Allocation and banking in Korean permits trading

This paper investigates how Korean industry would respond to four different allocation and banking options in CO₂ permit trading within a fully dynamic computational general equilibrium framework. Four different allocations are categorized—a uniform allocation and three performance-based allocations. We explore that performance-based allocation and banking lower losses in Korean potential GDP, allowing energy-intensive industry more flexibility in inter-temporal decision making on purchasing and selling permits. The steel industry can derive a particular advantage from a performance-based allocation with respect to energy use, while the semiconductor industry would prefer a performance-based allocation with respect to value-added. The two key conclusions are (i) the Korean economy should replace an absolute allocation with a performance-based allocation, and (ii) the banking of permits enables market players to reallocate allowances more efficiently in a long-term commitment period. These results support the findings of the key study by Kling and Rubin (1997).     

Associations of fat mass and lean mass with bone mineral density differ by levels of persistent organic pollutants: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), xenobiotics that accumulate in fat tissue, may impair bone metabolism. We studied (1) the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with POPs and (2) whether associations of fat mass (FM) or lean mass (LM), two components of body composition, with BMD differed depending on levels of POPs. Participants aged ?20 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 were included (n = 2769). Eight POPs with detection rate ?80% and three skeletal subregions (left arm, pelvis, and right leg) were selected. All analyses were stratified by gender and age (cutpoint 50 years or more). POPs at background concentrations were mostly unassociated with BMD. However, the associations of FM and LM with BMD depended on POPs concentrations, in particular with BMD of the left arm (usually not weight-bearing) in postmenopausal women. When POPs concentrations were low, FM showed inverse associations with BMD while LM showed positive associations. However, when POPs levels were high, FM showed positive associations with BMD while the positive associations between LM and BMD weakened. POPs may biologically modify the associations of FM and LM with BMD, especially among postmenopausal women, possibly explaining inconsistent associations between FM and BMD in previous epidemiological studies.     

Magnetite/mesocellular carbon foam as a magnetically recoverable fenton catalyst for removal of phenol and arsenic

A magnetite-loaded mesocellular carbonaceous material, Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C, exhibited superior activity as both a Fenton catalyst and an adsorbent for removal of phenol and arsenic, and strong magnetic property rendering it separable by simply applying magnetic field. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the catalytic process by Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C completely oxidized phenol and As(III) under the conditions where commercial iron oxides showed negligible effects. Notably, the decomposition of H₂O₂ by Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C was not faster than those by commercial iron oxides, indicating that hydroxyl radical produced via the catalytic process by Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C was used more efficiently for the oxidation of target contaminants compared to the other iron oxides. The homogeneous Fenton reaction by the dissolved iron species eluted from Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C was insignificant. At relatively high doses of Fe₃O₄/MSU-F-C, total concentration of arsenic decreased to a significant extent due to the adsorption of arsenic on the catalyst surface. The removal of arsenic by adsorption was found to proceed via preoxidation of As(III) into As(V) and the subsequent adsorption of As(V) onto the catalyst.     

Enhanced methane recovery by food waste leachate injection into a landfill in Korea

The current food waste leachate (FWL) disposal practice in Korea warrants urgent attention and necessary action to develop an innovative and sustainable disposal strategy, which is both environmentally friendly and economically beneficial. In this study, methane production by FWL injection into a municipal solid waste landfill with landfill gas (LFG) recovery facility was evaluated for a period of more than 4 months. With the target of recovering LFG with methane content ~50%, optimum LFG extraction rate was decided by a trial and error approach during the field investigation in five different phases. The results showed that, upon FWL injection, LFG extraction rate of ~20 m(3)/h was reasonable to recover LFG with methane content ~58%. Considering the estimated methane production potential of 31.7 m(3) CH(4) per ton of FWL, methane recovery from the landfill was enhanced by 14%. The scientific findings of this short-term investigation indicates that FWL can be injected into the existing sanitary landfills to tackle the present issue and such landfills with efficient liner and gas collection facility can be utilized as absolute and sustainable environmental infrastructures.     

Background monitoring and long-range transport of atmospheric CFC-11 and CFC-12 at Kosan, Korea

The background concentrations of atmospheric CFC-11 and CFC-12were monitored to assess their impact on stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming from September 1995 to March 1999 at Kosan, Korea, located at eastern margin of the Asian Continent. The concentrations of atmospheric CFC-11 at Kosan have decreased slightly, at a rate of –2.5 pptv yr^-1, over the period in response to the Montreal Protocol. The CFC-12 mixing ratio at Kosan continues to increase in the atmosphere at a rate of 5.7 pptv yr^-1 despite international regulations, because of its extreme atmosphere persistence. Recent trends ofthese two chlorofluorocarbons at Kosan, Korea were concordant with those of the northern hemispheric background monitored unitat Mauna Loa, Hawaii. The maximum seasonal mean mixing ratios of CFC-11 and CFC-12 at Kosan, Korea, were 270±4 pptv inthe spring and 538±9 pptv in the winter, and the corresponding seasonal minima were 267±7 and 529±12 pptv. This occurred in the summer and was due to southeasterlywinds from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. By performing a three-day isentropic backward trajectory analysis, it was shownthat air masses at Kosan, and with the exception of summer, mainly originated from central and northern China. In particular, the mixing ratios of these two contaminant speciesare closely related with their air mass trajectories.     

