• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.95-100
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• 2016

As an alternative fuel, biodiesel has excellent lubricating property. Previously, our research group reported that the properties of biodiesels depended on their composed molecular structure. In this study, we investigate lubricity and the mechanism of lubricity improvement of synthesized biodiesel molecules. We synthesize four types of biodiesel components from fatty acid via fisher esterification and soybean biodiesel from soybean oil via transesterification in high yield (92-96%). We analyze the lubricity of the five 5 types of biodiesel using HFRR (high frequency reciprocating rig). We estimate that the mechanism of lubricity is relevant to the molecular structure and structure conversion of biodiesel. The test results indicate that the longer the length of molecules and the higher the content of olefin, the better the lubricity of the biodiesel molecules. However, the wear scar size of the first test samples’ do not show a regular pattern with the wear scar size of the second test samples’. Moreover, we investigated the structure conversion of the biodiesels by using GC-MS for the recovered biodiesel samples from the HFRR test. However, we do not detect structure conversion. Thus, we conclude that the lubricity of biodiesel depends on how effectively solid adsorption and boundary lubrication occurs based on the size of the molecule and the content of olefin in the molecule. In addition, HFRR test condition in not sufficient for Diels-Alder cyclization of biodiesel components.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.72-79
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• 2014

Cavitation generated by ultrasonic irradiation can enhance the diffusional transport of organic contaminants from soil surfaces or pores. Therefore, ultrasound soil washing can be an alternative of traditional soil washing process. In this study, soil was artificially contaminated with n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and phenanthrene. A plate type ultrasonic reactor at 25 kHz frequency and 1000W power was used for laboratory soil washing experiments. Ultrasonic soil washing efficiency was compared with those of traditional soil washing using mechanical mixing. Various operational parameter such as soil/liquid ratio, irradiation time, particle size, and soil organic matter content was tested to find out the optimum condition. It was found that ultrasonic soil washing demonstrates better performance than mechanical soil washing. Optimum soil:liquid ratio for ultrasonic soil washing was 1 : 5. Desorption of organic contaminants from soils by ultrasonic irradiation was relatively fast and reached equilibrium within 10 minute. However, decrease in the soil particle sizes by ultrasonic irradiation results in re-adsorption of contaminants to soil phase. It was also observed that soil particle size distribution and soil organic matter content have significant effects on the efficiency of ultrasonic soil washing.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.137-145
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• 2021

Among the non-precious metal catalysts, iron-nitrogen doped carbon (Fe-N/C) catalysts have been recognized as the most promising candidates for an alternative to Pt-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline and acidic conditions. In this study, the nano replication method using mesoporous silica, which features tunable primary particle sizes and shape, is employed to prepare the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts with different shapes. Platelet SBA-15, irregular KIT-6, and spherical silica particle (SSP) were selected as a template to generate three different kinds of shapes of the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalyst. Physicochemical properties of mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts are characterized by using small-angle X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, and scanning electron microscopy images. According to the electrochemical evaluation, there is no morphological preference of mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts toward the ORR activity with half-cell configuration under alkaline electrolyte. By implementing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of Fe and N atoms in the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts, it is possible to verify that the activity towards ORR highly depends on the portions of "Fe-N" species in the catalysts regardless of the shape of catalysts. It was suggested that active site distribution in the Fe-N/C is one important factor towards ORR activity.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.274-278
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• 2020

Pig slurry (PS) is the most applicable recycling option as an alternative organic fertilizer. The application of pig slurry has the risk of air pollution via atmospheric ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission. The zeolite has a porous structure that can accommodate a wide variety of cations, thus utilizing for the potential additive of deodorization and gas adsorption. This study aimed to investigate the possible roles of zeolite in mitigating NH3 and N2O emission from the pig slurry applied to the maize cropping. The experiment was composed of three treatments: 1) non-N fertilized control, 2) pig slurry (PS) and 3) pig slurry mixed with natural zeolite (PZ). Both of NH3 and N2O emission from applied pig slurry highly increased by more than 3-fold compared to non-N fertilized control. The NH3 emission from the pig slurry was dominant during early 14 days after application and 20.1% of reduction by zeolite application was estimated in this period. Total NH3 emission through whole period of measurement was 0.31, 1.33, and 1.14 kg ha-1. Nitrous oxide emission in the plot applied with pig slurry was also reduced by zeolite treatment by 16.3%. Significant increases in forage and ear yield, as well as nutrient values were obtained by pig slurry application, while no significant effects of zeolite were observed. These results indicate that the application of zeolite and pig slurry efficiently reduces the emission of ammonia and nitrous oxide without negative effects on maize crop production.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.89-95
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• 2021

