• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.820-824
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• 2022

Ecologically sustainable means of development is the point to support environmental homeostasis. One of our roles is to find bio-degradable resources that can be substituted for petroleum-based products to effectively abide by the natural viability. To counter the issues of deforestation and preserve biodiversity, it is necessary to produce a non-wood crop that can fulfill the requirement for raw material from which several products can be produced. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), a member of the family Malvaceae, is showing sufficient potentiality along this road-map. Due to its rich fiber content, it has been used extensively in various fields for long, probably as early as 4,000 BC. At present, kenaf has been used as provider of paper, plastics, fiber glass, biofuel, activated carbon and epoxy composite. This obviously catch one's attention towards its capability to replace petroleum-based products as a whole. Moreover, the plant shows considerable relevance in decreasing pollutants by virtue of its enormous absorption capacity. These multiple applications of kenaf justify its credibility to be the best resource for the better world. The paper presents an overview on its numerous uses reported in the literature that we have investigated and its great potential as a valuable multipurpose crop.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.553-559
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• 2016

There has been increasing global interest in the environmental pollution problems produced by fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In order to tackle these issues, new renewable energy such as solar, wind, bio gas, fuel cell and pressure retarded osmosis(PRO) have been developed extensively. Among these energy sources, PRO is one of the salinity gradient power generation methods. In PRO, energy is obtained by the osmotic pressure generated from the concentration difference between high and low concentration solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane. The development for high power density PRO membranes is imperative with the purpose of commercialization. This study investigates development of thin film composite PRO membrane and spiral wound module for high power density. Also, the influence of membrane backing layer on power density was identified, and the characteristic factors of PRO membranes was determined. Different backing layers were used to improve power density. As expected, the PRO membrane with more porous backing layer showed higher power density.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1435-1440
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• 2013

To investigate the influence of the carbon matrix on the electrochemical performance of Si/C composites, four types of Si/C composites were prepared using graphite, petroleum coke, pitch and sucrose as carbon precursors. A ball mill was used to prepare Si/C blends from graphite and petroleum coke, whereas a dispersion technique was used to fabricate Si/C composites where Si was embedded in disordered carbon matrix derived from pitch or sucrose. The Si/pitch-based carbon composite showed superior Si utilization (96% in the first cycle) and excellent cycle retention (70% after 40 cycles), which was attributed to the effective encapsulation of Si and the buffering effect of the surrounding carbon matrix on the silicon particles.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.136-151
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• 2021

Biomass lignin, a waste produced during the paper and bio-ethanol production process, is a cheap material that is available in large quantities. Thus, the interest in the valorization of biomass lignin has been increasing in industrial and academic areas. Over the years, lignin has been predominantly burnt as fuel to run pulping plants. However, less than 2% of the available lignin has been utilized for producing specialty chemicals, such as dispersants, adhesives, surfactants, and other value-added products. The development of value-added lignin-derived co-products should help make second generation biorefineries and the paper industry more profitable by valorizing lignin. Another possible approach towards value-added applications is using lignin as a component in plastics. However, blending lignin with polymers is not simple because the polarity of lignin molecules results in strong self-interactions. Therefore, achieving in-depth insights on lignin characteristics and structure will help in accelerating the development of lignin-based products. Considering the multipurpose characteristics of lignin for producing value-added products, this review will shed light on the potential applications of lignin and lignin-based derivatives on polymeric composite production. Moreover, the challenges in lignin valorization will be addressed.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.42-49
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• 2003

The objective of this research was to investigate the possibility of using rice husk flour as a partial substitute for the wood particles used as the raw material for manufacturing particleboards, by examining the physical and mechanical properties of the rice husk flour-wood particleboard as a function of the type of urea-formaldehyde resin used. Commercial wood particles and two types of rice husk flours (A type (30 ㎛), B type (300 ㎛)) were used. E₁ and E₂ class urea-formaldehyde resin was used as the composite binder, combined with 10 wt.% NH₄Cl solution as a hardener. Rice husk flour-wood particleboards with dimensions of 27×27×0.7 (cm) were manufactured at a specific gravity of 0.7 with rice husk flour contents of 0, 5, 10, and 15 (wt.%). We examined the physical properties (specific gravity and moisture content), mechanical properties (three point bending strength and internal bonding) of the composite. In general, it can be concluded that composites made from rice husk flours are of somewhat poorer quality than those made from wood; however, blending in small amounts of rice husk flour (e.g., 5% to 10% by weight) may have no significant impact on quality.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.417-429
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• 2018

