• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.60-82
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• 1991

Drying process of red pepper is very important in terms of drying cost and quality of the end product. Recently, many studies on red pepper drying have been performed. Nevertheless, an optimum drying condition is not established yet. Drying characteristics of red pepper is much affected by drying factors such as variety and initial state of red pepper as well as by environmental drying factors such as temperature and relative humidity of drying air. Various varieties of red pepper are being cultivated and the initial state of red pepper at harvest is very ambiguous. For this reason, it is very costly and time-consuming to establish an optimum drying condition of red pepper by experiment. A general drying model to descirbe a drying process has not been developed due to diversity of drying characteristics of red pepper. This study was, therefore, performed to develop a general drying model describing a drying process of red pepper. The results from this study are summarized as follows. 1. A basic model was established to develop an appropriate mositure content model and temperature model describing a drying process of red pepper, and the basic model was validated with experimental data. 2. The bone dry weight of fruit and mositure content were accepted satisfactorily as parameter to define the arbitrary red pepper. 3. The equilibrium moisture content of red pepper was found out to be different according to the variety of red pepper, air temperature and relative humidity. Also, the EMC model was developed using the parameters of air temperature, relative humidity and bone dry weight of fruit. 4. A general drying model for red pepper was developed, parameters of which were expressed as the function of drying factors related with drying phenomena. The developed drying model was found out to describe well the drying process of red pepper.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2000

Objective of research is obtain fundamental data of carbonized wood wastes for soil condition, de-ordorization, absorption of water, carrier for microbial activity, and purifying agent for water quality of river. The carbonization technique and the properties of carbonized wood wastes(wood-based materials) were analyzed. Proximate analysis showed the wood-based materials contains 0.37~2.27% ash, 70~74% volatile matter, and 17~20% fixed carbon. As carbonization temperature was increased, the charcoal yield was decreased. However, no difference in charcoal yield was found due to time increase. The specific gravity after the carbonization decreased about 30~40% comparing to green wood. The charcoal had 1.08~4.18% ash, 5.88~13.79% volatile matter, and 80.15~90.94% fixed carbon. The pH of plywood and particleboard(pH 9 at $400^{\circ}C$, pH 10 at $600^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$) made charcoals was higher than that of fiberboard. The water-retention capacity was not affected by the carbonization temperature and time. The water-retention capacity within 24h was about 2~2.5 times of sample weight, and the Equilibrium moisture content(EMC) became 2~10% after 24h. EMC of charcoal from the thinned trees were 9.40~11.82%($20^{\circ}C$, RH 90%), 6.87~7.61%($20^{\circ}C$, RH 65%), and 1.69~2.81%($20^{\circ}C$, RH 25%). EMC of charcoal from the wood-based materials under $20^{\circ}C$, relative humidity(RH) 90% was similar to EMC of charcoal from the thinned trees(9~11 %). However, under $20^{\circ}C$, RH 25.65%, EMC of charcoal from the wood-based materials were higher(2~3%) than EMC of charcoal from the thinned trees. Every charcoal from the wood-based materials fulfilled the criteria in JWWA K 113-1947.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2010

Recently, yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) is getting attention in Korea due to the fast growing and high yield and quality of lumber. But, it is thought that the color difference between heartwood and sapwood may restrict the practical use of it. This study was aimed to enhance the value of yellow poplar lumber by the color control using high temperature heat-treatment, which had been tried for domestic cedar (Kim et al., 2009). The material properties including surface color of yellow poplar lumber were evaluated according to heat treatment conditions. The difference of color between sapwood and heartwood could be reduced by heat treatment at a temperature about $200^{\circ}C$. Long heating time was more effective in reducing the difference. The Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) of heat-treated wood was as low as 50 percent of the control. The result obviously indicates that heat-treated wood is more dimensionally stable in the change of moisture condition. The durability against wood rotting fungi also increased by the heat-treated, but it was not so effective as the case of cedar. The changes of mechanical properties of heat-treated yellow poplar were very similar to that of heat-treated cedar. In order to develop new use of heat-treated yellow poplar, the changes of mechanical properties should be considered. There were no significant changes in microscopic structure which may cause changes in mechanical properties. Further study of heat-treated wood is needed to scrutinize the causes of changes of material properties.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.330-339
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• 2009