As the influence of fine dust on society spreads gradually, the public's interest in indoor air is increasingly rising. Air-purifying plants are drawing keen attention due to their natural purifying function enabled by plant physiology. However, as their fine dust reduction mechanism is limited to adsorption only, vegetation bio-filters that optimize purification effects through integration with air-conditioning systems is rising as an alternative. In accordance with the relevant standard test methods, this study looked into the fine dust reduction assessment method by air-conditioning airflow volume that can be used for the industrial spread of vegetation bio-filters. In the case of PM₁₀ at 300 ㎍/m³, it was in the order of EG-B(3,500CMH, 29 min.) < EG-A (2,500CMH, 37 min.) < CG(0CMH, 64 min.) for reaching the maintenance level (100 ㎍/m³) of publicly used facilities. For reaching the WHO Guideline(50 ㎍/m³) requirement, it was in the order of EG-B (51 min.) < EG-A (160 min.) < CG (170 min.). In the case of PM_2.5, it was in the order of EG-B (26 min.) < EG-A (33 min.) < CG (57 min.) for reaching the maintenance level (50 ㎍/m³) of publicly used facilities. It was in the order of EG-B (48 min) < EG-A (140 min) < CG (158 min) for reaching the WHO Guideline (25 ㎍/m³) requirement. The findings from the analysis showed that fine dust can be reduced most efficiently when the system is operated at 3,500CMH level. The limitation of this study is that due to the absence of a way of assessing the stress of plants in vegetation bio-filters, generating optimal air-conditioning air flow of the relevant system and economics analysis against the existing facility-type air purification system have been clarified, which should be explored further though follow-up studies.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.256-268
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• 2016

This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2015. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) The research works on the thermal and fluid engineering were carried out in the areas of flow, heat and mass transfer, cooling and heating, and air-conditioning, the renewable energy system and the flow inside building rooms. Research issues dealing with air-conditioning machines and fire and exhausting smoke were reduced. CFD seems to be spreading to more research areas. (2) Research works on heat transfer area were carried out in the categories of heat transfer characteristics, pool boiling and condensing heat transfer and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the economic analysis of GHG emission, micro channel heat exchanger, effect of rib angle on thermal performance, the airside performance of fin-and-tube heat exchangers, theoretical analysis of a rotary heat exchanger, heat exchanger in a cryogenic environment, the performance of a cross-flow-type, indirect evaporative cooler made of paper/plastic film. In the area of pool boiling and condensing, the bubble jet loop heat pipe was studied. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches were performed on fin-tube heat exchanger, KSTAR PFC and vacuum vessel at baking phase, the performance of small-sized dehumidification rotor, design of gas-injection port of an asymmetric scroll compressor, effect of slot discharge-angle change on exhaust efficiency of range hood system with air curtain. (3) In the field of refrigeration, various studies were carried in the categories of refrigeration cycle, alternative refrigeration/energy system, system control. In the refrigeration cycle category, a cold-climate heat pump system, $CO_2$ cascade systems, ejector cycles and a PCM-based continuous heating system were investigated. In the alternative refrigeration/energy system category, a polymer adsorption heat pump, an alcohol absorption heat pump and a desiccant-based hybrid refrigeration system were investigated. In the system control category, turbo-refrigerator capacity controls and an absorption chiller fault diagnostics were investigated. (4) In building mechanical system research fields, eighteen studies were reported for achieving effective design of the mechanical systems, and also for maximizing the energy efficiency of buildings. The topics of the studies included energy performance, HVAC system, ventilation, and renewable energies, piping in the buildings. Proposed designs, performance tests using numerical methods and experiments provide useful information and key data which can improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. (5) The field of architectural environment was mostly focused on indoor environment and building energy. The main researches of indoor environment were related to the user and location awareness technology applied dimming lighting control system, the lighting performance evaluation for light-shelves, the improvement evaluation of air quality through analysis of ventilation efficiency and the evaluation of airtightness of sliding and LS window systems. The subjects of building energy were worked on the energy saving estimation of existing buildings, the developing model to predict heating energy usage in domestic city area and the performance evaluation of cooling applied with economizer control. The studies were also performed related to the experimental measurement of weight variation and thermal conductivity in polyurethane foam, the development of flame spread prevention system for sandwich panels, the utilization of heat from waste-incineration facility in large-scale horticultural facilities.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.734-744
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• 2011

A soil stabilization method is an effective and practical remediation alternative for arsenic (As) and heavy metal contaminated farmland soils nearby abandoned metal mine in Korea. This method is a technique whereby amendments are incorporated and mixed with a contaminated soil. Toxic metal bind to the amendments, which reduce their mobility in soil, so the successful stabilization of multi-element contaminated soil depends on the combination of critical elements in the soil and the type of amendments. The objective of this study is to investigate the treatment effects and applicability of limestone (LS) and steel refining slag (SRS) as the amendment for farmland soil contaminated with As and heavy metals, and a lab-column test was conducted for achieving this purpose. The result showed that soil treated with LS and SRS maintained pH buffer capacity and, as a result, the heavy metal leaching concentration was quite low below the water quality standard compared to untreated soil which leachate exceeding the water quality standard was observed, however, the arsenic concentration rather increased with increasing mixture ratio of SRS. This was believed to be related to phosphorus (P) contained in SRS, and dominancy in the competitive adsorption relation between As and P binding strongly to iron might be different according to soil characteristic. We suggested that LS is a effective amendment for reducing heavy metals in soil, and SRS should be used after investigating its applicability based on the adsorption selectivity of arsenic and phosphorus in selected soil.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.77-77
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• 2016

