• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2023

Despite the easing of social distancing, demand for non-face-to-face services continues to rise. Recently, the EU is pursuing a comprehensive plastic use reduction by expanding the scope of plastic use regulations for packaging plastics according to the New Cyclical Economy Action Plan(NCEAP). In response to this trend, the packaging industry is moving away from conventional non-degradable/petroleum-based plastics and conducting research on packaging materials using biodegradable plastics such as PLA(Poly Lactic Acid), PBAT(Poly Butylene Adipate-co-butylene Terephthalate). On the other hand, ginkgo leaves occur in large quantities in Korea and act as a cause of slip accidents and flooding. In this study, a method to utilize ginkgo biloba leaf as a new alternative biomass resource was proposed by producing lactic acid through pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and fermentation processes. For the efficiency of lactic acid production, a comparative analysis of lignin content from before and after browning was performed. In addition, the degree of glucan extraction was evaluated by applying a pretreatment method using three catalysts: hot water, sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide. It is difficult to expect high production of lactic acid with single process. Therefore, an integrated process operation using both the pretreated hydrolyzate and the residual solid enzymatic saccharification solution must necessarily be applied.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.240-246
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• 2023

This study was performed to convert NO_x in atmosphere by photochemical reaction utilizing the eco-friendly solar energy. The mortar specimen coated with photocatalyst was fabricated and the photochemical conversion efficiency of NO_x was analyzed. The photocatalyst coated concrete was fabricated by first adding TiO₂ photocatalyst on the bottom of mold first and next adding cement mortar and, then, curing the concrete mortar. The grease was sprayed on the bottom of mold in advance so that the concrete can be demolded easily after curing. The conversion efficiencies of NO_x by photochemical reactions were investigated systematically by changing the process variable conditions of amount of TiO₂ coating, UV-A light intensity, total gas flow rate, relative humidity and initial NO_x concentration. It was confirmed that the photocatalyst coated concrete fabricated in this study could convert NO_x successfully for various process conditions in atmosphere. In future, we believe this research result can be utilized as basic data to design the infrastructure of building, tunnel and road for controlling efficiently the air pollutants such as NO_x, SO_x, and VOCs.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2023

The adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance(ESG) practices in domestic construction firms is predominantly driven by major corporations. These companies not only publish reports on their ESG management but also engage in a meticulous process of identifying key issues and setting priorities. This process entails an in-depth evaluation of the severity of various issues and the gathering of insights from experts in the field. Interestingly, a comparative analysis of ESG assessments for construction companies, both domestically and internationally, reveals significant discrepancies in outcomes. These differences stem from the varied evaluation methodologies and criteria employed by different assessing bodies. Addressing this gap, our study proposes a suite of strategies aimed at bolstering ESG management within the construction sector. We advocate for enhanced policy support and financial backing, especially targeting small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to facilitate their engagement in ESG practices. A critical step forward involves the standardization and transparent disclosure of ESG evaluation criteria, tailored to reflect the unique aspects of the construction industry. Moreover, the standardization and publication of ESG assessments for subcontractors are essential, equipping them with the necessary tools for effective ESG management and evaluation. Given the global nature of construction projects, particularly those commissioned by the European Union in regions like Africa and East Asia, adherence to ESG standards is imperative. Our long-term vision includes the development of a comprehensive database detailing ESG regulations and their impacts, segmented by region and country. This repository will serve as a valuable resource for companies venturing into international construction projects.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2010

