• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.365-384
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• 2012

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that are highly productive in the presence of basic renewable natural sources (light, $CO_2$, water and nutrients). They can synthesize lipids, carbohydrates and proteins in a small number of days. Subsequently, these carbon-captured products can be processed into both biofuels and valuable co-products. Additionally, microalgae would be an ideal feedstock for replacing land-based food crops with cellular products as high energy density transportation fuels. These microscopic organisms could contribute a significant amount of renewable energy on a global scale. In Korea, microalgae biofuel research was common in the early 1990s. The research activities were unfortunately stopped due to limited governmental funds and low petroleum prices. Interest in algal biofuels in Korea has been growing recently due to an increased concern over oil prices, energy security, greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential for other biofuel feedstock to compete for limited agricultural resources. The high productivity of microalgae suggests that much of the Korean transportation fuel requirements can be met by biofuels at a production cost competitive with the increasing cost of petroleum seen in early 2008. At this time, the development of microlalgal biomass production technology remains in its infancy. This study reviewed microalgae culture systems and biomass production, harvesting, oil extraction, conversion, and technoeconomical bottlenecks. Many technical and economic barriers to using microalgal biofuels need to be overcome before mass production of microalgal-derived fuel substitutes is possible. However, serious efforts to overcome these barriers could become a large-scale commercial reality. Overall, this study provides a brief overview of the past few decades of global microalgal research.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.235-243
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• 2011

The non-edible plant Jatropha curcas L. is one of the most promising feedstock for sustainable biodiesel production as it is not a source of edible vegetable oils, produces high amounts of oil (approx. 30-60% in dry seeds) and does not require high-cost maintenance. However, as with other undomesticated crops, the cultivation of J. curcas presents several drawbacks, such as low productivity and susceptibility to pests. Hence, varietal improvement by genetic engineering is essential if J. curcas is to become a viable alternative source of biodiesel. There is to date no well-established and efficient transformation system for J. curcas. In this study, we tested various physical wounding treatments, such as sonication and sand-vortexing, with the aim of developing an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for J. curcas. The highest stable transformation rate (53%) was achieved when explants were subjected to 1 min of sonication followed by 9 min of shaking in Agrobacterium suspension. The transformation frequency achieved using this protocol is the highest yet reported for J. curcas.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권7호
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• pp.1072-1081
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• 2020

Screening suitable strains with high temperature adaptability is of great importance for reducing the cost of temperature control in microalgae cultivation, especially in summer. To obtain high temperature-tolerant diatoms, water samples were collected in summer from 7 different regions of China across the Northeast, North and East. A total of 731 water samples was collected and from them 131 diatom strains were isolated and identified based on the 18S rRNA sequences. Forty-nine strains out of the 131 diatoms could survive at 30℃, and 6 strains with relatively high biomass and lipid content at high temperature were selected and were found to be able to grow at 35℃. Cyclotella sp. HB162 had the highest dry biomass of 0.46 g/l and relatively high triacylglycerol (TAG) content of 237.4 mg/g dry biomass. The highest TAG content of 246.4 mg/g dry biomass was obtained in Fistulifera sp. HB236, while Nitzschia palea HB170 had high dry biomass (0.33 g/l) but relatively low TAG content (105.9 mg/g dry biomass). N. palea HB170 and Fistulifera sp. HB236 presented relatively stable growth rates and lipid yields under fluctuating temperatures ranging from 28 to 35℃, while Cyclotella HB162 maintained high lipid yield at temperatures below 25℃. The percentage of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids in all the 6 strains was 84-91% in total lipids and 90-94% in TAGs, which makes them the ideal feedstock for biodiesel.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.483-489
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• 2010

Biodiesel has attracted great attention as an alternative renewable energy source for the replacement of petroleumbased diesel fuel, yet its high production cost due to expensive oil feedstock remainsas the major economical obstacle. In this study, we investigated catalysts and reaction conditions for the acid catalyzed pre-conversion of free fatty acid (FFA) to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) in cheap low-grade oils of high acid value. The NaOH base catalyzed reaction of vegetable oil of the initial acid value of 2 mg KOH/g led to a high FAME conversion above 95.4%, but the conversion abruptly decreased at higher initial acid values. This base catalyzed reaction was practically ineffective displaying the FAME conversion below 15% even at the initial acid value of 10 mg KOH/g by the severe saponification side reaction. Among the various catalysts studied for the pre-conversion of FFA to FAME, Amberlyst-15 was the most effective in reducing the acid value, and the optimum reaction condition identified was $65^{\circ}C$ with oil to methanol ratio of 1:3 and catalyst concentration of 15% (w/w). As the results, great enhancements in the overall biodiesel conversion were achievable via a consecutive reaction of the acid catalyzed FFA pre-conversion to FAME under the optimal condition obtained with Amberlyst-15 followed by the NaOH base catalyzed reaction, far above the extent which was obtainable by the single NaOH catalyzed reaction.

• 한국분말재료학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.333-338
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• 2020

In this study, we fabricate a thin- and dense-BCuP-5 coating layer, one of the switching device multilayers, through a plasma spray process. In addition, the microstructure and macroscopic properties of the coating layer, such as hardness and bond strength, are investigated. Both the initial powder feedstock and plasma-sprayed BCuP-5 coating layer show the main Cu phase, Cu-Ag-Cu₃P ternary phases, and Ag phase. This means that microstructural degradation does not occur during plasma spraying. The Vickers hardness of the coating layer was measured as 117.0 HV, indicating that the fine distribution of the three phases enables the excellent mechanical properties of the plasma-sprayed BCuP-5 coating layer. The pull-off strength of the plasma-sprayed BCuP-5 coating layer is measured as 16.5 kg/㎠. Based on the above findings, the applicability of plasma spray for the fabrication process of low-cost multi-layered electronic contact materials is discussed and suggested.