• Title/Summary/Keyword: energy resource development

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Black Gold or the Devil's Curse? Oil and Networks in Azerbaijan (검은 황금인가 악마의 저주인가? 아제르바이쟌의 석유와 연줄망)

  • Lee, Chai-Mun
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.11 no.6
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    • pp.640-656
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    • 2005
  • A chronic depression in the Korean economy, which depends mostly on imported oil, has been attributed partly to rising crude oil prices recently. Against the backdrop of these realities in Korea, Azerbaijan in the Caspian region, with vast oil and gas deposits, has been greeted enviously by some Koreans. Many transition economies, especially on the Caspian region trumpeted by the oil boom, however, are rich in natural resources, but the benefits of those resources are appropriated by the local elite in collusion with foreign companies. Azerbaijan, in particular, is dominated by a series of internal and external patronage networks. Foreign capital nourishes those networks surrounding President Aliev. Thus, the case of Azerbaijan shows that resource rents in the transition economies sometimes do not help in improving the living conditions of ordinary people. Rather rich resource rents turn out to be a major impediment to the emerging development of the transition economy, lessening the incentives to reform in the country. The result was the possibility of the so-called Dutch Disease, in which disproportionate growth in a certain energy sector tends to crowd out investment in other sectors of the economy.

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A Research Trend on Lunar Resources and Lunar Base (달 자원 탐사와 달 기지 연구 동향)

  • Kim, Kyeong Ja
    • The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.373-384
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    • 2017
  • A new era with the $4^{th}$ Industrial Revolution certainly brings new opportunities for human to explore human's activities outside of the Earth. After the Apollo program, exploration for lunar resources and establishment of lunar base seem to be in reality. This could be due to new findings by the LCROSS and LRO proving the advanced scientific development and new scientific results about the moon from Asian countries including China with Chang'E missions. It is expected that fossil fuels will be in shortage in the near future and at this time, Helium-3 could be an energy resource as a replacement of the fossil fuels. At present it is well known that countries like Russia, USA, and Europe will continue to investigate on lunar exploration especially with landers toward future human activities on the moon to establish a lunar base. With this point of view, it is important for human to understand lunar resources and prepare for prospective utilization of lunar resources. This review paper considers on a point of view in both lunar resource exploration and establishment of lunar base.

Development of Watershed-based Surface Soil Information System based on Web GIS (Web GIS기반의 수계기반 표토정보 시스템 개발)

  • Sung, Yunsoo;Lee, Dongjun;Lim, Kyoung Jae;Yang, Jae E;Lee, Seoro;Kim, Jonggun
    • Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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    • v.22 no.6
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    • pp.94-103
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    • 2017
  • Surface soil is one of the most important resources that have many functions for human needs such as conservation of water resource, purification of contaminated materials, and productivity of food or energy. However, the surface soil is a limited resource that cannot be recovered readily for a long time once it is lost by erosion. In Korea, the Ministry of Environment enacted the notification on the investigation of surface soil erosion and corresponding countermeasures. As the results, database of soil quality assess criteria (biomass, groundwater recharge, habitat, carbon storage, buffer, and soil loss) was established, and the web-based system that can evaluate surface soil conditions was developed. However, non-experts have difficulties in using the system because the system requires in-depth knowledge about soil qualities. In this study, the Web Geographic Information System (GIS) watershed-based surface soil information system was developed to improve usability of the system and accessibility of soil quaility database. The system provides the current condition of surface soil characteristics and GIS-based soil data at selected locations. The users are able to download soil quality data in different districts, watersheds, and special regions allocated by TauDEM module. The system developed in this study would valuable surface soil information for studies of soil quality and its environmental effects, and thereby contributing to establishing more appropriate and robust soil conservation laws.

A Study on the 1955 to 1962 China's Policies toward Africa Region -focusing on the Bandung Conference and the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity - (1955-1962 기간의 중국 대외정책에 관한 연구 - 반둥회의와 아시아-아프리카 인민연대회의를 중심으로 -)

  • Kim, Dong Hwan
    • International Area Studies Review
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.873-896
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    • 2009
  • China's the resource diplomacy towards Africa as successful results that are difficult to find precedents even within the world's diplomatic community. These results was after having its first diplomatic contact with Africa, during the Bandung Conference of 1955, China supported the armed independence movement of each colony in Africa. These several material and immaterial ad and sacrifice continued for over half a century and they could be see as the products of the Cold War that was created. The importance of the argument, how did and international relation that began as an idea extend into the spheres of politics and economics, has resurfaced. With this objective, the purpose of this research is to understand the initial stages of Chinese versus African policies that started with the first official contact between China and Africa, centered on the 1995 Bandung Conference and the 1957 Afro-Asian People's Solidarity and Study the development of the ensuing relationship.

