Improvement of nuclide leaching resistance of paraffin waste form with low density polyethylene

Low-level liquid borate wastes have been immobilized with paraffin wax using a concentrate waste drying system (CWDS) in Korean nuclear power plants. The possibility for improving chemical durability of paraffin waste form was suggested in this study. A small amount of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was added to increase the leaching resistance of the existing paraffin waste form. The influence of LDPE on the leaching behavior of waste form was investigated by performing leaching test according to ANSI/ANS-16.1 procedure during 325 days. It was observed that the leaching of nuclides immobilized within paraffin waste form made a marked reduction although little content of LDPE was added to waste form. The acceptance criteria of paraffin waste form associated with leachability index (LI) and compressive strength after the leaching test were fully satisfied with the help of LDPE.     

Distribution and hydrodynamic model of the Keumdong oil spill in Kwangyang Bay, Korea

Oil concentrations in the seawater, seabed sediments, and shoreline sediments were measured from the samples collected 165 days after the Keumdong oil spill accident, which had occurred in Kwangyang Bay of the South Sea, Korea in September 1993. Distribution patterns of the concentrations in the seabed and shoreline sediments have allowed us to hindcast the transport and fate of the spilled oil. Overall, the patterns agree better with the southward (seaward) surface water circulation than with the northward (landward) bottom water circulation over the region. Rapid, initial dispersal of the spilled oil to the south and its subsequent grounding onto the intertidal seabed sediments, as well as onto the shorelines, appear to have made ineffective the subsurface oil transport by the bottom current.     

Influence of haze pollution on water-soluble chemical species in PM2.5 and size-resolved particles at an urban site during fall

To investigate the influence of haze on the chemical composition and formation processes of ambient aerosol particles,PM_(2.5) and size-segregated aerosol particles were collected daily during fall at an urban site of Gwangju,Korea.During the study period,the total concentration of secondary ionic species(SIS) contributed an average of 43.9% to the PM_(2.5) ,whereas the contribution of SIS to the PM_(2.5) during the haze period was 62.3%.The NO_3 and SO~(2-)_4 concentrations in PM_(2.5) during the haze period were highly elevated,being 13.4 and 5.0 times higher than those during non-haze period,respectively.The PM,NO~-_3,SO~(2-)_4,oxalate,water-soluble organic carbon(WSOC),and humic-like substances(HULIS) had tri-modal size distributions peaks at 0.32,1.0,and 5.2 μm during the non-haze and haze periods.However,during the non-haze period they exhibited dominant size distributions at the condensation mode peaking at 0.32 μm,while on October 21 when the heaviest haze event occurred,they had predominant droplet mode size distributions peaking at 1.00 μm.Moreover,strong correlations of WSOC and HULIS with SO~(2-)_4,oxalate,and K+at particle sizes of 1.8 μm indicate that secondary processes and emissions from biomass burning could be responsible for WSOC and HULIS formations.It was found that the factors affecting haze formation could be the local stable synoptic conditions,including the weak surface winds and high surface pressures,the long-range transportation of haze from eastern China and upwind regions of the Korean peninsula,as well as the locally emitted and produced aerosol particles.     

基于模糊综合评判模型的污水管道缺陷定量化评价方法

利用模糊综合评判模型,从污水管道的密封性、稳定性和功能性三方面分别考虑不同缺陷类型的影响,利用层次分析法确定权重,建立定量化的污水管道缺陷状况评价方法模型.对南方某市一段污水管道进行评判,得到污水管道缺陷综合评价指数H=1.09,其中密封性指数Ht=0.44,稳定性指数Hs=0.78,功能性指数Hf=1.79,判定结果...     

Changes in microcystin content and environmental parameters over the course of a toxic cyanobacteria bloom in a hypertrophic regulated river, South Korea

Cyanobacterial blooms and associated microcystins in hypertrophic stagnant West-Nakdong River were investigated at weekly intervals from April to August, 1999. Microcystis spp. accounted for over 85% of the numeric abundance of total phytoplankton. Microcystins were present in the blooms sampled between May and August. The peak of total microcystin (microcystin-LR + -RR) levels (maximum level; 612 microg g(-1)) was detected in the initial stage of the bloom (mid May), at the same time as high N/P ratio and high Microcystis biomass. This study indicated that total microcystins of this regulated river was positively correlated to Microcystis biomass, absolute nutrient concentration and TN/TP ratio.     

