• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2008

In this study, the Tier 2 method recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was used to predict the methane generation rate at two landfill sites, designated as Y and C for purposes of this study, in South Korea. Factors such as the average annual waste disposal, methane emissions ($L_0$) and methane gas generation rate constant (k) were estimated by analyses of waste and the historical data for the landfills. The value of k was estimated by field experiments and then the changes in the methane generation rate were predicted through the year 2050, based on the value of k. The Y landfill site, which was in operation until the year 2008, will generate a total of 17, 198.7 tons by the end of 2018, according to our estimations. At the C landfill site, which will not be closed until the end of 2011, the amount of methane gas generated in 2011 will be 3,316 tons and the total amount of gas generated by 2029 will be 61,200 tons. The total production rate of methane gas at the C landfill is higher than that of the Y landfill. This indicates that the capacity of a landfill site affects the production rate of methane gas. However, the interrelation between the generation rate of methane and the value of k is weak. In addition, the generation of methane gas does not cease even when the operations at a landfill site come to a close and the methane gas production rate is at its highest at end of the operating life of a landfill site.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2024

The study investigated the effect of thermo-alkaline pretreatment on the solubilization of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and its potential to enhance of thermophilic anaerobic digestion, focusing on biochemical methane potential (BMP) and methane production rate, using two different particle sizes of PHB (1500 ㎛ and 400 ㎛). Thermo-alkaline pretreatment tests were conducted at 90 ℃ for 24 hours with varying NaOH dosages from 0-80% (w/w). BMP tests with untreated PHB exhibited methane production ranging from 150.4~225.4 mL CH₄/g COD and 21.5~24.2 mL CH₄/g VSS/d, indicating higher methane production for smaller particle sizes of PHB, 400 ㎛. Thermo-alkaline pretreatment tests achieved a 95.3% PHB solubilization efficiency when 400 ㎛ PHB particles were treated with 80% NaOH dosage at 90 ℃ for 24 hours. BMP tests with pretreated PHB showed substantial improvement in thermophilic anaerobic digestion, with an increase of up to 112% in BMP and up to 168% in methane production rate. The results suggest that a combined pretreatment process, including physical (400 ㎛ PHB particles) and thermo-alkaline (90 ℃, 40-80% NaOH dosage, and 24 hours reaction time), is required for high-rate thermophilic anaerobic digestion of PHB with enhanced methane production.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.59-66
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• 2000

Effects of carbon dioxide partial pressure(PCO2) on bacterial population, methane production rate and matter degradation in anaerobic digestion were investigated by using anaerobic chemostat type reactors at 35$\pm$1$^{\circ}C$, at the HRT of 7 days. At PCO2 of 0.5 atm, the specific methane production rate and specific substrate removal rate reached the maximum rates. The methane production rates in the reactors fed by mixed substrate were 26% higher than those obtained under the controlled condition. The number of acetate consuming methanogenic bacteria enumerated by the MPN(most probable number) method, decreased when PCO2 exceeded 0.7 atm. Hydrogen consuming methanogenic bacteria and homoacetogenic bacteria increased as PCO2 increased from 0.1 to 0.6 atm, however, decreased slightly at PCO2 above 0.7 atm. The number of hydrolytic bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria and H2-producing acetogenic bacterial were not much influenced by the change of PCO2. The potential methanogenic activity reached the maximum at PCO2 0.5 atm, however, decreased significantly when PCO2 exceeded 0.7 atm, would depend on free PCO2 concentration in solution.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2007

Popular techniques for producing synthesis gas by converting methane include steam reforming and catalyst reforming. However, these are high temperature and high pressure processes limited by equipment, cost and difficulty of operation. Low temperature plasma is projected to be a technique that can be used to produce high concentration hydrogen from methane. It is suitable for miniaturization and for application in other technologies. In this research, the effect of changing each of the following variables was studied using an AC Glidarc system that was conceived by the research team: the gas components ratio, the gas flow rate, the catalyst reactor temperature and voltage. Glidarc plasma reformer was consisted of 3 electrodes and an AC power source. And air was added for the partial oxidation reaction of methane. The result showed that as the gas flow rate, the catalyst reactor temperature and the electric power increased, the methane conversion rate and the hydrogen concentration also increased. With $O_2/C$ ratio of 0.45, input flow rate of 4.9 l/min and power supply of 1 kW as the reference condition, the methane conversion rate, the high hydrogen selectivity and the reformer energy density were 69.2%, 36.2% and 35.2% respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.810-815
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• 2010

Ultrasonic sludge pre-treatment has been studied to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion by increasing sludge hydrolysis which is regarded as the rate-limiting-step of anaerobic digestion. In this study, the effect of ultrasonic pre-treatment on sludge hydrolysis (solubilization) and methane production was investigated. Sludge solubilization efficiency increased with ultrasonic energy input. However, it is uneconomical to apply more than 720 kJ/L as the solubilization efficiency per energy input declines afterwards. Volatile fatty acids concentration increased after the ultrasonic sludge hydrolysis. Anaerobic batch digestion showed that methane volume reached 64.7 and 84.5 mL after 18 days of incubation with the control sludge and ultrasonically hydrolyzed sludge, respectively. Methane production potential, maximum methane production rate, and the lag time of modified Gompertz equation were changed from 70 mL, 6.4 mL/day, and 1.2 days to 89 mL, 9.6 mL/day, and 0.5 day, respectively, after the ultrasonic sludge treatment. The results proved that ultrasonic pre-treatment contributed significantly not only for the methane production but also for the reduction of anaerobic digestion time which is critical for the performance of anaerobic sludge digestion.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.22 no.B
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• pp.109-115
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• 2002

