• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.287-298
• /
• 2021

Torch ginger (Etlingera elatior Jack) is a potential source of lignocellulose material for various derivative products. This study aims to determine the chemical components, ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl units (S/G) in lignin, and crystallinity of the biomass of torch ginger. The effects of soda pulping on the chemical characteristics of torch ginger pulp were also studied. Pulping of the chips was conducted with active alkali of 15%, 20%, and 25% and a Liquor-to-Wood (L/W) ratio of 4:1, 5:1, and 6:1. The impregnation and pulping times at maximum temperature (170℃) were 120 and 90 min, respectively. To assess the effect of treatments on the properties of pulping, a two-factorial experimental design was applied. Results showed that the content of α-cellulose and hemicellulose in the torch ginger was 48.48% and 31.50%, respectively, with an S/G ratio of 0.70 in lignin. Soda pulping changed the crystalline structure of the biomass from triclinic to monoclinic. Active alkali, L/W ratio, and interactions considerably influenced the observed responses. The degree of delignification increased with an increase in the loading of active alkali, which lead to a decrease in the kappa number of the pulp. An active alkali content of 25% and an L/W ratio of 6:1 resulted in the highest delignification selectivity with a kappa number of 2.78 and a yield of 24%. Given its cellulose content and ease of pulping, torch ginger can be a potential raw material for derivative products that require delignification as pretreatment. However, the increase in cellulose crystallinity should be considered when converting torch ginger to bioethanol.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.24-30
• /
• 2013

Today, the modification of carbon foam for high performance remains a major issue in the environment and energy industries. One promising way to solve this problem is the optimization of the pore structure for desired properties as well as for efficient performance. In this study, using a sol-gel process followed by carbonization in an inert atmosphere, hollow spherical carbon foam was prepared using resorcinol and formaldehyde precursors catalyzed by 4-aminobenzoic acid; the effect of carbonization temperature and re-immersion treatment on the pore structure and characteristics of the hollow spherical carbon foam was investigated. As the carbonization temperature increased, the porosity and average pore diameter were found to decrease but the compression strength and electrical conductivity dramatically increased in the temperature range of this study ($700^{\circ}C$ to $850^{\circ}C$). The significant differences of X-ray diffraction patterns obtained from the carbon foams carbonized under different temperatures implied that the degree of crystallinity greatly affects the characteristics of the carbon form. Also, the number of re-impregnations of carbon form in the resorcinol-formaldehyde resin was varied from 1 to 10 times, followed by re-carbonization at $800^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours under argon gas flow. As the number of re-immersion treatments increased, the porosity decreased while the compression strength improved by about four times when re-impregnation was repeated 10 times. These results imply the possibility of customizing the characteristics of carbon foam by controlling the carbonization and re-immersion conditions.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.280-284
• /
• 2007

Samples of active carbon of $1150\;m^2/g$ surface area were impregnated with ammoniacal salts of copper, chromium and silver, with and without triethylenediamine. The samples of impregnated carbon were aged at $50^{\circ}C$, with and without 90% RH (relative humidity), for a little more than one year and chemically evaluated periodically. Initially copper (II) and chromium (VI) reduced very fast in the samples in humid atmosphere to the extent of 30% and 60% respectively in four months. These values were found to be unaffected by the presence of triethylenediamine (TEDA) indicating that the chemical did not retard the reduction process of chromium (VI) and copper (II). However, in the absence of humidity the reduction of the impregnants was significantly less (10-12%, w/w) in four months. It was quite evident; therefore, that the moisture was mainly responsible for the reduction of chromium (VI) and copper (II) species in impregnated carbons. The prolonged ageing of the samples with and without triethylenediamme after four months with and without humid atmosphere showed that the extent of reduction of chromium (VI) was very low, i.e. 5-10% and of copper (II) was 2-25%. Silver is not reduced due to carbon, as it remained unchanged in concentration on storage. The impregnated carbon samples (100 g) without triethylenediamine, which were aged at room temperature for 5 years in absence of humidity and unaged when evaluated against cyanogen chloride (CNCl) at a concentration of 4 mg/L and airflow rate of 30 lpm showed a high degree of protection (80- 110 minutes).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.345-350
• /
• 2008

