School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences College of Science

Higher-Education

• 2007 Ph.D. Soil Science (Minor in Bio and Ag Engineering), North Carolina State University
• 2003 M.E.P.C. Environmental Pollution Control, Pennsylvania State University
• 2001 B.S. Environmental Science, Kyunghee University

Research Overview

My research interest encompasses soil-water-plant interface for environmental and agricultural applications. I enjoy applying chemistry, physics, biology, and geology principles in various scale to address practical solutions in soil and water management (field study, controlled lab experiment, and micro- and/or molecular scale). My current research activity includes

1) Erosion & sediment control and stormwater management

2) beneficial use of biochar, compost, and polymer materials toward environmental and agronomic applications

3) Soil and water quality improvement by sustainable land and water management. Students have been valuable engines that get things going and I have been actively engaging students in my lab (UTRGV Soil and Water Environmental Laboratory)

Publications

• Navarro, J., Salazar, J., Kang, J. J., Parsons, J., Chu-Lin, C., Castillo, A., & Pereira, E. I. P. (2020). Compost and Biochar to Promote Soil Biological Activities under Sweet Potatoes Cultivation in a Subtropical Semiarid Region. Applied and Environmental Soil Science, DOI: 10.1155/2020/7230595 https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7230595
• Yin, S., Cheng, C. L., Parsons, J., Mao, Y., Kang, J. J., & Kim, J. (2020). Evaluation of arsenic sorption performance using dendritic anatase and polycrystalline rutile nano-TiO 2 for environmental applications. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 1- 12. DOI:10.1007/s13762-020-02963-y https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02963-y
• Mireles, S.*, Parsons, J., Trad, T.M., Cheng, C., Kang, J. (2019). Lead removal from aqueous solutions using biochars derived from corn stover, orange peel and pistachio shell. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. DOI:10.1007/s13762-018-02191-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-02191-5
• Yamamoto, K., Hashimoto Y., Kang, J., Kobayashi, K. (2018). Speciation of phosphorus, zinc, and copper in soil and water-dispersible colloid Affected by a long-term application of swine manure compost. Environmental Science and Technology 52(22), 13270-13278. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b02823. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b02823
• Kang, J., Vetter, J.W., McLaughlin, R.A. (2018). Chemical treatment to reduce turbidity in pumped construction site water. Journal of Environmental Engineering 144(12), 04018120. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001498. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001498
• Kim, T. H., Kang, J., Kim, S., Choi, I., Chang, K.H., Oh, J., Kim, K.H. (2017). Impact of Salinity Change on Water Quality Variables from the Sediment of an Artificial Lake under Anaerobic Conditions. Sustainability, 9(8), 1429. DOI: 10.3390/su9081429. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081429
• Gonzalez, V.*, Kang, J. (2017). Effects of biochar and compost aging on soil fertility and radish germination. Journal of Environment and Bio Research 1(1), 1-4.
• Kang, J., Davila, M.*, Mireles, S.*, Ho, J., (2017). Nitrate leaching from sand and pumice geomedia amended with pyrogenic carbon materials. Environments, 4(4), 70. DOI: 10.3390/environments4040070.
• Mireles, S., Y. Ok, C. Cheng, and J. Kang. 2016. Adsorptive and kinetic characterization of
  aqueous zinc removal by biochars. SDRP Journal of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies
  1(3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments4040070
• Kang, J., J.D. Wiseman, M.A. Welch, and R.A. McLaughlin. 2016. Chemical flocculation for removing bentonite spills in water. International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research 2(4), 726-739.
• Kang, J. and R.A. McLaughlin. 2016. Simple systems for treating pumped, turbid water with flocculants and a geotextile dewatering bag. Journal of Environmental Management 182, 208- 213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.07.071
• Kang, J. and R.A. McLaughlin. 2016. Flocculated sediments can reduce the size of sediment basin at construction sites. Journal of Environmental Management 166, 450-456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.10.049
• Kang, J., R.A. McLaughlin, A. Amoozegar, J.L. Heitman, and O.W. Duckworth. 2015. Transport of dissolved polyacrylamide through a clay loam soil. Geoderma 243, 108–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.12.022
• Kang, J., S.E. King, R.A. McLaughlin, and J.D. Wiseman. 2014. Flocculated sediment and runoff quality improvement by polyacrylamide. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASABE 57(3), 861–867. https://www.doi.org/10.13031/trans.57.10532

Present Courses

• GEOL 1403 Physical Geology
• GEOL 4302 Environmental Geology
• GEOL 4309 UG Research Geoscience
• CESL 3301 Community Engaged Scholarship & Learning
• ENVR 1402 Intro to Environmental Science II
• ENVR 2301 Earth System Science
• ENVR 4303 Environmental Science Research Project
• ENVR 4322 Soil Chemistry (ENVR 5370)
• EEMS 6302 Biogeochemistry