• Clean Technology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.357-364
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• 2018

Studies on the production of biogas from third generation biomass, such as micro- and macroalgae, have been conducted through experiments of various scales. In this paper, we investigated the feasibility of commercialization of integrated combined heat and power (CHP) production using biogas derived from macroalgae, i.e., seaweed biomass. For this purpose, an integrated CHP plant of industrial scale, consisting of solid oxide fuel cells, gas turbine and organic Rankine cycle, was designed and simulated using a commercial process simulator. The cost of each equipment in the plant was estimated through the calculated heat and mass balances from simulation and then the techno-economic analysis was performed. The designed integrated CHP process produces 68.4 MW of power using $36ton\;h^{-1}$ of biogas from $62.5ton\;h^{-1}$ (dry basis) of brown algae. Based on these results, various scenarios were evaluated economically and the levelized electricity cost (LEC) was calculated. When the lifetime of SOFC is 5 years and its stack price is $$225kW^{-1}$, the LEC was 12.26 ¢ $kWh^{-1}$, which is comparable to the conventional fixed power generation.

• Clean Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2017

Fast pyrolysis of third generation biomass, including micro- and macroalgae for biofuel production has recently been studied and compared experimentally to first- and second-generation biomass. Compared to microalgae, however, process design and simulation study of macroalgae for scale-up has been rare in literature. In this study, we designed and simulated an industrial scale process for producing diesel range biofuel from brown algae based on bench scale experimental data of fast pyrolysis using a commercial process simulator. During process design, special attention was paid to the process design to accommodate the differences in composition of brown algae compared to terrestrial biomass. The entire process of converting 380,000 tonnes of dry brown algae per year into diesel range biofuel was economically evaluated and the minimum (diesel) selling price was also estimated through techno-economic analysis.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.438-442
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• 2013

The study of bioproduct production from inexpensive biomass such as marine biomass has recently attracted considerable attention. Because, marine biomass which compared to land biomass, it can be grown rapidly and is easily cultivated without the need for expensive equipment. In addition, the carbohydrate contents are similar or higher than land biomass such as woody biomass and can be easily converted to chemicals through proper chemical processes. In the production of various biochemicals from marine biomass, levulinic acid is a highly versatile chemical with numerous industrial uses and has the potential to become a commodity chemical. It can be used as a raw material for resins, plasticizers, textiles, animal feed, coatings and antifreeze. In this study, experiments were carried out to determine the optimum conditions of temperature, acid concentration and reaction time for production of levulinic acid from marine biomass, Gelidium amansii, using two-step treatment. In the first hydrolysis step, solid-state cellulose which was used to produce ethanol by fermentation and liquid-state galactose which used to produce bioproduct such as levulinic aicd were obtained through acid soaking. In the second hydrolysis step, the liquid-state galactose was converted into levulinic acid via a high-temperature reaction in a batch reactor. As a result, the overall production yield of Gelidium amansii to levulinic acid in the two-step acid hydrolysis was approximately 20.6% on the initial biomass basis.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2022

Research and development of biofuels as one of the means to mitigate global warming and to avoid fossil fuel depletion has occurred for more than 30 years. However, there has only been limited distribution of a few first- and second-generation biofuels, and widespread supply and consumption of biofuels is still far from a reality. Although a relatively recently studied third-generation biofuel derived from seaweed biomass has been shown to have many advantages, it is yet to be deployed in commercial-scale seaweed biorefineries. This review paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of seaweed biorefineries for the entire value chain covering from seaweed and its cultivation to biofuel production based on an extensive literature search and the author's experience of conducting feasibility studies pertaining to seaweed biorefineries for over 10 years. For this purpose, the literature survey will cover the current status of seaweed production and its research and development worldwide, conversion technologies for biofuel production from seaweed based on bench-scale experiments, and large-scale techno-economic feasibility studies for seaweed conversion to biofuels and bioenergy. In addition, the main problems expected with the commercialization of seaweed-based biofuels will be identified. Finally, the current status of seaweed biorefinery technology and the author's views on its promising future will be summarized.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.74-82
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• 2015

Carbon dioxide was designated as one of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Among various ways to solve the $CO_2$ emission issue, the 3rd-generation biomass (algae) production is considered as a viable method to reduce $CO_2$ in the atmosphere. In this research, we propose a design of an innovative sustainable production system by utilizing the 3rd generation biomass in the environment of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO). Existing biomass production systems depend on the solar energy and they cannot continue producing biomass at night. Electricity produced from offshore wind farms also need an efficient way to store the energy through energy storage system (ESS) or deliver it real-time through power grid, both requiring heavy investment of capital. Thus, we design an offshore grid structure harnessing LED lights to supply the necessary light energy, by using the electricity produced from the wind farm, resulting in the maximized production of biomass and efficient use of wind farm energy. The final design integrates the biomass production system enhanced by LED lights with a wind power generation. The suggested NLP model for the optimal design, implemented in GAMS, would be useful for designing improved offshore biomass production systems combined with the wind farm.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.280-289
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• 2019

