• Resources Recycling
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.17-24
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• 2016

This study aims at evaluating environmental impacts on recycling process of used small household appliances. The recycling process mainly consists of manual dismantling, crushing and various sorting processes to effectively recover valuable resources and to minimize environmental impact. In this study, life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to analyze major environmental parameters such as GWP, ADP, POCP, EP, etc. One of the major impact categories on the weight basis in the recycling process is global warming (GWP) 57.1%, next to ADP 35.4% and POCP 4.8%, respectively. As a result of environmental impact on recovery of valuable resources/ton, the GWP of plastics for ABS is highest (33.7%) compared to ferrous metals (9.4%). The effects of environmental and economical benefit are also analyzed to compare with the amount of virgin materials to be recycled by recycled materials. In addition, recycled materials are also more economical in comparison to virgin materials due to the environmental avoiding effect by recycling. In conclusion, the key environmental issues related to the recycling of e-wastes are analyzed and therefore, the effective recycling process will contribute to mitigate global warming potential in the near future.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-193
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• 2023

In this study, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of two different products, considering reusable and single-use packaging for fresh food distribution. For reusable packaging, we utilized expanded polyethylene (EPE), while for comparison, a disposable box made of widely used expanded polystyrene (EPS) was selected. We comprehensively analyzed the environmental impacts of production, transportation, reprocessing (for reused boxes), and disposal across 18 impact categories. Upon analyzing the actual reuse of 300 rounds of fresh food, the cumulative global warming potential (GWP) values for the EPE box were found to be 280.21 kg carbon dioxide (CO₂) eq, demonstrating a significant 75% reduction compared to those of the EPS box. Furthermore, it was observed that the GWP values for the EPE boxes became equivalent to those of the EPS boxes after 12 rounds of reuse. In conclusion, reusable packaging shows substantial potential to contribute to the reduction of environmental burdens, aligning well with global environmental requirements for sustainable food distribution and related industries.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.165-179
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• 2012

Indirect $CO_2$ effect due to non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions from solvent and product use and fugitive NMVOC emissions from fuels in the Republic of Korea and 13 Annex I countries under United Nations Framework on Climate Change were estimated and the proportions of them to total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ranged from 0.092% to 0.45% in 2006. Indirect greenhouse effect ($CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $O_3$) were estimated at 13 photochemical assessment monitoring sites in the Republic of Korea using concentrations of 8 NMVOCs of which indirect global warming potential (GWP) were available. The contribution of toluene to mixing ratio was highest at 11 sites and however, the contribution of toluene to indirect greenhouse effect was highest at nine sites. In contrast to toluene, the contributions of ethane, butane, and ethylene were enhanced. The indirect greenhouse effects of ethane and propane, of which ozone formation potentials are the lowest and the third lowest respectively among targeted 10 NMVOCs, ranked first and fourth highest respectively. Acetaldehyde has relatively higher maximum incremental reactivity and is classified as probable human carcinogen however, its indirect GWP ranked second lowest.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.547-552
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• 2014

As global warming in recent years has raised ever more critical concern, refrigerants with high global warming potentials (GWP) are facing the challenge of being phased out. R410A, with a GWP of 2,088, has been widely used in residential air-conditioning and heat pump systems. A potential substitute for R410A is R32, which has a GWP of 675. The present study presents experimental results of an inverter heat pump system that uses R32 as an alternative refrigerant to R410A. Drop-in tests with R32 indicated that the energy efficiency ratio of the system increased by 5.3% in cooling standard mode, and by 4.2% in heating standard mode at the same capacity; and that the cooling and heating capacity increased by about 12% at the same compressor operating frequency, while the annual performance factor (APF) of the system increased by 5.3%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.102-108
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• 2001

To prevent green house effect and destruction of an ozone layer, an ozone destruction potential(OBP) must be zero and a refrigerant for low global warming potential(GWP) is needed. HFC-l34a, in which hydrogen is mixed instead of chlorine is a refrigerant used for automobile conditioners and its destruction potential is ecologically zero. However, it is not consid- ered as a perfect substitutive refrigerant as its GWP is high. It is studied refrigerant mixtures in which HFC-l52a and $CF_3 I$ in HFC-l52a with low GWP and zero ODP are mixed by experimentally and concluded as follows: 1) With the variation of speed of compressor outside temperature and flow rate, 7he heat of evaporator and compressor and coefficient of perfor- mance was varied, and influenced the air conditioner. 2) The pressure of evaporator was decreased with increasing the speed of compressor and the pressure of evaporator with the refrigerant HFC-l52a was higher 24% than that of azotrope refrigerant mixed with $CF_3 I$

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.755-765
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• 2011

Nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) is one of six greenhouse gases listed up in the Kyoto Protocol, and it effects a strong global warming because of its much greater global warming potential (GWP), by 310 times over a 100-year time horizon, than $CO_2$. Although such $N_2O$ emissions from both natural and anthropogenic sources occur, the latter can be controlled using suitable abatement technologies, depending on them, to reduce $N_2O$ below acceptable or feasible levels. This paper has extensively reviewed the anthropogenic $N_2O$ emission sources and their related compositions, and the state-of-the-art non-catalytic and catalytic technologies of the emissions controls available currently to representative, large $N_2O$ emission sources, such as adipic acid production plants. Challengeable approaches to this source are discussed to promote establishment of advanced $N_2O$ emission control technologies.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.387-397
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• 2014