Cost-effective monitoring for a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system: a simplified modeling and gas sensor test

In order to establish cost-effective monitoring strategies for soil vapor extraction (SVE), a simplified model for multi-component mass transfer of a complex liquid mixture in porous media and gas sensor are proposed and experimentally evaluated. The basic task for the cost-effective monitoring of SVE is to decide how to predict the performances of venting systems in terms of the contaminant vapor removal rate and the time required to accomplish the clean-up specification. The method includes classifying of individual components of a complex mixture on the basis of gas chromatographic (GC) profile and treating each resulting group as a pseudo-single compound. BTEX components of gasoline were selected for model input and the remainders were divided into 4 groups based on their GC retention times. The model proposed in this study is capable of predicting with accuracy volatilization behaviors of gasoline components in soil and the gas sensor (FIGARO TGS 823) was tested by GC-FID to toluene and TPH-GRO(Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Gasoline Range Organics) gas samples. A VOC gas sensor was developed which recognizes TPH-GRO concentrations between 250 and 50 ppm. The developed gas sensor test and proposed model can be used as a valuable tool for the cost-effective monitoring for SVE systems.     

Toxicity identification and reduction of wastewaters from a pigment manufacturing factory

In this study, major toxicants in pigment wastewaters (i.e. raw wastewater and effluent) were determined by toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs), and changes in their toxicities due to combined gamma-ray (gamma-ray) and ozone treatments were evaluated. From TIE results using Daphnia magna, Cr(VI) and o-toluidine were identified as major toxicants in the raw wastewater with concentrations of 2.47 and 25.3mg l(-1), respectively. This was confirmed by subsequent spiking and mass balance approaches. For effluent, TIE results suggested that organic anions were likely responsible for the observed toxicities. Toxicity reduction tests showed that gamma-rays with ozone treatment after coagulation was more efficient in reducing toxicities in the raw wastewater (3.9-2.0 TU) than gamma-ray treatment alone (3.9-3.1 TU). For pigment effluent, gamma-ray/O3 treatment resulted in a complete removal of the acute toxicity.     

Short-term influence of phosphate and nitrate on heavy metal accumulation by red alga Acrosorium uncinatum

Heavy metal accumulation (Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb) in common marine macroalga, Acrosorium uncinatum under nutrient (phosphate and nitrate) enriched (experiment 1) and starved (experiment 2) conditions over a short exposure period (12 h) were examined in this study. Control was maintained in seawater contained nutrient solution without addition of metals and in seawater alone for experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Among the four metals studied, the accumulation of Zn, Ni, and Pb was considerably lower than Cu. The accumulation factor for all metals varies greatly in different nutrient concentrations, but it increases as the exposure of metal concentration decreases in both the experiments. The results of the present findings established that this macroalga is an accumulator of metals Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb and have the potential to accumulate these metals even in a short time exposure period (12 h). Even though metal accumulation by A. uncinatum largely depends on the available concentration in the medium, nutrients like phosphate and nitrate can affect the accumulation significantly.     

Measurement of real time black carbon for investigating spot loading effects of Aethalometer data

Measurements of real-time continuous PM_2.5 black carbon (BC) concentrations were made using a single-wavelength Aethalometer (@880 nm) in three different environments, i.e., an indoor office, a residential indoor living room and an urban site, to evaluate the difference in temporal behaviors of BC particles and investigate the optical shadowing effect in the Aethalometer BC data. An empirical method was used for correcting the optical saturation effect on the original BC data obtained from the measurements at the three sites. Also, the elemental carbon (EC) concentrations from 24-h filter-based measurements of PM_2.5 particles were determined using a thermal optical transmittance (TOT) method at the same urban site for comparison with the Aethalometer BC results. Transient events of BC were often observed for period of a few hours at all sites, reaching a maximum level of 27.3 μg m^?3 at the urban site. The diurnal cycles of the BC concentrations observed at the two indoor environments were found to be considerably affected by the air exchange rate, occupants' behavior patterns and nearby traffic emissions. The time-series plots of the Aethalometer data showed obvious discontinuities at the filter spot change, and a rise in the apparent BC concentrations after filter tape advances. Also, the relationship between the attenuation and BC concentration was found to be non-linear at all sites. The empirical approach presented here demonstrated a definite improvement in the continuity of the BC data across the time gaps of each tape advance. The compensated BC concentration was 1.10–1.23 times greater than the raw BC data, depending on the observation sites, with the highest difference observed between the raw and compensated BC data at an indoor office near a small traffic road. The 24-h integrated EC concentration was approximately 12% higher than the original 24-h average BC concentration and 6% lower than the loading compensated BC concentration, showing that the loading compensation process accounted for the saturation effect of the filter tape.