• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.1062-1070
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• 2022

In the present communication, pure and stable α-Bismuth Oxide (Bi₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by low temperature solution combustion method using urea as a fuel and calcined at 500℃. The synthesized sample was characterized by using powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. The PXRD pattern confirms the formation of mono-clinic, stable and low temperature phase α-Bi₂O₃. The direct optical energy band gap was estimated by using Wood and Tauc's relation which was found to be 2.81 eV. The characterized sample was studied for X-ray/gamma ray shielding properties in the energy range 0.081-1.332 MeV using NaI (Tl) detector and multi channel analyzer (MCA). The measured shielding parameters agrees well with the theory, whereas, slight deviation up to 20% is observed below 356 keV. This deviation is mainly due to the influence of atomic size of the target medium. Furthermore an accurate theory is necessary to explain the interaction of X-ray/gamma ray with the NPs.The present work opens new window to use this facile, economical, efficient, low temperature method to synthesize nanomaterials for X-ray/gamma ray shielding purpose.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.783-791
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• 2015

A fluidized-bed reactor with an inside diameter of 0.1 m and a height of 1.2 m was used to study the effect of steam and catalyst additions to air-blown biomass gasification on the production of producer gas. The equipment consisted of a fluidized bed reactor, a fuel supply system, a cyclone, a condenser, two receivers, steam generator and gas analyzer. Silica sand with a mean particle diameter of $380{\mu}m$ was used as a bed material and calcined dolomite ($356{\mu}m$), which is effective in tar reduction and producer gas purification, was used as the catalyst. Both of Korea wood pellet (KWP) and a pellet form of EFB (empty fruit bunch) which is the byproduct of Southeast Asia palm oil extraction were examined as biomass feeds. In all the experiments, the feeding rates were 50 g/min for EFB and 38 g/min for KWP, respectively at the reaction temperature of $800^{\circ}C$ and an ER (equivalence ratio) of 0.25. The mixing ratio (0~100 wt%) of catalyst was applied to the bed material. Air or an air-steam mixture was used as the injection gas. The SBR (steam to biomass ratio) was 0.3. The composition, tar content, and lower heating value of the generated producer gas were measured. The addition of calcined dolomite decreased tar content in the producer gas with maximum reduction of 67.3 wt%. The addition of calcined dolomite in the air gasification reduced lower heating value of the producer gas. However The addition of calcined dolomite in the air-steam gasification slightly increased its lower heating value.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.67-76
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• 2022

The furniture industry has a high possibility to create value-added and a high potential to create new occupations due to the characteristics of the industry, which mainly consists of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the used furniture, which has sufficient reuse value, is also crushed and used as solid refuse fuel (SRF) recently. Besides, the number of waste treatment companies continues to decrease, and it occurs congestion of wood waste. As a way to solve the issue, a business model development of remanufacturing used furniture can be suggested as an alternative due to its high circular economic efficiency. Remanufacturing business including furniture industry creates positive effects in various aspects such as economic, environmental and job creation. In other words, remanufacturing is an effective recycling way to reduce input resources and energy in the production process. The results of economic analysis show that the expected annual revenue from the single worker furniture remanufacturing site was 104 million won which is 3.11 times more than the average income of a single-worker household in Korea and its B/C ratio was estimated about 30 which means high business feasibility. Revenue through furniture remanufacturing also showed 320 times higher than that of SRF production from the perspective of weight. In addition, it is shown that the GHGs reduction from the furniture remanufacturing is 2.2 ton CO₂-eq. per year, which is similar to the amount of GHGs absorption effect of 937 pine trees or 622 Korean oak trees annually. Thus the results of this study demonstrate that it is important to adopt an appropriate recycling method considering the economic and environmental effects at the end-of-life stage.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.646-652
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• 2016