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and its derivatives, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) or 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), are regarded as the "sleeping giants" owing to their wide range of applications and a good alternative source for the production of significant chemicals in almost all kind of industries. This mini-review briefly covers the aspects related to the syntheses, transformation, and applications for the biomass-derived platform chemicals from past to most recent. Many scientific efforts have continuously been made to find out the environmental benign applicable ways in order to achieve the full advantage of these renewable materials because of not only to protect the globe but also shield the future of new generations. One of the best solutions could be the development and utilization of platform chemicals from the natural biomass.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.223-229
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• 2020

Biodiesel produced using microorganisms, which are recognized as the third-generation biomass, is among the various known renewable energy sources that can replace fossil fuels used in conventional transportation. Scenedesmus obliquus has been identified as an excellent species for biodiesel production, as it grows faster and can accumulate up to 40-50 percent of the dry cell weight. Enhancing production using S. obliquus requires measuring the cell mass for controlling the cultivation process. In the current study, S. obliquus was cultured for 75 days, and growth changes of the microalgae were measured by absorbance, microscopic imaging, and Raman spectroscopy. Between days 60 to 75 of culture, the change in absorbance was observed to be less than 3%, whereas the number of microalgae observed microscopically was more than three times higher. Moreover, the Raman spectroscopy results showed three strong peak values of β-carotene at 997 cm^-1, 1148 cm^-1, and 1515 cm^-1, with peak values of β-carotene showing greater than 3-fold increase during the culture period. Therefore, we predict that application of Raman spectroscopy will help in identifying the growth elements and growth degree in microalgae culture during increased biomass production.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.248-255
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• 2020

In this study, we analyze the current state of domestic food waste (FW) recycling and propose a management plan for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. First, the composting potential of the GW demonstrates considerable promise. In particular, the GW (phytoplankton, periphyton, macrophyte, etc.) as a third-generation biomass shows strong performance as a functional additive that mitigates the disadvantages associated with composting FW and improves the quality of the final composted product. Alternatively, the final product (e.g., soil ameliorant) can be used to produce bio-filters that are effective pollutant buffers, with high applicability for green infrastructure. The proposed ecological approaches create new opportunities for FW as a resource for the reduction of GHG emissions, and are expected to contribute to the establishment of effective net-zero carbon systems in the future.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.175.2-175.2
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• 2011

바이오디젤의 국가별 의무 사용 정책 확대로 인해 원료유 가격이 상승하고 있으며 원료유가 부족한 상황으로 다양한 원료를 찾는 연구가 진행되고 있다. 육상 유지 작물보다 단위면적당 생산성이 매우 높은 미세조류는 제3세대 바이오매스로 주목받고 있으며 산업체 배출 이산화탄소를 이용해 작은 면적에서 배양할 수 있는 장점이 있다. 미세조류로부터 바이오디젤 생산은 먼저 오일 함량이 높은 미세조류 종의 선정과 배양 및 수확 후 효율적인 방법으로 바이오디젤 원료유를 추출하는 과정이 중요하다. 본 연구는 Microwave로 전처리된 미세조류로 부터 원료유를 추출하여, 인지질, 단백질, 엽록소 등의 반응저해 물질을 일부 감소시키고 추출수율을 높였지만, 산가가 80이상으로 높게 추출되고 추출된 오일이 높은 점성을 가지는 문제가 있다. 이로 인해 전이에스테르화 반응의 진행이 불가하였으며 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해, 에스테르화 반응에 용매를 혼합하여 반응성을 개선하고자 하였다. 추가된 보조 용매는 오일과 쉽게 혼합되어 반응물의 점성을 낮추고, 반응 완료후, 물에 쉽게 용해되는 불순물, 미 반응물, 촉매 등의 분리 및 제거를 용이하게 하는 장점이 있다. 또한 오일과 비교하여 낮은 끓는점을 갖는 용매는 증류를 통해 쉽게 제거가 가능하다. 반응이 완료된 오일은 초기산가 80에서 10이하의 감소를 나타내 용매 혼합 에스테르화의 효율적인 부분을 확인하였다.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.453-460
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• 2018

Owing to rising oil prices and anthropogenic global warming, focused attempts are being made toward production of industrially important compounds by using renewable biomass. In this context, algal biomass as third-generation biomass is important because it doesn't compatible with food resource, has high yield, and helps abate greenhouse gases. Here, we investigate whether Undaria has the highest sugar content, which would make it the most suitable biomass for lactic acid production among the four algal biomasses tested. For effective pretreatment of Undaria, the response surface methodology was used. The amount of solid loaded and catalyst concentration were related to the extraction rate of total sugar. Lactic acid was produced by pretreatment of Undaria by using four Lactobacilli, and L. alimentarius and L. brevis were found to be suitable for lactic acid production.