• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.112-121
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• 2018

The hydrothermal carbonization method has received great attention because of the conversion process from biomass. The reaction produces various products in hydrochar, bio-liquid, and gas. Even though its yield cannot be ignored in amount, it is difficult to find research papers on bio-liquid generated from the hydrothermal carbonization reaction of biomass. In particular, the heterogeneity of feedstock composition may make the characterization of bio-liquid different and difficult. In this study, bio-liquid from the hydrothermal carbonization reaction of food wastes at $230^{\circ}C$ for 4 h was investigated. Among various products, fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed using two different extraction methods: liquid-liquid extraction and column chromatography. Different elutions with various solvents enabled us to categorize the various components. The eluents and fractions obtained from two different extraction methods were analyzed by gas chromatography with a mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The composition of the bio-liquid in each fraction was characterized, and seven fatty acid methyl esters were identified using the library installed in GC/MS device.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.456-461
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• 2018

The solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) has promoted the development and application for biogas production from biomass which operate a high solid content feedstock, as higher than 15% of total solids. However, the digested byproduct of SS-AD can be used as a fertilizer or as solid fuel, but it has serious problems: high moisture content and poor dewaterability. The organic residue from SS-AD has to be improved to address these problems and to make it a useful alternative energy source. Hydrothermal carbonization was investigated for conversion of the organic residue from the SS-AD of livestock waste to solid fuels. The effects of hydrothermal carbonization were evaluated by varying the reaction temperatures within the range of $180-240^{\circ}C$. Hydrothermal carbonization increased the calorific value through the reduction of the hydrogen and oxygen contents of the solid fuel, in addition to its drying performance. Therefore, after the hydrothermal carbonization, the H/C and O/C atomic ratios decreased through the chemical conversion. Thermogravimatric analysis provided the changed combustion characteristics due to the improvement of the fuel properties. As a result, the hydrothermal carbonization process can be said to be an advantageous technology in terms of improving the properties of organic waste as a solid-recovered fuel product.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2006

The production of various commodity chemicals including fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, bulk chemicals, plastics, and fuels is based on fossil resources such as petroleum. However, the limited reserves and ever-increasing demand of petroleum lead to the rapid elevation of its price. In addition, the traditional chemical processes using petroleum as a raw material have been imposing a serious environmental burden to our planet including global warming. These problems can be alleviated substantially by employing biological raw materials and bioconversion processes. Industrial biotechnology is expected to significantly complement or replace the current petroleum-based industry and to play an important role in bringing about so-called 'bio-based society'.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.350-359
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• 2016

We performed fast pyrolysis of empty fruit bunch (EFB) in the range of temperature from $400{\sim}550^{\circ}C$ and 1.3 s of residence time. The effect of temperature on the yields and physicochemical properties of pyrolytic products were also studied. Elemental and component analysis of EFB showed that the large amount of potassium (ca. 8400 ppm) presents in the feedstock. Thermogravimetric analysis suggested that the potassium in the feedstock catalyzed degradation of cellulose. The yield of bio-oil increased with increasing temperature in the range of temperature from $400{\sim}500^{\circ}C$, while that of gas and biochar decreased and showed monotonous change each with increasing temperature. When the EFB was pyrolyzed at $550^{\circ}C$, the yield of bio-oil and char decreased while that of gas increased. Water content of the bio-oils obtained at different temperatures was 20~30% and their total acid number were less than 100 mg KOH/g oil. Viscosity of the bio-oils was 11 cSt (centistoke), and heating value varied from 15 to 17 MJ/kg. Using GC/MS analysis, 27 chemical compounds which were classified into two groups (cellulose-derived and lignin-derived) were identified. Remarkably the concentration of phenol was approximately 25% based on entire chemical compounds.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.470-478
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• 2020

Spent coffee grounds (SCG), the residue after brewing coffee beverage, is a promising biodiesel feedstock due to its high oil contents (15-20%). However, SCG should be pretreated to reduce the high free fatty acid content, which hampers transesterification reaction. To overcome this, we explored a direct transesterification reaction of SCG using ultrasound irradiation and identified the optimal sonication parameters. A high fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content, up to 97.2%, could be achieved with ultrasound amplitude of 99.2 ㎛, irradiation time of 10 min, and methanol to oil ratio of 7:1 in the presence of potassium hydroxide concentration of 1.25 wt.%. In addition, we demonstrated that ultrasound irradiation is an efficient method to produce biodiesel from untreated SCG in a short time with less energy than the conventional mechanical stirring method. The physical and chemical properties of the SCG biodiesel met the requirements for an alternative fuel to the current commercial biodiesel.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.229-241
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• 2018

