• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1000-1004
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• 2012

Fungal biomass and fungal extract of the nonpathogenic fungus Neurospora crassa were successfully used as reducing agents for the biosynthesis of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). The experiment was carried out by exposing the fungal biomass or the fungal extract to a 0.001 M precursor solution of hexachloroplatinic(IV) acid ($H_2PtCl_6$). A change of color of the biomass from pale yellow to dark brown was the first indication of possible formation of PtNPs by the fungus. Subsequent analyses confirmed the intracellular biosynthesis of single PtNPs (4-35 nm in diameter) and spherical nanoaggregates (20-110 nm in diameter). Using the fungal extract, similar results were obtained, producing rounded nanoaggregates of Pt single crystals in the range of 17-76 nm.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.451-480
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• 2022

The Japanese Flying Squid (Todarodes pacificus) is a commercially important species in South Korea and the most popular species among consumers. However commercial catches of Japanese Flying Squid have been declining since 2000. In this study, we conducted a stock assessment to identify stock status. This study differed from previous studies in two aspects: a greater amount of available fishing effort data was used, and data from China, Japan, and Korea were included. A CMSY (catch-maximum sustainable yield) model was used to estimate MSY, biomass and exploitation with Bayesian state-space implementation of the Schaefer (BSS) model for the method of stock assessment, and evaluated the species by dividing into two groups, 'Korea' and ' Korea·China·Japan'. In all cases, Japanese flying squid biomass showed a general decreasing trend. Additionally, the biomass estimated for 2020 was lower than the biomass necessary to achieve the maximum sustainable yield. To manage Japanese Flying Squid effectively, it is necessary to strengthen the resource management strategies of individual countries and prepare a cooperative plan among countries.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.439-449
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• 2014

RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) has increased wood pellet demand dramatically in recent years in Korea where self-supply rate of wood pellet is not more than 10%. However global production capacity of wood pellet is prospected to be unable to meet the global demand after 2020. Therefore it is urgently needed to develop new sustainable biomass energy resources which can replace wood pellet at lower cost. As a result of this study EFB (empty fruit bunch) and MF (mesocarp fiber), the representative solid palm biomass, are estimated to be generated at the rate of 20 and 28 million tons per year (based on 10% moisture content) in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively in 2012. Total annual generation rate of EFB and MF is estimated as 48 million tons per year only in Malaysia and Indonesia in 2012. With calorific value of over 90% of wood pellet EFB is expected to be a excellent biomass energy resource which can replace wood pellet. EFB can be utilized as fuel for power generation or industrial purpose. However EFB may not be a proper fuel for domestic and greenhouse heating because of its high ash content.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.174-181
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• 2022

Biomass is a sustainable alternative resource for production of liquid fuels and organic compounds that are currently produced from fossil fuels including petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Because the use of fossil fuels can increase the production of greenhouse gases, the use of carbon-neutral biomass can contribute to the reduction of global warming. Although biological and chemical processes have been proposed to produce petroleum-replacing chemicals and fuels from biomass feedstocks, it is difficult to replace completely fossil fuels because of the high oxygen content of biomass. Production of petroleum-like fuels and chemicals from biomass requires the removal of oxygen atoms or conversion of the oxygen functionalities present in biomass derivatives, which can be achieved by catalytic hydrodeoxygenation. Hydrodeoxygenation has been used to convert raw biomass-derived materials, such as biomass pyrolysis oils and lignocellulose-derived chemicals and lipids, into deoxygenated fuels and chemicals. Multifunctional catalysts composed of noble metals and transition metals supported on high surface area metal oxides and carbons, usually selected as supports of heterogeneous catalysts, have been used as efficient hydrodeoxygenation catalysts. In this review, the catalysts proposed in the literature are surveyed and hydrodeoxygenation reaction systems using these catalysts are discussed. Based on the hydrodeoxygenation methods reported in the literature, an insight for feasible hydrodeoxygenation process development is also presented.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.249-256
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• 2017

The history of polyurethane is relatively shorter compared to that of the other polymers, though its importance has grown rapidly. Due to its unique properties, polyurethanes are widely applied in various fields. In particular, the automotive industry is one of the important application fields. To date, polyols and isocyanates used in the polyurethane industry are generally of petrochemical origin. Recently, owing to the oil crisis, legislation, and growing awareness towards environmental preservation, the demand for more sustainable and eco-friendly raw materials has increased. In this paper, the latest research and development trends in polyurethane applications were reviewed, with a focus on the automobile industry in areas such as seat comfort, noise reduction, light weight, biomass-based polyurethane, and recycling.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2008

