6.5, and 7.5. Fresh weight (FW) of cultivated A. tuberosum was highest at all pH levels. The increase of soil pH increased the FW of the wild A. tuberosum and A. thunbergii, but no difference was noted for the A. tuberosum and A. senescens. Plant height was higher in the order of wild A. tuberosum, A. thunbergii, and cultivated A. tuberosum and A. thunbergii. Notably plant height of the wild A. tuberosum increased significantly by the pH increase. The Zn content of the wild A. tuberosum was shown to be significantly higher than that of the other species and increased with the increase of soil pH. This indicates that there is a close relationship between the plant height and Zn content in Chinese chives plant. Principal component analysis for characterizing closely related A. species using the factors of plant growth and amounts of nutrients uptake showed that the cultivated A. and wild A. tuberosum were in the 4th quadrant of the graph which are classified as the same species, while A. senescens and thunbergii was in 1st and 3rd quadrant indicating different species, respectively.

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of pH modulation on concentrations of odorous compounds and pollutants in pit slurry from pig operation building. A slurry sample was taken from the pit of a pig operation building where 50 finishing pigs [(Landrase × Yorkshire) × Duroc] were kept. Three levels of pH (6, 8 and 10) were measured and adjusted daily during the incubation periods using chemical reagents of 1 N HCl or 3 N NaOH. Concentrations of odorous compounds and pollutants were analyzed from slurry incubated for 7 days. When these material concentrations were compared with the pH 8 slurry which was the pH of pit slurry, levels of short chain fatty acids, indoles and total organic carbon were reduced 7%, 68% and 2%, respectively, in the pH 6 treatment (P<0.05). Ammonium nitrogen, phenols and total nitrogen concentrations were lower by 31%, 18% and 17%, respectively, than with the pH 10 slurry (P<0.05). When the odor contribution in pH treatments was assessed according to the odor activity value, it was found to be 23% lower in the pH 6 treatment compared with pH 8. The pH modulation would affect odor emissions and microbial activity from pit slurry. Although not all odorous compounds showed the reduction effect with the same pH control, this study can be effectively used as base data when using additives for pH control.

Understanding effects of thermal pollution and acidification has long been a concern of aquatic ecologists, but it remains largely unknown in Korea. This study was performed to elucidate the effects of thermal wastewater effluent (TWE) and acid rain on water quality and attached algae in a small mountain stream, the Buso Stream, a tributary located in the Hantan River basin. A total of five study sites were selected in the upstream area including the inflowing point of hot-spring wastewater (HSW), one upstream site (BSU), and three sites below thermal effluent merged into the stream (1 m, 10 m and 300 m for BSD1, BSD2, and BSD3, respectively). Field surveys and laboratory analyses were carried out every month from December 2015 to September 2016. Water temperature ranged 1.7~28.8°C with a mean of 15.0°C among all sites. Due to the effect of thermal effluent, water temperature at HSW site was sustained at high level during the study period from 17.5°C (January) to 28.8°C (September) with a mean of 24.2±3.7°C, which was significantly higher than other sites. Thermal wastewater effluent also brought in high concentration of nutrients (N, P). The effect of TWE was particularly apparent during dry season and low temperature period (December~March). Temperature effect of TWE did not last toward downstream, while nutrient effect seemed to maintain in longer distance. pH ranged 5.1~8.4 with a mean of 6.9 among all sites during the study period. The pH decrease was attributed to seasonal acid rain and snow fall, and their effects was identified by acidophilic diatoms dominated mainly by Eunotia pectinalis and Tabellaria flocculosa during March and August. These findings indicated that water quality and periphyton assemblages in the upstream region of Buso Stream were affected by thermal pollution, eutrophication, and acidification, and their confounding effects were seasonally variable.

Wastewater containing heavy metals such as copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) is harmful to humans and the environment due to its high toxicity. Crystallization in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) has recently received significant attention for heavy metal removal and recovery. It is necessary to find optimum reaction conditions to enhance crystallization efficacy. In this study, the effects of crystallization reagent and pH were investigated to maximize crystallization efficacy of Cu-S and Ni-S in a FBR. CaS and Na2S·9H2O were used as crystallization reagent, and pH were varied in the range of 1 to 7. Additionally, each optimum crystallization condition for Cu and Ni were sequentially employed in two FBRs for their selective removal from the mixture of Cu and Ni. As major results, the crystallization of Cu was most effective in the range of pH 1-2 for both CaS and Na2S·9H2O reagents. At pH 1, Cu was completely removed within five minutes. Ni showed a superior reactivity with S in Na2S·9H2O compared to that in CaS at pH 7. When applying each optimum crystallization condition sequentially, only Cu was firstly crystallized at pH 1 with CaS, and then, in the second FBR, the residual Ni was completely removed at pH 7 with Na2S·9H2O. Each crystal recovered from two different FBRs was mainly composed of CuxSy and NiS, respectively. Our results revealed that Cu and Ni can be selectively recovered as reusable resources from the mixture by controlling pH and choosing crystallization reagent accordingly.

