• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2024

The reduction of CO₂ emissions in the energy production sector, which accounts for 86.8% of total greenhouse gas emissions, is important to achieve carbon-neutrality. At present, 60% of total power generation in South Korea is coal and natural gas. Replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy such as wind and solar has disadvantages of unstable energy supply and high costs. Therefore, this study was conducted through the co-firing of natural gas, ammonia and hydrogen utilizing the natural gas combined cycle process. The results demonstrated reduction in CO₂ emissions and 34%~238% of the power production compared to using only natural gas. Case studies on mass fractions of natural gas, ammonia and hydrogen indicated that power production and NO_x emissions were inversely proportional to the ammonia ratio and directly proportional to the hydrogen ratio. This study provides guidelines for the use of various fuel mixtures and economic analysis in co-firing power generation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.41-49
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• 2022

To abate the environmental burdens arising from CO₂ emissions, biochar offers a strategic means to sequester carbons due to its recalcitrant nature. Also, biochar has a great potential for the use as carbon-based adsorbent because it is a porous material. As such, developing the surface properties of biochar increases a chance to produce biochar with great adsorption performance. Given that biochar is a byproduct in biomass pyrolysis, characteristics of biochar are contingent on pyrolysis operating parameters. In this respect, this work focused on the investigation of surface properties of biochar by controlling temperature and reaction medium in pyrolysis of pine sawdust as case study. In particular, CO₂ was used as reaction medium in pyrolysis process. According to pyrolytic temperature, the surface properties of biochar were indeed developed by CO₂. The biochar engineered by CO₂ showed the improved capability on CO₂ sorption. In addition, CO₂ has an effect on energy recovery by enhancing syngas production. Thus, this study offers the functionality of CO₂ for converting biomass into engineered biochar as carbon-based adsorbent for CO₂ sorption while recovering energy as syngas.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.295-302
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• 2011

Almost half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions arise from agriculture and enteric methane ($CH_4 $) emissions arising from ruminant animals constitute 30% of total $CO_2$-e emissions. Enteric $CH_4$ emissions have increased by 9% since 1990. Extensive research has been undertaken to develop reliable methods for measuring enteric $CH_4$ emissions. New Zealand studies using the SF6 tracer technique suggest that on average this technique yields similar values to the 'gold' standard of calorimetry, but with a larger variance. National inventory estimates based on results obtained using the $SF_6$ technique will therefore overestimate the uncertainty. Mitigating emissions can be achieved by changing feed type but there are practical and cost barriers to the use of alternative feeds. Forages containing condensed tannins do reduce emissions but are agronomically inferior to the forages currently used. Rumen additives have shown some success in-vitro but results from in-vivo trials with both monensin and fumaric acid have been disappointing. The development of methods for directly manipulating rumen microorganisms are at an early stage and work to develop vaccines that can inhibit methanogenesis has yielded mixed results. The successful identification of sheep with contrasting $CH_4$ yields raises the possibility that, in the long term, a breeding approach to $CH_4$ mitigation is feasible.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.25 no.4_2
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• pp.549-563
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• 2022

Continuous global warming is causing ecosystem destruction and direct damage to human life. The main cause of global warming is greenhouse gases, which account for more than 90 % of carbon dioxide. The leaders of each country signed the Paris Agreement at the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the total amount of CO₂ emitted from South Korea is 664.7 million tons as of 2018, ranking eighth in the world. 37 % of South Korea's total CO₂ emissions come from the construction & building field, especially the cement production, which is a construction material. Carbon reduction technologies can be largely divided into four types: carbon reduction (CC), carbon reduction and storage technology (CCS), carbon reduction and utilization technology (CCU), and carbon reduction, storage and utilization technology (CCUS). Overseas, CCUS technology is mainly applied to reduce and store CO₂ emitted from construction and construction field. A technology for permanently storing CO₂ through mineralization by capturing CO₂ and utilizing CO₂ into a cement production process was developed, and this technology is applied to the entire cement industry. However, the development of CCUS technology applicable to the cement industry is still insignificant in South Korea. In this study, carbon dioxide reduction technology and methods for reducing carbon dioxide emitted during the cement manufacturing process, which is the main component of concrete mainly used in civil engineering construction, were investigated. Overseas, it has reached the commercialization stage beyond the demonstration stage as a way to reduce carbon dioxide by vomiting carbonation reactions. Accordingly, if carbon dioxide reduction plan technology generated during cement manufacturing is developed based on domestic technology differentiated from foreign technology, it is expected to contribute one more step to the carbon neutrality policy.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.150-158
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• 2007

