• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.243-249
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• 2005

Esterification of lactic acid with alcohols catalyzed by Amberlyst-type ion exchange resins and sulfuric acid was carried out in a batch reactor with total /or partial recycle of distilled condensates, respectively. The esterification of lactic acid in the total-recycling reactor (n-butanol/lactic acid = 4, $100^{\circ}C$) was promoted by decreasing the residual water and increasing the mole ratio of n-butanol/lactic acid. Also, it was confirmed that methanol with simple structure and tert-butanol with superior substitution reactivity were more effective in increasing the conversion of esterification reaction, compared to ethanol, n-butanol, and iso-butanol. In a partial-recycling reactor (n-butanol/ammonium lactate = 4, $115^{\circ}C$), the conversion of ammonium lactate into butyl lactate with 1.0 wt% Amberyst-type resins was higher in comparison to that with 0.2 mol $H_2SO_4$ (per 1.0 mol ammonium lactate). The esterification was gradually occurred during the initial stage of reaction in the presence of solid catalyst, whereas the initial addition of $H_2SO_4$ did not affect the initial rate of esterification reaction because of ammonium sulfate formation by the neutralizing reaction of ammonium lactate with sulfuric acid.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

As of 2018, Steel slag was generated approximately 24.23 million tons. Howeve, except blast furnace slag, steel slag is a typical by-product which does not have a clearly defined purpose in recycling. Thus, countries around the world are putting great efforts into developing a purpose for the recycling of steel slag. The vast habitat foundation of marine life has been destroyed due to recent reckless marine development and environment pollution, resulting in intensification of the decline of marine resources, and a solution to this issue is imperative. In order to propose a method to recycle large amounts of by-product slag into a material that can serve as an alternative to natural aggregate, the engineering properties and applicability for each mixing factor of environment friendly porous concrete as a material for the composition of seawater purification were in this study. Regarding the nutrient elution properties, it was clear that the nutrients continuously flowed out up to an immersion time by 8 months in natural seawater; the nitrogenous fertilizer displayed excellent elution properties in this regard.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.180-188
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• 2020

To replace Japanese coal ash used in the domestic cement production and to recycle large quantities of domestic pond ash, it is essential to develop the technologies for quality control of cement by using the domestic pond ash. Thus, in this study, the feasibility of using the pond ash as a raw material for cement was investigated through chemical composition and microstructure analysis. As a result, most of the domestic pond ash contained slightly more Fe2O3, chloride, and unburned carbon contents than Japanese coal ash. In particular, the contents of chloride were considerably low in the pond ash that was transferred to fresh water or collected from surface of landfill area. However, since circulating fluidized bed boiler coal ash had relatively high SO3 contents causing durability problems of cement, it was not suitable for use as a raw material for cement. Thus, to replace Japanese coal ash with the domestic pond ash, it is necessary to introduce the adjustment of mixture proportion of cement raw materials and the process of removing chloride in the pond ash.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.39-47
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• 2024

In this study, the environmental implications of electric arc furnace steel slag, commonly used in road construction and soil reinforcement, were examined. Experiments were conducted to assess the leaching of heavy metals based on particle size and to investigate ion leaching from specimens with varying mixtures of steel slag and clay. The official waste test revealed no detectable heavy metals in the sample items. However, when subjected to leaching experiments and analyzed using ICP-OES, certain heavy metals were found. The reaction of steel slag with water, facilitated by free CaO within the slag, was identified as the cause of leaching. Results showed that aluminum, exhibiting the highest leaching rate, displayed an inverse relationship with particle size. In mixed soil containing steel slag and clay, higher steel slag content resulted in increased aluminum leaching. Nonetheless, the quantity of leached aluminum was notably lower in mixed soil compared to pure steel slag. Furthermore, leaching of other heavy metals remained within acceptable limits. These findings suggest that recycling mixed soil of steel slag and clay for road construction or soil stabilization presents reduced environmental risks compared to using steel slag alone. Utilizing such mixtures could offer an environmentally sustainable and safe alternative.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.23-39
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• 2014