Thin films synthesized by plasma processes have been widely applied in a variety of industrial sectors. The structure control of thin film is one of prime factor in most of these applications. It is well known that the structure of this film is closely associated with plasma parameters and species of plasma which are electrons, ions, radical and neutrals in plasma processes. However the precise control of structure by plasma process is still limited due to inherent complexity, reproducibility and control problems in practical implementation of plasma processing. Therefore the study on the fundamental physical properties that govern the plasmas becomes more crucial for molecular scale control of film structure and corresponding properties for new generation nano scale film materials development and application. The thin films are formed through nucleation and growth stages during thin film depostion. Such stages involve adsorption, surface diffusion, chemical binding and other atomic processes at surfaces. This requires identification, determination and quantification of the surface activity of the species in the plasma. Specifically, the ions and neutrals have kinetic energies ranging from ~ thermal up to tens of eV, which are generated by electron impact of the polyatomic precursor, gas phase reaction, and interactions with the substrate and reactor walls. The present work highlights these aspects for the controlled and low-temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapour disposition (PECVD) of Si-based films like crystalline Si (c-Si), Si-quantum dot, and sputtered crystalline C by the design and control of radicals, plasmas and the deposition energy. Additionally, there is growing demand on the low-temperature deposition process with low hydrogen content by PECVD. The deposition temperature can be reduced significantly by utilizing alternative plasma concepts to lower the reaction activation energy. Evolution in this area continues and has recently produced solutions by increasing the plasma excitation frequency from radio frequency to ultra high frequency (UHF) and in the range of microwave. In this sense, the necessity of dedicated experimental studies, diagnostics and computer modelling of process plasmas to quantify the effect of the unique chemistry and structure of the growing film by radical and plasma control is realized. Different low-temperature PECVD processes using RF, UHF, and RF/UHF hybrid plasmas along with magnetron sputtering plasmas are investigated using numerous diagnostics and film analysis tools. The broad outlook of this work also outlines some of the 'Grand Scientific Challenges' to which significant contributions from plasma nanoscience-related research can be foreseen.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.236-240
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• 2015

Previously we reported that the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 is capable of producing hydrogen (H₂) from formate, CO or starch. In this study, we describe the immobilization of T. onnurineus NA1 as an alternative means of H₂ production. Amine-coated silica particles were effective in immobilizing T. onnurineus NA1 by electrostatic interaction, showing a maximum cell adsorption capacity of 71.7 mg-dried cells per g of particle. In three cycles of repeated-batch cultivation using sodium formate as the sole energy source, immobilized cells showed reproducible H₂ production with a considerable increase in the initial production rate from 2.3 to 4.0 mmol l⁻¹ h⁻¹, mainly due to the increase in the immobilized cell concentration as the batch culture was repeated. Thus, the immobilized-cell system of T. onnurineus NA1 was demonstrated to be feasible for H₂ production. This study is the first example of immobilized cells of hyperthermophilic archaea being used for the production of H₂.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Oyster shell(OS) is alkaline with pH 9.8, porous, and has high concentration of $CaCO_3$. It could be used as an alternative of lime fertilizer to immobilize cadmium(Cd) in heavy metal contaminated arable soil. Therefore, this study has been conducted to compare effects of calcium(Ca) materials [OS and $Ca(OH)_2$] on Cd extractability in contaminated soil and determined mechanisms of Cd immobilization with OS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Both Ca materials were added at the rates of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% (wt Ca wt-1) in Cd contaminated soil and the mixtures were incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ for 4 weeks. Both Ca materials increased pH and negative charge of soil with increasing Ca addition and decreased 1N $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration. 0.1 N HCl extractable Cd concentration markedly decreased with addition of OS. 1 N $NH_4OAc$ extractable Cd concentration was related with pH and net negative charge of soil, but not with 0.1 N HCl extractable Cd concentration. We assumed that Cd immobilization with $Ca(OH)_2$ was mainly attributed to Cd adsorption resulted from increase in pH-induced negative charge of soil. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) analyses were conducted to determine mechanism of Cd immobilization with OS. There was no visible precipitation on surface of both Ca materials. However, Cd was detected in innerlayer of OS by EDS analyses but not in that of $Ca(OH)_2$. CONCLUSION: We concluded that Cd immobilization with OS was different from that with $Ca(OH)_2$. OS might adsorbed interlayer of oyster shell or have other chemical reactions.