As the amount of $CO_2$ emission in Korea is ranked 9th and the increasing rate of $CO_2$ emissions highest in the world, it is strongly necessary to devise methods to decrease the amount of $CO_2$ in each industry as the basis of establishing environmentally sustainable production system. This paper aims to identify the characteristics of $CO_2$ emissions from construction wastes throughout the simplified LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and suggest the strategic guideline for the construction waste management plan to decrease $CO_2$. As a result of LCA on the case of a high-rise residential building project, total sum of $CO_2$ emission generated from construction wastes appeared as 6,818,123kg-$CO_2$ and $CO_2$ emission per unit floor area as 21.01kg-$CO_2/{\beta}{\ge}$. The principal waste materials generating more than 95% of $CO_2$ are materials such as reinforcing bar, temporary materials, cement, ready-mixed-concrete, concrete products, and tile, which have relatively high unit emission rate of $CO_2$ in the process of production. Besides, more than 92% of $CO_2$ was generated from the activities such as structure work, plaster work, temporary work, and tile and stone work, which are generally executed in the early phase of the whole construction period. Reflecting these results, the guideline for the construction waste management plan was recommended. If the waste management plan is established considering the guideline suggested, there would be high potential to decrease the amount of $CO_2$ generated from construction wastes.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction technology, one of the promising solutions for climate change, can convert CO₂, a representative greenhouse gas (GHG), into valuable base chemicals using electric energy. In particular, carbon monoxide (CO), among various candidate products, is attracting much attention from both academia and industry because of its high Faraday efficiency, promising economic feasibility, and relatively large market size. Although numerous previous studies have recently analyzed the GHG reduction potential of this technology, the assumptions made and inventory data used are neither consistent nor transparent. In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment was carried out to analyze the potential for reducing GHG emissions in the electrochemical CO production process in a more transparent way. By defining three different system boundaries, the global warming impact was compared with that of a fossil fuel-based CO production process. The results confirmed that the emission factor of electric energy supplied to CO₂-electrolyzers should be much lower than that of the current national power generation sector in order to mitigate GHG emissions by replacing conventional CO production with electrochemical CO production. Also, it is important to disclose transparently inventory data of the conventional CO production process for a more reliable analysis of GHG reduction potential.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2020

The construction field must always explore sustainable ways of using its raw materials. Studying the environmental impact generated by reinforced concrete raw materials during their production and transportation can contribute to reducing this impact. This paper initially presents the carbon dioxide emissions from reinforced concrete raw materials, quantified per kilo of raw material and per cubic meter of concrete with different characteristic strengths, for southern Brazil. Subsequently, reinforced concrete elements were optimized to minimize their environmental impact and cost. It was observed that lower values of carbon dioxide emissions and cost savings are generated for less resistant concrete when the structural element is a beam, and that reductions in the cross section dimensions of the beams, sized based on the use of higher strength concrete, may not compensate for the increased environmental impact and costs. For the columns, the behavior differed, presenting lower values of carbon dioxide emissions and costs for higher concrete strengths. The proposed methodology, as well as the results obtained, can be used to support structural projects that have less impact on the environment.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.161-169
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• 2007

Global climate changes including elevated $CO_2$, drought, and global warming may influence greenhouse gas emissions in wetlands. A variety of microbial communities including denitrifiers and methanogens play a key role in determining such processes. In this paper we summarize current knowledge on the effects of climate changes on $CO_2,\;CH_4$, and $N_2O$ production and microbial communities mediating those processes in wetlands. Elevated atmospheric $CO_2$ and warming generally increase gas emissions, but effects of droughts differ with gas type and drying level. The responses of microbial community to climate changes in terms of composition, diversity and abundance are still in question due to lack of studies in wetlands. Based on the present review, it is suggested that future studies on microbial processes should consider microbial community and relationships between microbial function and structure with diverse environmental factors including climate changes. Such knowledge would be crucial to better understand and predict accurately any shifts in ecological functions of wetlands.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.874-885
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• 2011

In this study, the urban $CO_2$ emission based on energy consumption (Coal, Petroleum, Electricity, and City Gas) in 16 provincial and metropolitan city governments in South Korea was evaluated. For calculation of the urban $CO_2$ emission, direct and indirect emissions were considered. Direct emissions refer to generation of greenhouse gas (GHG) on-site from the energy consumption. Indirect emissions refer to the use of resources or goods that discharge GHG emissions during energy production. The total GHG emission was 497,083 thousand ton $CO_2eq.$ in 2007. In the indirect GHG emission, about 240,388 thousand ton $CO_2eq.$ was occurred, as 48% of total GHG emission. About 256,694 thousand ton $CO_2eq.$ (52% of total GHG emissions) was produced in the direct GHG emission. This amount shows 13% difference with 439,698 thousand ton $CO_2eq.$ which is total national GHG emission data using current calculation method. Local metropolitan governments have to try to get accuracy and reliability for quantifying their GHG emission. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and use Korean emission factors than using the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) emission factors. The method considering indirect and direct GHG emission, which is suggested in this study, should be considered and compared with previous studies.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2023

'Carbon-neutrality Assessment based on Technology Application Scenario (CATAS)' provides an analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction effectiveness when applying carbon-neutrality technology to areas such as energy conversion, transportation, and buildings at certain spatial levels. As for the development scope of the model, GHG emission sources were analyzed for direct GHG emissions, and the boundary between direct and indirect emissions are set according to the spatial scope. The technical scope included nine technologies and forest sinks in the transition sector that occupies the largest portion of GHG emissions in the 2050 carbon neutral scenario. The carbon neutrality rate evaluation methodology consists of four steps: ① analysis of GHG emissions, ② prediction of energy production according to technology introduction, ③ calculation of GHG reduction, and ④ calculation of carbon neutrality rate. After the web-based CATAS-BASIC was developed, an analysis was conducted by applying the new and renewable energy distribution goals presented in the ｢2050 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Promotion Plan｣ of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. As a result of applying solar power, hydrogen fuel cell, and hydrothermal, the introduction of technology reduced 0.43 million tCO₂eq of 1.49 million tCO₂eq, which is the amount of emissions from the conversion sector in Seoul, and the carbon neutrality rate in the conversion sector was analyzed to be 28.94 %.