• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.117-123
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• 2022

Recently, due to COV ID-19, many people are spending most of their time indoors. So, there is a rising interest on the indoor air quality in the field of building construction. The main sources for the indoor air pollution are human indoors activity, building materials, living supplies and the polluted air from outdoor. The Korean government has designated 17 indoor air pollutants including fine dust, total airborne bacteria, fungi and carbon dioxide, etc.. Most people are always exposed to assorted bacteria and molds in our daily life, because indoor environment for human, moderate temperature are humidity, it is favourable to the growth of most of bacteria and fungi. Pine needles have an antibacterial effect against bacteria and fungi. In this study, the antibacterial activity against bacteria and fungi was tested by cement matrix using pine needle extract. As a result, the cement matrix using pine needle extract showed antibacterial activities against bacteria, but in the case of fungi, it did not show antifungal activity.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.279-287
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• 2023

Fine dust emitted from coal combustion is classified into filterable particulate matter (FPM) and condensable particulate matter (CPM). CPM is difficult to control with existing air pollution control devices, so research is being conducted to understand the characteristics of CPM. Components constituting condensable particulate matter (CPM) are divided into inorganic and organic components. There are many quantitative analysis results for the ionic components, which account for a significant proportion of the CPM inorganic components, but little is known about the organic components. Thus, there is a need for a quantitative analysis of CPM organic components. In this study, aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, ethyl benzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene) and n-alkanes with 10 to 30 carbon atoms were quantitatively analyzed to understand the organic components of CPM emitted from a lab-scale coal combustor. Of the aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene accounted for 1.03% of the CPM organic components. On the other hand, the contents of ethyl benzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene showed low values of 0.11%, 0.18%, and 0.51% on average, respectively. Among the n-alkanes, triacontane (C₃₀) showed a high content of 2.64% and decane (C₁₀) showed a content of 2.05%. The next highest contents were shown with dodecane (C₁₂), tetradecane (C₁₄), and heptacosane (C₂₇), all of which were higher than that of toluene. The n-alkane substances that had detectable concentrations showed higher contents than ethyl benzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene except for tetracosane (C₂₄).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 2024

Background: The use of scented candles and incense sticks, both of which are household products that are burned for indoor deodorization and calming effects, is increasing. Fine dust has been designated as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) affect air pollution and can cause diseases. Objectives: This study aims to determine the effect on indoor air quality by measuring PM_2.5 and VOCs generated when burning scented candles and incense sticks. Methods: Scented candles and incense sticks were selected as household products to burn. As for the target sample, top-selling products (five types of scented candles, five types of incense sticks) were purchased online. The PM_2.5 concentration according to time was measured immediately next to the sample and three meters away from each other in an enclosed space using a real-time aerosol photometer. VOCs were collected as samples under the same conditions using Tenax tubes and were quantitatively analyzed by TD-GC/MS. Results: In the case of scented candles, the concentration of PM_2.5 did not increase during combustion and after being extinguished by placing a cover on the candle. For the incense sticks, the concentration of PM_2.5 averaged 1,901.27 ㎍/m³. After burning scented candles and incense sticks, some VOCs concentrations were increased such as ethyl acetate and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene). Conclusions: Therefore, when using scented candles, extinguishment by placing a cover on the candle can be expected to reduce PM_2.5. It is advisable to avoid using incense sticks because PM_2.5 concentration increases from the start of combustion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.33-50
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• 2023

This study is to propose the ecosystem service valuation method as a complementary or alternative tool to overcome the limitations of the contingent valuation method(CVM), typically used to assess social benefits in preliminary feasibility studies. With an increasing interest in natural and environmental restoration projects, we assessed social benefits with theses CVM and ecosystem service valuation method from a case of Janghang wetland restoration project and compared the extent of the two social benefits. For quantitative evaluation of ecosystem services, the biophysical quantity for each ecosystem service indicator was calculated and then converted into currency (KRW) units to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services. The four ecosystem regulating service indicators were selected including greenhouse gas capture/storage, air pollution, water quantity and quality regulation. The amounts of CO₂ sequestration and storage as a ecosystem's greenhouse gas regulating service in the study area were 73.04 tCO₂/yr and 5,867.53 tCO₂/yr respectively. The reduction of SO₂, one of air pollutant gases by ecosystems was calculated to be 180.27 kg/yr, the reduction of NO₂ to be 378.90 kg/yr, and the reduction of fine dust (PM10) to be 9,713.92 kg/yr. The amount of freshwater regulating service by the ecosystem was estimated to be 459,394,319ℓ/yr, and the amount of nitrogen in freshwater removed by the ecosystem was 78.00kg/yr. Study results show that the benefits derived from the CVM were KRW 227.8 billion over the 30-year analysis period and those from the ecosystem service valuation method were KRW 41.4 billion for regulatory services and KRW 148.8 billion for cultural services, totaling KRW 189.5 billion. With KRW 184.8 billion of the total costs, the benefit/cost ratio using the CVM was 1.23 and that with the ecosystem service valuation method was 1.03. This study implications include that the CVM and ecosystem service valuation method can be applied together to assess and compare social benefits for natural and environmental restoration projects.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.39-52
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• 2024

