• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2015

Purpose: The high energy requirement of extraction of oil from jatropha seed and reduction of loss in oil content between whole seed and kernel of jatropha necessitate seed shelling. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the performance of a jatropha seed shelling machine based on seed moisture content. Methods: A shelling machine was designed and constructed for jatropha seed. The components are frame, hopper, shelling chamber, concave, and blower with discharge units. The performance evaluation of the machine was carried out by determining parameters such as percentage of whole kernel recovered, percentage of broken kernel recovered, percentage of partially shelled seed, percentage of unshelled seed, machine capacity, machine efficiency, and shelling efficiency. All of the parameters were evaluated at five different moisture levels: 8.00%, 9.37%, 10.77%, 12.21%, and 13.68% w.b.). Results: The shelling efficiency of the machine increased with increase in seed moisture content; the percentage of whole kernel recovered and percentage of partially shelled seed decreased with increase in moisture content; and percentage of broken kernel, machine efficiency, and percentage of unshelled seed followed a sinusoidal trend with moisture content variation. Conclusion: The best operating condition for the shelling machine was at a moisture content of 8.00% w.b., at which the maximum percentage of whole kernel recovered was 23.23% at a shelling efficiency of 73.95%.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2016

Biodrying is a pre-treatment method that applies biological and mechanical concepts to drying solid waste. In Malaysia, municipal solid waste (MSW) is unseparated and contains a high level of moisture, making the use of technology such as solid waste burning unsuitable and harmful. MSW containing organic material can be processed naturally until the moisture content of the waste is reduced. This study on MSW biodrying was carried out on a laboratory scale to measure the percent moisture content reduction and to monitor temperature patterns under different ventilation periods. This work was conducted using five biodrying reactors volumes of 50 liters each. Reactors were ventilated for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min every 3 h, with a 3 bar air supply. The duration of this process was 14 days for all samples. The results showed that the optimum ventilation time was 10 min, with an 81.84% reduction in moisture content, and that it required almost half of the electricity cost required for the 20 and 30 min ventilations.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.4171-4183
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• 1976

This study is to investigate the effect of some physical properties of soil on the compaction. The compaction effect depends upon various factors such as soil type, moisture content, gradation and compaction energy. In this study, with steady compaction energy, the relationships between maximum dry density and moisture content, gradation and consistency were analyzed by soil types. Some results obtained in this study are summarized as follows 1. Generally, the coarser the grain size, the bigger is the maximum dry density and the smaller is the optimum moisture content and its moisture-dry denisty curve is relatively steep. The finner the grain size, the smaller is the max. dry density and the bigger is the opt. moisture content and its moisture-dry density curve is less steep. 2. The relationship between max. dry density (${\gamma}$dmax) and opt. moisture content, void ratio, clay content, percent passing of No. 200 sieve, liquid limit and plastic limit can be represented by the equation ${\gamma}$dmax =ao+a1X(a0>0, a1<0) 3. The relationship between opt. moisture content (Wopt) and clay content, percent passing of No. 200 sieve, liquid limit and plastic limit can be represented by the equation Wopt=a0+a1X(a0>0, al>0). 4. The fact that maximum dry density of the compacted soil is decreased with the increase of the optimum moisture content in any types of soil tested, and the fact that optimum moisture content can be positively correlated with clay content, percent passing of No. 200 sieve, liquid limit and plastic limit of the soil, lead to the conclusion that clay content, percent passing of No. 200 sieve, liquid limit and plastic limit of the soil are direct factors in reduction of the maximum dry density of engineering soil.

• Carbon letters
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2000

Catalytic reduction and oxidation of NO over polyacrylonitrile based activated carbon fibers (PAN-ACF) under various conditions were carried out to develop removal process of NO from the flue gas. The effect of temperature, oxygen concentration and the moisture content for the reduction of NO with ammonia as a reducing agent was investigated. The reduction of NO increased with the oxygen concentration, but decreased with the increased temperature. The moisture content in the flue gas affects the reduction of NO as the inhibition of the adsorption of the other components and the reaction on the surface of ACE For the oxidation of NO to $NO_2$ over PAN-ACF without using a reducing gas, it showed the temperature and the oxygen concentration of the flue gas are the important factors for the NO conversion in which the conversion increased with oxygen concentration and decreased with the temperature increase and might be the alternative option for the selective catalytic reduction process.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2001

The effect of moisture content an the reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls and population dynamics of dechlorinating microorganisms was investigated in sediments spiked with Aroclor 1248. In sediment slurry with an overlying water layer, dechlorination ensued after a 4-week lag period and reduced the average number of chlorines per biphenyl from 3.91 to 3.15 after 48 weeks. In the sediments of reduced moisture content, however, dechlorination occurred after a lag period of 12 weeks and decreased the average number of chlorines per biphenyl to only 3.62, and the dechlorination rate was also slower. When the population size of dechlorinators, methanogens, and sulfate-reducing bacteria was determined by the most probable number techniques, however, no difference was found between the slurry and the low-moisture sediments, except for methanogens. The growth of dechlorinating populations coincided with the end of the lag period and they then increased by 3 orders of magnitude in two conditions. Specific growth rate of dechlorinators showed little difference between the slurry and the low-moisture sediments; however, growth yield was high in the sediments of reduced moisture content. The reduction of sediment moisture decreased the dechlorination rate and extent of PCBs but did not inhibit the growth of PCB dechlorinators.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2009