Microalgae are likely to become a part of our everyday diet in the near future as they are considered to be rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and high density lipoproteins. They will play a pivotal role in the food cycle of many people around the globe. Use of microalgae in treating wastewater is also one of the disciplines which are luring researchers as this contributes to a sustainable way of exploiting resources while keeping the environment safe. In addition, microalgal biomass also has the potential to be used as a feedstock for producing biofuel, bio fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and other bio-based products. This review presents the different value-added products obtained from microalgal biomass and the applicability of these products commercially.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 2020

The bio-oil produced from the fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass contains a high amount of oxygenates, causing variation in the properties of bio-oil, such as instability, high acidity, and low heating value, reducing the quality of the bio-oil. Consequently, an upgrading process should be recommended ensuring that these bio-oils are widely used as fuel sources. Catalytic fast pyrolysis has attracted a great deal of attention as a promising method for producing upgraded bio-oil from biomass feedstock. In this study, the fast pyrolysis of tulip tree was performed in a bubbling fluidized-bed reactor under different reaction temperatures, with and without catalysts, to investigate the effects of pyrolysis temperature and catalysts on product yield and bio-oil quality. The system used silica sand, ferric oxides (Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄), and H-ZSM-5 as the fluidized-bed material and nitrogen as the fluidizing medium. The liquid yield reached the highest value of 49.96 wt% at 450 ℃, using Fe₂O₃ catalyst, compared to 48.45 wt% for H-ZSM-5, 47.57 wt% for Fe₃O₄ and 49.03 wt% with sand. Catalysts rejected oxygen mostly as water and produced a lower amount of CO and CO₂, but a higher amount of H₂ and hydrocarbon gases. The catalytic fast pyrolysis showed a high ratio of H₂/CO than sand as a bed material.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.453-465
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• 2014

The paper provides a review on bio-oil production technology from biomass by using fast pyrolysis to use heating fuel, power fuel and transport fuel. One of the most promising methods for a small scale conversion of biomass into liquid fuels is fast pyrolysis. In fast pyrolysis, bio-oil is produced by rapidly heating biomass to intermediate temperature ($450{\sim}600^{\circ}C$) in the absence of any external oxygen followed by rapid quenching of the resulting vapor. Bio-oil can be produced in weight yield maximum 75 wt% of the original dry biomass and bio-oils typically contain 60-75% of the initial energy of the biomass. In this study, it is described focusing on the characterization of feedstock, production principle of bio-oil, bio-oil's property and it's application sector.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.588-598
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• 2015

Recently, the government is actively promoting the RFS(Renewable Fuel Standards) and RPS(Renewable Portfolio Standards). Therefore, the importance of renewable energy fuel is being highlighted more than ever. Now is the time required active research in Korea. Since power bio-fuel oil demonstration project is underway dissemination to meet RPS quota. In this study, we investigated emission performance to make the performance standard draft of bio-fuel oil. In addition, the quality properties of the fuel oil and bio-oil, and after combustion in industrial boilers and compared the amount of exhaust gas. It was reduced emissions of bio-oil in industrial boilers due to bio-fuel properties as compare with fuel oil.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.400-407
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• 2016

A unicellular green alga, Chlorella vulgaris KNUA027, was isolated from the roots of Panax ginseng seedlings and its biotechnological potential was investigated. The results of GC/MS analysis showed that C. vulgaris KNUA027 was rich in nutritionally important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as alpha-linolenic acid (C_18:3 ω3, 45.8%, 50.8 mg/g) and hexadecatrienoic acid (C_16:3 ω3, 11.8%, 13.1 mg/g). Therefore, this Korean indigenous microalga may have potential as a source of omega-3 PUFAs. It was also found that the saturated palmitic acid (C_16:0, 37.1%, 41.2 mg/g), which is suitable for biodiesel production, was one of the major fatty acids produced by strain KNUA027. The proximate analysis showed that the volatile matter content was 88.5%, and the ultimate analysis indicated that the higher heating value was 19.8 MJ/kg. Therefore, the results from this research with C. vulgaris KNUA027 may provide the basis for the production of microalgae-based biofuels and biomass feedstock.