• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2014

The present study proposes a phased model to assess the lifecycle $CO_2$ amount of concrete structures. The considered system boundary is from cradle to recycling, which includes constituent material, transportation, batching and mixing in ready-mixed concrete plant, use and demolition of structure, and crushing and recycling of demolished concrete. The $CO_2$ uptake of concrete by carbonation during lifetime (40 years) of a structure and the recycling life (20 years) after demolition is estimated using a simple approach generalized to predict the carbonation depth from the surfaces of concrete element and recycled aggregates. Based on the proposed phased model, a performance evaluation table is realized to straightforwardly examine the lifecycle $CO_2$ amount of concrete structures. The proposed model demonstrates that the contribution of ordinary portland cement (OPC) to lifecycle $CO_2$ emission of the concrete structure occupies approximately 85%. Furthermore, the $CO_2$ uptake is estimated to be approximately 15~18% of the lifecycle $CO_2$ emissions of concrete structures, which corresponds to be 19~22% of the emissions from OPC production. Overall, the proposed $CO_2$ performance table is expected to be practically useful as a guideline to determine the $CO_2$ emission or uptake at each phase of concrete structures.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.597-604
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• 2012

The present study assessed the $CO_2$ emissions of concrete according to the type and replacement ratio of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and concrete compressive strength using a comprehensive database including 2464 cement concrete specimens and 776 cement concrete mixes with different SCMs. The system studied in $CO_2$ assessment of concrete based on Korean lifecycle inventory was from cradle to pre-construction, which includes consistent materials, transportation and production phases. As the performance efficiency indicators, binder and $CO_2$ intensities were analyzed, and simple equations to evaluate the amount of $CO_2$ emission of concrete were then formulated as a function of concrete compressive strength and the replacement ratio of each SCM. Hence, the proposed equations are expected to be practical and useful as a guideline to determine the type and replacement ratio of SCM and unit content of binder in concrete mix design that can satisfy the target compressive strength and $CO_2$ reduction percentage relative to cement concrete.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.291-298
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• 2023

This research evaluates the sustainability of gasifying livestock manure to produce fuel gas from an economic and carbon emission perspective. The entire process, including gasification, fuel gas purification, and pipeline installation to transport the produced fuel gas to the demanding industrial complex, is analyzed for realistic feasibility. The study is conducted using an ASPEN PLUS simulation with experimental data. The results of the economic and CO₂ life cycle assessments confirm that the fuel gas produced from livestock manure is competitive with natural gas despite having a lower calorific value. When used as a fuel with a high hydrogen content, the fuel gas emits less CO₂ per calorific value, making it more environmentally friendly. A scenario analysis is also performed to determine the expected economics, with price competitiveness being influenced by several factors. Although a significant decrease in natural gas prices could reduce the price competitiveness of the proposed process, it can still be supported by government policies. The cash flow analysis also confirms the economic viability of the process.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2013

The present study assessed the amount of $CO_2$ uptake owing to concrete carbonation through a case study for an apartment building with a principal wall system and an office building with Rahmen system under different exposed environments during use phase and recycling application. The $CO_2$ uptake assessment owing to concrete carbonation followed the procedure established by Yang et al. As input data necessary for the case study, actual surveys conducted in 2012 in Korea, which included data about the climate environments, $CO_2$ concentration, lifecycle inventory database, life expectancy of structures, and recycling activity scenario, were used. From the comparisons with the $CO_2$ emissions from concrete production, the $CO_2$ uptake during the lifetime of structures was estimated to be 5.5~5.7% and that during recycling activity after demolition was 10~12%; as a result, the amount of $CO_2$ uptake owing to concrete carbonation can be estimated to be 15.5~17% of the $CO_2$ emissions from concrete production, which roughly corresponds to 18-21% of the $CO_2$emissions from cement production as well.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.132-137
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• 2020

Lithium secondary batteries have become an important power source for portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers. Presently, commercialized lithium-ion batteries use a LiCoO₂ cathode. However, due to the high cost and environmental problems resulting from cobalt, an intensive search for new electrode materials is being actively conducted. Recently, solid solution LiMn_1-xNi_xO₂ have become attractive because of high capacity and enhanced safety at high voltages over 4.5 V. The Li_1.6Ni_0.35Mn_0.65O₂ compounds were conventionally prepared by a sol-gel method, which can produce the layered Li-Ni-Mn-O compounds with a high homogeneity. And by adding a graphene 2wt% the first charge-discharge voltage profiles was increased over Li_1.6Ni_0.35Mn_0.65O₂ compound. Also, the variation s of the discharge capacities with cycling showed a higher capacity retention rater. In this study, material lifecycle evaluation was performed to analyze the environmental impact characteristics of Li_1.6Ni_0.35Mn_0.65O₂ & graphene 2wt% half-cell manufacturing process. The software of material life cycle assessment was Gabi. Through this, environmental impact assessment was performed for each process. The environmental loads induced by Li_1.6Ni_0.35Mn_0.65O₂ & graphene 2wt% synthesis process were quantified and analyzed, and the results showed that the amount of power had the greatest impact on the environment.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2014

This study analyzed a comprehensive database including 6331 ready-mixed concrete plant mixtures to quantitatively assess the environmental impact of concrete under mixture proportions variable according to the domestic region and season. The environmental impact indicator includes global warming, photochemical oxidant creation, abiotic resource depletion, acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity, which are determined from categorization, characterization, normalization and weighting process based on Korea lifecycle inventories. The determined environmental impact indicator was also normalized by concrete compressive strength ($f_{ck}$), which is defined as impact index, to calculate the environmental impact per unit strength of 1 MPa. The most common compressive strength of concrete used in the country is estimated to be 24 MPa and 27 MPa. For $f_{ct}$ of 24 MPa, the lowest environmental impact indicator is observed in Ulsan, whereas the highest region is Gwangju and Daegu. This difference according to domestic region is primarily resulted from by the replacement of different supplementary cementitious materials. Furthermore, the impact index of concrete with $f_{ck}$ of 24 MPa is higher by approximately 5% at wintertime than at summertime and standard season. The impact index gradually decreases with the increase of $f_{ck}$ up to 35 MPa, beyond which it remains constant.