• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.762-767
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• 2009

In this study, the feasibility of using vegetable oil extracted from tropical crop seed as a biodiesel feedstock was investigated by producing biodiesel and analysing the quality parameters as a transport fuel. In order to produce biodiesel efficiently, two step reaction process(pre-treatment and transesterificaion) was required because the tropical crop oil have a high content of free fatty acids. To determine the suitable acid catalyst for the pre-esterification, three kinds of acid catalysts were tested and sulfuric acid was identified as the best catalyst. After constructing the experimental matrix based on RSM and analysing the statistical data, the optimal pre-treatment conditions were determined to be 26.7% of methanol and 0.982% of sulfuric acid. Trans-esterification experiments of the pre-esterified oil based on RSM were carried out, then discovered 1.24% of KOH catalyst and 22.76% of methanol as the optimal trans-esterification conditions. However, the quantity of KOH was higher than the previously established KOH concentration of our team. So, we carried out supplemental experiment to determine the quantity of catalyst and methanol. As a result, the optimal transesterification conditions were determined to be 0.8% of KOH and 16.13% of methanol. After trans-esterification of tropical crop oil, the produced biodiesel could meet the major quality standard specifications; 100.8% of FAME, 0.45 mgKOH/g of acid value, 0.00% of water, 0.04% of total glycerol, $4.041mm^2/s$ of kinematic viscosity(at $40^{\circ}C$).

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1013-1019
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• 2007

Electronic wastes have increased tremendously. However, any reliable treatment methodologies have rarely been established. Electronic wastes have posed serious disposal problem due to their physico-chemical stability. This paper investigated the application possibility of pyrolysis for the purpose of recycling the p-CCL(phenol based Copper Clad Laminate). Thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) was used to investigate the thermal decomposition pattern of p-CCL. We elucidated the characteristics of pyrolysis by-products at operating temperatures of 280, 350 and $600^{\circ}C$. GC/MS and FT-IR were used to characterize the liquid by-products along with general characterization methods such as Ultimate Analysis, Proximate Analysis and Heating Value, whereas general characterization methods were only introduced for the solid by-products. At a heating rate of $5^{\circ}C$/min, TGA curves exhibited three decomposition stages: (1) low-temperature decomposition region$(<280^{\circ}C)$, (2) medium temperature region$(280\sim350^{\circ}C)$ and (3) high-temperature region$(>350^{\circ}C)$. The major compounds of liquid by-products at low- and medium-temperatures were accounted for by water and phenol, whereas branched phenols and furans were major compounds at high-temperatures. As the temperature increases, volatile quantities decreased but the fixed carbon increased. High heating values of solid by-products($7,400\sim7,600$ kcal/kg) would suggest that the solid by-products could be applicable as fuel. In addition, high fixed carbon but low ash content of the solid by-products offered an implication that they are capable of being upgradable for adsorbent after applying appropriate activating process.