PCDD/DF concentrations at the inlets and outlets of wet scrubbers in Korean waste incinerators

To further understand the effects of wet scrubbers on PCDD/DF levels, it was measured the concentrations of PCDD/DF, dust, and other gaseous pollutants at both the inlets and the outlets of seven wet scrubbers. As a result, the concentrations of PCDD/DF at the inlets and outlets of the wet scrubbers ranged from 0.2 to 37.4, and 0.8 to 6.0 ng TEQ N m-3, respectively. With the exceptions of wet scrubbers F and G, the PCDD/DF levels decreased by and large in most wet scrubbers. It was thought that their relatively high removal efficiencies were more increased with heavier loads of dust and particle-bound PCDD/DF. On the other hand, it was also surveyed the increase of gaseous PCDD/DF in wet scrubber, where the total level of PCDD/DF was decreased. However, it was not sure whether it had been resulted from the thermal adsorption/desorption phenomenon between packing materials and emission gases or not. At the very least, however, although there still remains an unexplained aspect for the increase of gaseous PCDD/DF, it is clear that wet scrubbers can be sufficiently applied to remove PCDD/DF to a certain extent, if only removal efficiencies for the particle loads are high, and if a significant part of the PCDD/DF at the inlets is particle associated.     

Photocatalytic bacterial inactivation by polyoxometalates

The photocatalytic inactivation (PCI) of Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive) was performed using polyoxometalate (POM) as a homogeneous photocatalyst and compared with that of heterogeneous TiO₂ photocatalyst. Aqueous suspensions of the microorganisms (10⁷–10⁸ cfu ml⁻¹) and POM (or TiO₂) were irradiated with black light lamps. The POM-PCI was faster than (or comparable to) TiO₂-PCI under the experimental conditions employed in this study. The relative efficiency of POM-PCI was species-dependent. Among three POMs (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀, and H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀) tested in this study, the inactivation of E. coli was fastest with H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ while that of B. subtilis was the most efficient with H₃PW₁₂O₄₀. Although the biocidal action of TiO₂ photocatalyst has been commonly ascribed to the role of photogenerated reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxides, the cell death mechanism with POM seems to be different from TiO₂-PCI. While TiO₂ caused the cell membrane disruption, POM did not induce the cell lysis. When methanol was added to the POM solution, not only the PCI of E. coli was enhanced (contrary to the case of TiO₂-PCI) but also the dark inactivation was observed. This was ascribed to the in situ production of formaldehyde from the oxidation of methanol. The interesting biocidal property of POM photocatalyst might be utilized as a potential disinfectant technology.     

Blood lead levels of residents living around 350 abandoned metal mines in Korea

In 2007, as part of the control and prevention of environmental contamination threatening public health, the Korean Ministry of Environment planned to implement a national biomonitoring survey of three metals: lead, cadmium, and mercury in the blood of residents living near 350 abandoned metal mines known to be contaminated and as possible threats to the health of inhabitants. Thus, we investigated demographic and lifestyle variables and blood lead levels in residents living around the mines and compared them against those of control subjects. We measured the blood lead concentrations in 14,849 subjects (14,132 from nearby the 350 abandoned metal mines and 717 subjects from eight control areas). A questionnaire was provided to all subjects to determine gender, age, mining experience, period of time living in the vicinity of mines, smoking status, and personal perception of abandoned mines as a health risk. The geometric means (95% confidence intervals) of the blood lead levels of residents living around the abandoned metal mines and control areas were 3.017 (2.996-3.037 μg/dL) [female, 2.797 μg/dL (2.771-2.822 μg/dL); male, 3.330 μg/dL (3.298-3.363 μg/dL)] and 2.757 (2.677-2.837 μg/dL) [female, 2.604 μg/dL (2.506-2.700 μg/dL); male, 2.993 μg/dL (2.859-3.126 μg/dL)], respectively. Among residents of the mining areas, nonsmokers and residents who had no mining experience showed significantly lower mean blood lead levels than did smokers, past smokers, and those with mining experience. The mean blood lead concentrations of residents who expressed some concern about the abandoned mines were significantly higher than those of residents without concerns. The mean blood lead concentration of residents living around the abandoned mines was significantly higher than that of residents living in control areas as well as that of the general adult Korean population. We also confirmed that smoking is an important variable to consider, as it increases blood lead concentration.     

