• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2015

Domestic companies supplying electricity must increase obligatory duty to use renewable energy annually. If not met with obligatory allotment, the electricity-supply companies must pay RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standards) penalty. Although the power plants using a pulverizing coal firing boiler could co-fire up to around 3 per cent with wood pellets mixed in with coal feedstock without any major equipment revamps, they recorded only about 60 per cent fulfillment of RPS. Consequently, USD 46 million of RPS penalty was imposed on the six power supplying subsidiaries of GENCOs in 2014. One of the solutions to reduce the RPS penalty is that the power supply companies adopt the co-firing of torrefied lignocellulosic biomass in coal plants, which may contribute to the use of over 30 per cent of torrefied biomass mixed with bituminous coals. Extra binder was required to form pellets using torrefied biomass such as wood chips, PKS (Palm Kernel Shell) and EFB (Empty Fruit Bunch). Instead of corn starch, 30, 50 and 70 per cent of Larix saw dusts were respectively added to the torrefied feedstocks such as Pinus densiflora chips, PKS and EFB. The addition of saw dusts led to the decrease of the calorific values of the pellets but the forming ability of the pelletizer was exceedingly improved. Another advantage from the addition of saw dusts stemmed from the reduction of ash contents of the pellets. Finally, it was confirmed that torrefied oil palm biomass such as PKS and EFB could be valuable feedstocks in making pellets through improved binding ability.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.248-255
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• 2020

The effects of the coating thickness on the thermal durability and thermal stability of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with a gradient coating thickness were investigated using a flame thermal fatigue (FTF) test and thermal shock (TS) test. The bond and topcoats were deposited on the Ni-based super-alloy (GTD-111) using an air plasma spray (APS) method with Ni-Cr based MCrAlY feedstock powder and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), respectively. After the FTF test at 1100 ℃ for 1429 cycles, the bond coat was oxidized partially and the thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer was observed at the interface between the topcoat and bond coat. On the other hand, the interface microstructure of each part in the TBC specimen showed a good condition without cracking or delamination. As a result of the TS test at 1100 ℃, the TBC with gradient coating thickness was initially delaminated at a thin part of the coating layer after 37 cycles, and the TBC was delaminated by more than 50% after 98 cycles. The TBCs of the thin part showed more oxidation of the bond coat with the delamination of topcoat than the thick part. The thick part of the TBC thickness showed good thermal stability and oxidation resistance of the bond coat due to the increased thermal barrier effect.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2007

The mechanism of hydrothermally synthesizing Na-A zeolite from siliceous mudstone at a $Na_2O/SiO_2$ ratio of 0.6, a $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ 2.0 and a $H_2O/Na_2O$ 119 has been observed by IR, DTA, XRD and SEM. This mudstone is a tertiary periodic sedimentary rock and widely spreads around the Pohang area. In the early hydrothermal synthesis at $80^{\circ}C$ in an autoclave, sodium silicate and sodium aluminate were found to be preferentially reacted to generate Na-A type zeolite. Gibbsite and bayerite were also formed due to the presence of extra aluminum oxide in the feedstock. As reaction time in-creased up to 50 h, residual sodium aluminatewas reacted with siliceous mudstone, causing the Na-A zeolite crystal to grow and the hydroxylsodalite to generate. Therefore, in the $14{\sim}50\;h$ synthetic time, Na-A zeolite and hydroxylsodalite were formed. Also, if reaction time passed over 50 h, a part of the Na-A zeolite was finally redissolved and reacted with hydroxylsodalite to synthesize Na-P zeolite, generating porous surface of Na-A zeolite and disappearing hydroxylsodalite.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.585-597
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to find an analytic solution to the problem of determining the optimal capacity (lot-size) of a batch-storage network to meet demand for a finished product in a system undergoing random failures of operating time and/or batch material. The superstructure of the plant considered here consists of a network of serially and/or parallel interlinked batch processes and storage units. The production processes transform a set of feedstock materials into another set of products with constant conversion factors. The final product demand flow is susceptible to short-term random variations in the cycle time and batch size as well as long-term variations in the average trend. Some of the production processes have random variations in product quantity. The spoiled materials are treated through regeneration or waste disposal processes. All other processes have random variations only in the cycle time. The objective function of the optimization is minimizing the total cost, which is composed of setup and inventory holding costs as well as the capital costs of constructing processes and storage units. A novel production and inventory analysis, the PSW (Periodic Square Wave) model, provides a judicious graphical method to find the upper and lower bounds of random flows. The advantage of this model is that it provides a set of simple analytic solutions while also maintaining a realistic description of the random material flows between processes and storage units; as a consequence of these analytic solutions, the computation burden is significantly reduced.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.264-264
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• 2010