This research was performed to investigate the COD removal efficiency and methane production in slurry-typed swine wastes using UASB(upflow anaerobic sludge blanket)reactor. The USAB reactor was operated from 0.8 through 3.3days of HRT in a range of 3 to 15 kg $TCOD/m^3/day$ of volumetric organic loading rate. The removal rate of TCOD was increased with the increase of the HRT. The removal rate of TCOD at an HRT over 2days, became greater than 68% with the methane contents being from 70 to 80%. Methane production rates were increased from 0.27 to $0.36m^3\;CH_4/kg$ CODrem. as HRTs were increased from 0.8 to 3.3days.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1043-1047
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• 2009

Three experiments were conducted to determine the conversion rate of formic and acetic acids into methane in the gastrointestinal tracts of geese. In experiment I, two sets of two 4-month-old male White Roman geese were allocated to one of two treatment groups. Each set of geese was inoculated either with formic acid or with phosphate buffer solution (PBS). After the acid or the PBS was inoculated into the esophagi of the geese, two birds from each treatment were placed in a respiratory chamber as a measurement unit for 4 h in order to determine methane production rate. In experiment II and III, 6- and 7-wk-old male White Roman goslings were used, respectively. Birds were allocated to receive either formic acid or PBS solution injected into the ceca in experiment II. Acetic acid or PBS solution injected into the cecum were used for experiment III. After either the acids or the PBS solution were injected into the cecum, two birds from each treatment were placed in a respiratory chamber as a measurement unit for 3 h; each treatment was repeated 3 times. The results indicated that formic acid inoculated into the oesophagi of geese was quickly converted into methane. Compared with the PBS-injected group, methane production increased by 5.02 times in the formic acid injected group (4.32 vs. 0.86 mg/kg BW/d; p<0.05). Acetic acid injected into the ceca did not increase methane production; conversely, it tended to decrease methane production. The present study suggests that formic acid may be converted to methane in the ceca, and that acetic acid may not be a precursor of methane in the ceca of geese.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.111-118
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• 1996

Effects of $CO_2$ partial pressure($pCO_2$) on the characteristics of methane production rate and organic matter degradation in anaerobic digestion were investigated by using anaerobic chemostat type reactors at $35{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, at the HRT of 7days. The $pCO_2$ of the reactors was controlled in the range from 0.1 to 0.8 atm. Since the $pCO_2$ in an uncontrolled condition was about 0.4atm, $N_2$ was added for the reactors controlled of $pCO_2$ of between 0.1 and 0.4atm. At $pCO_2$ of 0.5 atm, the methane production rate was approximately 20% more that in an uncontrolled condition of $pCO_2$. Based on the carbon mass balance, it was concluded that methane production was related to the increment of removal organic carbon and consumption of $CO_2$. At $pCO_2$ of 0.5atm, the methane production by the increment of removal substrates increased 13.6%, on the orther hand, hand, the methane production by the conversion of $CO_2$ to methane increased 6.4%.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.04a
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• pp.29-31
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• 2012

The effects of combustion parameters on the characteristics of a steam-methane reformer. The reformer system was numerically simulated using a simplified two-dimensional axisymmetric model domain with an appropriate user-defined function. The fuel ratio, defined as the ratio of methane flow rate in the combustor to that in the reactor, was varied from 20 to 80%. The equivalence ratio was changed from 0.5 to 1.0. The results indicated that as the fuel ratio increased, the production rates of hydrogen and carbon monoxide increased, although their rates of increase diminished. In fact, at the highest heat supply rates, hydrogen production was actually slightly decreased. Simulations showed that equivalence ratio of 0.7 yielded the highest steam-methane mixture temperature despite a 43% higher air flow rate than the stoichiometric flow rate. This means that the production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be increased by adjusting the equivalence ratio, especially when the heat supply is insufficient.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.807-813
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• 2016

Two experiments were conducted assessing the effects of presence or absence of rumen protozoa and dietary nitrate addition on rumen fermentation characteristics and in vitro methane production in Brahman heifers. The first experiment assessed changes in rumen fermentation pattern and in vitro methane production post-refaunation and the second experiment investigated whether addition of nitrate to the incubation would give rise to methane mitigation additional to that contributed by defaunation. Ten Brahman heifers were progressively adapted to a diet containing 4.5% coconut oil distillate for 18 d and then all heifers were defaunated using sodium 1-(2-sulfonatooxyethoxy) dodecane (Empicol). After 15 d, the heifers were given a second dose of Empicol. Fifteen days after the second dosing, all heifers were allocated to defaunated or refaunated groups by stratified randomisation, and the experiment commenced (d 0). On d 0, an oral dose of rumen fluid collected from unrelated faunated cattle was used to inoculate 5 heifers and form a refaunated group so that the effects of re-establishment of protozoa on fermentation characteristics could be investigated. Samples of rumen fluid collected from each animal using oesophageal intubation before feeding on d 0, 7, 14, and 21 were incubated for in vitro methane production. On d 35, 2% nitrate (as $NaNO_3$) was included in in vitro incubations to test for additivity of nitrate and absence of protozoa effects on fermentation and methane production. It was concluded that increasing protozoal numbers were associated with increased methane production in refaunated heifers 7, 14, and 21 d after refaunation. Methane production rate was significantly higher from refaunated heifers than from defaunated heifers 35 d after refaunation. Concentration and proportions of major volatile fatty acids, however, were not affected by protozoal treatments. There is scope for further reducing methane output through combining defaunation and dietary nitrate as the addition of nitrate in the defaunated heifers resulted in 86% reduction in methane production in vitro.