• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.41-52
• /
• 2023

Various carbon upcycling technologies have been proposed and are under development to achieve Korea's carbon neutrality target. Many chemical reactions are under development through various chemical reaction pathways, and different technological maturity levels are shown for each country and company. In this situation, it is essential to establish investment decisions such as research funds and human resources allocation through technological and economic analysis for close commercialization technologies and basic technologies with low technology readiness levels (TRL). Therefore, in this study, the technology development priority for developing carbon upcycling items was selected according to the domestic Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU) technology roadmap using the stakeholder selection tool released by EU CarbonNext. As a result of the analysis, the TRL level of Korea's major carbon upcycling technologies was analyzed to be lower than that of other carbon resource technologies, and it was considered desirable to invest in mineral carbonization technologies among various candidate technologies.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.419-428
• /
• 2020

The kinetics of direct methanation over activated charcoal-supported molybdenum catalyst at 30 bar was studied in a cylindrical fixed-bed reactor. When the temperature was not higher than 400℃, the CO conversion increased with increasing temperature according to the Arrhenius law of reaction kinetics. While XRD and Raman analysis showed that Mo was present as Mo oxides after reduction or methanation, TEM and XPS analysis showed that Mo₂C was formed after methanation depending on the loading of Mo precursor. When the temperature was as high as 500℃, the CO conversion was dependent not only on the Arrhenius law but also on the catalyzed reaction by nanoparticles, which came off from the reactor and thermocouple by metal dusting. These nanoparticles were made of Ni, Fe, Cr and alloy, and attributed to the formation of carbon deposit on the wall of the reactor and on the surface of the thermocouple. The carbon deposit consisted of amorphous and disordered carbon filaments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.984-1003
• /
• 2020

The global fashion industry produces significant carbon emission and micro-plastics in oceans. Studies on sustainable design methods as such environmental issues in fashion are becoming intensely problematic. This study conducted a case study on 100 upcycle fashion brands to propose strategical upcycle fashion designs to compete in a sustainable fashion market. A literature review indicated that 3 types of textile wastes are generated as upcycling materials: post-producer, pre-consumer and post-consumer. Wastes are categorized together with 3 types of techniques: redesigning, reconstruction and handcrafting. This research derived 7 types of upcycle fashion designs that have the following features: to make luxury upcycle fashion products, to make sustainable grunge looks, to re-evaluate deadstocks, to recover vintage clothes, to convert waste into craft-arts, to offer solutions for damaged products, and to make zero-waste small fabric waste. The study results show that key drivers in the upcycle fashion design are the redesignability of materials and technique-related costs. This study implies that adopting appropriate design features can be a useful strategy for designers. New technologies will solve current problems and encourage them to design products in a new circular value system.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.2-10
• /
• 2023

The current mandatory domestic biodiesel blending ratio is 3.5%, which is planned to be gradually increased to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The aim of this study was to improve domestic self-sufficiency in biodiesel raw oil by conducting a technical review on the possibility of utilizing waste oils, such as soup oil, chicken oil, and leather oil, as biodiesel feedstocks. These waste oils have an acid value that is too high to be converted directly into biodiesel. Therefore, a pretreatment to reduce the acid value is necessary. The neutralization process was examined as a potential technology for reducing the acid value. The oil recovery rate of the soup oil after neutralization was significantly low at 37.6 wt%. The oil recovery rates of leather oil and chicken oil were 66.49 wt% and 79.08 wt%, respectively. Based on biodiesel conversion experiment using waste oil with a reduced acid value, the conversions were analyzed as 89 wt%, 91.1 wt%, and 90.5 wt% for soup oil, leather oil, and chicken oil, respectively. Thus, it is technically possible to use soup oil, leather oil, and chicken oil as raw materials for producing biodiesel.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.31 no.9
• /
• pp.525-531
• /
• 2021

Carbon-encapsulated Ni catalysts are synthesized by an electrical explosion of wires (EEW) method and applied for CO₂ methanation. We find that the presence of carbon shell on Ni nanoparticles as catalyst can positively affect CO₂ methanation reaction. Ni@5C that is produced under 5 % CH₄ partial pressure in Ar gas has highest conversions of 68 % at 350 ℃ and 70 % at 400 ℃, which are 73 and 75 % of the thermodynamic equilibrium conversion, respectively. The catalyst of Ni@10C with thicker carbon layer shows much reduced activity. The EEW-produced Ni catalysts with low specific surface area outperform Ni catalysts with high surface area synthesized by solution-based precipitation methods. Our finding in this study shows the possibility of utilizing carbon-encapsulated metal catalysts for heterogeneous catalysis reaction including CO₂ methanation. Furthermore, EEW, which is a highly promising method for massive production of metal nanoparticles, can be applied for various catalysis system, requiring scaled-up synthesis of catalysts.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.20-26
• /
• 2023

