• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.35-44
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• 2010

Biofuel based on available biomass in rural area could contribute to increase the vitality and income of rural residents. This study estimates the potential production and environmental benefits of biofuel production from surplus rice, rice straw, cow manure, and food waste in South Korea. We could produce about 2.4 billion liters of ethanol using surplus rice and rice straw and 841 million $m^3$ of methane from cow manure and food waste. 1.7 billion liters of gasoline and 800 million liters of diesel could be replaced with these potential biofuel productions, which can annually reduce 4.9 million ton $CO_2$ eq. GHGs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.242-257
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• 2022

Microalgae is becoming a vital component for a circular economy and ultimately for sustainable development. Herein, recent developments in different outcomes of microalgae for wastewater treatment and biorefinery were reviewed. From its primary function as a third-generation resource of biofuel, the usage of microalgae has been diversified as an integral element for the CO₂ sequestration and production of economically valuable products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, animal feeds, biofertilizer, biochar, etc.). Principles and recent challenges for each microalgae application were presented to suggest a motivation for future research and the direction of development. The integration of microalgae within the concept of the circular economy was also discussed with various routes of microalgae-based biorefinery.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2022

Microalgae are attracting attention as a resource for the production of biofuels, food nutrients, biochemicals, and bioplastics. Among a wide range of sources of the biomass, microalgae have been highlighted due to relatively easy cultivation, ability to eliminate carbon dioxide, and low culturing cost. Despite the great potential of microalgal biomass as a biological material, the complexity and relatively expensive downstream processes have inhibited the commercial use of microalgae. In this study, we reviewed recent techniques for microalgal drying for the production of microalgal based products. As drying processes comprise the largest portion of microalgae processing cost, an efficient drying technique is key to the utilization of microalgal biomass.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1944-1949
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• 2020

Mutant sugar transporter ScGAL2-N376F was overexpressed in Kluyveromyces marxianus for efficient utilization of xylose, which is one of the main components of cellulosic biomass. K. marxianus ScGal2_N376F, the ScGAL2-N376F-overexpressing strain, exhibited 47.04 g/l of xylose consumption and 26.55 g/l of xylitol production, as compared to the parental strain (24.68 g/l and 7.03 g/l, respectively) when xylose was used as the sole carbon source. When a mixture of glucose and xylose was used as the carbon source, xylose consumption and xylitol production rates were improved by 195% and 360%, respectively, by K. marxianus ScGal2_N376F. Moreover, the glucose consumption rate was improved by 27% as compared to that in the parental strain. Overexpression of both wild-type ScGAL2 and mutant ScGAL2-N376F showed 48% and 52% enhanced sugar consumption and ethanol production rates, respectively, when a mixture of glucose and galactose was used as the carbon source, which is the main component of marine biomass. As shown in this study, ScGAL2-N376F overexpression can be applied for the efficient production of biofuels or biochemicals from cellulosic or marine biomass.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.310-318
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• 2023

Microalgae are attracting much attention as promising, eco-friendly producers of bioenergy due to their fast growth, absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and production capacity in wastewater and salt water. However, microalgae can only accumulate large quantities of lipid in abiotic stress, which reduces productivity by decreasing cell growth. In this study, the strategy was investigated to increase cell viability and lipid production by overexpressing S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthetase (SAMS) in the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. SAM is a substance that plays an important role in various intracellular biochemical reactions, such as cell proliferation and stress response, and the overexpression of SAMS could allow cells to ithstand the abiotic stress and increase productivity. Compared to wild-type C. reinhardtii, recombinant cells overexpressing SAMS grew 1.56-fold faster and produced 1.51-fold more lipids in a nitrogen-depleted medium. Furthermore, under saline-stress conditions, the survival rate and lipid accumulation were 1.56 and 2.04 times higher in the SAMS-overexpressing strain, respectively. These results suggest that the overexpression of SAMS in recombinant C. reinhardtii has high potential in the industrial-scale production of biofuels and various other high-value-added materials.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2013

A freshwater cyanobacterium, Phormidium autumnale KNUA026, was isolated from puddles of icy water in Gyeongsan City, South Korea and its potential as a biofuel feedstock was investigated. Maximal growth was obtained when the culture was incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ and around pH 9.0. The total lipid content of the isolate was approximately 14.0% of dry weight and it was found that strain KNUA026 was able to autotrophically synthesize heptadecane ($C_{17}H_{36}$) which can be directly used as fuel without requiring a transesterification step. As this benthic cyanobacterium was capable of forming thick mats, it could be easily harvested by gravitational settling and this property may reduce the cost of production in commercial applications. Hence, P. autumnale KNUA026 appears to be a promising resource for use in the production of microalgae-based biofuels.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2008

Demand for alternatives to petroleum is increasing the production of biofuels from food crops such as corn, soybeans, sorghum and sugarcane, etc. At least for the next 5 years, ethanol demand will be increased greatly in the United States and in the world. Presently, most ethanol produced in the United States is corn (Zea mays) ethanol. As a result, especially in the Americas and Southeast Asia, agricultural land is diverted to biofuel production. Even though biofuel industry has many advantage including national security, economical, energetical and sustainable impacts, it is driving grain prices up and creating considerable concern about the potential negative impacts on a wide range of food products that depend on gain : chicken, pork, beef, and dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream and ice cream. Feedstock crops are crops such as switchgrass(Panicum virgatum, L.), corn stover and grasses that can be used in industrial processes such as fermentation into alcohol fuels. Feedstock is no compete with food. Furthermore it is friendly environmental bioenergy crops. In Korea, with increasing demand for fossil fuels the exploration of alternative sources of liquid fuel is inevitable. I suggest Korea need to research and to develop actively on feedstock for biofuel production through this review.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2013