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were grown on a Si wafer by using thermal chemical vapor deposition (t-CVD). We investigated the effect of the catalyst deposition rate on the types of CNTs grown on the substrate. In general, smaller islands of catalyst occur by agglomeration of a catalyst layer upon annealing as the catalyst layer becomes thinner, which results in the growth of CNTs with smaller diameters. For the same thickness of catalyst, a slower deposition rate will cause a more uniformly thin catalyst layer, which will be agglomerated during annealing, producing smaller catalyst islands. Thus, we can expect that the smaller-diameter CNTs will grow on the catalyst deposited with a lower rate even for the same thickness of catalyst. The 0.5-nm-thick Fe served as a catalyst, underneath which Al was coated as a catalyst support as well as a diffusion barrier on the Si substrate. The catalyst layers were. coated by using thermal evaporation. The deposition rates of the Al and Fe layers varied to be 90, 180 sec/nm and 70, 140 sec/nm, respectively. We prepared the four different combinations of the deposition rates of the AI and Fe layers. CNTs were synthesized for 10 min by flowing 60 sccm of Ar and 60 sccm of $H_2$ as a carrier gas and 20 sccm of $C_2H_2$ as a feedstock at 95 torr and $810^{\circ}C$. The substrates were subject to annealing for 20 sec for every case to form small catalyst islands prior to CNT growth. As-grown CNTs were characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis NIR spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The fast deposition of both the Al and Fe layers gave rise to the growth of thin multiwalled CNTs with the height of ${\sim}680\;{\mu}m$ for 10 min while the slow deposition caused the growth of ${\sim}800\;{\mu}m$ high SWCNTs. Several radial breathing mode (RBM) peaks in the Raman spectra were observed at the Raman shifts of $113.3{\sim}281.3\;cm^{-1}$, implying the presence of SWCNTs (or double-walled CNTs) with the tube diameters 2.07~0.83 nm. The Raman spectra of the as-grown SWCNTs showed very low G/D peak intensity ratios, indicating their low defect concentrations.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.241-250
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• 2011

The most part of vegetable oils is accumulated as storage lipid, triacylglycerol (TAG) in seed and used as energy source when seed is germinated. It is also used as essential fatty acids and energy source for human and animal. Recently, vegetable oils have been more and more an important resource because of the increasing demand of vegetable oils for cooking and industrial uses for bio-diesel and industrial feedstock. In order to increase vegetable oils using biotechnology, over-expressing or repressing the regulatory genes involved in the flow of carbon into lipid biosynthesis is critical during seed development. In this review, we described candidate genes may influence oil amount and investigate their potential for oil increase. Genes involved in the regulation from biosynthesis of fatty acids to the accumulation oils in seed can be classified as follows: First, genes play a role for synthesis precursor molecules for TAG. Second, genes participate in fatty acid biosynthesis and TAG assembly. Lastly, genes encodes transcription factors involved in seed maturation and accumulation of seed oil. Because factors/genes determining oil quantity in seed is complex as mentioned, recently regulation of transcription factors is being considered more favorable approach than manipulate multiple genes for increasing oil in transgenic plants. However, it should be figured out the problem that bad agricultural traits induced by the overexpression of transcription factor gene.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.256-264
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• 2014

Enhancing the value of fine chemicals based on biomass resources is an important objective for addressing environmental and other concerns such as demand for renewable or green products, as well as from the political perspective to reduce dependence on fossil feedstock associated with the use of petroleum-based products. Based on these considerations, we studied the synthesis of estolide using waste plant-based oil materials and their application as lubricants and pour point depressants. Five estolides were prepared by varying molar ratio of palmitic acid (PA) to oleic acid (OA) using a reaction time of 48 h. The estolides were characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The isolated yields were in the range of 57-78 % and purity was 93-97%, showing iodine values of 18.2-37.8, total acid numbers (TANs) of 75.6-94.2 mg KOH/g and estolide numbers (ENs) of 1.2-1.8. Increasing the ratio of OA to PA in the synthesis decreased the kinematic viscosity and clouding point of the estolides. Four ball wear test of the estolides as a base oil demonstrated that the wear scar diameter (WSD) of the estolides was significantly lower (0.320-0.495 mm) than the WSD of general base oils such as 150N and Yubase (0.735 and 0.810 mm, respectively), indicating better wear resistance of the estolides. However, the lubricant property was found to be independent of the amount of OA in the estolides. These new materials are prospective candidates for application as a lubricant base oil.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.893-906
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• 2011