Biomass is regarded as one of the promising energy sources to deal with the depletion of fossil fuels and the global warming issue. Biocrude-oil can be produced through the fast pyrolysis of biomass feedstocks such as wood, crops, agricultural and forestry residues. It has significantly higher viscosity than that of conventional petroleum fuel and contains solid residues, which can lower the spray and atomization characteristics when applied to the burner. In addition, biocrude-oil consists of hundreds of chemical species derived from cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, and evaporation characteristics of the biocrude-oil droplet are distinct from the conventional fuels. In the present study, a numerical study was performed to investigate the evaporation characteristics of biocrude-oil droplet using a simplified composition of the model biocrude-oil which consists of acetic acid, levoglucosan, phenol, and water. The evaporation characteristics of droplets were compared at various surrounding air temperatures, initial droplet diameters, and ethanol mixing ratios. The evaporation time becomes shorter with increasing air temperature, and it is much sensitive to the air temperature particularly in low temperature ranges. It was also found that the biocrude-oil droplet evaporates faster in cases of the smaller initial droplet diameter and larger ethanol mixing ratio.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.303-312
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• 2018

In Ethiopia, climate change and deforestation are major issues hindering sustainable development. Local Ethiopian communities commonly perceive an increase in temperature and a decrease in rainfall. Meteorological data shows that rainfall has declined in southern Ethiopia, and spring droughts have occurred more frequently during the last 10-15 years. The frequently occurring droughts have seriously affected the agriculture-dominated Ethiopian economy. Forests can play an important role in coping with climate change. However, deforestation is alarmingly high in Ethiopia, and this is attributed mainly to agricultural expansion and fuel wood extraction. Deforestation has led to a decrease in various benefits from forest ecosystem services, and increased ecological and environmental problems including loss of biodiversity. To resolve the issues effectively, it is crucial to enhance climate change resilience through reforestation and various international collaborations are urgently needed. To continue collaboration activities for resolving these issues, it is first necessary to address fundamental questions on the nature of collaboration: does collaboration aim for a support-benefit or a mutual benefit situation; dividing the workload or sharing the workload; an advanced technology or an appropriate technology; and short-term and intensive or long-term and extensive?. Potential collaboration activities were identified by sectors: in the governmental sector, advancing governmental structure and policy, enhancing international collaborations and negotiations, and capacity building for forest restoration and management; in the research and education sector, identifying and filling gaps in forestry and climate change education, capacity building for reforestation and climate change resilience research, and developing bioenergy and feed stocks; and in the business and industry sector, supporting conservation based forestry businesses and industries, while promoting collaboration with the research and education sectors. It is envisaged that international collaboration for enhancing climate change resilience through reforestation will provide a strong platform for resolving climate change and deforestation issues, and achieving sustainable development in Ethiopia.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.443-450
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• 2019

We studied to find the optimal manufacturing conditions of coffee grounds sludge RDF with oil drying method. We expanded the lab scale to pilot scale to compare the efficiency of the oil-drying equipment and The selection of the ratio of coffee grounds and oil, the setting temperature, and the temperature change and water content with time were measured. In order to analyze the characteristics of the research results, characteristics of solid fuels produced(Coffee grounds of oil-dried) by calorimeter, TGA, combustion equipment, and combustion gas measuring instrument were analyzed. As a result, the ratio of oil to coffee grounds was 4: 1, and when the setting temperature was set to $300^{\circ}C$, the water content reached 10wt.% or less within 20 minutes. ln addition, it showed high calorific value of 6,273kcal/kg. However, coffee grounds had a similar composition to wood and showed high luminance and produced a lot of CO in combustion gas. As a result, it is considered to be unsuitable for thermoelectric power plant and camping fuel, but the initial ignition speed is high and the heat generation is high, so it is considered that it can replace the fuels for current use.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.190-197
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• 2021

