• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.51-61
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• 2018

Transportation and storage technologies, which are key drivers for trade, has increased global trade of agricultural products about 165% from 1995 to 2015. Korea imports 76.2% of grain from major food exporters such as USA, Australia, Brazil, and China. The expected long shipping distances from these countries can seriously cause environmental impacts on various environmental categories such as climate change, particulate matter, and acidification. The goal of this study is to assess the environmental implications focused on greenhouse gases (GHGs) and particulate matters (PMs) emissions of imported grains (wheat, corn, and bean) using food miles analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA). The environmental impacts of imported crops are estimated by transportation modes using the national LCI database provided by Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). The results of this study are as follows; (1) Imported wheat comes from USA (29%), AUS (27%), and URK (20%), corn is imported from USA (34%), BRA (29%), and URK (16%), and bean comes from BRA (57%), USA (40%), and CHN (2%); (2) the food miles of imported crops (wheat, corn, and bean) are 3.62E+10, 1.30E+11, and $2.20E+10ton{\cdot}km$, respectively; (3) the potential GHGs and PMs of wheat, corn, and bean are 5.02E+08, 1.67E+09, and 2.84E+08 kg $CO_2e$ and 5.89E+05, 1.83E+06, 3.07E+05 kg $PM_{10}e$, respectively. The outputs of this study could provide environmental impacts and carrying distances of imported agricultural products for preparing a plan to reduce environmental impacts.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.273-283
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• 2014

Imported and exported agricultural products are facing a very difficult time due to the rising distribution costs spurred by the increasing labor and oil prices. High empty transfer rates, which take place on a return route after the regular transportation of imported and exported agricultural products, are especially a major cause of the rising distribution costs. In an effort to overcome those limitations, this study set out to examine the transportation stages connecting harbor warehouses, processing plants, and central distribution centers on the circulation route of such imported grains as wheat, barley, corn, and soybean and the transportation route from the warehouses devoted to exported agricultural products to harbors for such exported agricultural products as apple, pear, and persimmon in order to develop a model on the creation of a compound logistics complex for processing plants and transshipment of imported and exported agricultural products. The study also promoted the logistic rationalization of imported and exported agricultural products by creating a compound logistics complex that would combine processing plants for imported agricultural products and transshipment functions for exported agricultural products.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.231-237
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• 2000

A Comparative study was performed among five Korean wheat(Greu, Eunpa, Tapdong, Allgreu, Woori) and three imported wheat(Dark Northern Spring, Austrian Standard Wheat, Western White) to investigate the characteristics of minerals and phytate from Korean wheat varieties. Ash contents of kernel was higher in Korean wheat than in imported wheat and related to ash contents and darkness of flour. More contents of Fe, P, and Mg from Korean wheat grains and Fe from Korean wheat flours were observed in comparison to imported wheat varieties. Fe concentration in Korean flour show high, indicating Fe was distributed at endosperm layer of kernels and not eliminated with milling. In addition, phytate affecting availability of minerals was determined from kernels and flours. Even though Korean wheat kernels had more phytate than that of imported wheat kernels, it is believed that most of phytate was removed with milling and there was no major difference between Korean and imported wheat flours. We also observed that the content of phosphate closely parallels the content of phytate from both the flours and kernels.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.65-68
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• 2008

Crop production in a country is very crucial not only in a country's crop self-sufficiency, but also in carbon recycle. Crop can capture and store the emitted $CO_2$ by cereal food consumption. However, imported cereal food is not concerned in carbon recycle and this hinders the accurate estimation of carbon recycle. Korea imports major grain products including wheat, corn, soybean, and rice and about 90% of the grain composition consists of carbohydrate, protein and lipid. Carbon portions in carbohydrate, protein and lipid are 45, 53, and 77%, respectively. When the carbon portions are digested and converted into $CO_2$ completely, one ton of rice, wheat, corn, and soybean can release 1.51, 1.63, 1.56, and 1.56 tons of $CO_2$ to the atmopshere, respectively. Based on this premise, the evolved $CO_2$ calculated from imported grains for the last 4 years in Korea was over 21 MT of $CO_2$. This amount is equivalent to 4.8 billion US dollars in the conception of carbon tax. These results suggest that a decrease in a cereal import(i.e, an increase in a country's crop self-sufficiency) can lower $CO_2$ release to the atmosphere.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.147-163
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• 2015

Chemical and mineralogical properties of coal ash samples from the nine thermal power plants of Korea were investigated to acquire basic data for estimating the potential of rare metal recovery. Chemical compositions of coal ash were consistent with those of average shale and foreign coal ashes. However, there were small differences between the metal contents of domestic anthracitic and imported bituminous coal ashes. Unburned coal particles were much abundant in the ash of domestic anthracitic coal. Chalcophile elements were relatively enriched in the fly ash compared to bottom ash. Silicate glass was the major component of coal ash with minor minerals such as quartz, illite (muscovite), mullite, magnetite, lime, and anhydrite. Al and Si were the major components of the glass with varying contents of Ca, Fe, K, and Mg. Glass occurred in a form of porous sphere and irregular pumace-like grain often fused with iron oxide spheres or other glass grains. Iron oxide spheres were fine intergrowth of fast-grown iron oxide crystals in the matrix of silicate glass. Chemical, microstructural, and mineralogical properties would guide successful rare metal recovery from coal ash.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.883-893
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• 2023

While South Korea's dependence on imported grains is very high, droughts impacts from exporting countries have been overlooked. Using the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI), this study globally analyzed frequency, extent, and long-term trends of agricultural droughts and their relation to natural oscillations and global crop prices. Results showed that global-scale correlations were found between ESI and soil moisture anomalies, and they were particularly strong in crop cultivation areas. The high correlations in crop cultivation areas imply a strong land-atmosphere coupling, which can lead to relatively large yield losses with a minor soil moisture deficits. ESI showed a clear decreasing trend in crop cultivation areas from 1991 to 2022, and this trend may continue due to global warming. The sharp increases in the grain prices in 2012 and 2022 were likely related to increased drought areas in major grain-exporting countries, and they seemed to elevate South Korea's producer price index. This study suggests the need for drought risk management for grain-exporting countries to reduce socioeconomic impacts in South Korea.