• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.3 s.274
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• pp.165-170
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• 2005

Sol-gel methods offer many advantages over conventional slip-casting, including the ability to produce ceramic membranes. They are purer, more homogeneous, more reactive and contain a wider variety of compositions. We produced ormosil sol using sol-gel process under various molecular weight of polymer species[polyethylene glycol(PEG)] in total system [Tetraethyl ortho silicate(TEOS)-polyethylene glycol(PEG)]. The properties of as-prepared ormosil sol such as viscosity and gelation time are characterized. Also, the ceramic membrane was prepared by dip-coating with synthetic sol and its microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The permeability and rejection efficiency of membrane for oil/water emulsion were evaluated as cross­flow apparatus. The ormosil sol coated membrane was easily formed by steric effect of polymer and it improved flux efficiency because infiltration into porous support decreased. Its flux efficiency was elevated about $200\;l/m^2h$ compared with colloidal sol coated membrane at point of five minutes from starting test.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.8 no.3 s.24
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• pp.43-51
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• 2004

In this study, gas permeation and separation characteristics of $CO_2$ and $N_2$ on nano-porous TPABr(Tetrapropylammoniumbromide) templating silica/alumina composite membrane were studied by using GMS (Generalized Maxwell Stefan) model. Since the transport mechanisms of meso-porous alumina support are Knudsen diffusion and viscous diffusion(or poiseulle flow), they can be identified by DGM (dusty gas model). The transport mechanism of TPABr templating silica layer, which would contribute mainly to the separation of $N_2/CO_2$ mixture, showed surface diffusion rather than pore diffusion. Therefore, the oermeationjseparation mechanisms in multi-component suface diffusion were successfully analyzed by the GMS model. In the separation of $N_2/CO_2$ mixture using the composite membrane, $CO_2$, the strongadsorbate, was permeated through the membrane more than Na due to the pore-blocking phenomena of $CO_2$ by adsorption isotherm and solace diffusion.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2008

Cordierite has a very low thermal expansion coefficient, but has problem that it has a weak mechanical strength and is apt to be attacked by acid such as sulfur for using as a diesel particulate filter support. The physical properties of $ZrTiO_4$ modified with $SiO_2,\;Al_2O_3$, MoOx, $Cr_2O_3\;and\;Nb_2O_5$ were investigated with XRD, SEM, UTM and thermal expansion, etc. in this paper. $ZrTiO_4$ powder was synthesized as a monoclinic structure with processes that starting materials of $TiO_2\;and\;ZrO_2$ were mixed with ball mill and calcined above $1240^{\circ}C$ for 3 hr. Additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ specimens for flexural strength and thermal expansion measurement were obtained by mixing $ZrTiO_4$ powder with additives, pressing and firing at $1300^{\circ}C$ for 3 hr. The porosity of additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ decreased monotonically with increasing additive content by 5 wt% regardless of additive types and saturated for further increase of additive by 10wt. The flexural strength of $Al_2O_3$ (5, 10 wt%) modified $ZrTiO_4$ shows a large increase, but that of other additives modified $ZrTiO_4$ decreased. The thermal expansion coefficient of additive modified $ZrTiO_4$ except $Nb_2O_5$ decreased continuously with the content of additive. In particular, the lowest thermal expansion coefficient of $ZrTiO_4$ was obtained for the additive of $SiO_2$.

• Clean Technology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2018

Catalytic filter has many advantages for the industrial application owing to its bi-functional ability to treat nitrogen oxides and particulate simultaneously. The technical feasibility of using the catalytic filter in the flue gas treatment process will be more promoted if the high porous ceramic sheet filter is utilized. However, it is not easy to prepare the effective catalytic filter using sheet filter as it has less room for catalyst support due to its thin layer. In this study, catalytic filter using a domestic ceramic sheet filter element has been prepared and conducted the experimental evaluation for NO reduction performance. The current sheet filter element shows the low catalytic activity less than 92% conversion for NO concentration 700 ppm at the face velocity $0.02m\;s^{-1}$. This unexpected low catalytic activity seems to be caused by the present of extraordinary large pores from the lack of uniformity in the pore size distribution of the sheet filter. The large pore size of the sheet filter is reduced by composing the smaller powder as its raw material, which presents improvement in NO conversion more than 96%. More improvement is observed showing 98% NO conversion which is applicable to a commercial plant when the catalyst coating layer is expanded by adding the large $TiO_2$ particles during the catalyst preparation. Both of above two methods is regarded as that the broad gates of the larger pores in the coating layer are effectively filled with the proper catalyst. So these results encourage the utilization of sheet filter as a good catalytic filter material with its potential merit of high permeability.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2009

Biofilters use porous solid media to support microorganisms and allow access to the contaminants in the airflow. The characteristics of media used in biofilters vary greatly, and therefore it is important to select the appropriate media in order to obtain a large enough surface attachment area and uniform pore. This study was performed to compare hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) removal efficiencies of three biofilter media; coconut fiber, ceramic, and polyurethane. The biofilter packed with coconut fiber showed stable removal activity when inlet loading was changeable, and was restored rapidly when the moisture content decreased. However, the coconut fiber suffered from low durability. To cope with this problem a media of fibrinous polypropylene was developed to strengthen the durability of the coconut fiber. Biofilter column experiments using the fibrinous polypropylene media demonstrated over 99% of removal efficiencies at pH as low as 3 and 6 seconds of EBRT (empty bed gas residence time). Due to its superior physical characteristics, it is expected that the $H_2S$ treatment performance will increase when the new fibrinous polypropylne media is applied in commercial biofilter systems.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.531-537
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• 2014