Sustainable Design Method of Reinforced Concrete Beam Using Embodied Energy Optimization Technique (내재에너지 최적화를 통한 철근 콘크리트 보의 지속가능 설계법)

  • Yoon, Young-Cheol;Kim, Kyeong-Hwan;Yeo, DongHun;Lee, Sang-Ho
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.34 no.4
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    • pp.1053-1063
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    • 2014
  • This study presents a sustainable design method that optimizes the embodied energy of concrete beam based on the concept of sustainable development that effectively utilizes natural resource and energy within the range that our succeeding generation can afford to utilize. In order to get the flexural strength carrying the ultimate load, concrete beam sections are designed by optimization that consists of the embodied energy as a objective function and the requirements of design code as constrained conditions. The sustainable design can be used to minimize the embodied energy consumed in material production, construction, operation, demolition of the infrastructure. As a result of comparison of the cost and the embodied energy optimizations based on practical beam sections, it is shown that 20% embodied energy saving and 35% $CO_2$ emission saving are achieved by sacrificing 10% cost increase. The sustainable design method provides a new effective methodology that manages the strength design concept based on cost minimization together with economic feasibility and sustainability. In addition, the method is expected to be applied to more various structural design practices.

Utilization of Upgraded Solid Fuel Made by the Torrefaction of Indonesian Biomass (인도네시아 바이오매스 반탄화를 통해 제조된 고품위 고형연료의 활용)

  • Yoo, Jiho
    • Clean Technology
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.239-250
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    • 2020
  • Biomass is an abundant renewable energy resource that can replace fossil fuels for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG). Indonesia has a large number of cheap biomass feedstocks, such as reforestation (waste wood) and palm residues (empty fruit bunch or EFB). In general, raw biomass contains more than 20% moisture and lacks calorific value, energy density, grindability, and combustion efficiency. Those properties are not acceptable fuel attributes as the conditions currently stand. Recently, torrefaction facilities, especially in European countries, have been built to upgrade raw biomass to solid fuel with high quality. In Korea, there is no significant market for torrefied solid fuel (co-firing) made of biomass residues, and only the wood pellet market presently thrives (~ 2 million ton yr-1). However, increasing demand for an upgraded solid fuel exists. In Indonesia, torrefied woody residues as co-firing fuel are economically feasible under the governmental promotion of renewable energy such as in feed-in-tariff (FIT). EFB, one of the chief palm residues, could replace coal in cement kiln when the emission trading system (ETS) and clean development mechanism (CDM) system are implemented. However, technical issues such as slagging (alkali metal) and corrosion (chlorine) should be addressed to utilize torrefied EFB at a pulverized coal boiler.

Patent Analysis of SDA Technology for Heavy Oil Upgrading (중질유 고부가화를 위한 SDA 개발 기술의 특허 정보 분석)

  • Kim, Yong-Heon;Lee, Won-Su;Kim, Jae-Ho;Jeon, Sang-Goo;Na, Jeong-Geol;Nho, Nam-Sun;Lee, Ki-Bong
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.372-376
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    • 2010
  • Non-conventional energy is considered as important future energy source, as conventional energy has limitation for its capacity. The demand on value added process in heavy oil/oil sand bitumen is increasing in particular. Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) process for Deasphalted Oil (DAO) is used as heavy oil upgrading process in existing refinery process. SDA process for heavy oil upgrading has been already commercialized by leading countries. SDA R&D projects have been carried out actively by those countries. In this study, patent analysis for SDA technology development was carried out. From 1970's, when SDA patents were applied, the patents in Korea, USA, Japan, Canada and Europe were searched and distributed to extraction, recovery, solvent and etc. 334 patents were selected relating to heavy oil upgrading SDA process. The application status of SDA process patents showed a tendency to increase slightly. The number of patent applied was USA patent 131 (39%), Canada patent 83 (25%), Japan patent 35 (11%) and Korea patent 6 (2%). It will be necessary for efficient use of energy resource to support SDA R&D by government.

Analysis of the Policy Network for the “Feed-in Tariff Law” in Japan: Evidence from the GEPON Survey

