• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.433-438
• /
• 2022

A carbon cycle model based method is proposed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of various policies and projects to achieve carbon neutrality. The proposed model was validated by properly reproducing the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the rise of the global average temperature from the data of anthropogenic carbon emissions and deforestation since the industrial revolution. As a case study, a carbon cycle impact assessment was performed for deforestation, reforestation, and afforestation. It was verified that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is attributed not only to fossil fuel usage, but also to deforestation, and that even if deforestation is immediately followed by reforestation, it takes very long to return to the initial concentration. The proposed method is expected to be eventually applicable to simulation of potential climate control in the future, contributing to safety verification of various climate engineering techniques.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.269-274
• /
• 2021

Bioenergy is generally considered to be one of the options for pursuing carbon neutrality. However, for a period of time, combustion of harvested plant biomass inevitably causes more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than combustion of fossil fuels. This paper proposes a method that predicts and minimizes the total amount and payback period of this carbon debt. As a case study, a carbon cycle impact assessment was performed for immediate switching of the currently used fossil fuels to biomass. This work points out a fundamental vulnerability in the concept of carbon neutrality. As an action plan for the sustainability of bioenergy, formulas for afforestation proportional to the decrease in the forest area and surplus harvest proportional to the increase in the forest mass are proposed. The results of optimization indicate that the carbon debt payback period is about 70 years, and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases by more than 50% at a maximum and 3% at a steady state. These are theoretically predicted best results, which are expected to be worse in reality. Therefore, biomass is not truly carbon neutral, and it is inappropriate as an energy source alternative to fossil fuels. The method proposed in this work is expected to be able to contribute to the approach to carbon neutrality by minimizing present and future carbon debt of the bioenergy that is already in use.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
• /
• 2024.07a
• /
• pp.1329-1329
• /
• 2024

As global imperatives shift toward sustainability and carbon neutrality, the construction industry faces an urgent need to address its environmental impact, particularly within steel construction. Despite the increasing adoption of sustainable practices, a detailed understanding of the entire lifecycle emissions of structural steel, especially within the rapidly evolving Chinese market, remains a significant gap. This study introduces a comprehensive life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach to map the carbon footprint of structural steel construction, with a focus on Chinese structural steel as a case study. By adopting a cradle-to-cradle perspective, the research aims to highlight and address the environmental impact across the entire lifecycle of steel used in construction. Specifically, this study will 1) develop a detailed LCA model that encapsulates the environmental impacts of structural steel from production, use, and recycling phases, 2) dentify and analyze carbon hotspots and inefficiencies within the lifecycle of Chinese structural steel, and 3) evaluate and suggest strategies for stakeholders to minimize carbon emissions, moving towards carbon-neutral steel construction. Leveraging a process-based LCA framework, this study captures the material, energy, and emissions flows associated with the lifecycle of structural steel, including steel production, fabrication, transportation, construction, and recycling, in the context of Chinese construction practices. The model is enriched with data from current Chinese steel construction projects, ensuring its accuracy and applicability. Through systematic analysis, the study pinpoints critical phases where carbon emissions can be significantly reduced. Preliminary Results show significant carbon emission sources within the production, fabrication, and transportation phases of Chinese structural steel. These insights are crucial for devising targeted reduction strategies, such as improving production and fabrication efficiency, optimizing logistics, and enhancing material recyclability. The anticipated impact of this research is multi-faceted: providing a robust framework for assessing and managing the carbon footprint of steel construction, guiding industry and policy-makers towards sustainable practices, and setting a precedent for carbon management in steel construction worldwide. This research marks a significant step towards achieving carbon neutrality in steel construction, with a particular focus on Chinese structural steel. Through a comprehensive LCA model, this study offers a deep dive into the lifecycle emissions of steel construction, paving the way for actionable strategies to reduce the environmental impact, contributing to the global endeavor towards carbon-neutral construction.

• Land and Housing Review
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.19-28
• /
• 2024

This study analyzes the potential to achieve carbon neutrality through the technical definition and case studies of carbon-neutral buildings. In line with the Paris Agreement of December 2015, the global community has committed to limiting the average temperature rise to below 2oC and striving to restrict it to 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels. Achieving this requires reaching a net-zero state by 2050 and necessitates transitions across various sectors including energy, land use, and transportation. This research explores the technological approaches and real-world examples of carbon-neutral buildings, assessing their feasibility and limitations. By examining the definition of carbon-neutral buildings and presenting various technological solutions and case studies from both domestic and international contexts, this study evaluates the effectiveness and practicality of carbon-neutral buildings. The findings offer specific guidelines for the design, construction, and operation of carbon-neutral buildings and provide practical information for policymakers and practitioners aiming to create sustainable built environments.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.64 no.5
• /
• pp.41-51
• /
• 2022

