• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.900-907
• /
• 2012

Research and development is entering on more complicated aspect gradually and tends to increase sharply in a quantitative manner. Technology competition is getting higher. This study intends to raise recognition of a necessity of productivity in a rapidly-changing research and development field and to suggest alternatives for improving its research productivity. For it, the research productivity was analyzed by utilizing two processes of patent and paper analysis. In this paper, we propose a patent analysis method for technology forecasting of the Forward Osmosis Membrane using objective patent data. The application status of patents showed a tendency to increase slightly. The current of FOM technology development in such countries as Korea, USA, Japan, China and EU was analyzed by classifying the patents for 1990 through 2011 according to registration country, assignee, calendar year and technology area.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.885-889
• /
• 2012

In this study, amine and metal oxide additives were investigated to improve $CO_2$ adsorption capacity of activated carbons (ACs). The characteristics of surface modified ACs were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), $N_2$ adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and BET. Amine surface treatment decreased specific surface area and pore volume of ACs, but increased alkalinity by the incorporated nitrogen functional groups. Adsorption capacities of amine functionalized ACs was larger than original ACs, because basic group which can react with $CO_2$ was grafted on the ACs surface. Presence of copper oxides on ACs also enhances the carbon dioxide adsorption. The copper oxides could increase the adsorption rate of carbon dioxides due to the acid-base interaction (or electron acceptor-donor interaction). It was found that copper oxide loading was a promising method to improve the $CO_2$ adsorption capacity of ACs.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.352-356
• /
• 2011

In this paper, we prepared new type of hydrophilic block copolymers that exhibit the long-ranged lateral ordering in thin film. It was previously demonstrated that poly(ethyleneoxide-b-styrene) and poly(ethyleneoxide-b-metharylate-b-styrene) block copolymer thin films have a high degree of lateral ordering after solvent annealing process. In these cases, the relative humidity plays an important role in long-ranged lateral ordering. However, the origin of the humidity effect on the orders of these hydrophilic block copolymers is not fully understood. To investigate the effect of the humidity further, we prepared other hydrophilic poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-b-styrene)(PDMA-b-PS) block copolymers via RAFT polymerization. As with PEO-containing block copolymers, PDMA-b-PS block copolymers exhibit the long-ranged lateral ordering after solvent annealing process.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.233-242
• /
• 2007

We performed a numerical investigation to find out the optimal choice of the spatial discretization in the distributed-Lagrangian-multiplier/fictitious-domain (DLM/FD) method for the solid/fluid interaction problem. The elastic solid bar attached on the bottom in a pressure-driven channel flow of a Newtonian fluid was selected as a model problem. Our formulation is based on the scheme of Yu (2005) for the interaction between flexible bodies and fluid. A fixed regular rectangular discretization was applied for the description of solid and fluid domain by using the fictitious domain concept. The hydrodynamic interaction between solid and fluid was treated implicitly by the distributed Lagrangian multiplier method. Considering a simplified problem of the Stokes flow and the linearized elasticity, two numerical factors were investigated to clarify their effects and to find the optimum condition: the distribution of Lagrangian multipliers and the solid/fluid interfacial condition. The robustness of this method was verified through the mesh convergence and a pseudo-time step test. We found that the fluid stress in a fictitious solid domain can be neglected and that the Lagrangian multipliers are better to be applied on the entire solid domain. These results will be used to extend our study to systems of elastic particle in the Stokes flow, and of particles in the viscoelastic fluid.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.643-655
• /
• 2011

This study addresses the periphytons along the Bukhan river stream and examines the biological indices that represents the river and estimate water quality assessment. Bukhan river in 4 major watershed streams (Bukchon-Hangeychon, Narinchon, Inbukchon, and Soyang river) was selected in 9 points. Land use pattern along the streams showed marked differenced in agriculture areas and forest areas. Lower Soyang streams showed blue-green algae and green algae also appeared in evenly pattern. Thus, the pollution source, biomass and distribution are somewhat correlated, and BOD, SS, biodiversity, and evenness showed a similar pattern. This situation can lead to conclusion of oligotrophic lake with good condition. Therefore, current biological index and is not so desirable for stream degree standard water quality and nutrient level.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.37-45
• /
• 2010