Emitted CO₂ is an attractive material for microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction (i.e., microbial electrosynthesis, MES) using biocatalysts has advantages compared to conventional CO₂ reduction using electrocatalysts. However, MES has several challenges, including electrode performance, biocatalysts, and reactor optimization. In this study, an MES system was investigated for optimizing reactor types, counter electrode materials, and CO₂-converting microorganisms to achieve effective CO₂ upcycling. In autotrophic cultivation (supplementation of CO₂ and H₂), CO₂ consumption of Rhodobacter sphaeroides was observed to be four times higher than that with heterotrophic cultivation (supplementation of succinic acid). The bacterial growth in an MES reactor with a single-chambered shape was two times higher than that with a double chamber (H-type MES reactor). Moreover, a single-chambered MES reactor equipped with titanium mesh as the counter electrode (anode) showed markedly increased current density in the graphite felt as a working electrode (cathode) compared to that with a graphite felt counter electrode (anode). These results demonstrate that the optimized conditions of a single chamber and titanium mesh for the counter electrode have a positive effect on microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.35-45
• /
• 2023

Global efforts are focused on achieving carbon neutrality due to the increases in the levels of greenhouse gases. Moreover, the greenhouse gases generated from the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) are the primary sources of emissions in South Korea. In this study, we conducted the biological conversion of syngas (CO, H₂, and CO₂) generated from MSW gasification. The MSW-derived syngas was used as a feed source for cultivating Eubacterium limosum KIST612, and pressurization was employed to enhance gas solubility in culture broth. However, the pH of the medium decreased owing to the pressurization because of the CO₂ in the syngas and the cultivation-associated organic acid production. The replacement of conventional HEPES buffer with a phosphate buffer led to an approximately 2.5-fold increase in acetic acid concentration. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the pressurized reactor exhibited a maximum 8.28-fold increase in the CO consumption rate and a 3.8-fold increase in the H2 consumption rate.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.149-164
• /
• 2021

Since the existing mass production and consumption systems are no longer sustainable, countries are pushing for policies to make fisheries by-products as resources in an eco-friendly manner, and international standards are also being strengthened to increase the value of by-products. In Korea, economic and environmental perceptions of the by-products are rapidly changing, such as realizing carbon neutrality and enhancing circular resources by Korean Sustainable Development Goals. Raw materials derived from the by-products have been steadily imported from 2018. In particular, the number of imports of fish collagen peptides was only 16 number of times in 2017, but was rapidly increased to 483 number of times in 2020. Simultaneously, the demand for raw materials and nutrients for health functional food derived from fish by-products, which did not exist statistically until 2017, started to arise from 2018, and in 2019, consumption of high-value-added raw materials for fish by-products increased by 45% compared to the previous year. However, limitations are in legal and biotechnical industry aspects while its value as a biomaterial is recognized in the by-products-related industry. In this study, therefore, the status of by-products for upcycling biomaterials was reported and provided a scientific basis for supporting governmental strategies. In order to fulfill with the principles of a sustainable circular economy, the factors on hinder the marine bio-industrialization of the by-products were derived and suggested directions and plans for development into a high-value added the by-products as the marine bio-industry by substituting imported raw materials to support the development.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.46-52
• /
• 2023

Methane is the second most emitted greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Despite lower emissions than those of carbon dioxide, methane receives significant attention owing to its more than 20-fold higher global warming potential. Consequently, the importance of research on methanotrophic bacteria, microorganisms capable of converting methane gas into high-value materials, is increasingly emphasized. In the case of methanotrophic bacteria, knowledge on episomal plasmids that can be used for genetic engineering remains lacking, which poses significant challenges to the engineering process. The replication origin sequences of natural plasmids within methanotrophic bacteria have been predicted through in silico methods. The basic characteristics of the replication origin, such as a high A/T ratio, repetitive sequences, and proximity to proteins related to replication, have been used as criteria for identifying the replication origin. As a result, a region with a sequence of 18 base pairs repeated eight times could be identified. The putative replication origin sequence thus identified generally takes the form of iterons, but it also possesses unique features such as the length of the gap between iterons and the repetition of identical iteron sequences. This information can be valuable for future design of episomal plasmids applicable to methanotrophs.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.175-188
• /
• 2023

Global interest in hydrogen energy is increasing as an eco-friendly future energy that can replace fossil fuels. Accordingly, a next-generation hydrogen production technology using microorganisms, nuclear power, etc. is being developed, while a lot of time and effort are still required to overcome the cost of hydrogen production based on fossil fuels. As a way to minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the hydrocarbon-based hydrogen production process, methane direct decomposition technology has recently attracted attention. In order to improve the economic feasibility of the process, the simultaneous production of value-added carbon materials with hydrogen can be one of the most essential aspects. For that purpose, various studies on catalysis related to the quality and yield of high-value carbon materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In terms of process technology, a number of the research and development of fluidized-bed reactors capable of continuous production and improved gas-solid contact efficiency has been attempted. Recently, methane direct decomposition technology using a fluidized bed has been developed to the extent that it can produce 270 kg/day of hydrogen and 1000 kg/day of carbon. Plus, with the development of catalyst regeneration, separation and recirculation technologies, the process efficiency can be further improved. This review paper investigates the recent development of catalysts and fluidized bed reactor for methane direct pyrolysis to identify the key challenges and opportunities.