• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2024

In order to produce high-yield pitch-based activated carbon, pitch was synthesized by blending pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) and coal-tar. Pitch was synthesized by varying the amount of coal-tar from 0~20% compared to PFO and reacting at 380~420 ℃ for 3 h. The synthesized pitch had a softening point between 80 and 260 ℃, and yields ranged from 10 to 40%. At all synthesis temperatures, as the coal-tar blending ratio increased, the yield increased and the softening point decreased. After considering the selected pitches (softening points: 230~260 ℃), pitches containing coal-tar were more volatile at a low boiling point and had a higher residual carbon content. This is a difference in the composition of coal-tar and PFO, and it was con- firmed that coal-tar has a lot of aromatics and PFO has a lot of aliphatics. The selected pitch was heated to 950 ℃ in a tubular reactor and physically activated with steam for 1 hour. Activated carbon containing coal-tar showed higher yield and microporosity compared to only PFO. In this study, the effect of increasing activated carbon yield by blending pitch raw materials was confirmed, and the physical activation characteristics according to the coal-tar mixing ratio were examined.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2014

The synthesis of Fischer-Tropsch oil is the catalytic hydrogenation of CO to give a range of products, which can be used for the production of high-quality diesel fuel, gasoline and linear chemicals. Our cobalt catalyst was prepared Co/alumina, Co/silica and Co/titania by the incipient wetness impregnation of the nitrates of cobalt with supports. Co-based catalysts was calcined at $400^{\circ}C$ before being loaded into the FT reactors. After the reduction of catalyst has carried out under $450^{\circ}C$, FT reaction of the catalyst has carried out at GHSV of 4,000 under $200^{\circ}C$ and 20atm. From test results, the order of increasing activity for the catalyst was Co/alumina > Co/silica > Co/titania. When the content of Co metal such as 5, 12, 20 and 30wt% was changed, an CO conversion increased as the content of Co metal increased. The activity of catalyst has obtained the best value at 12wt% Co content.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.239-273
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• 2007

Bunker-C is sold at the different price in the market for international bunkering and for export, though the quality of bunker-c is not much different in two markets. The price difference in two markets tends to increase since 2002 in Korea. This study shows that there is a possibility for a structural change in the price difference in two markets in Korea around June, 2002. In the search for possible explanations for this structural change, empirical analyses found that the price difference in Singapore, which had not have any explanatory power before June, 2002, has explained the price difference in Korea after July, 2002. Other explanatory variable for the price difference was the growth rate of crude oil price in the previous period. The empirical results suggest that the price difference in bunkering market and export market might be explained by the price discrimination which is adopted as a competitive strategy by oil companies in competing with Singapore.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.381-389
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• 2019

Chlorella vulgaris was isolated from the Nile River, Qalubia Governorate, Egypt, for possible use in biodiesel production. BG-II nutrient growth media was used for isolation and laboratory growth. Identification was performed via 18S rRNA gene amplification, followed by sequencing. The alga was exposed to UV-C (254 nm) for 15, 30, and 45 s to improve dry weight accumulation and to increase the oil production. Daily measurements of dry weight ($g{\cdot}l^{-1}$) were performed; oil content and volumetric lipid productivity were also determined. UV-C exposure led to an increase in the volumetric lipid productivity by 27, 27.3, and $32.4mg{\cdot}l^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$ with 15, 30, and 45 s, respectively, as compared with the control, which resulted in $18mg{\cdot}l^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$. Of the examined mutants, the one with the highest productivity was re-irradiated by UV-C (254 nm) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 s. For 15 s of exposure time, the oil content increased to 34%, while it was 31% at 30 s; further, it decreased to 22% at 45 and 60 s exposures. The fatty acid methyl ester profile was 82.22% in the first mutant at 45 s, compared with the wild strain that contained a total of 66.01% of FAs. Furthermore, the highest levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl ester were observed in the mutant exposed for 45 s, and it reached 11.41%, which reduced the cetane number to 71.3.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.672-677
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• 2012