As the 'Eco-friendly conversion project for Port's CHE(Cargo handling Equipment) ' which has started in 2014 ends in 2024, in addition to the existing 'Low pollution' paradigm to respond to fine dust problems, a full-fledged 'Zero-emission' conversion is to be required to implement 2050 carbon neutrality at the port level. Accordingly, this study calculated the future replacement demand for container handling equipments at the four major domestic ports(Busan, Incheon, Yeosu Gwangyang, and Ulsan), and assumed a scenario where every CHE supposed to eb replaced is electrified inturn every year. And then the resulting future emission reduction effect accordingly was calculated and analyzed. In particular, compared and analyzed the emission outlook applying the life-cycle concept(LCA), which is being adopted as a new emission calculation standard in most industrial fields, and the existing emission calculation concept that only considers direct emissions within the port, to provide more effective implications for the promotion of follow-up conversion projects. According to the analysis results, if the CHE is replaced according to the proposed schedule, it is expected that the existing emissions can be reduced by 79% compared to BAU in 2025 and 97.4% in 2030. However, if the LCA is applied, it is expected to be reduced by only 27.6% by 2030. This suggests that port's CHE must be converted to zero emissions and at the same time establish an Ports' self-sufficient energy grid based on renewable energy.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.63-75
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• 2023

Due to the development of industry, interest in air pollutants has increased. Air pollutants have affected various fields such as environmental pollution and global warming. Among them, environmental diseases are one of the fields affected by air pollutants. Air pollutants can affect the human body's skin or respiratory tract due to their small molecular size. As a result, various studies on air pollutants and environmental diseases have been conducted. Asthma, part of an environmental disease, can be life-threatening if symptoms worsen and cause asthma attacks, and in the case of adult asthma, it is difficult to cure once it occurs. Factors that worsen asthma include particulate matter and air pollution. Asthma is an increasing prevalence worldwide. In this paper, we study how air pollutants correlate with the number of emergency room admissions in asthma patients and predict the number of future asthma emergency patients using highly correlated air pollutants. Air pollutants used concentrations of five pollutants: sulfur dioxide(SO₂), carbon monoxide(CO), ozone(O₃), nitrogen dioxide(NO₂), and fine dust(PM₁₀), and environmental diseases used data on the number of hospitalizations of asthma patients in the emergency room. Data on the number of emergency patients of air pollutants and asthma were used for a total of 5 years from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. The model made predictions using two models, Informer and LTSF-Linear, and performance indicators of MAE, MAPE, and RMSE were used to measure the performance of the model. The results were compared by making predictions for both cases including and not including the number of emergency patients. This paper presents air pollutants that improve the model's performance in predicting the number of asthma emergency patients using Informer and LTSF-Linear models.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.63-81
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Photovoice qualitative research method targeting university students. Through this method, we aimed to understand the perceptions of environmental issues, environmental barriers, and eco-friendly behaviors among university students. By employing the Photovoice methodology, we sought to share the perspectives of university students on eco-friendly behaviors, explore the motivations and manifestations of these behaviors, and reflect on their significance. The ultimate goal was to provide practical suggestions for fostering eco-friendly behaviors through an in-depth examination of the visual narratives and reflections of university students. Under the overarching theme of the environment, participants were given the opportunity to individually select and explore three specific sub-themes: 'My Concept of the Environment,' 'Environmental Barriers in My Life,' and 'My Eco-friendly Behaviors.' Participants engaged in the process of capturing photographs from their daily lives related to each theme, expressing their thoughts and perspectives through the selected images. Subsequently, they shared and discussed their insights, actively listening to the opinions of others in the group. The results of this study revealed several key findings. Firstly, participants assigned meaning to the photographs they selected by directly capturing aspects related to the environment, such as 'waste,' 'discomfort,' 'fine dust=environmental pollution,' and 'indifference.' Secondly, participants attributed meaning to the selected photographs related to environmental barriers, associating them with concepts like 'invisibility,' 'apathy,' 'social stigma,' 'inefficiency,' and 'compulsion.' Lastly, participants ascribed significance to photographs selected in the context of eco-friendly behaviors, with themes like 'recycling,' 'energy conservation,' 'reuse,' and 'reducing the use of disposable items.' Based on these research findings, the confirmation of the V-A-B (Values-Attitudes-Behavior) model was established. It was observed that consumers structure a hierarchical relationship between their personal values, attitudes, and behaviors. The study also identified clear impediments in consumers' daily lives hindering the practice of eco-friendly behaviors. In light of this, the research highlighted the need for strategies to address the discomfort or inconvenience associated with implementing environmentally friendly consumer behaviors. The implications of the study suggest that interventions or solutions are necessary to alleviate barriers and promote a more seamless integration of eco-friendly practices into consumers' daily routines.