Polymer Impregnated Concrete (PIC) prepared from Ordinary Portland Cement Concrete (OPC) has excellent mechanical properties as well as physico-chemical properties. For the manufacturing of PIC, drying process of basis concrete (precast concrete), impregnation process with evacuation system and ultrasonic vibration system, polymerization process of monomers are essential. Modified microwave reactor using magnetron was used for polymerization of styrene/MMA (1 : 1) impregnated in pore volume of basis concrete. From the experimental results, the degree of polymerization increased up to 30% and more homogeneous PIC was prepared as compared to the conventional thermal method. Also the mechanical strengths increased more than 400% ($800{\sim}1200kg_f/cm^2$) and the resistance for corrosion to acids was improved up to 25%. AIBN and BPO as initiators for polymerization were used at the concentration less than 1%. Optimum conditions for polymerization were obtained at the frequency of microwave of 400 W and 2450 MHz, and optimum reaction temperature was $120^{\circ}C$ at an atmospheric pressure.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.221-229
• /
• 2017

In this study, a wet impregnation method was applied to catalysts based on the active metal Pt in order to confirm the oxidation characteristics of various commercial alumina supports at room temperature. The catalysts were characterized using XPS, CO-chemisorption, and BET. Various $Pt/Al_2O_3$ catalysts controlled the oxygen species of Pt by the electronegativity of electrons and charges when the catalyst was prepared according to the heat treatment conditions. The reason that the dispersion degree decreases with increasing Pt loading seems to be attributed to HT (Huttig Temperature) of Pt. In addition, the minimum hydrogen concentration that can be controlled at room temperature can control hydrogen from metallic Pt up to 1.0 vol% at over 70.09% in the catalyst.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2007

Objectives : Epilepsy is one of the most common serious brain disorders that affect people of all ages, and it is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. We examined whether acupuncture can reduce both the incidence of seizures and hippocampal cell death in dentate gyrus (DG) using a mouse model of kainic acid (KA)-induced epilepsy. Methods : ICR mice ($20{\sim}25$ g) were given acupuncture once a day at acupoint HT8 (sobu) bilaterally during 2 days before KA injection. After an intracerebroventricular injection of 0.1${\mu}g$ of KA, acupuncture treatment was subsequently administered once more (total 3 times), and the degree of seizure was observed for 20 min. Three hours after injection, we confirmed the neural cell death using cresyl violet staining and silver impregnation staining, and determined the expressions of c-Fos and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)-67 using immunohistochemistry techniques in the DG. Results : KA induced epileptic seizure, neural cell death, increased c-Fos expression and decreased GAD-67 expression in the DG. Acupuncture treatment at HT8 reduced the severity of the epileptic seizure and inhibited neural cell death from KA. In addition, acupuncture normalized the expressions of c-Fos and GAD-67 in the same areas. Conclusions : These results demonstrated that acupuncture treatment at HT8 may reduce the KA-induced epileptic seizure and neural cell death in the DG possibly by normalizing c-Fos expressions and the gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.203-210
• /
• 2000

The preparative methods of a chitosan-deposited activated carbon and its characteristics were studied by using three kinds of chitosan with different degree of deacetylation and average molecular weight. The procedure was consisted of the dissolution of chitosan into acid solution, impregnation of activated carbon, agitation, evaporation, and drying. When the chitosan-dissolved acid and its concentration, amounts of chitosan deposited, and agitation conditions were changed, the specific surface area, deposition state on surface, and stability were investigated, and amounts of Cr(VI) adsorbed was measured. In the preparation process, it was proper to agitate the chitosan-dissolved acetic acid solution at room temperature for 1hr. In the deposition of chitosan with low molecular weight, the specific surface area of activated carbon was greatly decreased even at low chitosan loading, but in the case of high molecular weight it was not nearly changed to 10wt% loading. It was known that chitosan was uniformly and physically deposited on activated carbon. The chitosan-deposited activated carbon was stable into the solution over about pH 6. The removal of Cr(VI) was remarkably enhanced by adding the adsorption function of chitosan to the surface of activated carbon with about 5wt% chitosan. It may be therefore used as an adsorbent for removing the pollutants in air and wastewater.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 2017

Currently, since carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are lightweight and have excellent physical properties, their demand has increased dramatically. Many works have studied the CFRPs based on recycled thermoplastics. In this study, the applicability of recycled composite was evaluated using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET was collected from waste materials used in beverage bottles and processed to produce PET films. Optimal thermoforming temperature and time were analyzed by comparing the mechanical properties with forming temperature and time difference for producing PET films. CF mat and PET film were used to determine the suitable parameters for the optimum thermoforming of CF/PET composites. The mechanical properties of each thermoforming condition were verified by bending test. The degree of impregnation of the PET film into the CF mat was evaluated by cross-sectional photographs, whereas the interfacial properties were evaluated by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). Ultimately, it was confirmed that the thermoforming condition for forming the CF/recycled PET composites yielding the optimal mechanical and interfacial properties was at $270^{\circ}C$ for 5 minutes.