An artificial rainwater reservoir installed in urban areas for recycling rainwater is an eco-friendly facility for reducing storm water effluence. However, in order to recycle the rainwater directly, the artificial rainwater reservoir requires an auxiliary system that can remove non-point source pollutants included in the initial rainfall of urban area. Therefore, the conventional soil filtration technology is adopted to capture non-point source pollutants in an economical and efficient way in the purification system of artificial rainwater reservoirs. In order to satisfy such a demand, clogging characteristics of the sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions were studied with real non-point source pollutants. For this, a series of lab-scale chamber tests were conducted to make a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants, based on the clogging theory. The laboratory chamber experiments were carried out by permeating two types of artificially contaminated water through five different types of sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions. The two artificial contaminated waters were made by fine marine-clay particles and real non-point source pollutants collected from motorcar roads of Seoul, Korea. In the laboratory chamber experiments, the concentrations of the artificial contaminated water were measured in terms of TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and compared with each other to evaluate the performance of sand filter layers. In addition, the accumulated weight of pollutant particles clogged in the sand filter layers was estimated. This paper suggests a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants with theoretical consideration of the physical characteristics such as the grain-size distribution and composition, and change in the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of sand filter layers. The lumped parameter ${\theta}$ related with the clogging property was estimated by comparing the accumulated weight of pollutant particles obtained from the laboratory chamber experiments and calculated from the prediction model based on the clogging theory. It is found that the lumped parameter ${\theta}$ has a significant influence on the amount of the pollutant particles clogged in the pores of sand filter layers. In conclusion, according to the clogging prediction model, a double-sand-filter layer consisting of two separate layers: the upper sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 1.49 mm and the lower sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 0.93 mm, is proposed as the optimum system for removing non-point source pollutants in the field-sized artificial rainwater reservoir.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2024

Fishing net waste (FNW) constitutes over half of all marine plastic waste and is a major contributor to the degradation of marine ecosystems. While current treatment options for FNW include incineration, landfilling, and mechanical recycling, these methods often result in low-value products and pollutant emissions. Importantly, FNWs, comprised of plastic polymers, can be converted into valuable resources like syngas and pyrolysis oil through pyrolysis. Thus, this study presents a process for generating high-purity hydrogen (H₂) by catalytically pyrolyzing FNW in a CO₂ environment. The proposed process comprises of three stages: First, the pretreated FNW undergoes Ni/SiO₂ catalytic pyrolysis under CO₂ conditions to produce syngas and pyrolysis oil. Second, the produced pyrolysis oil is incinerated and repurposed as an energy source for the pyrolysis reaction. Lastly, the syngas is transformed into high-purity H₂ via the Water-Gas-Shift (WGS) reaction and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). This study compares the results of the proposed process with those of traditional pyrolysis conducted under N₂ conditions. Simulation results show that pyrolyzing 500 kg/h of FNW produced 2.933 kmol/h of high-purity H₂ under N₂ conditions and 3.605 kmol/h of high-purity H₂ under CO₂ conditions. Furthermore, pyrolysis under CO₂ conditions improved CO production, increasing H₂ output. Additionally, the CO₂ emissions were reduced by 89.8% compared to N₂ conditions due to the capture and utilization of CO₂ released during the process. Therefore, the proposed process under CO₂ conditions can efficiently recycle FNW and generate eco-friendly hydrogen product.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.603-610
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• 2016