Carbon neutrality is emerging as a new paradigm for the international society by transiting from climate change to climate risk. This study proposes evaluation methods for the carbon reduction contribution of climate-related national R&D projects in order to introduce a green budget system in the agricultural sector. We considered the domestic and foreign green budget systems and classified national R&D projects into positive, negative, and neutral from the perspective of carbon reduction. The results of this study propose three methods to estimate the monetary costs and carbon benefits by adopting the framework for the economic evaluation of national R&D projects conducted by the Rural Development Administration. These methods support to evaluate the potential contribution to carbon reduction of national R&D projects in the agricultural sector. Finally, the proposed methods were tested and verified for the efficiency and validity of evaluating carbon reduction contribution. These evaluation methods of the carbon reduction contribution can be used as a basic methodology for the pre-budget calculations of national R&D projects and the contribution for the greenhouse gas reduction budget.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.496-504
• /
• 2023

Countries worldwide are striving to find new sources of sustainable energy without carbon emission due to the increasing impact of global warming. With the advancement of the fourth industrial revolution on a global scale, there has been a substantial rise in energy demand. Simultaneously, there is a growing emphasis on utilizing energy sources with minimal or zero carbon content to ensure a stable power supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this comprehensive overview, a comparative analysis of carbon reduction policies of government was conducted. Based on international carbon neutrality scenarios and the presence of remaining thermal power generation, it can be categorized into two types: "Rapid" and "Safety". For the domestic scenario, the projected power demand and current greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with "The 10th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand" was examined. Considering all these factors, an overview of the current status of carbon neutrality technologies by focusing on the energy sector, encompassing transitions, hydrogen, transportation and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) was offered followed by summarization of key technological trends and government-driven policies. Furthermore, the central aspects of the domestic carbon reduction strategy were proposed by taking account of current mega trends in the energy sector which are highlighted in international scenario analyses.

• The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.25-35
• /
• 2022

With the enactment of the "Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth to Cope with Climate Crisis," various sector-specific plans are being implemented to achieve carbon neutrality. School facilities are mandatory buildings for the "Zero Energy Building Certification" and are the buildings that account for the highest proportion among public institution buildings. Therefore, they play a major role in achieving carbon neutrality in the construction sector. This study analyzed the recent energy use trends and zero energy levels in varied ways to promote the spread of building energy management systems and to provide basic data for efficient operation management and investigated the effectiveness and user opinions of the Building Energy Management System (BEMS) applied to school facilities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.8
• /
• pp.3369-3377
• /
• 2024

As the realization of carbon neutrality has been a main assignment for coping with the global climate change, it became necessary to analyze upcoming changes in electricity mix with economic and technical viewpoints. This paper presents a newly-developed simulation model that reflects the daily intermittency of renewable energy by applying daily average power supply-demand patterns for each season. Also, the paper provides an economic analysis in the viewpoint of investment cost, annual cost and power generation cost by utilizing the calculations from the simulation model. Four scenarios are selected for the analyses, one based on the Korean Government's 2050 Carbon Neutrality Scenario and three Nuclear Power Build-up scenarios, which are newly suggested by the authors. The simulation results show that the increase of nuclear energy from 5.7% of Government's Scenario to 37.7% of the proposed Nuclear Power Build-up Scenario leads to the decrease of about 704 billion US$ in investment cost and about 181 billion US$ in annual cost; with reduction in the increase of 2050 expected generation cost from 3.1 to 1.6 times compared with the referenced 2021 average cost. Further, this study has significance in performing the economic analysis with the expected daily power supply-demand patterns in 2050.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2024

Hydrogen is emerging as an essential material for carbon neutrality. In particular, Korea needs 22.9 million tons of imported clean hydrogen by 2050 to achieve carbon neutrality. However, a large amount of carbon is emitted during the import process, and market regulations are being discussed. This research estimates the carbon emissions of importing green hydrogen from Vietnam, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates to Korea, and calculates imported green hydrogen prices under carbon emission market regulations.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 2024

In order to achieve carbon neutrality in the architectural field by 2050, this study analyzed the energy impact proportional to CO2 emissions of each technique, such as design methods, the properties of building structures, prefabrication methods, passive houses, and active facilities. In addition, the results were presented quantitatively in terms of carbon reduction, and corresponding housing cases were analyzed. The research method is limited to residential buildings at the Passive House energy level, and carbon reduction techniques and elements in architecture are examined through various literature and materials, and empirical cases are analyzed to determine the specific possibility of realizing carbon reduction in architecture. We want to secure it. Based on these analysis results, it was possible to suggest that it is possible to explore various approaches to carbon reduction in future residential construction. By combining the most efficient techniques according to the energy reduction level or goal setting of the building in question, we expect the possibility of achieving the goal of carbon reduction in the residential sector more realistically.