  • Okura, Sae;Tkach-Kawasaki, Leslie;Kobashi, Yohei;Hartwig, Manuela;Tsujinaka, Yutaka
    • Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.41-63
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    • 2016
  • Energy policy is known to have higher path dependency among policy fields (Kuper and van Soest, 2003; OECD, 2012; Kikkawa, 2013) and is a critical component of the infrastructure development undertaken in the early stages of nation building. Actor roles, such as those played by interest groups, are firmly formed, making it unlikely that institutional change can be implemented. In resource-challenged Japan, energy policy is an especially critical policy area for the Japanese government. In comparing energy policy making in Japan and Germany, Japan’s policy community is relatively firm (Hartwig et al., 2015), and it is improbable that institutional change can occur. The Japanese government’s approach to energy policy has shifted incrementally in the past half century, with the most recent being the 2012 implementation of the “Feed-In Tariff Law” (Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Renewable Electric Energy by Operators of Electric Utilities), which encourages new investment in renewable electricity generation and promotes the use of renewable energy. Yet, who were the actors involved and the factors that influenced the establishment of this new law? This study attempts to assess the factors associated with implementing the law as well as the roles of the relevant major actors. In answering this question, we focus on identifying the policy networks among government, political parties, and interest groups, which suggests that success in persuading key economic groups could be a factor in promoting the law. Our data is based on the “Global Environmental Policy Network Survey 2012-2013 (GEPON2)” which was conducted immediately after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with respondents including political parties, the government, interest groups, and civil society organizations. Our results suggest that the Feed in Tariff (FIT) Law’s network structure is similar to the information network and support network, and that the actors at the center of the network support the FIT Law. The strength of our research lays in our focus on political networks and their contributing mechanism to the law’s implementation through analysis of the political process. From an academic perspective, identifying the key actors and factors may be significant in explaining institutional change in policy areas with high path dependency. Close examination of this issue also has implications for a society that can promote renewable and sustainable energy resources.

The Nutritive Value of Grains from Barley Cultivars (Wooho, Youngyang, Yuyeon) (청보리 종실의 품종별(우호, 영양, 유연) 사료가치 평가)

  • Kim, Hoi-Yun;Chu, Gyo-Moon;Kim, Sam-Churl;Ha, Ji-Hee;Kim, Jong-Hyun;Lee, Sung-Dae;Song, Young-Min
    • Journal of agriculture & life science
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    • v.46 no.3
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    • pp.69-78
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    • 2012
  • This study was conducted to investigate the nutritive value of grains from barley cultivars (wooho, youngyang and yuyeon) for substitution of the feedstuffs as corn and soybean meal. In results of proximately analysis, the crude protein concentration was significantly higher (p<0.05) in barley grains than in corn and the crude fat concentration was significantly lower (p<0.05) in barley grains than in soybean meal. The metabolism energy of barley grains was significantly lower (p<0.05) than corn and it was higher (p<0.05) than soybean meal. The in vitro results of pepsin digestibility was significantly higher (p<0.05) in soybean meal than in barley grains and corn, and it was similar barely grains with corn. Barley grains significantly higher (p<0.05) the composition of saturated fatty acids than corn and soybean meal, while lower (p<0.05) the compositions of unsaturated fatty acids and essential fatty acidsin barley grain. The composition of linolenic acid, concentration of lysine and mineral was significantly higher (p<0.05) in barley grains than in corn, while lower (p<0.05) than soybean meal. Therefore, the barley grains is sufficient for substitution of corn. Moreover, the barley grain of yuyeon has high concentrations of crude protein, metabolism energy, lysine and minerals compared with barley grains of wooho and youngyang.

Introduction of KIER Pyrolysis Process and 3,000 ton/yr Demonstration Plant (KIER의 열분해유화 공정 기술과 실증플랜트 소개)

  • Shin, Dae-Hyun;Jeon, Sang-Gu;Kim, Kwang-Ho;Lee, Kyong-Hwan;Roh, Nam-Sun;Lee, Ki-Bong
    • 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2008.05a
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    • pp.479-482
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    • 2008
  • Since late of 2000, KIER has developed a novel pyrolysis process for production of fuel oils from polymer wastes. It could have been possible due to large-scale funding of the Resource Recycling R&D Center. The target was to develop an uncatalyzed, continuous and automatic process producing oils that can be used as a fuel for small-scale industrial boilers. The process development has proceeded in three stages bench-scale unit, pilot plant and demonstration plant. As a result, the demonstration plant having capacity of 3,000 tons/year has been constructed and is currently under test operation for optimization of operation conditions. The process consisted of four parts ; feeding system, cracking reactor, refining system and others. Raw materials were pretreated via shredding and classifying to remove minerals, water, etc. There were 3 kind of products, oils(80%), gas(15%), carbonic residue(5%). The main products i.e. oils were gasoline and diesel. The calorific value of gas has been found to be about 18,000kcal/$m^3$ which is similar to petroleum gas and shows that it could be used as a process fuel. Key technologies adopted in the process are 1) Recirculation of feed for rapid melting and enhancement of fluidity for automatic control of system, 2) Tubular reactor specially-designed for heavy heat flux and prevention of coking, 3)Recirculation of heavy fraction for prevention of wax formation, and 4) continuous removal & re-reaction of sludge for high yield of main product (oil) and minimization of residue. The advantages of the process are full automation, continuous operation, no requirement of catalyst, minimization of coking and sludge problems, maximizing the product(fuel oil) yield and purity, low initial investment and operation costs and environment- friendly process. In this presentation, background of pyrolysis technology development, the details of KIER pyrolysis process flow, key technologies and the performances of the process will be discussed in detail.

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