Field test was conducted to investigate primary factors reducing rapeseed harvesting using a reciprocating cutter-bar of combine. The results showed that the correlation between crop moisture content and yield loss had a U-type, which indicated that the yield reduction increased at too high and too low crop moisture contents. The proper ranges of crop moisture contents were 27${\sim}$35%, 21${\sim}$56%, and 62${\sim}$73% in case of grain, pod and stem, respectively. Crop moisture content was negatively correlated with header loss, but positively correlated with threshing loss. In contrary, stem moisture content showed positive correlations with total loss, threshing loss and separation loss. Working speed was positively correlated with header loss. Total flow rate, pod flow rate and stem flow rate were highly correlated with threshing loss and separation loss. However, grain flow rate did not show any correlation with total loss. According to the principal component analysis, two principal components were derived as components with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. The contribution rates of the first and the second components were 52.7% and 38.9%, which accounted for 91.6% of total variance. As a contributive factor influencing total loss of rapeseed mechanical harvesting, a crop moisture content factor was greater than a crop flow rate factor. The stepwise multiple regression analysis for total loss was conducted using crop moisture content factor, crop flow rate factor and coefficient. However, the model did not show any correlation among independent and dependent factors ($R^2$=0.060).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.120-131
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• 1998

This study was performed to define the physicochemical characteristics of food waste and food wastewater, and to find the effect of moisture content variation and salinity variation on aerobic composting for food wastes. In moisture content variation experiment, the samples of 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 24 were prepared by the moisture content of 83.8%, 70.9%, 64.8% and 45.1%, respectively. In salinity variation experiment, the samples of 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 and 3-4 were prepared by the salinity of 0.99%, 1. 69%, 1.75% and 2.34%, respectively. In both experiments, aerobic composting reactors were operated by the mode which was composed of half an hour's stirring and 2 hour's aeration per day, for 45 days. The followings are the conclusions that were derived from this study. 1. In the study of physicochemical characteristics of food waste and food wastewater, the values of pH were 4.19 and 3.96, the values of salinity were 0.91% and 1.17%, and the values of conductivity were 7.6 mS/cm and 18.2 mS/cm, respectively. 2. In food waste, the moisture content was 60.3%, organic compound content was 96.1%, total carbon was 48.0%, total nitrogen was 1.5%(therefore, C/N ratio was 32), and the concentration of total phosphorus was 1.34 mg/kg. 3. The time of temperature ascending was delayed, the highest temperature was lowered, the duration period of high temperature was shortened by the increasing of moisture content. In the higher moisture content, anaerobic condition was formed, bad smell was released, insects were gathered and multiplicated, and the reaction rate of composting was reduced. 4. In moisture content experiment, C/N ratios were changed from the range of 31.2-34.8 at the beginning phase to that of 20.4-28.4 at the last phase. 5. In salinity experiment, the reduction rate of volume was increased(40.3%) when the salinity was decreased(0.99%). Also, the reduction rate of mass was increased(51.8%) when the salinity was decreased(0.99%). This fact denotes that salinity hinders the process of composting. 6. the concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were increased from 0.74% to 1.10%, and from 0.82 mg/kg to 3.44 mg/kg, respectively when the salinity was decreased from 2.34% to 0.99%.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.584-587
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• 2020

The value of using rice flour processed into rice powder in preparing porridge was evaluated by measuring the moisture content, pH, total starch, reducing sugar, and color content. The moisture content of the rice flour and the pH of porridge made with rice flour were measured. Rice flour contained 77.55% moisture and the moisture content of the porridge made from rice flour processed into rice powder was 91.40 to 92.47%. The pH of rice flour porridge was acidic at 6.53 to 6.95. The color of the porridge was also measured. The L^* values ranged from 82.62 to 97.55, the a^* values ranged from -0.09 to 0.08, and the b^* values ranged from -2.74 to 1.91.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.1061-1064
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• 2008

A completion of settling process takes a lot of time for dredged materials of high moisture content, such as contaminated sludge, in landfill site. In general, additives (e.g. flocculants) are used for reducing settling time of such colloidal material, which results in the increase of sludge volume, and hence much space is required in landfill site. This study is to suggest alternative method in order to enhance the settling process of cohesive clayey soils. A number of gravitational sedimentation tests as well as electrokinetic experiments were conducted to investigate the variation of initial moisture content on the settling behaviour of clay slurry. Surface settlement, electric current and local voltage gradient were monitored during the experiment, and moisture content and soil pH were measured after the experiment. From the results, the application of electrokinetics was found to be effective in volume reduction (i.e. increase of settling velocity and decrease of final moisture content) by comparison with gravitational settling process.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.787-795
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to assess drought tolerance of groundcover plants for extensive green roof. Form July to November 2013, plant height, chlorophyll content, soil moisture, evapotranspiration and survival rate was measured. As results, after unirrigation started, Aster koraiensis reached 0% of soil moisture earliest followed by Sedum kamtschaticum, Hemerocallis fulva, Hylotelephium spectabile, Iris sanguinea, Hosta longipes and control. Among the plants, A. koraiensis withered earliest on 19th day of unirrigation experiment, followed by H. longipes and H. fulva (27th day); and I. sanguinea (29th day). S. kamtschaticum and H. spectabile survived even after 120th day of the experiment. As for chlorophyll content, I. sanguinea showed constant values in early stage than rapidly decreased right before its withering. Chlorophyll content of A. koraiensis and H. fulva showed rapid decrease from the beginning, while that of H. spectabile and S. kamtschaticum showed continuous reduction for first 30 days and the reduction was slowed down since then. In conclusion, H. longipes, I. sanguinea and H. fulva were found most applicable for extensive green roof considering scenic aspect.