An assessment of Portland cement,cement kiln dust and Class C fly ash for the immobilization of Zn in contaminated soils

Zn-contaminated soils obtained from a steel company in the Republic of Korea were stabilized using Portland cement (PC), cement kiln dust (CKD) and Class C fly ash (FA). The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and the Universal Treatment Standard (UTS) of 4.3 mg/L. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analyses were performed to investigate the crystalline phases associated with Zn immobilization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)–energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses were utilized to support the XRPD results. The treatment results showed that the TCLP-Zn concentrations obtained from the 10 wt% PC and 15 wt% CKD treated samples were less than the UTS, after 7 days curing. However, the FA treatment (up to 30 wt%) was not effective in meeting the UTS even after 28 days curing. All PC–CKD treatment combinations were effective in reducing the TCLP-Zn concentrations below the UTS criteria. Moreover, a 20 wt% dose of a PC-FA treatment combination (75/25 PC-FA) was successful in reducing the TCLP-Zn concentrations below 4.3 mg/L after 1 day. The XRPD results showed that ettringite and Zn₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO₃·4H₂O were the possible phases associated with Zn immobilization upon PC and CKD treatment. The SEM–EDX results confirmed the presence of ettringite, while Zn₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO₃·4H₂O was not identified.     

Site-specific success of three transplanting methods and the effect of planting time on the establishment of Zostera marina transplants

Eelgrass, Zostera marina, is the most abundant seagrass species on the coast of Korea, but most large eelgrass meadows have disappeared since the 1970s due to human-induced disturbance. To restore disturbed seagrass habitats in die-off areas, seagrass transplanting has been attempted using various methods. Here, we assessed the feasibility and efficiency of seagrass transplanting methods depending on the sediment type at the planting site. Additionally, the effect of planting time on the establishment of transplant was examined to determine the optimal season for planting. We conducted an eelgrass transplanting experiment from fall 2003 to summer 2004 at three sites with different sediment types using three planting techniques. The staple method resulted in the highest transplant survival rate (77.1-93.8%) at all three sites, but was labor intensive. Transplanting Eelgrass Remotely with Frame Systems (TERFS) method also resulted in relatively a high survival rate (58.7-69.0%) at all sites. The shell method is a newer eelgrass transplanting method in which oyster shells are used as an anchoring device, and does not require SCUBA diving for subtidal transplanting. The shell method resulted in high survival rates in muddy (81.3%) and silty sediments (76.5%), but remarkably low survival rate in sandy sediments (5.0%). The TERFS, and shell methods reduced underwater labor; thus, these methods is suitable for large-scale seagrass restoration. Eelgrass transplants planted in summer had exhibited significant mortality due to high summer water temperatures. Although transplants planted in fall to spring had relatively high survival rates, transplanting and collection of vegetative shoots are difficult in winter and spring. Therefore, fall was suggested as the most effective transplanting season off the coast of Korea.     

Effects of Green Light on the Stress Response of Olive Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus under Clove Oil Anesthesia

Ocean Science Journal - Clove oil (CO) is an effective anesthetic. Many hatcheries and research studies use clove oil to immobilize fish for artificial reproduction and surgery to suppress their...     

Optimization of operational parameters for ethanol production from Korean food waste leachate

Recently, research on the production of ethanol from waste has been accelerating for both ecological and economical reasons, primarily for its use as an alternative to petroleum based fuels. In this study, response surface methodology based 2³ -full factorial central composite design was employed to optimize the parameters of ethanol production from Korean food waste leachate. The reducing sugar concentration of the food waste leachate determined by the dinitrosalicylic acid method was 75 g/L. A second order polynomial model was developed to evaluate the quantitative effects of temperature, pH and reducing sugar concentration in order to find an optimum condition for the ethanol production from food waste leachate. From the experimental result, maximum ethanol concentration of 24.17 g/L was obtained at the optimum condition of temperature (38 °C), pH (5.45) and reducing sugar concentration (75 g/L). The experimental value (24.17 g/L) agreed very well with the predicted one (23.66 g/L), indicating the suitability of the model employed and the success of response surface methodology in optimizing the conditions of ethanol production from food waste leachate. Canonical analysis indicated that the stationary point was a saddle point for the ethanol yield. Despite being a waste, an ethanol yield of 0.32 g ethanol/g reducing sugar demonstrated the potential of food waste leachate as a promising biomass resource for the production of ethanol.     