Simultaneous sorption of lead and chlorobenzene by organobentonite

Clays or organoclays have been used as a barrier to prevent the transport of hazardous contaminants in landfills. However, clays are known to effectively sorb mostly inorganic contaminants, while organoclays are mainly used for organic contaminants. Since the organoclays are basically clay particles modified with cationic surfactants, there might exist an optimal coverage of cationic surfactant on the clay particles to sorb both inorganic and organic contaminants. In order to determine the optimal mass of cationic surfactants on the bentonites, sodium bentonites were treated with various ratios of hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) to bentonites. Chlorobenzene and lead were selected as representative contaminants. When either chlorobenzene or lead exists as a single contaminant, chlorobenzene sorption increased with increasing HDTMA to bentonite ratios, and lead sorption decreased with increasing HDTMA to bentonite ratios. Sorption of chlorobenzene was a function of HDTMA coverage on the bentonites, while lead sorption was much more influenced by the initial lead concentration rather than the mass of HDTMA added to the bentonites.     

Estrogenic effects of phenolic compounds on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in MCF-7 cells and uterine glutathione peroxidase in rats

In this study, we tested phenolic compounds such as bisphenol A (BPA), 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4-octylphenol (OP) and 4-propylphenol (PP) by using glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in estrogen sensitive human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in female immature Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. This study was designed to investigate whether phenolic compounds have estrogenic effects in these useful screening methods for endocrine disruptors. We chose 6 h as the incubation period for the G6PD assay through a preliminary experiment using 17beta-estradiol (E2). Above the concentration of 1 x 10(-8) M, BPA significantly increased the G6PD activity in a concentration-dependent manner, relative to the control. NP (over the concentration of 1 x 10(-9) M) also enhanced the G6PD activity by about 1.8 times that of the control. OP produced weaker effects on G6PD than NP, and showed a tendency to increase the G6PD activity. PP did not affect the G6PD activity. These results show that BPA and NP have the effect of enhancing G6PD activities in MCF-7 cells. In the in vivo GPx assay, both BPA and E2 significantly increased the uterus wet weights and dramatically enhanced uterine GPx activities in immature female rats in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with NP (500 mg/kg/day) increased significantly both the uterine GPx activity and the uterus wet weights in immature female rats. OP (500 mg/kg/day) also caused a significant increase in uterine GPx activity, but had no effect on the uterus wet weights. This finding indicates that the change in uterine GPx activities could be a more sensitive parameter than that of uterus wet weights in immature rats. This study implies that phenolic compounds have a weak estrogenic effects.     

The digestibility of waste activated sludges.

Laboratory digestion studies using waste activated sludges (WAS) were conducted to compare the digestion performance between anaerobic and aerobic processes. Nine samples of WAS from seven wastewater treatment plants were collected and batch-digested under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions for 30 days at 25 degrees C. The cation content of wastewater (both floc and solution phases) and solution biopolymer (protein and polysaccharide) was measured before and after digestion and compared with volatile solids destruction data. The study revealed that each digestion process was associated with a distinct biopolymer fraction, which accounted for differences in volatile solids reduction under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The anaerobic digestion data showed strong correlations between soluble protein generation, ammonium production, percent volatile solids reduction, and floc iron (Fe). These data suggest that the amount of volatile solids destroyed by anaerobic digestion depends on the Fe content of floc. In aerobic digestion, polysaccharide accumulated in solution along with calcium and magnesium. For aerobic digestion, correlations between divalent cation release and the production of inorganic nitrogen were found. This implies that divalent cation-bound biopolymer, thought to be lectin-like protein, was the primary organic fraction degraded under aerobic conditions. The results of the study show that the cation content in wastewater is an important indicator of the material that will digest under anaerobic or aerobic conditions and that some of the volatile solids will digest only under either anaerobic or aerobic conditions.     

Documentation of selected constructs and parameter values in the aquatic model cleaner

Process representations critical to the phytoplankton and zooplankton submodels are described. These include constructs for: light- and nutrient-limitations and their interaction, temperature, consumption, and population-age structure. Values for key parameters are documented with reference to the literature on aquatic ecology and ecological modelling. Time-course relationships of the processes affecting the phytoplankton, zooplankton, phosphorus and nitrogen compartments are presented and discussed. These serve as additional documentation and are an important result of modelling synthesis.     

Electrochemical conversion of biomass-derived aldehydes into fine chemicals and hydrogen: A review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The decrease in fossil fuel usage and the projected 28% increase in the global energy demand by 2040 are calling for advanced methods to convert modern biomass...