Kraft lignin is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, obtained as a black liquor after the extraction of cellulose from wood through the Kraft pulping process. Right now, kraft lignin is utilized as a low-grade boiler fuel to provide heat and power but can be converted into high-calorific biofuels or high-value chemicals once the efficient catalytic depolymerization process is developed. In this work, the multi-functional catalyst of Ru-Mg-Al-oxide, which contains hydrogenation metals, acid, and base sites for the effective depolymerization of kraft lignin are prepared, and its lignin depolymerization efficiency is evaluated. In order to understand the role of different active sites in the lignin depolymerization, the three different catalysts of MgO, Mg-Al-oxide, and Ru-Mg-Al-oxide were synthesized, and their lignin depolymerization activity was compared in terms of the yield and the average molecular weight of bio-oil, as well as the yield of phenolic monomers contained in the bio-oil. Among the catalysts tested, the Ru-Mg-Al-oxide catalyst exhibited the highest yield of bio-oil and phenolic monomers due to the synergy between active sites. Furthermore, in order to maximize the extent of lignin depolymerization over the Ru-Mg-Al-oxide, the effects of reaction conditions (i.e., temperature, time, and catalyst loading amount) on the lignin depolymerization were investigated. Overall, the highest bio-oil yield of 72% and the 3.5 times higher yield of phenolic monomers than that without a catalyst were successfully achieved at 350 ℃ and 10% catalyst loading after 4 h reaction time.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

The world demand of ethanol as an alternative fuel for gasoline is increasing rapidly because of high oil price and global climate change. Most of ethanol is currently produced from corn grain or sugars in sugarcane and sugar beet. Because these sources compete with foods and animal feed and are not expected to be enough for future demand of ethanol. Thus, cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues or wood has to be commercialized in near future. Typical cellulosic ethanol production consists of pretreatment, enzyme hydrolysis, fermentation and product separation. This paper reviews the principles and status of each step and discusses issues for cellulosic ethanol production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 1979

Through several trials that has done for making the fertilizing-counter plan on the soil improving species, some results have been got as follows; 1. In the non-phosphorus dressing plots soil improving species have very poor survial ratio and show us to be died step by step. It may be resons that root can not make the nodule in case of non-phosphorus dressing and so tree could not absorb the nitrogen nutrient fixed by the nodule. And root competition with the weedy speces for utilizing the nutrient and oxygen in the soil could be reasons when planting in the heavy weedy rooting site. 2. Triple super phosphate, Fused Mg Phosphate and Fused super phosphate have showed the remarkable effects on the growth of soil improving species within 3rd year after planting. But Koreaan tablet fertilizer(9-12-4) for forest purpose have reacted considerably lower effect in comparision with the above powder and grain type phosphorous fertilizer. 3. In case of tablet type fertilizer tree root will have very little phosphorus absorbing surface because phosphorus can be utilized only from the tablet surface and root can not penetrate into the tablet. This my be reson to show the poor dressing reaction of tablet fertilizer but tablet fertilizer has a possibility to be utilized during long years as a sympton in photo 6. So tablet fertilizer can have a recommendation to dress much fertilizer at p]anting year and then tree root can get much more chance for absorbing the phosphorus that could keep the high survival and for utilizing it during many years without after dressing. 4. The granurar and powder type phosphate can develop the dense root mat like photo 8 because of giving the large surface for absorbing the phosphorus and weedy root can approch to the nodule for taking the nitrogen element. So this type seems to present better effect than tablet type to control the soil movement, stem weight as 200g per meter(l meter long${\times}$0.1m width). When added the lime any effect could not be found and rather give the negative effect. So Lespedeza seed sowing and phosphorus dressing system seems us to be very reasonable method for covering the raw material of basket making, fodder and fuel wood supply. 7. Fused Mg phosphate and Fused super phosphate are good fertilizer to the soil improving species and dressing more than 30g per seedling can be recommendable amount. 5. In the unproductive and dry soil with phosphorus fertilizer Robinia pseudoacacia and Alnus firnui can grow more than 2.3m in height at 3rd year and Alnus inokumae have the rapid height growth that is more than 1.8m at 2nd year. Depending on the growth situation like the above example minirotated management has possibilities and rapid covering of erosed land can be done with the soil improving species and phosphorus fertilizer. 6. In the Lespedeza sowing plot with 40g Fused Mg phosphate dressing per meter in the eroded and unproductive forest soil Lespedeza have completely covered this poor land and produced the green.