• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.597-632
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• 2010

There is general agreement that global warming is occurring and that the main contributor to this probably is the buildup of green house gasses, GHG, in the atmosphere. Two main contributors are the utilization of fossil fuels and the deforestation of many regions of the world. The burning of fossil fuels increases atmospheric carbon while the burning of fuel-wood reducing fossil fuel consumption along with its forest source maintain an atmospheric carbon level. The standing timber in the forests is a carbon sink, as are wood buildings and structures, and fossil fuel in the ground. This paper is designed to examine a number of current issues related to mitigating the global warming problem through forestry. For this purpose, we develop a modeling approach by integrating timber market, fossil fuel market and carbon cycling model. We use discrete time optimal control theory to identify optimal time paths, the laws of motion, and stationary stats solutions of endogenous variables in the model. On the basis of these results, we identify the optimal amounts of subsidies to be provided or taxes to be imposed by the regulatory agency to mitigate atmospheric carbon accumulation. We also present a numerical example to help illustrate the characteristics of variables in the model when the social cost for atmospheric carbon incrementally shifts upward. A surprising result is that the social cost function for atmospheric carbon has a very smaller impact on the optimal rotation period than previous literature suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.34-41
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• 2020

Ready-mixed concrete is unconsolidated concrete typically transported to construction sites by using mixer trucks. A proper rotation of concrete is necessary to prevent its solidification in mixer trucks during transport: in accordance with the manufacturing method and quality inspection prescribed in KSF4009, this movement is maintained after the manufacturing of concrete in professional production plants and the addition of water, solid materials, and admixtures. Unfortunately, mixer truck parts wear out over long periods of time. In order to improve the wear resistance of the main part of mixer trucks, we used a steel plate with good wear resistance or partially added a reinforcement plate. In this study, we first tested the properties of concrete (as required for the DEM), and then carried out mixing and discharge simulations to define the actual operating conditions of mixer trucks. For each condition, we calculated the amount and location of wear. The reliability of our results was finally verified by comparing them with the measurement values. Overall, this study provided basic data for an optimal design of mixer trucks: one that would reduce the vehicles' weight and production costs.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.228-234
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• 2004

In organic farming, nutrients for the crop production are mostly supplied by compost containing various organic materials. The long-term organic cultivation would result in continuous changes of soil chemical properties and fertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of long-term organic cultivation to the soil fertility in Korea focusing on the chemical properties of soil. Soil samples were collected from organic farms that had been cultivated for 8-10 years after certification of organic product through the conversion periods of 2-3 years. Thereby each organic farm had acquired optimal cultivating techniques and soil condition. We separated organic farms into three groups by cultivating crops, i.e. leaf vegetables, fruit vegetables and fruit trees. In each group, five representative farms were chosen in order to investigate the relationships between application rate of compost and nutrient contents in soil. The application rate of compost was approximately $10-15Mg\;10a^{-1}$ for the first 2-3 years at the beginning of organic farming and then reduced to a rate of $3-4Mg\;10a^{-1}$ after stabilization of organic matter content in soil with $30-50g\;10a^{-1}$. However, the continuous organic farming for 8-10 years resulted in accumulation of nutrients, especially of P, in soil probably due to the excessive amounts of compost applied. In conclusion, we suggest that the application rate and organic sources of compost should be decided on the basis of P content in soil by soil testing and thereafter the lack of soil N content for crop cultivation should be compensated by crop rotation with such as legumes. This might be an approach to the original meaning of organic farming as an environmental friendly agriculture.