Negative environmental consequences of fossil fuels and the concerns about their soaring prices have spurred the search for alternative energy sources. While other alternative energies-like solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and tidal-offer viable options for electricity generation, around 40% of total energy consumption requires liquid fuels like gasoline or diesel fuel. This is where bio-energy/biofuels is especially attractive, where they can serve as a practical alternative to oil. The production of liquid biofuels for transportation will depend upon a stable supply of large amount of inexpensive cellulosic biomass obtained on a sustainable basis. This paper reviewed development status of transportation bio-energy for vehicles, technical barriers to the production of cellulosic ethanol, and the global future of bio-diesel and ethanol production.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.407-413
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• 2015

Research for renewable energy is being performed since it has the merits of little pollution of the environment and sustainable energy resources. Microalgae is attractive as a renewable energy resource. Biomass of the microalgae can be produced by mass culturing, and bulk harvest technology of is needed to produce biomass continuously. Recently, ultrasonic waves were used to harvest the cultivated microalgae continuously. In this study, the separation process using ultrasonic waves was performed to effectively harvest the microalgae. An ultrasonic wave separation resonator was designed and manufactured based on the acoustic field analysis. Separation experiments using design of experiment were carried out, and the influence of experimental variables from the ultrasonic wave separation process was investigated. Mixing conditions of variables were estimated to obtain high separation efficiency and a large microalgae harvest. Experimental results for suitable mixing conditions were compared with simulation results calculated from the state equation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2014

Glomalin has been suggested as an enhancer for soil stability by promoting the aggregation. In this study, we examined the concentrations of glomalin and microbial characteristics in 25 controlled horticultural soils sampled from Gyeongnam Province. Total glomalin had a significant positive correlation with soil organic matter (p < 0.01), soil microbial biomass carbon (p < 0.05), and dehydrogenase activity (p < 0.05) in controlled horticultural soils. In addition, the total glomalin had a significant positive correlation with concentrations of total fatty acid methyl esters, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in controlled horticultural soils (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the concentration of total glomalin could be an indicator of microbial biomass richness for sustainable agriculture in controlled horticultural soils.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.317-334
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• 2019

The present study was conducted to investigate the differences in managed farming practices, including low-intensive farming, duck farming, and golden apple snail farming, in a rice ecosystem by comparing terrestrial arthropod communities. A total of 75 species from 70 genera belonging to 43 families in 11 orders were identified from 9,622 collected arthropods. Araneae, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera were the richest taxa. Collembola was the most abundant, followed by Diptera, Hemiptera, and Araneae. Bray-Curtis similarity among the farming practices was very high (76.7%). The biodiversity of each farming practice showed a similar seasonality pattern. The richest species group was the predators, followed by the herbivores. The species richness and diversity of ecologically functional groups among the farming practices were not statistically significant, except for the abundance of predators in golden apple snail farming. The biodiversity seasonality of ecological functional groups in each farming practice showed similar patterns. The biomass of Araneae, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera was greater than the other taxa, in general. The biomass of each ecological functional group showed little difference and the biomass fluctuation patterns in each farming practice were almost the same. Collectively, the community structures and biodiversity of terrestrial arthropods among the farming practices in the present study were not different. The present study may contribute to sustain rich biodiversity in irrigated rice fields and to advanced studies of food webs or energy flow structures in rice fields for ecological and sustainable agriculture.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.12-12
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• 2023

Plant biomass, or lignocellulose, is one of the most abundant natural resources on earth. Lignocellulosic biomass, such as agricultural and forestry residue, serves as a renewable feedstock for microbial cell factories due to its low price and abundant availability. However, the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass requires a pretreatment process prior to microbial fermentation, from which fermentable sugars including xylose and glucose are generated along with various inhibitory compounds. The presence of furan derivatives, such as 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde and 2-furaldehyde (furfural), hampers the microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added commodities. In this study, furfural tolerance was improved by investigating the detoxification mechanism in non-model yeast. The genes encoding aldehyde dehydrogenases were overexpressed to enhance furfural tolerance and resulted in improving cell growth and lipid production that can be converted into biofuel. Taken together, this approach contributes to the understanding of the reducing toxicity mechanism of furfural by the aldehyde dehydrogenases and provides a promising strategy that the use of microorganism as an industrial workhorse to treat efficiently lignocellulosic biomass as sustainable plant derivatives.