The material properties of Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) were evaluated according to heat treatment conditions. The special focus was made on the color control of cedar wood by heat treatment. The difference of color between sapwood and heartwood could be reduced by heat treatment at a temperature above $170^{\circ}C$. Long heating time was more effective in reducing the difference. The Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) of heat-treated wood was as low as 50 percent. The result obviously indicates that heat-treated wood is more dimensionally stable in the change of moisture condition than the control. The heat-treated wood was also effective in increasing the durability against wood rotting fungi. However, more study is required to develop heat treatment as an environmentally-friendly technology for wood preservation without chemical. The mechanical properties of heat-treated wood showed relatively higher performance than the control in general. Meanwhile the dramatic decrease in impact bending stress due to the loss of ductility may limit uses of heat-treated wood in certain cases. There were no significant changes in microscopic structure which may cause changes in mechanical properties. Further study on the chemical analysis of heat-treated wood is needed to scrutinize the causes of changes of material properties.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.8-12
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• 1974

1. If one unity is given to the prongs whose ends touch each other for estimating the internal stresses occuring in it, the internal stresses which are developed in the open prongs can be evaluated by the ratio to the unity. In accordance with the above statement, an equation was derived as follows. For employing this equation, the prongs should be made as shown in Fig. I, and be measured A and B' as indicated in Fig. l. A more precise value will result as the angle (J becomes smaller. $CH=\frac{(A-B') (4W+A) (4W-A)}{2A[(2W+(A-B')][2W-(A-B')]}{\times}100%$ where A is thickness of the prong, B' is the distance between the two prongs shown in Fig. 1 and CH is the value of internal stress expressed by percentage. It precision is not required, the equation can be simplified as follows. $CH=\frac{A-B'}{A}{\times}200%$ 2. Under scheduled drying condition III the kiln, when the weight of a sample board is constant, the moisture content of the shell of a sample board in the case of a normal casehardening is lower than that of the equilibrium moisture content which is indicated by the Forest Products Laboratory, U. S. Department of Agriculture. This result is usually true, especially in a thin sample board. A thick unseasoned or reverse casehardened sample does not follow in the above statement. 3. The results in the comparison of drying rate with five different kinds of wood given in Table 1 show that the these drying rates, i.e., the quantity of water evaporated from the surface area of I centimeter square per hour, are graded by the order of their magnitude as follows. (1) Ginkgo biloba Linne (2) Diospyros Kaki Thumberg. (3) Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. (4) Larix kaempheri Sargent (5) Castanea crenata Sieb. et Zucc. It is shown, for example, that at the moisture content of 20 percent the highest value revealed by the Ginkgo biloba is in the order of 3.8 times as great as that for Castanea crenata Sieb. & Zucc. which has the lowest value. Especially below the moisture content of 26 percent, the drying rate, i.e., the function of moisture content in percentage, is represented by the linear equation. All of these linear equations are highly significant in testing the confficient of X i. e., moisture content in percentage. In the Table 2, the symbols are expressed as follows; Y is the quantity of water evaporated from the surface area of 1 centimeter square per hour, and X is the moisture content of the percentage. The drying rate is plotted against the moisture content of the percentage as in Fig. 2. 4. One hundred times the ratio(P%) of the number of samples occuring in the CH 4 class (from 76 to 100% of CH ratio) within the total number of saplmes tested to those of the total which underlie the given SR ratio is measured in Table 3. (The 9% indicated above is assumed as the danger probability in percentage). In summarizing above results, the conclusion is in Table 4. NOTE: In Table 4, the column numbers such as 1. 2 and 3 imply as follows, respectively. 1) The minimum SR ratio which does not reveal the CH 4, class is indicated as in the column 1. 2) The extent of SR ratio which is confined in the safety allowance of 30 percent is shown in the column 2. 3) The lowest limitation of SR ratio which gives the most danger probability of 100 percent is shown in column 3. In analyzing above results, it is clear that chestnut and larch easly form internal stress in comparison with persimmon and pine. However, in considering the fact that the revers, casehardening occured in fir and ginkgo, under the same drying condition with the others, it is deduced that fir and ginkgo form normal casehardening with difficulty in comparison with the other species tested. 5. All kinds of drying defects except casehardening are developed when the internal stresses are in excess of the ultimate strength of material in the case of long-lime loading. Under the drying condition at temperature of $170^{\circ}F$ and the lower humidity. the drying defects are not so severe. However, under the same conditions at $200^{\circ}F$, the lower humidity and not end coated, all sample boards develop severe drying defects. Especially the chestnut was very prone to form the drying defects such as casehardening and splitting.