해양환경에서 오염물질의 거동은 화학적 특성뿐 아니라 부유물질 표면의 정전하, pH 및 염분과 같은 환경 인자에 크게 영향을 받을 것이다. 이 연구는 해산어 양식장에서 빈번히 사용하고 있는 항생제인 옥소린산의 거동이 여러 종류의 부유물질, 염분 및 pH에 따라 어떻게 변동하는가를 HPLC에 의한 화학적 분석과 bioassay 분석으로 검토하였다. 부유물질의 농도가 증가할수록 옥소린산은 HPLC 분석에 의해서도 저농도로 검출되었고, 생물활성에 의한 bioassay 분석으로도 현저히 감소하는 것으로 나타났다. 이 결과는 부유물질이 옥소린산을 흡착하여 수서환경에서 제거하는 역할을 한다는 것을 알 수 있다. 그리고 옥소린산은 염분 40%o과 pH 7에서 bioassay 분석에 의해 생물활성이 약간 저해되지만 HPLC 분석은 조금 다른 양상을 보였다.

본 연구는 섬유소공급원 7종, alfalfa hay cube (AHC), corn cob (CC), corn silage (CS), cotton seed hull (CSH), peanut hull (PHL), rice straw(RS), sugar cane bagasse(SCB)의 반추위에서의 반추활동, pH, 완충능력과 전소화기관 내 소화율을 알아보고자 실시하였다. 공시 동물은 평균체중 37.1kg인 Corridale종 수 면양 5두 (3두는 반추위

가압 경수형 원자로 (pressurized light water reactor) 냉각재 계통 내의 주된 분식 생성물로 알려져 있는 nickel ferrite의 거동에 대해 고찰하기 위해 모의 nickel ferrite(Ni0.75Fe2.25O4)를 공침법으로 제조하였다. 수용액-pH-조절로는 am-monia 또는 potassium carbonate를, 공침물-세척제는 ammonia 수용액이나 potassium carbonate 수용액 또는 2차 증류수를 사용하였다. Nickel ferrite의 생성 및 수용액-pH-조절제와 공치물-세척제가 최종 생성물의 Ni-Fe 몰 비에 따른 수율 및 특성에 미치는 영향은 EDX, XPS, XRD 및 SEM으로 고찰하였다. 반응 전.후 Ni/Fe 몰 비에 따른 수율은, pH를 potassium carbon-ate로 조절한 후 2차 증류수로 공침물을 세척한 경우가 0.994로 가장 높이 나왔으며, pH-조절제로 potassium carbonate를 사용한 경우가 ammonia를 사용한 경우에 비해 높은 수율을 나타냈다. 이러한 차이는 공침 시에 수용액 내에서 ammonia가 보여주는 상대적으로 큰 Na2+←NH3 착화 효과와 더불어 공침물-세척제의 pH에 기인하는 것으로 해석하였다.

본 실험은 상추 수경재배시 지하부 환경요인이 상추의 생육에 미치는 영향을 바탕으로 식물공장에서 활용가능성이 큰 상추의 최적 근권환경을 알아보고자 수행하였다 근권부 환경조건으로는 배양액의 pH와 U를 각각 여러 가지 수준으로 실험하였다. pH 3.0을 제외한 pH 4.0~8.0에서 가시적인 생리장해 없이 양호한 생육을 나타냈으나 광합성, 증산량 및 무기이곤 흡수를 고려한 상추의 최적 배양액 pH는 pH 5.5~6.0였다. 배양액의 전기전도도는 0.8~3.6 mS.cm-1 /로 처리하였을 때, 고농도에서는 Ca결핍으로 인한 잎끝마름증이 나타나 품질이 저하되었고 생육과 광합성이 높은 EC 1.2~l.6mS.cm-1 /가 최적인 것으로 나타났다. 이런 결과는 상추 식물공장에서 상추의 주년생산, 공장적 대량생산 및 청정생산 등의 효율적인 재배를 하는데 기여 할 수 있을 것으로 보인다.