Lipids in microalgal biomass were recovered by using pyrolysis method. The pyrolysis experiments of two Chlorella sp. KR-1 samples, which have triglyceride contents of 10.8% and 36.5%, respectively were carried out at $600^{\circ}C$ to investigate the effects of lipid contents in the cells on the reaction characteristics. The conversion and liquid yield of the lipid-rich sample were higher than those of the lipid-lean sample since its carbon to hydrogen ratio was low. There were low molecular weight organic acids, ketones, aldehydes and alcohols in the liquid products from both KR-1 samples, but the pyrolysis oil of the lipid-rich sample was abundant in free fatty acids, particularly palmitic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid while the content of nitrogen containing organic compounds was low. The microalgal pyrolysis oil had two layers composed of the light hydrophobic fraction and the heavy hydrophilic fraction. The light fraction might be originated from triglycerides and the heavy fraction might be from carbohydrates and proteins. In the light fraction of the liquid products, there were considerable linear alkanes such as pentadecane and heptadecane as well as free fatty acids, implying that deoxygenation reaction including decarboxylation was occurred during the pyrolysis. The yield of the liquid products from the pyrolysis of the KR-1 sample having triglyceride content of 36.5% was 56.9% and the light fraction in the liquid products was 68.2%. Also more than 80% of the light fraction was free fatty acids and pure hydrocarbons, thus showing that most triglycerides could be extracted in the form of suitable raw materials for biofuels.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 2004

In this study, thermochemical degradation by pyrolysis-liquefaction of cellulose, the effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, conversion yield, degradation properties and degradation products were investigated . Experiments were performed in a tube reactor by varying reaction time from 20 to 80 min at $200{\sim}500^\circ{C}$. Combustion heating value of liquid products from thermochemical conversion processes of cellulose was in the range of 6,920~6,960cal/g. After 40min of reaction at $400^\circ{C}$ in pyrolysis-liquefaction of cellulose, the energy yield and mass yield was as high as 54.3% and 34.0g oil/100g raw material, respectively. The liquid products from pyrolysis-liquefaction of cellulose contained various kinds of ketones, phenols and furans. ketones and furans could be used as high-octane-value fuels and fuel additives. However, phenols are not valuable as fuels.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2007

Rice straw, produced as an agricultural by-product, is usable biomass as fuels if depolymerized to monomer unit, because the chemical structure are similar to high octane materials found in gasoline. In this study, parameters of thermochemical degradation by solvolysis reaction of rice straw such as the effect of reaction temperature, reaction time and type of solvent on conversion yield and degradation products were investigated. It was found that the effectiveness of the solvent on the solvolysis reaction was as follows; acetone>cresol>butanol. When acetone was used as a solvent, the highest rice straw conversion was observed to be 91.5% at $500^{\circ}C$, 40 min. Combustion heating value of liquid products from thermochemical conversion processes was in the range of 7,380 cal/g. The energy yield and mass yield in acetone-solvolysis of rice straw was as high as 69.0% and 38.2 g-oil/100g-raw material after 40 min of reaction at $350^{\circ}C$. Various aliphatic and aromatic compounds were detected in the rice straw solvolysis products. The major components of the solvolysis products, that could be used as fuel, were 4-methyl-2-pentanone, 3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclopentan-1-one as ketones.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.34-45
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• 2016