The effect of ultrasound pretreatment on sludge degragability was investigated at different condotions: ultrasonic frequency(28, 40, 50kHz), intensity(10, 25, 50W), sonication time(10, 20, 30, 60min). Total suspended solid(TSS) and soluble chemical oxygen demand(SCOD) concentration were measured for the evaluation of pretreatment efficiency. The pretreated sludge was used as the feedstock for anaerobic digestion process. Biogas production and volatile suspended solid(VSS) removal were determined for evaluating the process performance. 1. TSS concentration of the sludge decreased at a constant rate as sonication operation was applied. The degradation rate of TSS increased when ultrasound frequency was decreased from 50kHz to 28kHz and intensity was increased from 10W to 50W. Efficiency of TSS degradation per input energy increased as ultrasonic frequency and intensity were decreased. At the frequency of 28 and 40kHz, SCOD concentration rapidly increased during the initial 30min of sonication time, and then it gradually increased. At 50kHz, SCOD concentration constantly increased for 60min of the sonication time. The SCOD production rate increased with increasing intensity under all ultrasound frequencies. 2. The optimum condition of ultrasound treatment was 28kHz, 50W and 60min for maximizing the biogas production, methane fraction, VSS removal. The highest values in biogas production, methane fraction in biogas, VSS removal were 370ml, 70%, 2.45g, respectively. Methane production rate per input energy increased at ultrasonic frequency and intensity decreased. 3. When raw sludge was pretreated at the condition of ultrasonic frequency of 28 and 40kHz in series, sequential-frequency sonication, intensity of 50W and 60min, biogas production, methane fraction, VSS removal were about the same that of 28kHz single-frequency sonication. When sequential-frequency sonication of 28 and 50kHz was applied in series, biogas production, methane fraction, VSS removal were 356 ~ 423ml, 69 ~ 71%, 2.41 ~ 2.78g, respectively. The pretreatment efficiency of 28-50kHz sequential-frequency sonication which sonication time of 28kHz and 50kHz was 40min and 20min was higher than that of 28kHz single-frequency sonication.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.136-147
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• 2015

As it carry out RPS(Renewable Portfolio Standards), power producers are using the power bio-fuel oil to meet their RPS quota. In this study, we test the quality characteristics of raw materials for power bio-fuel oil and the property changes of power bio-fuel oil by the kind of feedstocks. The power bio-fuel oil and feedstocks were analyzed for item of quality standard such as acid number, viscosity and metal contents. And it was analyzed for composition distribution by FT-IT and HPLC. Such as low priced palm oil series has high acid number and ash contents due to high free-fatty acid and metal contents. And by-product of biodiesel have a tendency of high viscosity. The fuel properties of power bio-fuel oil, such as viscosity, acid number and metal contents are correlated with the constituent and the mixing ratio of the feedstocks.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.181.2-181.2
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• 2014

A single-layer graphene has been uniformly grown on a Cu surface at elevated temperatures by thermally processing a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system under vacuum. The detailed chemistry of the transition from solid-state carbon to graphene on the catalytic Cu surface was investigated by performing in-situ residual gas analysis while PMMA/Cu-foil samples being heated, in conjunction with interrupted growth studies to reconstruct ex-situ the heating process. We found that the gas species of mass/charge (m/e) ratio of 15 ($CH_3{^+}$) was mainly originated from the thermal decomposition of PMMA, indicating that the formation of graphene occurs with hydrocarbon molecules vaporized from PMMA, such as methane and/or methyl radicals, as precursors rather than by the direct graphitization of solid-state carbon. We also found that the temperature for dominantly vaporizing hydrocarbon molecules from PMMA and the length of time, the gaseous hydrocarbon atmosphere is maintained, are dependent on both the heating temperature profile and the amount of a solid carbon feedstock. From those results, we strongly suggest that the heating rate and the amount of solid carbon are the dominant factors to determine the crystalline quality of the resulting graphene film. Under optimal growth conditions, the PMMA-derived graphene was found to have a carrier (hole) mobility as high as ${\sim}2,700cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ at room temperature, which is superior to common graphene converted from solid carbon.