This work studies the synthesis of birnessite (${\delta}-MnO_2$), a catalyst of oxidative-coupling reactions, from the powder of spent alkaline manganese batteries (SABP, <8 mesh) and evaluate its reactivity for 1-naphthol (1-NP) removals. Manganese oxides using commercial reagents ($MnSO_4$, $MnCl_2$) and the acid birnessite (A-Bir) by McKenzie method were also synthesized, and their crystallinity and reactivity for 1-NP were compared with one another. 96% Mn and 98% Zn were extracted from SABP by acid leaching at the condition of solid/liquid (S/L) ratio 1:10 in $1.0M\;H_2SO_4+10.5%\;H_2O_2$ at $60^{\circ}C$. From the acid leaching solution, 69% (at pH 8) and 94.3% (pH>13) of Mn were separated by hydroxide precipitation. Optimal OH/Mn mixing ratio (mol/mol) for the manganese oxide (MO) synthesis by alkaline (NaOH) hydrothermal techniques was 6.0. Under this condition, the best 1-NP removal efficiency was observed and XRD analysis confirmed that the MOs are corresponding to birnessite. Kinetic constants (k, at pH 6) for the 1-NP removals of the birnessites obtained from Mn recovered at pH 8 (${Mn^{2+}}_{(aq)}$) and pH>13 ($Mn(OH)_{2(s)}$) are 0.112 and $0.106min^{-1}$, respectively, which are similar to that from $MnSO_4$ reagent ($0.117min^{-1}$). The results indicated that the birnessite prepared from the SABP as a raw material could be used as an oxidative-coupling catalyst for removals of trace phenolic compounds in soil and water, and propose the recycle scheme of SAB for the birnessite synthesis.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.19-29
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• 1994

A large volume of paper mill sludge(PMS) is produced every day from paper industries after treatments of waste water and it costs too much to dispose of the sludge. Since PMS consists mostly of biodegradable organic matter, cellulose, it is desirable to recycle it by proper treatments such as composting. In this study, experiments were conducted using a small scale reactor(12l) to establish optimum conditions for efficient composting of PMS of which initial pH, C/N ratio, and moisture content were 7.1, 28~30, and 60~65%, respectively. No heavy metals such as mercury, cadmimum, and lead were not detected in the PMS. Various levels of forced aeration, 1 minute aeration per every 30, 60, 120, 240, and 480 minutes were applied and 1 minute aeration per 60 and 120 minutes found to be proper for composting of 8l PMS in this system. Relationship between $CO_2$ production and temperatures was positively correlated with r> 0.82 suggesting that the normal decomposition of PMS by microorganisms occurred. However, under the condition of aeration interval over than 240 minutes, a negative relationship between two parameters was found indicating the occurrence of abnormal(maybe anaerobic) degradation. The amount of added nitrogen also affected composting of PMS resulting in the increase of $CO_2$ production and temperature. Semi-field tests using 100kg PMS in a static pile sysem showed that PMS could be composted efficiently under optimal environmental conditions. The parameters determining efficiency of composting such as C/N ratio, aeration, moisture content, and pH need to be monitored.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.8-20
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• 2023

Although the landscape architectural facilities need to be repaired according to historical and authentic techniques, the repair criteria of the standard specification for repairing cultural heritages still remain at a theoretical level, and there are little research analyzing detailed techniques from specific cases. This study discussed the repair techniques based on historical facts, around terraced flower beds, ponds, waterways and pavement in the government-managed spaces in the Joseon Dynasty. It analyzed the materials and finish of stone wall elements, the structural reinforcement and backfill materials, and topsoil surface protection measures, and drew out stones for foundation reinforcement, plastering material for agglutination, and stone processing techniques for the terraced flower beds. It examined the materials and structures of the rock revetment, foundation reinforcement and waterproofing techniques and drew out the outstanding characteristics of the foundation work, the recycle of used elements and the management of water quality, for the ponds. It primarily investigated the materials, foundation reinforcement and waterproofing techniques and discovered the repair techniques such as cover stone finishing methods, foundation and backfill materials, and flow reduction methods, for the waterways. Finally, it provided actual cases of the foundation composition, auxiliary materials and tools, and the use of cyperaceae and highlighted the existence of professional craftsmen called Bangjeonjang(方磚匠), for the pavement. This study is expected to be a staring point for discovering the repair techniques for landscape architectural facilities and used as basic data for revising specifications in the future.