Background: The objective of this study was to make colloidal dispersions of the active compounds of radix of Angelica gigas Nakai that could be charaterized as nano-composites using hot melt extrusion (HME). Food grade hydrophilic polymer matrices were used to disperse these compound in aqueous media. Methods and Results: Extrudate solid formulations (ESFs) mediated by various HPMCs (hydroxypropyl methylcelluloses) and Na-Alg polymers made from ultrafine powder of the radix of Angelica gigas Nakai were developed through a physical crosslink method (HME) using an ionization agent (treatment with acetic acid) and different food grade polymers [HPMCs, such as HP55, CN40H, AN6 and sodium alignate (Na-Alg)]. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the amorphization of crystal compounds in the HP55-mediated extrudate solid formulation (HP55-ESF). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis indicated a lower enthalpy (${\Delta}H=10.62J/g$) of glass transition temperature (Tg) in the HP55-ESF than in the other formulations. Infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that new functional groups were produced in the HP55-ESF. The content of phenolic compounds, flavonoid (including decursin and decursinol angelate) content, and antioxidant activity increased by 5, 10, and 2 times in the HP55-ESF, respectively. The production of water soluble (61.5%) nano-sized (323 nm) particles was achieved in the HP55-ESF. Conclusions: Nano-composites were developed herein utilizing melt-extruded solid dispersion technology, including food grade polymer enhanced nano dispersion (< 500 nm) of active compounds from the radix of Angelica gigas Nakai with enhanced solubility and bioavailability. These nano-composites of the radix of Angelica gigas Nakai can be developed and marketed as products with high therapeutic performance.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.51-60
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• 2017

Bottom ash(BA) from coal-fired power plants is burnt and remaining ash at high temperature. Since the BA is baked at high temperature, it is considered to be the same function as the elvan. Nowadays, the demand for mortar with far infrared rays, antibacteria, antifungus, deodorization, aridity and humidity function is increasing as the materials such as Hwangtoh(yellow soil) and elvan rather than general mortar. As a result of comparing the functionality of eco-friendly bio BA mortar with that of general mortar, the far infrared ray emissivity is about $0.02{\times}10^2W/m^2$ more and the deodorization function is about 26% or more. Even in the case of humidity control, BA motors showed about 1.8 times higher than general mortar, and more than 10% higher than the "good" standards of moisture absorption and damp proofing construction materials established by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.232-241
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• 2022

Plasticizers are chemical additives added to polymers to have a desirable effect on mechanical properties such as processability and ductility. In this paper, we explore the use and market of eco-friendly plasticizers that can replace phthalate-based plasticizers that have been traditionally used in the plastics market. Bio plasticizers are derived primarily from biomass sources, including agricultural products, by-products and wastes. Regardless of the source of biomass, an ideal eco-friendly plasticizer should be non-toxic, have high resistance to volatilization, extraction, and migration, have good compatibility and compatibility, and be economical. The global bio plasticizer market is expected to reach USD 2.1 billion by 2030 from USD 1.3 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.31% from 2021 to 2030.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2008

Simultaneous removal of ternary gases of $NH_3$, $H_2S$ and toluene in a contaminated air stream was investigated over 180 days in a biofilter. A commercially available inorganic/polymeric composite chip with a large void volume (bed porosity > 0.80) was used as a microbial support. Multiple microorganisms including Nitrosomonas and Nitrobactor for nitrogen removal, Thiobacillus thioparus (ATCC 23645) for $H_2S$ removal and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15692), Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) and Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 23973) for toluene removal were used simultaneously. The empty bed residence time (EBRT) ranged from 60 - 120 seconds and the inlet feed concentration was $0.0325\;g/m^3-0.0651\;g/m^3$ for $NH_3$, $0.0636\;g/m^3-0.141\;g/m^3$ for $H_2S$, and $0.0918\;g/m^3-0.383\;g/m^3$ for toluene, respectively. The observed removal efficiency was 2% - 98% for $NH_3$, 2% - 100% for $H^2S$, and 2% - 80% for toluene, respectively. Maximum elimination capacity was about $2.7\;g/m^3$/hr for $NH_3$, > $6.4\;g/m^3$/hr for $H_2S$ and $4.0\;g/m^3$/hr for toluene, respectively. The inorganic/polymeric composite carrier required 40 - 80 days of wetting time for biofilm formation due to the hydrophobic nature of the carrier. Once the surface of the carrier was completely wetted, the microbial activity became stable. During the long-term operation, pressure drop was negligible because the void volume of the carrier was two times higher than the conventional packing materials.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.468-474
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• 1995

The disposable glucose bio-sensor using composite of CTA and PCL membrane was developed for measurement of glucose. The most effective membrane was composed of CTA/PCL(80/20, w/w) and glutaraldehyde one-step immobilization method ($10{\mu}m$ thickness) for glucose sensor gave the best result among various methods, considering oxygen permeability and electronic sensitivity. A scanning electron micrograph of the cross-section of a typical asymmetric CTA/PCL composite membrane showed that the membrane fused with a dense layer covered with a GOD-glutaraldehyde. Glucose oxidase immoblilized on the membrane showed the linearity between difference of absolute amperometric values and glucose concentrations within 7mM when the GOD immobilized electrode was used. About 35% of activity was remained after 8 days when the tyrosinase was immobilized on CTA/PCL (80/20) membrane.