• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2023

Hydrogen has gained attention as an environmentally friendly energy source among various renewable options, however, its application in agriculture remains limited. This study aims to apply the hydrogen fuel cell triple heat-combining system, originally not designed for greenhouses, to greenhouses in order to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This system can produce heating, cooling, and electricity from hydrogen while recovering waste heat. To implement a hydrogen fuel cell triple heat-combining system in a greenhouse, it is crucial to evaluate the greenhouse's heating and cooling load. Accurate analysis of these loads requires considering factors such as greenhouse configuration, existing heating and cooling systems, and specific crop types being cultivated. Consequently, this study aimed to estimate the cooling and heating load using building energy simulation (BES). This study collected and analyzed meteorological data from 2012 to 2021 for semi-enclosed greenhouses cultivating tomatoes in Jeonju City. The covering material and framework were modeled based on the greenhouse design, and crop energy and soil energy were taken into account. To verify the effectiveness of the building energy simulation, we conducted analyses with and without crops, as well as static and dynamic energy analyses. Furthermore, we calculated the average maximum heating capacity of 449,578 kJ·h^-1 and the average cooling capacity of 431,187 kJ·h^-1 from the monthly maximum cooling and heating load analyses.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.911-922
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• 2022

To restore reclaimed land, it needs to be supplemented with organic matter; this is especially true for Korea, where organic matter constitutes only one-tenth of conventional agricultural soils. The giant Miscanthus, a perennial grass known for its extensive biomass, shows signs of being an excellent source of organic matter for restoring reclaimed land. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the feasibility of using the giant miscanthus as an organic resource within the context of re-using reclaimed land for agricultural purposes (i.e., potato cultivation), and (ii) determine the optimum fertilization rate for the potatoes while the giant miscanthus is being used as an organic resource. Our results show that after 180 days, giant miscanthus lost 23-47% of its original dry weight, with the extent of the loss dependent on soil salinity. Nutrient concentrations (Mg2+, Na+) continued to increase until the end of the study period. In contrast, potassium (K+) and the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) decreased until the end of the study period. Specifically, after 180 days, low salinity topsoil treatments had the lowest C/N ratio. In the first year, 150 % of standard N rates were required for the potatoes to achieve maximum productivity; however in the 2nd year, standard rates were sufficient to achieve maximum productivity. Overall, this implies that even though the application of giant miscanthus did eventually improve soil quality, increasing crop yields, N fertilization is still necessary for the best outcomes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.348-355
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• 2023

Biodiesel is known as an environmentally friendly neutral fuel, and a policy of obligatory mixing of a certain ratio is implemented on land. In this study, to verify the feasibility of using biodiesel as a ship fuel, component analysis, metal corrosion test, and storage stability test were performed on the mixing ratios of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, and 20 % of marine diesel and biodiesel. Component analysis evaluated a total of eight factors including density, kinematic viscosity and flash point according to ISO 8217:2017 standards and the reliability of biodiesel through metal corrosion tests and storage stability tests under atmosphere temperature and harsh conditions (60 ℃) for 180 days. Results demonstrate that component analysis satisfied the ISO 8217:2017 standard in all biodiesel mixing ratios. Furthermore, as the biodiesel mixing ratio increased, the kinematic viscosity, density, and acid value increased and the sulfur content decreased. Metal corrosion rarely occurred in the case of carbon steel, iron, aluminum, and nickel, whereas in the case of copper, corrosion occurred under the influence of oxygen-rich biodiesel under the harsh conditions (60 ℃) of 20 % biodiesel mixture. As for storage stability, discoloration, sludge formation, and fuel separation were not visually confirmed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.964-970
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• 2023