Corporate social responsibility has become a very important issue for researchers (Greenfield, 2004; Maignan & Ralston, 2002; McWilliams et al., 2006; Pearce & Doh 2005), and many consider it necessary for businesses to define their role in society and apply social and ethical standards to their businesses (Lichtenstein et al., 2004). As a result, a significant number of retailers have adopted CSR as a strategic tool to promote their businesses. To this end, this study sought to discover U.S. consumers' attitudes and behavior in ethical purchasing and consumption based on their subjective perception and evaluation of a retailer. The objectives of this study include: 1) determine the participants awareness of retailers corporate social responsibility; 2) assess how participants evaluate retailers corporate social responsibility; 3) examine whether participants evaluation process of retailers CSR influence their attitude toward the retailer; and 4) assess if participants attitude toward the retailers CSR influence their purchase behavior. This study does not focus on actual retailers' CSR performance because a consumer's decision making process is based on an individual assessment not an actual fact. This study examines US college students' awareness and evaluations of retailers' corporate social responsibility (CSR). Fifty six college students at a major Southeastern university participated in the study. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 26 years old. Content analysis was conducted with open coding and focused coding. Over 100 single-spaced pages of written responses were collected and analyzed. Two steps of coding (i.e., open coding and focused coding) were conducted (Esterberg, 2002). Coding results and analytic memos were used to understand participants' awareness of CSR and their ethical purchasing behavior supported through the selection and inclusion of direct quotes that were extracted from the written responses. Names used here are pseudonyms to protect confidentiality of participants. Participants were asked to write about retailers, their aware-ness of CSR issues, and to evaluate a retailer's CSR performance. A majority (n = 28) of respondents indicated their awareness of CSR but have not felt the need to act on this issue. Few (n=8) indicated that they are aware of this issue but not greatly concerned. Findings suggest that when college students evaluate retailers' CSR performance, they use three dimensions of CSR: employee support, community support, and environmental support. Employee treatment and support were found as an important criterion in evaluation of retailers' CSR. Respondents indicated that their good experience with a retailer as an employee made them have a positive perception and attitude toward the retailer. Regarding employee support four themes emerged: employee rewards and incentives based on performance, working environment, employee education and training program, and employee and family discounts. Well organized rewards and incentives were mentioned as an important attribute. The factors related to the working environment included: how well retailers follow the rules related to working hours, lunch time and breaks was also one of the most mentioned attributes. Regarding community support, three themes emerged: contributing a percentage of sales to the local community, financial contribution to charity organizations, and events for community support. Regarding environments, two themes emerged: recycling and selling organic or green products. It was mentioned in the responses that retailers are trying to do what they can to be environmentally friendly. One respondent mentioned that the company is creating stores that have an environmentally friendly design. Information about what the company does to help the environment can easily be found on the company’s website as well. Respondents have also noticed that the stores are starting to offer products that are organic and environmentally friendly. A retailer was also mentioned by a respondent in this category in reference to how the company uses eco-friendly cups and how they are helping to rebuild homes in New Orleans. The respondents noticed that a retailer offers reusable bags for their consumers to purchase. One respondent stated that a retailer uses its products to help the environment, through offering organic cotton. After thorough analysis of responses, we found that a participant's evaluation of a retailers' CSR influenced their attitudes towards retailers. However, there was a significant gap between attitudes and purchasing behavior. Although the participants had positive attitudes toward retailers CSR, the lack of funds and time influenced their purchase behavior. Overall, half (n=28) of the respondents mentioned that CSR performance affects their purchasing decisions making when shopping. Findings from this study provide support for retailers to consider their corporate social responsibility when developing their image with the consumer. This study implied that consumers evaluate retailers based on employee, community and environmental support. The evaluation, attitude and purchase behavior of consumers seem to be intertwined. That is, evaluation is based on the knowledge the consumer has of the retailers CSR. That knowledge may influence their attitude toward the retailer and thus influence their purchase behavior. Participants also indicated that having CSR makes them think highly of the retailer, but it does not influence their purchase behavior. Price and convenience seem to surpass the importance of CSR among the participants. Implications, recommendations for future research, and limitations of the study are also discussed.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2022

As a result of the recent social transformation towards a hydrogen economy and carbon-neutrality, the demands for hydrogen energy have been increasing rapidly worldwide. As such, eco-friendly hydrogen production technologies that do not produce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are being focused on. Among them, ammonia (NH₃) is an economical hydrogen carrier that can easily produce hydrogen (H₂). In this study, Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst coated onmetallic monolith for hydrogen production from ammonia was prepared by a dip-coating method using a catalyst slurry mixture composed of Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst, inorganic binder (alumina sol) and organic binder (methyl cellulose). At the optimized 1:1:0.1 weight ratio of catalyst/inorganic binder/organic binder, the amount of catalyst coated on the metallic monolith after one cycle coating was about 61.6 g L^-1. The uniform thickness (about 42 ㎛) and crystal structure of the catalyst coated on the metallic monolith surface were confirmed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Also, a numerical optimization regression equation for NH3 conversion according to the independent variables of reaction temperature (400-600 ℃) and gas hourly space velocity (1,000-5,000 h^-1) was calculated by response surface methodology (RSM). This model indicated a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.991 and had statistically significant predictors. This regression model could contribute to the commercial process design of hydrogen production by ammonia decomposition.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2024

Fishing net waste (FNW) constitutes over half of all marine plastic waste and is a major contributor to the degradation of marine ecosystems. While current treatment options for FNW include incineration, landfilling, and mechanical recycling, these methods often result in low-value products and pollutant emissions. Importantly, FNWs, comprised of plastic polymers, can be converted into valuable resources like syngas and pyrolysis oil through pyrolysis. Thus, this study presents a process for generating high-purity hydrogen (H₂) by catalytically pyrolyzing FNW in a CO₂ environment. The proposed process comprises of three stages: First, the pretreated FNW undergoes Ni/SiO₂ catalytic pyrolysis under CO₂ conditions to produce syngas and pyrolysis oil. Second, the produced pyrolysis oil is incinerated and repurposed as an energy source for the pyrolysis reaction. Lastly, the syngas is transformed into high-purity H₂ via the Water-Gas-Shift (WGS) reaction and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). This study compares the results of the proposed process with those of traditional pyrolysis conducted under N₂ conditions. Simulation results show that pyrolyzing 500 kg/h of FNW produced 2.933 kmol/h of high-purity H₂ under N₂ conditions and 3.605 kmol/h of high-purity H₂ under CO₂ conditions. Furthermore, pyrolysis under CO₂ conditions improved CO production, increasing H₂ output. Additionally, the CO₂ emissions were reduced by 89.8% compared to N₂ conditions due to the capture and utilization of CO₂ released during the process. Therefore, the proposed process under CO₂ conditions can efficiently recycle FNW and generate eco-friendly hydrogen product.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2014