This work aims at estimating global warming potentials (GWP) of $CF_3Br$ and HFC-134a among green house gases. It has been reported that they have much higher GWP than $CO_2$ in the atmosphere. $CF_3Br$, halon 1301 which is well known to be a fire extinguisher, as one of the bromine-containing halons has been banned since 2003 due to destruction of ozone. HFCs, a kind of chiller which replaced chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are one of greenhouse gases regulated by the Kyoto Protocol. In this study, we produced GWPs of $CF_3Br$ and HFC-134a by calculating a life time and measuring an absorption cross section to obtain a radiative forcing (RF). Their absorption cross sections were measured by using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTS) with a gas cell filled with their certified reference materials at room temperature. As a result, the RFs of $CF_3Br$ and HFC-134a were 0.32 and $0.168Wm^{-2}ppb^{-1}$, respectively and the GWPs were calculated as 7989, 6076, 3903 for $CF_3Br$ and 3855, 1300, 656 for HFC-134a for the time horizon of 20, 100, 500 years, respectively. Overall, uncertainty of the estimated GWPs can be estimated to be about 2.6%. Our results were compared with those proposed by the previous studies (IPCC, 2007; WMO, 1999).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.136-142
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• 2002

HFC-134a is currently used as the refrigerant in automobile air-conditioner, replacing the ozone depleting refrigerant CFC-12. Although HFC-l34a has no ozone depletion potential, it has a relatively high global warming potential, approximately 1300 tins that of CO$_2$ over a 100 year time horizon. Therefore, HFC- l34a does not seem to be a perfect alternative refrigerant due to high GWP. For this reason, non-azeotrope refrigerant mixture have been proposed as a long-term and drop-in alternative to HFC-l34a in the automobile air-conditioning system which has variable operating conditions with changes in RPM and pressure ratio. In this study,OS-l2a of which thermodynamic properties are similar to those of HFC-l34a is selected among the mixed refrigerant. HFC-l34a and OS-l2a are examined experimently by the performance test in the same automobile air-conditioning system.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.886-891
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• 2010

Importance of climate change and its impact on agriculture and environment have increased with a rise of greenhouse gases (GHGs) concentration in Earth's atmosphere, which caus an increase of temperature in Earth. Greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), methane ($CH_4$) and nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) in the Upland field need to be assessed. GHGs fluxes using chamber systems in two upland fields having different soil textures during pepper cultivation (2005) were monitored under different soil textures at the experimental plots of National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS), Rural Development Administration (RDA) located in Suwon city, Korea. $CO_2$ emissions were 12.9 tonne $CO_2\;ha^{-1}$ in clay loam soil and 7.6 tonne $CO_2\;ha^{-1}$ in sandy loam soil. $N_2O$ emissions were 35.7 kg $N_2O\;ha^{-1}$ in clay loam soil and 9.2 kg $N_2O\;ha^{-1}$ in sandy loam soil. $CH_4$ emissions were 0.054 kg $CH_4\;ha^{-1}$ in clay loam soil and 0.013 kg $CH_4\;ha^{-1}$ in sandy loam soil. Total emission of GHGs ($CO_2$, $N_2O$, and $CH_4$) during pepper cultivation was converted by Global Warming Potential (GWP). GWP in clay loam soil was higher with 24.0 tonne $CO_2$-eq. $ha^{-1}$ than that in sandy loam soil (10.5 tonne $CO_2$-eq. $ha^{-1}$), which implied more GHGs were emitted in clay loam soil.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.432-440
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• 2015

Biochar, a by-product from pyrolysis of biomass, is a promising option to mitigate climate change by increasing soil carbon sequestration. This material is also considered to have potential to remediate a soil with heavy metal pollution by increasing the soil's adsorptive capacity. This study conducted the assessment of two biochars considering the climate change mitigation potential and heavy metal removal capacity at the same time. Two kinds of biochars (BC_Ch, TW_Ch) were prepared by pyrolyzing the biomass of burcucumber (BC_Bm) and tea waste (TW_Bm). The soils polluted with Pb were mixed with biochars or biomass and incubated for 60 d. During the incubation, $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $N_2O$ were regularly measured and the soil before and after incubation was analyzed for chemical and biological parameters including the acetate extractable Pb. The results showed that only the BC_Ch treatment significantly reduced the amount of Pb after 60 d incubation. During the incubation, the $CO_2$ and $N_2O$ emissions from the BC_Ch and TW_Ch were decreased by 24% and 34% compared to the BC_Bm and TW_Bm, respectively. The $CH_4$ emissions were not significantly affected by biochar treatments. We calculated the GWP considering the production of amendment materials, application to the soils, removal of Pb, and soil carbon storage. The BC_Ch treatment had the most negative value because it had the higher Pb adsorption and soil carbon sequestration. Our results imply that if we apply biochar made from burcucumber, we could expect the pollution reduction and climate change mitigation at the same time.