Seoul National University · Environmental Science
Professor J.K. Choe's research lab specializes in environmental chemistry and engineering, focusing on the fate, transformation, and remediation of emerging contaminants in aquatic systems. Key research directions include the development of advanced sensor technologies—such as fluorescence-based aptasensors—for real-time monitoring of persistent pollutants like PFAS and perchlorate. The lab also investigates catalytic processes, particularly using noble metal and bimetallic catalysts, for the reductive decontamination of fluorinated pharmaceuticals and oxidized pollutants. Additionally, the group conducts mechanistic studies on disinfectant-protein interactions and disinfection byproduct formation to improve water treatment safety and efficiency.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely detected environmental contaminants, and there is a great need for development of sensor technologies for rapid and continuous monitoring of PFAS. In this study, we have developed fluorescence based aptasensor that can possibly monitor perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.17 μM. This is first to report the successful isolation of PFAS binding ssDNA aptamers. The obtained aptamer selectively binds PFOA with
Environmental impacts of conventional and emerging perchlorate drinking water treatment technologies were assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). Comparison of two ion exchange (IX) technologies (i.e., nonselective IX with periodic regeneration using brines and perchlorate-selective IX without regeneration) at an existing plant shows that brine is the dominant contributor for nonselective IX, which shows higher impact than perchlorate-selective IX. Resource consumption during the operational
Recent work demonstrates reduction of aqueous perchlorate by hydrogen at ambient temperatures and pressures using a novel rhenium-palladium bimetal catalyst immobilized on activated carbon (Re/Pd-AC). This study examines the influence of Re speciation on catalyst activity and stability. Rates of perchlorate reduction are linearly dependent on Re content from 0-6 wt %, but no further increases are observed at higher Re contents. Surface-immobilized Re shows varying stability and speciation both i
Proteins are important targets of chemical disinfectants. To improve the understanding of disinfectant-protein reactions, this study characterized the disinfectant:protein molar ratios at which 50% degradation of oxidizable amino acids (i.e., Met, Tyr, Trp, His, Lys) and structure were observed during HOCl, HOBr, and O3 treatment of three well-characterized model proteins and bacteriophage MS2. A critical question is the extent to which the targeting of amino acids is driven by their disinfectan
Recently, an increasing number of pharmaceutical compounds has become fluorinated. Owing to their pharmacological efficacy, the use of these fluorinated pharmaceuticals continues to grow, and they constitute 20% of the drugs on the current market. However, only a few studies have investigated the fate and transformation of these emerging contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic environments. In the present study, the H<sub>2</sub>-based reductive transformation of three fluorinated pharmac
The covalent modifications resulting from chlorine reactions with peptide-bound amino acids contribute to pathogen inactivation and disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation. Previous research suggested that histidine is the third most reactive of the seven chlorine-reactive amino acids, leading to the formation of 2-chlorohistidine, 2-oxohistidine, or low-molecular-weight byproducts such as trihalomethanes. This study demonstrates that histidine is less reactive toward formation of chlorine transf
Carbon-supported rhenium–palladium catalysts (Re–Pd/C) effectively transform aqueous perchlorate, a widespread drinking water pollutant, via chemical reduction using hydrogen as an electron donor at ambient temperature and pressure. Previous work demonstrated that catalyst activity and stability are heavily dependent on solution composition and Re content in the catalyst. This study relates these parameters to changes in the speciation and molecular structure of Re immobilized on the catalyst. U
The soft Wallace catheter is superior to the stiffer Frydman catheter when transferring embryos subjected to assisted embryo hatching.
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