Multiwavelength Study of a Solar Eruption from AR NOAA 11112 I. Flux Emergence, Sunspot Rotation and Triggering of a Solar Flare

We analyze the multiwavelength observations of an M2.9/1N flare that occurred in the active region (AR) NOAA 11112 in the vicinity of a huge filament system on 16 October 2010. SDO/HMI magnetograms reveal the emergence of a bipole (within the existing AR) 50 hours prior to the flare event. During the emergence, both the positive and negative sunspots in the bipole show translational as well as rotational motion. The positive-polarity sunspot shows significant motion/rotation in the south-westward/clockwise direction, and we see continuously pushing/sliding of the surrounding opposite-polarity field region. On the other hand, the negative-polarity sunspot moves/rotates in the westward/anticlockwise direction. The positive-polarity sunspot rotates ≈?70^° within 30 hours, whereas the one with negative polarity rotates ≈?20^° within 10 hours. SDO/AIA 94 Å EUV images show the emergence of a flux tube in the corona, consistent with the emergence of the bipole in HMI. The footpoints of the flux tube were anchored in the emerging bipole. The initial brightening starts at one of the footpoints (western) of the emerging loop system, where the positive-polarity sunspot pushes/slides towards a nearby negative-polarity field region. A high speed plasmoid ejection (speed ≈?1197 km?s^?1) was observed during the impulsive phase of the flare, which suggests magnetic reconnection of the emerging positive-polarity sunspot with the surrounding opposite-polarity field region. The entire AR shows positive-helicity injection before the flare event. Moreover, the newly emerging bipole reveals the signature of a negative (left-handed) helicity. These observations provide unique evidence of the emergence of twisted flux tubes from below the photosphere to coronal heights, triggering a flare mainly due to the interaction between the emerging positive-polarity sunspot and a nearby negative-polarity sunspot by the shearing motion of the emerging positive sunspot towards the negative one. Our observations also strongly support the idea that the rotation can most likely be attributed to the emergence of twisted magnetic fields, as proposed by recent models.     

Relationships between variations of the land–ocean–atmosphere system of northeastern Asia and northwestern North America

This study is a broad-scale synthesis of information on climate changes in two Arctic terrestrial regions, eastern Siberia and the Alaska–Yukon area of North America. Over the past 60 years (1951–2010), the trends of temperature and precipitation in the two regions are broadly similar in their seasonality. However, atmospheric advection influences the two regions differently during winter. The differential advective effects are much weaker in the other seasons. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation is the strongest correlator with interannual variability in the two regions, followed by the Arctic Oscillation and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation.Projected changes by the late 21st Century are qualitatively similar to the changes that have been ongoing over the past 60 years, although the rate of change increases modestly under mid-range forcing scenarios (e.g., the A1B scenario). The greatest warming is projected to occur farther north over the Arctic Ocean in response to sea ice loss. Precipitation is projected to increase by all models, although increases in evapotranspiration preclude conclusions about trends toward wetter or drier land surface conditions. A notable feature of the future climate simulations is a strong maximum of pressure decreases in the Bering Sea region, implying further advective changes.     

Line-by-line radiative transfer model for infrared spectrum of AERI

Infrared radiance spectra measured in space or on the ground have been used for many applications, such as the retrieval of atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles. The Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) recently installed an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) system at the Korea Global Atmosphere Watch Center (36°32??N, 125°19??E) in Anmyondo to measure the downward radiance spectra on the ground. For further utilization of such interferometeric radiance measurements, an accurate line-by-line radiative transfer model is required. This study introduces a line-by-line radiative transfer model developed at Kyungpook National University (KNU_LBL) and presents comparisons of spectra simulated using the KNU_LBL model and measured by the AERI system, that is installed inside a secure container. When compared with the Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) radiative transfer codes, the KNU_LBL model provides nearly identical spectra for various model atmospheres. The simulated spectra are also in good agreement with the AERI spectra for clear sky conditions, and a further improvement is made when taking into account of the emissions and absorption by CO₂ and H₂O for the light path inside the container, even though the path is short.     

Holocene environmental changes on the east coast of Korea

We present a record of Holocene environmental change on the east coast of Korea, inferred using pollen, carbon-isotopic composition (??¹³C), total organic carbon, total sulfur, carbon/nitrogen ratios, particle size analysis and major element geochemistry in a sediment core from Soonpogae Lagoon. A multi-proxy paleoenvironmental approach had not previously been applied in Korea and allowed us to reconstruct climate and vegetation change, sea-level rise, lagoon development, and human impact on the east coast of Korea over the last 8,000?years. Evidence from Soonpogae Lagoon supports the following three conclusions: (1) As a drying trend prevailed on the east coast of Korea after ~5,900?cal?yr BP, chemical weathering weakened and herbaceous plants became more important than during the previous humid phase (Holocene Climate Optimum), (2) Sea-level rise on the east coast slowed dramatically about 6,800?cal?yr BP, resulting in low rates of sedimentation in Soonpogae Lagoon, and (3) Soonpogae Lagoon was almost completely isolated from the sea by sand barriers when human impact intensified ~2,100 BP.