Since SRC (Short-term Rotation Coppice) such as poplar and willow can be harvested in three years, they are known to be a potential forest biomass as fuel for a power plant. The production system including transplanting and harvesting is, however, necessary to be mechanized because such a biomass should be handled in a massive volumetric size. A pull-type stem-cutting transplanter was developed in the research as the first step to realize the production of SRC. A needle-like transplanting device pushes a stem-cutting into the prepared soil bed by a pneumatic cylinder, and another device firms soil around a stem-cutting transplanted. Since this is an intermittent operation, it was necessary to develop a zero horizontal velocity mechanism which enabled only the transplanting needle part to continue a zero horizontal movement relative to the ground during the transplanting operation even when the tractor kept moving forward. The 2-row transplanter can transplant stem-cuttings at the rate of 6.5 seconds per row without missing a single attempt. The planting depth and distance were well maintained and controlled. Their CVs were between 2.1~3.4% and 0.87~1.7% for the depth and the distance, respectively. Although, the transplanted stem-cuttings tended to lean outward from the back-view and forward from the side view, they were planted within the range of $3^{\circ}$ from the upright position.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.31 no.6 s.119
• /
• pp.489-499
• /
• 2006

Since the application of chemicals in confined spaces under the canopy of an orchard is hazardous work, it is needed to develop an autonomous guidance system for an orchard sprayer. The autonomous guidance system developed in this research could steer the vehicle by tracking an overhead guidance rail, which was installed on an existing frame structure. The autonomous guidance system consisted of an 80196 kc microprocessor, an inclinometer, two interface circuits of actuators for steering and ground speed control, and a fuzzy control algorithm. In addition, overhead guidance rails for both straight and curved paths were devised, and a trolley was designed to move smoothly along the overhead guidance rails. Evaluation tests showed that the experimental vehicle could travel along the desired path at a ground speed of 30 $\sim$ 50 cm/s with a RMS error of 5 cm and maximum deviation of less than 12 cm. Even when the vehicle started with an initial offset or a deflected heading angle, it could move quickly to track the desired path after traveling 2 $\sim$ 3 m. The vehicle could also complete turns with a curvature of 1 m. However, at a ground speed of 50 cm/s, the vehicle tended to over-steer, resulting in a zigzag motion along the straight path, and tended to turn outward from the projected line of the guidance rail.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.1324-1326
• /
• 2004

In previous studies, we isolated an isogenic LPS mutant of Bradyrhizobium japonicum 61A101C, which was completely devoid of O-polysaccharide and had altered cell surface characteristics. Subsequently, the mutated gene was identified, cloned, and used to complement the LPS mutant strain JS314 to restore the phenotype. Since it has been reported that in Escherichia coli LPS O-polysaccharide is involved in resistance to an organic acid such as acetic acid under low pH (Barna et al., Molecular Microbiology 43: 629-640, 2002), we compared the organic acid resistance of the three B. japonicum strains; wild-type 61A101C, the LPS mutant JS314, and the complemented strain to determine whether the role of O-polysaccharide in the resistance to organic acid could be generalized. Growth of all three strains was inhibited by the presence of 3 mM acetic acid under acidic condition (pH 5.5). To our surprise, however, in the presence of 2 mM acetic acid, wild-type and the complemented strains did not grow while the $LPS^-$ mutant showed a significant growth. Therefore, unlike in E. coli, the lack of O­polysaccharide of LPS appears to render B. japonicum more resistant to organic acid.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.26-29
• /
• 2007

Tautomycetin (TMC), which is produced by Streptomyces sp. CK4412, is a novel activated T cell-specific immunosuppressive compound with an ester bond linkage between a terminal cyclic anhydride moiety and a linear polyketide chain bearing an unusual terminal alkene. Antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and TMC productivity assayed by HPLC using culture extracts from Streptomyces sp. CK4412 grown on solid medium adjusted at various pH were measured. The cells cultured at acidic pH (pH 4-5) medium exhibited much stronger antifungal activity as well as higher TMC productivity than those cultured at neutral pH medium, implying that the acidic pH-shock should be an efficient strategy to induce the productivity of secondary metabolites in Streptomyces culture.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.64-71
• /
• 2007

The necessity of disinfecting playground soil is an important issue, because pathogenic protozoa, bacteria, and parasite eggs remain viable for several months and can infect children. UV irradiation has been used to decontaminate water but its effectiveness on soil is unclear. We determined the efficacy of UV radiation for inactivation of an indicator bacteria, E. coli (strain ATCC 8739), on playground soil. While 99% inactivation of E. coli in the soil was readily achieved by UV radiation within 55 min at $0.4\;mW\;cm^{-2}$, complete inactivation was not achieved, even after prolonged treatment at $4\;mW\;cm^{-2}$. This was attributed to the irregular surface of the soil. A small number of E. coli escaped the UV radiation because they were situated in indentations or under small particles on the soil surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the surface characteristics of the soil is the major limiting factor in the inactivation of E. coli by UV radiation. Thus UV treatment may not be adequate for disinfecting some soils and should be carefully evaluated before being used on playground soils.