• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.178-184
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• 2023

Transition metal chalcogenides have garnered significant attention as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, their practical application is impeded by their limited lifespan resulting from substantial volume expansion during cycling and their low electrical conductivity. To tackle these issues, this study devised a solution by synthesizing a nanostructured anode material composed of porous CNT (carbon nanotube) spheres and (Ni,Co)Se₂ nanocrystals. By employing spray pyrolysis and subsequent heat treatments, a porous-structured (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT composite microsphere was successfully synthesized, and its electrochemical properties as an anode for sodium-ion batteries were evaluated. The synthesized (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT microsphere possesses a porous structure due to the nanovoids that formed as a result of the decomposition of the polystyrene (PS) nanobeads during spray pyrolysis. This porous structure can effectively accommodate the volume expansion that occurs during repeated cycling, while the CNT scaffold enhances electronic conductivity. Consequently, the (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT anode exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 698 mA h g^-1 and maintained a high discharge capacity of 400 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g^-1.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.141-153
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• 2023

Biological pump processes generated by diatom production in the surface water of the Southern Ocean play an important role in exchanging CO₂ gas between the atmosphere and ocean. In this study, the biogenic opal content of the sediments was measured to elucidate the variation in the primary production of diatoms in the surface water of the Southern Ocean since the last glacial period. A piston core (COR-1bPC) was collected from the Conrad Rise, which is located in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. The sediments were mainly composed of siliceous ooze, and sediment lightness increased and magnetic susceptibility decreased in an upward direction. The biogenic opal content was low (38.9%) during the last glacial period and high (73.4%) during the Holocene, showing a similar variation to that of Antarctic ice core ΔT and CO₂ concentration. In addition, the variation of biogenic opal content in core COR-1bPC is consistent with previous results reported in the Antarctic Zone, south of the Antarctic Polar Front, in the Southern Ocean. The glacial-interglacial biogenic opal production was influenced by the extent of sea ice coverage and degree of water column stability. During the last glacial period, the diatom production was reduced due to the penetration of light being limited in the euphotic zone by the extended sea ice coverage caused by the lowered seawater temperature. In addition, the formation of a strong thermocline in more extensive areas of sea ice coverage led to stronger water column stability, resulting in reduced diatom production due to the reduction in the supply of nutrient-rich subsurface water caused by a decrease in upwelling intensity. Under such environmental circumstances, diatom productivity decreased in the Antarctic Zone during the last glacial period, but the biogenic opal content increased rapidly under warming conditions with the onset of deglaciation.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.33-44
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• 2023

Wind power is one of the most efficient and reliable energy sources in the transition to a low-carbon society. In particular, offshore wind power provides a high-quality and stable wind resource compared to onshore wind power while both present a higher installed capacity than other renewables. In this paper, we present our new program, the X-WIND program well suitable for the assessment of the substructure of offshore wind turbines. We have developed this program to increase the usability of analysis programs for offshore wind energy substructures by addressing the shortcomings of existing programs. Unlike the existing programs which cannot solely perform the substructure analyses or lack pre-post processors, our X-WIND program can complete the assessment analysis for the offshore wind turbines alone. The X-WIND program is embedded in AutoCAD so that both design and analysis are performed on a single platform. This also performs static and dynamic analysis for wind, wave, and current loads, essential for offshore wind power structures, and includes pre/post processors for designs, mesh developments, graph plotting, and code checking. With this expertise, our program enhances the usability of analysis programs for offshore wind energy substructures, promoting convenience and efficiency.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.93-106
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• 2023

This study attempted to simulate changes in the thermal environment according to the type of apartment complex in Korea using CFD techniques and evaluate the thermal environment by type of apartment. First, apartment complex types in the 2000s and 2010s were referred from previous studies and four types of apartment complex were extracted from. Second, the layout of the apartment complex and temperature changes were analyzed by the direction of wind inflow. Third, a standardized model was created from each type using tower type, plate type, and mixed driving. Last, CFD simulations were performed by setting up the inflow of wind from a total of eight directions. The temperature was relatively low in the type consisting of only the tower type and the type of placing the tower type in the center of the complex, regardless of the direction of the wind. It was due to the good inflow of wind from these types to the inside of the complex. It can be interpreted because wind flows easily into the complex in these types. The findings showed that wind flow and resulting temperature distribution patterns differed depending on the building type and complex layout type, confirming the need for careful consideration of the complex layout in the early design stage. The results are expected to be used as basic data for creating a sustainable residential environment in the early design stage of apartment complexes in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.131-142
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• 2023

Solar power facilities to reduce carbon emissions are continuously being installed in forests, farmland, city, and on water. However, research on visual preferences and the psychological impact on observers after installing solar power facilities is insufficient. Therefore, in this study, shooting was conducted according to the viewing distance of the near, middle, and distant views of Hapcheon Dam, Korea's largest floating photovoltaic power plant. The acquired images were edited using Photoshop to compare the presence or absence of floating photovoltaic power generation facilities. In addition, psychological changes and visual preferences were analyzed through an EEG test and questionnaire among 50 participants. The results are summarized, as follows. First, the installation of water photovoltaic power generation facilities has a passive impact on the subjects' psychological changes and visual preference. Second, the psychological changes due to the installation of water photovoltaic power generation facilities were judged to affect almost all research subjects, regardless of nationality, gender, or universisty major. Third, the visual preference for installing the water photovoltaic power generation facility is low, which can be interpreted as the water photovoltaic power generation facility negatively affecting the "friendliness" and "naturalness" of the landscape. In addition, this change in visual preference was found to differ depending on the gender and universiity major of the subjects. Fourth, the psychological change and visual preference of the floating photovoltaic power generation facility according to the viewing distance, found that the close range had a higher effect than the middle and distant ranges.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2023