Implementation of a windblown dust parameterization into MODELS-3/CMAQ: Application to episodic PM events in the US/Mexico border

Windblown dust is known to impede visibility, deteriorate air quality and modify the radiation budget. Arid and semiarid areas with unpaved and unvegetated land cover are particularly prone to windblown dust, which is often attributed to high particulate matter (PM) pollution in such areas. Yet, windblown dust is poorly represented in existing regulatory air quality models. In a study by the authors on modeling episodic high PM events along the US/Mexico border using the state-of-the-art CMAQ/MM5/SMOKE air quality modeling system [Choi, Y.-J., Hyde, P., Fernando, H.J.S., 2006. Modeling of episodic particulate matter events using a 3D air quality model with fine grid: applications to a pair of cities in the US/Mexico border. Atmospheric Environment 40, 5181–5201], some of the observed PM₁₀ NAAQS exceedances were inferred as due to windblown dust, but the modeling system was incapable of dealing with time-dependent episodic dust entrainment during high wind periods. In this paper, a time-dependent entrainment parameterization for windblown dust is implemented in the CMAQ/MM5/SMOKE modeling system with the hope of improving PM predictions. An approach for realizing windblown dust emission flux for each grid cell over the study domain on an hourly basis, which accounts for the influence of factors such as soil moisture content, atmospheric stability and wind speed, is presented in detail. Comparison of model predictions with observational data taken at a pair of US/Mexico border towns shows a clear improvement of model performance upon implementation of the dust emission flux parameterization.     

Reductive dechlorination and biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol using sequential permeable reactive barriers: laboratory studies

The reductive dechlorination and biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) was investigated in a laboratory-scale sequential barrier system consisting of a chemical and biological reactive barrier. Palladium coated iron (Pd/Fe) was used as a reactive barrier medium for the chemical degradation of 2,4,6-TCP, and a sand column seeded with anaerobic microbes was used as a biobarrier following the chemical reactive barrier in this study. Only phenol was detected in the effluent from the Pd/Fe column reactor, indicating that the complete dechlorination of 2,4,6-TCP was achieved. The residence time of 30.2-21.2h was required for the complete dechlorination of 2,4,6-TCP of 100 mg l(-1) in the column reactor. The surface area-normalized rate constant (k(SA)) is 3.84 (+/-0.48)x10(-5)lm(-2)h(-1). The reaction rate in the column tests was one order of magnitude slower than that in the batch test. In the operation of the biobarrier, about 100 microM of phenol was completely removed with a residence time of 7-8d. Consequently, the dechlorination prior to biodegradation turns out to increase the overall treatability. Moreover, the sequential permeable reactive barriers, consisting of iron barrier and biobarrier, could be recommended for groundwater contaminated with toxic organic compounds such as chlorophenols.     

Antibiotic resistance profile of bacterial isolates from animal farming aquatic environments and meats in a peri-urban community in Daejeon, Korea

The increasing usage of antibiotics in the animal farming industry is an emerging worldwide problem contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this work was to investigate the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of bacterial isolates collected from animal farming aquatic environments and meats in a peri-urban community in Daejeon, Korea. In an antibacterial susceptibility test, the bacterial isolates showed a high incidence of resistance (～26.04%) to cefazolin, tetracycline, gentamycin, norfloxacin, erythromycin and vancomycin. The results from a test for multiple antibiotic resistance indicated that the isolates were displaying an approximately 5-fold increase in the incidence of multiple antibiotic resistance to combinations of two different antibiotics compared to combinations of three or more antibiotics. Most of the isolates showed multi-antibiotic resistance, and the resistance patterns were similar among the sampling groups. Sequencing data analysis of 16S rRNA showed that most of the resistant isolates appeared to be dominated by the classes Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, including the genera Delftia, Burkholderia, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, Shigella and Pseudomonas.     