Global warming and climate change have been caused by combustion of fossil fuels. The greenhouse gases contributed to the rise of temperature between $0.6^{\circ}C$ and $0.9^{\circ}C$ over the past century. Presently, fossil fuels account for about 88% of the commercial energy sources used. In developing countries, fossil fuels are a very attractive energy source because they are available and relatively inexpensive. The environmental problems with fossil fuels have been aggravating stress from already existing factors including acid deposition, urban air pollution, and climate change. In order to control greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, fossil fuels must be replaced by eco-friendly fuels such as biomass. The use of renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly necessary. The biomass resources are the most common form of renewable energy. The conversion of biomass into energy can be achieved in a number of ways. The most common form of converted biomass is pellet fuels as biofuels made from compressed organic matter or biomass. Pellets from lignocellulosic biomass has compared to conventional fuels with a relatively low bulk and energy density and a low degree of homogeneity. Thermal pretreatment technology like torrefaction is applied to improve fuel efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass, i.e., less moisture and oxygen in the product, preferrable grinding properties, storage properties, etc.. During torrefacton, lignocelluosic biomass such as palm kernell shell (PKS) and empty fruit bunch (EFB) was roasted under an oxygen-depleted enviroment at temperature between 200 and $300^{\circ}C$. Low degree of thermal treatment led to the removal of moisture and low molecular volatile matters with low O/C and H/C elemental ratios. The mechanical characteristics of torrefied biomass have also been altered to a brittle and partly hydrophobic materials. Unfortunately, it was much harder to form pellets from torrefied PKS and EFB due to thermal degradation of lignin as a natural binder during torrefaction compared to non-torrefied ones. For easy pelletization of biomass with torrefaction, pellets from PKS and EFB were manufactured before torrefaction, and thereafter they were torrefied at different temperature. Even after torrefaction of pellets from PKS and EFB, their appearance was well preserved with better fuel efficiency than non-torrefied ones. The physical properties of the torrefied pellets largely depended on the torrefaction condition such as reaction time and reaction temperature. Temperature over $250^{\circ}C$ during torrefaction gave a significant impact on the fuel properties of the pellets. In particular, torrefied EFB pellets displayed much faster development of the fuel properties than did torrefied PKS pellets. During torrefaction, extensive carbonization with the increase of fixed carbons, the behavior of thermal degradation of torrefied biomass became significantly different according to the increase of torrefaction temperature. In conclusion, pelletization of PKS and EFB before torrefaction made it much easier to proceed with torrefaction of pellets from PKS and EFB, leading to excellent eco-friendly fuels.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.640-646
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• 2021

In this study, pitch was synthesized using pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO). Coke with mesophase microstructure was then prepared from the synthesized pitch and its properties were evaluated. Pitch was synthesized by poly-condensation reaction, which is an endothermic reaction at a temperature above 400 ℃ because the PFO was mainly composed of molecules with two to three aromatic rings. The Coke reactor was composed of the pretreatment reactor, preheater for applying heat energy, and coke drum for inducing microstructure of coke. Coke was prepared from synthesized pitch by controlling the temperature of the preheater to 400~490 ℃, and properties were evaluated by polarization microscope, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The coke prepared at a preheater temperature of 460 ℃ identified flow anisotropic microstructure, and the electrical conductivity was 72.0 S/cm due to high crystallinity. And the flow anisotropic coke showed approximately 2.2 times higher electrical conductivity than that of Super-P, a conductive carbon material.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.587-594
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• 2010

Hydrogen is an alternative fuel for the future energy which can reduce pollutants and greenhouse gases. Synthesis gas has played an important role of synthesizing the valuable chemical compounds, for example methanol, DME and GTL chemicals. Renewable biomass feedstocks can be potentially used for fuel and chemicals. Current thermal processing techniques such as fast pyrolysis, slow pyrolysis, and gasification tend to generate products with a large slate of compounds. Lignocellulose feedstocks such as forest residues are promising for the production of bio-oil and synthesis gas. Pyrolysis and gasification was investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and bubbling fluidized bed gasification reactor to utilize forest woody biomass. Most of the materials decomposed between $320^{\circ}C$ and $380^{\circ}C$ at heating rates of $5{\sim}20^{\circ}C$/min in thermogravimetric analysis. Bubbling fluidized bed reactor was used to study gasification characteristics, and the effects of reaction temperature, residence time and feedstocks on gas yields and selectivities were investigated. With increasing temperature from $750^{\circ}C$ to $850^{\circ}C$, the yield of char decreased, whereas the yield of gas increased. The gaseous products consisted of mostly CO, $CO_2$, $H_2$ and a small fraction of $C_1-C_4$ hydrocarbons.