Microalgae are receiving an increasing attention because of their potential use as $CO_2$ capture method and/or as feedstock for biofuels production. On the other hand the current microalgae-based technology is still not widespread since it is characterized by technical and economic constraints that hinder its full scale-up. In such contest the growth kinetics of Nannochloris eucaryotum (a relatively unknown marine strain) in batch and semi-batch photobioreactors is quantitatively investigated with the aim of obtaining the corresponding kinetic parameters suitable for process engineering and its optimization. In particular the maximum growth rate was evaluated to be 1.99 $10^{-3}\;h^{-1}$. Half saturation concentrations for nitrates ($K_N$) and phosphates uptake ($K_P$) were evaluated as 5.4 $10^{-4}\;g_N\;L^{-1}$ and 2.5 $10^{-5}\;g_P\;L^{-1}$, respectively. Yield factors for nitrogen ($Y_N$) and phosphorus ($Y_P$) resulted to be 5.9 $10^{-2}\;g_N\;g^{-1}$ biomass and 6.0 $10^{-3}\;g_P\;g^{-1}{_{biomass}}$, respectively. The possibility of using 100% (v/v) $CO_2$ gas as carbon source is also evaluated for the first time in the literature as far as N. eucaryotum is concerned. The strain showed a good adaptability to high concentrations of dissolved $CO_2$ as well as to low pH. The lipid content under 100% $CO_2$ is about 16.16 %wt $wt^{-1}$ and the fatty acid methyl esters composition of the extracted oil is in compliance with the European regulation for quality biodiesel.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.101-101
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• 2010

Anaerobic digestion(AD) is the most promising method for treating and recycling of different organic wastes, such as organic fraction of municipal solid waste, household wastes, animal manure, agro-industrial wastes, industrial organic wastes and sewage sludge. During AD, i.e. organic materials are decomposed by anaerobic forming bacteria and fina1ly converted to excellent fertilizer and biogas which is a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane. AD has been one of the leading technologies that can make a large contribution to produce renewable energy and to reduce $CO_2$ and other green-house gas(GHG) emission, it is becoming a key method for both waste treatment and recovery of a renewable fuel and other valuable co-products. Currently some 80% of the world's overall energy supply of about 400 EJ per year in derived from fossil fuels. Nevertheless roughly 10~15% of this demand is covered by biomass resources, making biomass by far the most important renewable energy source used to date. The representative biofuels produced from the biomass are bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas, and currently biogas plays a smaller than other biofuels but steadily growing role. Traditionally anaerobic digestion applied for different biowaste e.g. sewage sludge, manure, other organic wastes treatment and stabilization, biogas has become a well established energy resource. However, the biowaste are fairly limited in respect to the production and utilization as renewable source, but the plant biomass, the so called "energy crops" are used for more biogas production in EU countries and the investigation on the biomethane potential of different crops and plant materials have been carried out. In Korea, with steadily increasing oil prices and improved environmental regulations, since 2005 anaerobic digestion was again stimulated, especially on the biogasification of different biowastes and agro-industrial biomass including "energy crops". This study have been carried out to investigate anaerobic biodegradability by the biochemical methane potential(BMP) test of animal manures, different forage crops i.e. "energy crops", plant and industrial organic wastes in the condition of thermophilic temperature, The biodegradability of animal manure were 63.2% and 58.2% with $315m^3CH_4/tonVS$ of cattle slurry and $370m^3CH_4/tonVS$ of pig slurry in ultimate methane yields. Those of winter forage crops were the range 75% to 87% with ultimate methane yield of $378m^3CH_4/tonVS$ to $450m^3CH_4/tonVS$ and those of summer forage crops were the range 81% to 85% with ultimate methane yield of $392m^3CH_4/tonVS$ to $415m^3CH_4/tonVS$. The forge crops as "energy crops" could be used as good renewable energy source to increase methane production and to improve biodegradability in co-digestion with animal manure or only energy crop digestion.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.25-46
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• 2010

The demand for fuel and energy resources continues to grow due to increased consumption and emerging economies in all parts of the world. With this increase in demand, crude oil prices in the international market has jumped dramatically. Global warming, which is a consequence of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, has become scientific, social, and political concerns. To cope with global warming and energy crisis, cost-competitive biofuels are urgently needed. In addition, development of an infrastructure, which supplies energy stably and diversifies energy resources, as well as new cost-saving technologies should be developed to reduce the costs of producing biofuels. Due to high oleic acid content, rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is currently the potential feedstock for biodiesel production in temperate zone region and the production and use of rapeseed oil is already commercialized in Europe. In Korea double-cropping (rice and rapeseed) became more prevalent because it reduces competitions from land constraints. Production of rapeseed as a biodiesel feedstock may reduce the influence of rising oil prices and nation's dependence on imported petroleum and increase job opportunities and farm incomes.