A catalytic plasma reactor was employed for the oxidation of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) classified as a volatile organic compound (VOC). Copper oxide (Cu : 0.5% (w/w)) supported on a multichannel porous ceramic consisting of ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ was used as a catalyst, which was directly exposed to the plasma created in it. The effects of discharge voltage and reaction temperature on the concentrations of IPA and its byproducts were examined to understand the behavior of the catalytic plasma reactor. Without thermal insulation, the reactor temperature increased up to $120^{\circ}C$ at an applied voltage of 17 kV (discharge power : 28 W), and the IPA at a flow rate of $1L\;min^{-1}$ ($O_2$ : 10% (v/v); IPA : 1000 ppm) was completely removed. At temperatures below $120^{\circ}C$, however, besides the desirable product $CO_2$, several unwanted byproducts such as acetone, formaldehyde and CO were also formed from IPA. On the other hand, when the reactor was thermally insulated, the plasma discharge increased the temperature up to $265^{\circ}C$ under the same condition and most of IPA was oxidized to $CO_2$. Without loading CuO on the ceramic support, the plasma discharge in the thermally insulated reactor produced nearly equal amounts of $CO_2$ and CO. On comparison, with the catalyst alone (temperature : $265^{\circ}C$), more than 70% of the removed IPA was simply converted into another type of VOC (acetone), indicating that the catalyst assisted by the plasma is more effective in the oxidation of IPA than that of the catalyst-alone process.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.285-292
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• 2000

Support media for yeast immobilization was prepared from a porous volcanic rock used as a moisturizer in orchid growing. The rock was broken to the size of 2-3 mm and burned at $600^{\circ}C$ in a furnace in order to remove organic materials blocking the pores or treated with HCI solution or NaOH solution to remove the inorganic dirts by dissolving. Even through both the acid and the akali solution were effective the latter was not recommendable because it broke the pore structure by dissolving the elements of the media. This media was mainly consisted of SiO2 with $Al_2O_3$ as a minor component and CaO and K2O as trace elements. It had the finely developed pores of $15-80\mu\textrm{m}$size. Yeast immobilization capacity of this media was about $5{\times108}$ cells/ml bed which is large enough to be used for the practical applications. Yeast immobilization capacities of Alumina and Cordierite were much smaller than that of silica-based media. Scanning electron micrograph of Cordierite and Alumina showed uneven surfaces and small size of pores in contrast to relatively smooth surface and large pores of silica based media which means that smooth surface and large pores are desirable for the good adsorption of microbes on the media.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2013

Maintenance of adequate soil tension or content during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil tension and content for precision irrigation would allow optimal soil water condition to crops and minimize the adverse effects of water stress on crop growth and development. This research reports on a comparison of soil water tension and content variations in differently textured soils over time under drip irrigation using two different water management methods, i.e. pulse time and required water irrigation methods. The pulse time-based irrigation was performed by turning the solenoid valve on and off for preset times to allow the wetting front to disperse in root zone before additional water was applied. The required water estimation method was a new water control logic designed by Rural Development Administration that applies the amount of water required based on a conversion of the measured water tension into water content. The use of the pulse time irrigation method under drip irrigation at a high tension of -20 kPa and high temperatures over $30^{\circ}C$ was not successful at maintaining moisture tensions within an appropriate range of 5 kPa because the preset irrigation times used for water control could not compensate for the change in evapotranspiration during day and night. The response time and pattern of water contents for all of the tested soils measured with capacitance-based sensor probes were faster and more direct than those of water tensions measured with porous and ceramic cup-based tensiometers when water was applied, indicating water content would be a better control variable for automatic irrigation. The required water estimation-based irrigation method provided relatively stable control of moisture tension, even though somewhat lower tension values were obtained as compared to the target tension of -20 kPa, indicating that growers could expect to be effective in controlling low tensions ranging from -10 to -20 kPa with the required water estimation system.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2011

Maintenance of adequate soil water potential during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil water movement within and below the rooting zone can facilitate optimal irrigation scheduling aimed at minimizing the adverse effects of water stress on crop growth and development and the leaching of water below the root zone which can have adverse environmental effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a portable irrigation controller with an Watermark sensor for the cultivation of drip-irrigated vegetable crops in a greenhouse. The control capability of the irrigation controller for a soil water potential of -20 kPa was evaluated under summer conditions by cultivating 45-day-old tomato plants grown in three differently textured soils (sandy loam, loam, and loamy sands). Water contents through each soil profile were continuously monitored using three Sentek probes, each consisting of three capacitance sensors at 10, 20, and 30 cm depths. Even though a repeatable cycling of soil water potential occurred for the potential treatment, the lower limit of the Watermark (about 0 kPa) obtained in this study presented a limitation of using the Watermark sensor for optimal irrigation of tomato plants where -20 kPa was used as a point for triggering irrigations. This problem might be related to the slow response time and inadequate soil-sensor interface of the Watermark sensor as compared to a porous and ceramic cup-based tensiometer with a sensitive pressure transducer. In addition, the irrigation time of 50 to 60 min at each of the irrigation operation gave a rapid drop of the potential to zero, resulting in over irrigation of tomatoes. There were differences in water content among the three different soil types under the variable rate irrigation, showing a range of water contents of 16 to 24%, 17 to 28%, and 24 to 32% for loamy sand, sandy loam, and loam soils, respectively. The greatest rate increase in water content was observed in the top of 10 cm depth of sandy loam soil within almost 60 min from the start of irrigation.