As part of the International Maritime Organization ef orts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the maritime industry is exploring low-carbon fuels such as liquefied natural gas and methanol, as well as zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, evaluating them as environmentally friendly alternatives. Particularly, ammonia has substantial operational experience as cargo on transport ships, and ammonia ship engines are expected to be available in the second half of 2024, making it relatively accessible for commercial use. However, overcoming the toxicity challenges associated with using ammonia as a fuel is imperative. Detection is possible at levels as low as 5 ppm through olfactory senses, and exposure to concentrations exceeding 300 ppm for more than 30 min can result in irreparable harm. Using the KORA program provided by the Chemical Safety Agency, an assessment of the potential risks arising from leaks during ammonia bunkering was conducted. A 1-min leak could lead to a 5 ppm impact within a radius of approximately 7.5 km, affecting key areas in Busan, a major city. Furthermore, the potentially lethal concentration of 300 ppm could have severe consequences in densely populated areas and schools near the bunkering site. Therefore, given the absence of regulations related to ammonia bunkering, the potential for widespread toxicity from even minor leaks highlights the requirement for the development of legislation. Establishing an integrated system involving local governments, fire departments, and environmental agencies is crucial for addressing the potential impacts and ensuring the safety of ammonia bunkering operations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.201-210
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• 2023

The Agricultural Environmental Conservation Program is a useful system for creating sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly and comfortable rural areas. However, there are still many problems and difficulties, such as the establishment of necessary activities and plans by the residents themselves, and improvements are required. The degree of importance and difficulties according to the implementation stage of each stakeholder was quantified and compared with each other, and the specific difficulties recognized by on-site support organizations were structurally analyzed. It was analyzed that the importance and difficulties of the project implementation stage for local government officials and the project implementation planning stage for on-site support organizations were very high, indicating that they perceived the most need for improvement. On the other hand, 21 specific problems and difficulties were derived based on the results of the literature survey and stakeholder interviews. As a result of the structural analysis using the DEMATEL method, the most influential factor was the low understanding of the project by residents, the most influential factor was the lack of collecting and reflecting residents' opinions, the most central factor was the lack of collecting and reflecting residents' opinions, and the most causal factor was the lack of education and promotion of the project. The results indicate that a more stable system can be established if continuous promotion and education, periodic meetings and discussions, active reflection of residents' opinions in project implementation plans, and simplification of implementation inspection and project cost execution through the implementation inspection platform are promoted. Despite the limitations, considering that no institutional analysis of agricultural environmental conservation programs has been conducted so far, the results of this study are expected to serve as a basis for the establishment of relevant policies in the future.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.297-302
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• 2023

There are several methods for shaping foams, but the most commonly used methods involve the use of resin mixed with a foaming agent, which is then foamed under high temperature and pressure in the case of compression foaming, or foamed under high temperature without applying pressure in the case of atmospheric foaming. The polymers used for foaming require design and analysis of optimal foaming conditions in order to achieve foaming under ambient pressure. Environmentally friendly bio-based polymers face challenges when it comes to foaming on their own, which has led to ongoing research in blending them with resins capable of traditional foam production. This study investigates changes in the characteristics of bio-based polymer-EVA blend foams based on variations in the content of bio-based polymers and explores the optimal foaming conditions according to crosslinking. The correlation between foaming characteristics and mechanical properties of the foams was examined. Through this research, we gained insights into how the content of bio-based polymers affects the properties of foams containing bio-based polymers and identified differences between ambient pressure and high-pressure foaming processes. Additionally, the feasibility of commercializing bio-based polymer-EVA composite foams was confirmed.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2023

To compare the global warming impact of the TBM and NATM method, which are representative tunnel excavation methods, a life cycle assessment was performed for each method. Life cycle assessment should compare the sum of carbon emissions by considering the pre-manufacturing stage, product manufacturing stage, usage stage, and disposal stage. However, access to TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) manufacturing and disposal data is limited, so I had no choice but to focus on the analysis for the usage stage. In general, carbon emissions during the pre-product manufacturing stage and product manufacturing stage often exceed 90% of carbon emissions throughout the entire process. Therefore, since it is difficult to achieve the analysis goal only by comparing the usage stage, the analysis scope was expanded, and carbon emissions for the process were calculated for the NATM method with access to manufacturing data. As a result of comparing the relative impact on global warming, the carbon emissions of the TBM method were found to be higher than those of the NATM method even though TBM method was only considered for the usage stage. So there it is, the NATM method can be seen as environmentally friendly in the future when considering the impact of climate change (global warming), which has recently attracted attention among environmental impact fields.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.163-172
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• 2024

