• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.382-390
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• 2012

Global warming has been hot issue world wide. Korea has been dealing with the global issue under the slogan of low carbon and green-growth such as setting national greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and allocation to each industrial sector. Infrastructure construction, in which enormous social overhead capital (SOC) is input, has great role as one of the actions. Road is one of the representative infrastructure and large amount of resources is utilized in its construction, operation and maintenance stage. The estimation methodology of life cycle carbon emissions was developed and applied to a case study of highway currently under construction in this study. Also, total carbon emissions of all the highway in South Korea at present (2009) and cumulative carbon emissions from 2009 to 2020 were estimated using the results of case study.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.879-890
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• 2017

The US Pavement Design method (AASHTO) and HDM-4, a road pavement maintenance decision system, are not suitable for domestic pavement design, construction and maintenance. KPRP(Korea Pavement Research Program) has been developed to reflect Korea's environmental conditions and vehicle characteristics, thereby, extending pavement life. The main objective of this study is to select the best alternative through Life Cycle Cost $CO_2$ (LCCC) calculations among three representative maintenance strategies using KPRP design software since the environment cost resulting from the extended pavement life will also differ. The analysis of this study illustrates that cumulative carbon emissions for 40 years in alternative 2 (Cutting and Overlaying at Year 30) is the lowest option among them, and the basic cost of $CO_2$ emission by various road maintenance and repair work can be used for suggesting an optimal maintenance strategy for highway agency.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.261-275
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze the conceptual understanding of carbon neutrality among secondary school science pre-service teachers, as well as to identify gaze patterns in visual materials. For this study, gaze tracking data of 20 pre-service secondary school science teachers were analyzed. Through this, the levels of conceptual understanding of carbon neutrality were categorized for the participants, and differences in gaze patterns were analyzed based on the degree of conceptual understanding of carbon neutrality. The research findings are as follows. First, as a result of performing modeling activities to predict carbon emissions and removals until 2100 using the concept of '2050 carbon neutrality,' 50% of the participants held a conception that carbon emissions would continue to increase. Additionally, 25% of the participants did not properly understand the causal relationship between net carbon dioxide emissions and cumulative concentrations. Second, the gaze movements of the participants regarding visual materials related to carbon neutrality were significantly influenced by the information presented in the text area, and in the case of graphs, the focus was mainly on the data area. Moreover, when visual data with the same function and category were arranged, participants showed the most interest in materials explaining concepts or visual data placed on the left side. This implies a preference for specific positions or orders. Participants with lower levels of conceptual understanding and inadequate grasp of causal relationships among elements exhibited notably reduced concentration and overall gaze flow. These findings suggest that conceptual understanding of carbon neutrality including climate change and natural disaster significantly influences interest in and engagement with visual materials.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.463-488
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• 2015

A more detailed design of offset system is needed according to the emission trading system started in 2015. This study aims to estimate the supply of potential offset that can be secured by expanding high-efficiency household electric appliances. The target commodities for analysis are three different householding electric appliances: TV, washing machine, electric fan, refrigerator and air conditioner. By using the ARDL model, we estimated the coefficients of diffusion of these high-efficiency appliances from 2016 to 2022. Then, the potential supply of offset was drawn by calculating the amount of electricity saving by efficiency improvement and by applying the rates of carbon exchange. Supposing that the electricity savings rates of high-efficiency appliances are each 10% and 20%, the accumulated carbon decrement in 2022 was respectively $361,899CO_2t$ and $723,797CO_2t$. The appliance that showed the biggest carbon decrement was air conditioner, and the second biggest was refrigerator and the next was TV, followed by washing machine, electric fan.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.97-104
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• 2017

Greenspace enlargement through proper landscape planting is essential to creating a low carbon society. This study analyzed changes in stem diameter growth rates(DGR), ratios of below ground/above ground biomass(B/A), and carbon sequestration by age of major landscape tree species. Landscape trees for study were 11 species and 112 individuals planted in middle region of Korea. The DGR and B/A were analyzed based on data measured through a direct harvesting method including root digging. The carbon sequestration by tree age was estimated applying the derived regression models. The annual DGR at breast height of trees over 30 years averaged 0.72 cm/yr for deciduous species and 0.83 cm/yr for evergreen species. The B/A of the trees over 30 years averaged 0.23 for evergreen species and 0.40 for deciduous species, about 1.7 times higher than evergreen species. The B/A by age in this study did not correspond to the existing result that it decreased as tree ages became older. Of the study tree species, cumulative carbon sequestration over 25 years was greatest with Zelkova serrata(198.3 kg), followed by Prunus yedoensis(121.7 kg), Pinus koraiensis(117.5 kg), and Pinus densiflora (77.4 kg) in that order. The cumulative carbon sequestration by Z. serrata offset about 5% of carbon emissions per capita from household electricity use for the same period. The growth rates and carbon sequestration for landscape trees were much greater than those for forest trees even for the same species. Based on these results, landscape planting and management strategies were explored to improve carbon sequestration, including tree species selection, planting density, and growth ground improvement. This study breaks new ground in discovering changes in growth and carbon sequestration by age of landscape trees and is expected to be useful in establishing urban greenspaces towards a low carbon society.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.4
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• pp.477-483
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to calculate uncertainty of emission factor collected data and to evaluate the applicability of Monte Carlo simulation technique. To estimate the distribution of emission factors (Such as Basic wood density, Biomass expansion factor, and Root-to-shoot ratio), four probability density functions (Normal, Lognormal, Gamma, and Weibull) were used. The two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and cumulative density figure were used to compare the optimal probability density function. It was observed that the basic wood density showed the gamma distribution, the biomass expansion factor results the log-normal distribution, and root-shoot ratio showd the normal distribution for Pinus densiflora in the Gangwon region; the basic wood density was the normal distribution, the biomass expansion factor was the gamma distribution, and root-shoot ratio was the gamma distribution for Pinus densiflora in the central region, respectively. The uncertainty assessment of emission factor were upper 62.1%, lower -52.6% for Pinus densiflora in the Gangwon region and upper 43.9%, lower -34.5% for Pinus densiflora in the central region, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.502-509
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• 2013

To estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, we established inventory of conventional rice cultivation from farmers in Gunsan and Iksan, Jeonbuk province in 2011~2012. This study was to calculate carbon footprint and to analyse the major factor of GHGs. We carried out a sensitivity analysis using the analyzed main factors of GHGs and estimated the mitigation potential of GHGs. Also we tried to suggest agricultural methods to reduce GHGs that farmers of this case study can apply. Carbon footprint of rice production unit of 1 kg was 2.21 kg $CO_2.-eq.kg^{-1}$. Although amount of $CO_2$ emissions is largest among GHGs, methane had the highest contribution of carbon footprint on rice production system after methane was converted to carbon dioxide equivalent ($CO_2$-eq.) multiplied by the global warming potential (GWP). Source of $CO_2$ in the cultivation of rice farming is incomplete combustion of fossil fuels used by agricultural machinery. Most of the $CH_4$ emitted during rice cultivation and major factor of $CH_4$ emission is flooded paddy field in anaerobic condition. Most of the $N_2O$ emitted from rice cultivation process and major sources of $N_2O$ emission is application of fertilizer such as compound fertilizer, urea, orgainc fertilizer, etc. As a result of sensitivity analysis due to the variation in energy consumption, diesel had the highest sensitivity among the energies inputs. If diesel consumption is reduced by 10%, it could be estimated that $CO_2$ potential reduction is about 2.5%. When application rate of compound fertilizer reduces by 10%, the potential reduction is calculated to be approximately 1% for $CO_2$ and approximately 1.8% for $N_2O$. When drainage duration is decreased until 10 days, methane emissions is reduced by approximately 4.5%. That is to say drainage days, tillage, and reducing diesel consumption were the main sources having the largest effect of GHG reduction due to changing amount of inputs. Accordingly, proposed methods to decrease GHG emissions were no-tillage, midsummer drainage, etc.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.236-241
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• 2011

In this study, considering a degree of proliferation resistance and sustainability, development status of perspective recycling systems for spent nuclear fuels (SNF) is comprehensively reviewed on the basis of the urgent needs of sustainable management measures for high level radioactive wastes such as spent nuclear fuels (SNF).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.16-24
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• 2015

This study quantified storage and annual uptake of carbon for riparian greenspaces established in watersheds of four major rivers in South Korea and explored desirable strategies to improve carbon reduction effects of riparian greenspaces. Greenspace structure and planting technique in the 40 study sites sampled were represented by single-layered planting of small trees in low density, with stem diameter at breast height of $6.9{\pm}0.2cm$ and planting density of $10.4{\pm}0.8trees/100m^2$ on average. Storage and annual uptake of carbon per unit area by planted trees averaged $8.2{\pm}0.5t/ha$ and $1.7{\pm}0.1t/ha/yr$, respectively, increasing as planting density got higher. Mean organic matter and carbon storage in soils were $1.4{\pm}0.1%$ and $26.4{\pm}1.5t/ha$, respectively. Planted trees and soils per ha stored the amount of carbon emitted from gasoline consumption of about 61 kL, and the trees per ha annually offset carbon emissions from gasoline use of about 3 kL. These carbon reduction effects are associated with tree growth over five years to fewer than 10 years after planting, and predicted to become much greater as the planted trees grow. This study simulated changes in annual carbon uptake by tree growth over future 30 years for typical planting models selected as different from the planting technique in the study sites. The simulation revealed that cumulative annual carbon uptake for a multilayered and grouped ecological planting model with both larger tree size and higher planting density was approximately 1.9 times greater 10 years after planting and 1.5 times greater 30 years after than that in the study sites. Strategies to improve carbon reduction effects of riparian greenspaces suggest multilayered and grouped planting mixed with relatively large trees, middle/high density planting of native species mixed with fast-growing trees, and securing the soil environment favorable for normal growth of planting tree species. The research findings are expected to be useful as practical guidelines to improve the role of a carbon uptake source, in addition to water quality conservation and wildlife inhabitation, in implementing riparian greenspace projects under the beginning stage.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.74-81
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• 2015

Currently, the government is encouraging the introduction of energy storage system to reduce carbon emissions and peak power demand. The government is planning the cumulative capacity of ESS of 2GW in 2020. By utilizing charge and discharge of the ESS, it is possible to sell the surplus power to utility and electricity market. This paper suggests the model that economic feasibility of energy storage system for planning the construction of power generation facilities in 2035. Our results of simulation indicate the energy storage plan of utility for constructing renewable energy facilities is need to incentives from the government to encourage power utilities and expansion of ESS.