Cow pea (Vigna unguiculata) was intercropped with Ziziphus spina-christi as summer forage in two consecutive seasons of 2017 and 2018. The aims to find out suitable agroforestry practice for saline soils of Khartoum State. And to investigate effect of tree spacing on forage biomass yield under semi -irrigated systems. Completely randomized block design with 3 replicates was conducted for this trial. Thus Z.spina-christi that fixed at 4×4 m was intercropped with cowpea at 1 m and 1.5 m spacing from trees trunk. Tree growth parameters were measured in terms of tree height, tree collar diameter, tree crown diameter and fruit yield per tree. While crop were parameters were determined in terms of plant height, number of plant, forage biomass yield per ha and land equivalent ratio. Soil profile of 1×1 m and 1.5 m depth was excavated and its features were described beside its chemical and physical properties were analyzed for 0-10 cm, 0-30 cm, and 30-60 cm and 60-100 cm layers. The results revealed that soil pH, CaCO₃, SAR, ESP, and EC ds/m were increased by increasing soil depths. Meanwhile tree growth in terms of tree height was significant in the first season 2017 when compared with tree collar diameter and tree crown diameter. Also significant differences were recorded for tree growth when compared with sole trees in the second season in 2018. Tree fruit showed marked variations between the two seasons, but it was higher under intercropping particularly at ZS2. Crop plant height was highly significant under sole cropping than intercropping in first season in 2017. In contrast forage biomass yield was significant under intercropping in ZS1 and ZS2 treatments. Land equivalent ratio was advantageous under this agroforestry system particularly under ZS2. Thus it recorded 5 and 9 for ZS2 in the two consecutive seasons respectively. Therefore, it is feasible to introduce this agroforestry system under such arid lands to provide summer forage yield of highly nutritive value and low cost for animals feed as well as to increase farmers' income and to halt desertification and to sequester carbon.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.381-395
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• 2023

This paper presents a GIS-based site suitability analysis for a smart hydrogen energy plant in the Gangwon-Do region, South Korea. A GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was implemented in this study to identify the most suitable sites for the development of smart hydrogen energy plants. The study utilizes various spatial data layers, including hydrogen generation potential and climatic conditions, environmental and topographic conditions, and natural catastrophic conditions, to evaluate the suitability of potential sites for the hydrogen energy plant. The spatial data layers were then used to rank and prioritize the sites based on suitability. The findings revealed that 4.26% of the study area, or 712.14 km², was suitable for constructing smart hydrogen energy plants. Some regions of Cheorwon-gun, Chuncheon-si, Wonju-si, Yanggu-gun, Gangneung-si, Hoengseong-gun, and near the coastal region along the east coast were found to be suitable for solar and wind energy utilization. The proposed MCDA provides a valuable tool for decision-makers and stakeholders to make informed decisions on the location of smart hydrogen energy plants and supports the transition to a sustainable and low-carbon energy system. Decision-makers can use the results of this study to select suitable sites for constructing smart hydrogen energy plants.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2022

Solid-state supercapacitors with high safety and robust mechanical properties are attracting global attention as next-generation energy storage devices. As an electrode of a supercapacitor, an economical carbon-based electrode is widely used. However, when an aqueous electrolyte is introduced, the charge transfer resistance increases because the interfacial contact between the hydrophobic electrode surface and aqueous electrolyte is not good. In this regard, we propose a method to obtain higher electrochemical performance based on improved interfacial properties by treating the electrode surface with oxygen plasma. The surface hydrophilization induced by the enriched oxygen functionalities was confirmed by the contact angle measurement. As a result, the degree of hydrophilization was easily adjusted by controlling the power and duration of the oxygen plasma treatment. As the electrolyte of the supercapacitor, PVA/H₃PO₄, which is a typical solid-state aqueous electrolyte, was used. Free-standing membranes of PVA/H₃PO₄ electrolyte were prepared and then pressed onto the electrode. The optimal condition was to perform oxygen plasma treatment for 5 seconds with a low power of 15 W, and the energy density of the supercapacitor increased by about 8%.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.479-486
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated the effect of the Ce_xZr_1-xO₂ (CZ) addition onto Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts on the catalytic performance in methane steam reforming. In the reaction results, the CZ-added Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst showed higher CH₄ conversion and H₂ yield under the same reaction conditions than Ni/Al₂O₃. From the characterization data, the two catalysts had similar support porosity and Ni dispersion, confirming that the two properties could not determine the catalytic performance. However, the oxygen vacancy over the CZ-added Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst induced an efficient steam activation at low reaction temperatures, resulting in an increase in the catalytic activity and H₂ yield.

• 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.