In this study, two different scenarios for ammonia liquefaction in the green ammonia manufacturing process were proposed, and the economic-feasibility and environmental impact of each scenario were analyzed. The two liquefaction processes involved gas-liquid separation before cooling at high pressure (high pressure cooling process) or after decompression without the gas-liquid separation (low pressure cooling process). The high-pressure cooling process requires higher capital costs due to the required installation of separation units and heat exchangers, but it offers relatively lower total utility costs of 91.03 $/hr and a reduced duty of 2.81 Gcal/hr. In contrast, although the low-pressure cooling process is simpler and cost-effective, it may encounter operational instability due to rapid pressure drops in the system. Environmental impact assessment revealed that the high-pressure cooling process is more environmentally friendly than the low-pressure cooling process, with an emission factor of 0.83 tCO₂eq less than the low-pressure cooling process, calculated based on power usage. Consequently, the outcomes of this study provide relevant scenario and a database for green ammonia synthesis process adaptable to various process conditions.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.157-167
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• 2024

Background: Several previous studies have shown that commuting is a source of stress for undergraduate students. However, few studies have investigated the effect of commuting on academic stress among undergraduate students, and there has been little awareness of the environmental impact of commuting. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between commute type and/or time and academic stress among undergraduate students in South Korea, focusing on environmental sustainability. Methods: We conducted an online survey and obtained information on commute types, commute times, and academic stress from 510 undergraduate students aged ≥19 years. Academic stress was comprised of five sub-categories of stress, and total academic stress ranged from 5 to 25 points. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the associations between commute type and commute time and academic stress. Furthermore, the students were grouped into 21 categories based on their transportation mode for commuting. CO₂ emission factors per each commuting category were calculated using the transportation type's CO₂ emission data from previous studies. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to confirm the correlation between CO₂ emission factors and total academic stress. Results: Students using home-to-school transportation without transfers (vs. walking) showed a significantly higher total academic stress of 2.19 points (95% CI: 0.58, 3.80). In contrast, students using school-to-home transportation without transfers (vs. walking) showed a significantly lower total academic stress of 1.96 points (95% CI: -3.55, -0.38). Moreover, students using transportation with lower CO₂ emission factors had lower academic stress scores (home-to-school: correlation coefficient = 0.507, p<0.001; school-to-home: correlation coefficient = 0.491, p<0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that both commute type and time are significantly associated with academic stress among South Korean undergraduate students. When students select environmentally-friendly transportation, they may not only improve their mental health but also improve climate resilience.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.222-229
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• 2024

The use of low-toxic, hypoallergenic, and environmentally friendly natural pigments has increased. With growing interest in health, research on natural extracts containing beneficial substances for the human body is actively underway. In this study, natural pigments were extracted from sprout barley using a solvent extraction method and CCD-RSM was used to optimize the extraction process. The experiment's independent variables included extraction temperature, alcohol/ultra-pure volume ratio, and extraction time. The response variables were set to achieve a target chromaticity (L = 45, a = -35, b = 45), and to maximize DPPH radical scavenging activity evaluating the antioxidant capacity. The statistical significance of the main effect, interaction effect, and effect on the response value was evaluated and analyzed through the F and P values for the regression equation variables calculated using RSM optimization. Additionally, the reliability of the experiment was also confirmed through the P values of the probability plot graph. The extraction conditions for optimizing the four reaction values are 76.1 vol.% alcohol/ultra pure water volume ratio, an extraction temperature of 52.9 ℃ , and an extraction time of 49.6 min. Under these conditions, the theoretical values of the reaction values are L = 45.4, a = -36.8, and b = 45.0 DPPH radical scavenging activity = 30.9%. When the actual experiment was conducted under these optimal extraction conditions and analyzed, the measured values were L = 46.2, a = -36.1, and b = 48.2, and antioxidant capacity = 31.1% with an average error rate of 2.9%.