Renewable Portfolio Standards(RPS) is a regulation that requires a renewable energy generated from eco-friendly energy sources such as biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal. The RPS mechanism generally is an obligatory policy that places on electricity supply companies to produce a designated fraction of their electricity from renewable energies. The domestic companies to supply electricity largely rely on wood pellets in order to implement the RPS in spite of undesirable situation of lack of wood resources in Korea. This means that the electricity supply companies in Korea must explore new biomass as an alternative to wood. Palm kernel shell (PKS) and empty fruit bunch (EFB) as oil palm wastes can be used as raw materials used for making pellets after their thermochemical treatment like torrefaction. Torrefaction is a pretreatment process which serves to improve the properties including heating value and energy densification of these oil palm wastes through a mild pyrolysis at temperature typically ranging between 200 and $300^{\circ}C$ in the absence of oxygen under atmospheric pressure. Torrefaction of oil palms wastes at above $200^{\circ}C$ contributed to the increase of fixed carbon with the decrease of volatile matters, leading to the improvement of their calorific values over 20.9 MJ/kg (=5,000 kcal/kg) up to 25.1 MJ/kg (=6,000 kcal/kg). In particular, EFB sensitively responded to torrefaction because of its physical properties like fiber bundles, compared to PKS and hardwood chips. In conclusion, torrefaction treatment of PKS and EFB can greatly contribute to the implement of RPS of the electricity supply companies in Korea through the increased co-firing biomass with coal.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.27-33
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• 2012

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Environment, the emission of sewage sludge is increased by 7~9% yearly. In the future, it will be increased continuously because of extension of sewage disposal plants, high class treatment for removing nitrogen and phosphorus. Until now, we have depended on reclamation for lots of quantity and some part has been treated by ocean emission. But, direct reclamation of organic waste will be prohibited and even ocean emission will be prohibited now, so the treatment of sludge is put on emergency alert. Bio-gas can be produced by applying anaerobic digestion method for the recycling or refuse derived fuel can be conducted by applying carbonization method. However, the process is difficult, causes bad smell and makes it the second waste, so it cannot be practical method in fact. This study applied a fluidized bed combustor for sewage sludge treatment technologies that can actually take advantage of key technologies in order to verify its purpose is to demonstrate selected. If applying the fluidized bed combustor, it can be easily utilized as the replaced resource of energy(fuel) in the countries whose energy resources are insufficient, like our country. Especially, if applying only original strengths of the fluidized bed combustor sufficiently, the sewage sludge can be treated simply, eco-friendly, sanitarily and economically. Particularly, it is verified as the energy technology suitable for government's green growth policy.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.660-667
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• 2018

This study examined the optimal manufacturing conditions of RDF using heat-dried sludge from sewage treatment plant in Cheonan with the oil-drying method. The amounts of oil evaporation and oil drying of the heat-dried sludge were measured at different temperatures to evaluate the value of the product. The performance of the product was then measured using a calorimeter and TGA. In addition, the concentration of odor, NH3, H2S, and TVOC during drying was determined using a portable odor-meter. Ingredient analysis was performed by EDS. Considering mass-production, the oil to heat-dried sludge weight ratio was fixed to 4:1. At $130^{\circ}C$, only physical mixing occurred after the instantaneous drying of internal water. Considering the eco-friendly aspects, there was no significant difference in the drying efficiency between $160^{\circ}C$ and $190^{\circ}C$. Therefore, the optimal conditions were a drying temperature of $160^{\circ}C$ within 5 minutes. Finally, the RDF manufactured in this study and fuel used in the thermal power plants were compared. The calorific value was 4,449kcal/kg, the water content was 2% and the ash content was 34%, which is higher than the fuel of thermal power plants. Therefore, it is believed that coal energy as well as wood pellets can be replaced.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.452-458
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• 2016

The study on pH control at the themophilic solubilization (pretreatment process) was investigated in order to improve the methane gas production of two phase anaerobic digestion of food waste. From a batch experiment, it was observed that the solubilization efficiency was increased from 26.2% to 47.1% and 55.6% by the pH increament from $4.20{\pm}0.40$ (without pH control) to $7.00{\pm}0.50$, and $12.00{\pm}0.50$, respectively. However there was immaterial increase (8.5%) in solubilization efficiency when the pH was increased from $7.00{\pm}0.50$ to $12.00{\pm}0.50$. The two phase anaerobic digestion system was operated for laboratory scale experiment under the solubilization condition of pH $4.20{\pm}0.40$ (Run1) and $7.00{\pm}0.50$ (Run2). Higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentration were observed in Run2 throughout the system resulted by the solubilization effect at the pH $7.00{\pm}0.50$. The TVFA concentration in acidogenic reactor was 18.4 g/L which was 1.8 times higher than the result of Run1. Consequently the methane gas production was enhanced to 0.333 L/g VS in the methanogenic reactor, which is 18% higher than the result (0.282 L/g VS) of Run1.