Contamination of nonylphenolic compounds in creek water, wastewater treatment plant effluents, and sediments from Lake Shihwa and vicinity, Korea: comparison with fecal pollution

Nonylphenolic compounds (NPs), coprostanol (COP), and cholestanol, major contaminants in industrial and domestic wastewaters, were analyzed in creek water, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and sediment samples from artificial Lake Shihwa and its vicinity, one of the most industrialized regions in Korea. We also determined mass discharge of NPs and COP, a fecal sterol, into the lake, to understand the linkage between discharge and sediment contamination. Total NP (the sum of nonylphenol, and nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylates) were 0.32-875 μg L⁻¹ in creeks, 0.61-87.0 μg L⁻¹ in WWTP effluents, and 29.3-230 μg g⁻¹ TOC in sediments. Concentrations of COP were 0.09-19.0 μg L⁻¹ in creeks, 0.11-44.0 μg L⁻¹ in WWTP effluents, and 2.51-438 μg g⁻¹ TOC in sediments. The spatial distributions of NPs in creeks and sediments from the inshore region were different from those of COP, suggesting that Lake Shihwa contamination patterns from industrial effluents differ from those from domestic effluents. The mass discharge from the combined outfall of the WWTPs, located in the offshore region, was 2.27 kg d⁻¹ for NPs and 1.00 kg d⁻¹ for COP, accounting for 91% and 95% of the total discharge into Lake Shihwa, respectively. The highest concentrations of NPs and COP in sediments were found in samples at sites near the submarine outfall of the WWTPs, indicating that the submarine outfall is an important point source of wastewater pollution in Lake Shihwa.     

Atmospheric bulk deposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the vicinity of an iron and steel making plant

An IRA-743 resin bulk sampler was validated to monitor long-term bulk deposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Six consecutive sampling campaigns (2008-2009) were conducted at four sites around steel complexes in Pohang, South Korea to investigate spatial and seasonal variations of PCDD/F bulk deposition. The bulk deposition within the steel complex showed the highest ∑_4-8PCDD/F (Tetra-Octa) fluxes, ranging from 204 to 608 (mean: 352) pg m⁻² d⁻¹, indicating steel complexes were major sources of PCDD/Fs. The homologue profiles were dominated with lower chlorinated PCDFs. Furthermore, the prevailing winds were confirmed to influence the spatial distribution of PCDD/F deposition. There were apparent seasonal variations of the bulk deposition at each site, and seasonal homologue patterns of PCDD/Fs were clearly observed. According to the passive air sampling, however, no significant seasonal change of ambient air concentrations of PCDD/Fs was observed. Therefore, it was concluded that the seasonal variations of deposition fluxes of PCDD/Fs probably resulted from temperature-dependent gas/particle partitioning.     

Source identification and characterization of the accumulating non-biodegradable organics in Korean reservoirs

An increase in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) has been noticed in most Korean reservoirs. Therefore, this research systematically investigated the causes of organic accumulation. Samples of soil affecting the quality of water of reservoirs were collected at various sources and analyzed for their organic characteristics. The COD to biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) ratio was used as the key parameter in the evaluation of non-biodegradable (NBD) organic accumulation in the reservoirs. Soil samples containing plant roots were agitated, with the supernatant showing COD/BOD ratios of less than 2.8, while those of the composted tree leaves were greater than 5.0, suggesting that humic substances produced in forest areas are a major cause of NBD organic accumulation in reservoirs. In addition, the organic fractionation of the leachate from leaching tests showed that of the various types of hydrophobic natural organic matter (NOM), the larger molecular weight humic acid makes a greater contribution than fulvic acid to the increase in the NBD COD in Korean reservoirs.