Soil organic matter (SOM) is derived from dead biomass of animals and plants, and its formation process in which the precursor materials of SOM are transformed into macro organic molecules through geo-chemical and geo-biological reactions in the subsurface environment is referred to as humification. Carbon content increases, but oxygen content decreases along with marked increased in molecular weight and degree of condensation of SOM during humification. It has been known that humus materials evolve in the order of biopolymer, fulvic acid, humic acid, and humin. Humification process takes place in a geological time scale, but it can be accelerated at extremely high temperatures, which can be achieved by microwave (MW) with hyperthermal catalysts (HTCs). Thus, MW was irradiated to the mixture of soil and HTCs to stimulate humification of SOM and to enhance its binding capacity for recalcitrant organic contaminants in this study. MW irradiation with HTCs was optimized, and the characteristic changes of SOMs before and after the irradiation were assessed to confirm humification. Soils were collected from 4 different forest regions in Seoul, Korea (Konkuk University, Yongma Mountain, Surak Mountain, and Bukhan Mountain), and they were screened by wet-sieving. Each component of SOM was isolated by acid-base extraction/selective exchange resin, which was proposed by the International Humic Substance Society. Total organic carbon (TOC) content, specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), E4/E6 ratio, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrum of SOM before and after MW irradiation were examined. Soil of Surak Mountain exhibited the highest organic carbon content, but Yongma Mountain contained the highest amount of fulvic acid. Soils of Yongma Mountain and Konkuk University were chosen due to their high fulvic acid content, which supported that these soils are relatively geologically-young soils. Powdered and granulated activated carbon (PAC and GAC), graphite, charcoal, and carbon nanotube (CNT) were selected and screened with regard to their hyperthermal activity under MW irradiation. The temperature changes by MW with HTCs were monitored at various MW irradiation intensity and time. Graphite-and CNT-soil mixtures exhibited the optimum heating capacity at 600 W, resulting in heating HTC-soil mixtures to approximately 1,000oC within 10 min. TOCs, SUVAs, E4/E6 ratios, and FT-IR spectra of SOM supported effective humification of SOM after MW irradiation with HTCs, and notable increase in binding capacity with hydrophobic organic contaminants. The results of this study are expected to provide the fundamental information for developing the performance-efficient and cost-effective treatment process for the removal of persistent organic contaminants based on MW and HTC.

The purpose of this study is to identify secondary chemistry teachers' abilities to carry-out experiment lesson successfully. As far as the research method is concerned, literature reviews, analyses of abilities to carry-out experimentation from science textbooks, and a survey of science teachers' perceptions of experimental ability were employed along with the progressive discussions among the authors. In order to identify secondary chemistry teachers' abilities to carry-out experimentation, we divided the experiment lesson into three stages of preparation, conduct and arrangement, and management of lab, and added the stage of safety. Each stage is classified into sub-areas, and the sub-area consists of subordinate elements. The safety stage was included separately to emphasize the importance of the safety issue in lab and experimental activities. The secondary chemistry teachers' abilities to carry-out experimentation are the abilities to perform

In this study washing efficiency and desorption isotherms for heavy petroleum oil (HPO), Zn, and Pb bound to complex contaminated soils were examined using various soil flushing agents. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), methanol, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and citric acid were selected as soil flushing agents. 3% (w/v) and 4% SDS showed the highest removal efficiency for HPO, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Thus, 3% SDS was chosen as the best soil flushing agent for HPO. In the case of heavy metals, 0.1-M EDTA showed the highest removal efficiencies. But 0.05-M citric acid was selected due to its economic and eco-friendly strengths. The desorption isotherms obtained using Freundlich and Langmuir models indicated that the maximum desorption characteristics (K F and Q max ) of HPO with 4% SDS and 90% methanol and heavy metals with 0.1-M EDTA and 0.1-M citric acid, respectively, were markedly lower than in other cases. In addition, when 4% SDS and 90% methanol were used for HPO in the range of C e higher than 600 mg/L, and when 0.1 M citric acid and 0.1 M EDTA were used for Zn and Pb in the range of C e higher than 300 and 100 mg/L, respectively, the distribution constant converged to certain levels. Thus, constant values of K U and K L were determined. It was found that these constants represent the maximum desorption capacity and they can be used as distribution coefficients of desorption equilibrium for the flushing agents. The results of this study provided fundamental information for the selection of the best agents as well as for the process design and operation of soil washing/soil flushing of complex contaminated soils.

Recently, reconstruction of abandoned railroad stations and railroad beds are increasingly taking place in Korea. Soil remediation is necessary for the eco-friendly development. Soil found in abandoned railroad sites typically contaminated with heavy oils, which are low volatile petroleum products and less decomposable in nature. The objective of this study is to analyze those contaminants and contamination levels of the soils collected from an abandoned railroad bed located in Seoul, Korea. Heavy oils were extracted from contaminated soils using an organic solvent mixture of methanol and dichloromethane (1:2, v/v). Extracted solvent were analyzed qualitatively by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and qualitatively using high performance liquid chromatography. It was found that the abandoned railroad bed soil was mainly contaminated by heavy oils such as bunker C oil, which was confirmed by FT-IR spectra of petroleum oil products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, JP-8, bunker C oil, and lubricants. Benzo [a] antracene was found from the contaminated soil and its level was as high as 11.45 mg/kg, and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were trivial.