• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.126-131
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• 2023

Growing environmental concerns regarding pollution caused by conventional plastics have increased interest in biodegradable polymers as alternative materials. The purpose of this study is to develop a 100% biodegradable nanocomposite material by introducing organic nucleating agents into the biodegradable and thermoplastic resin, poly(lactic acid), to improve its properties. Accordingly, cellulose nanofibers, an eco-friendly material, were adopted as a substitute for inorganic nucleating agents. To achieve a uniform dispersion of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) within PLA, the aqueous solution of nanofibers was lyophilized to maintain their fibrous shape. Then, they were subjected to primary mixing using a twin-screw extruder. Test specimens with double mixing were then produced by injection molding. Differential scanning calorimetry was employed to confirm the reinforced physical properties, and it was found that the addition of 1 wt% CNFs acted as a reinforcing material and nucleating agent, reducing the cold crystallization temperature by approximately 14℃ and increasing the degree of crystallization. This study provides an environmentally friendly alternative for developing plastic materials with enhanced properties, which can contribute to a sustainable future without consuming inorganic nucleating agents. It serves as a basis for developing 100% biodegradable green nanocomposites.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.163-171
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• 2017

Brick is not only aesthetically beautiful and emotional material, but also eco-friendly and good building commodity for human health. Nonetheless, the use of brick has declined, due to the difficulty of building high-rise buildings and the limitation of the free form implementation. However, modern society is increasingly interested in environmentally friendly finishing materials for solving environmental problems. From this point of view, the brick architecture is being reexamined as a material to improve the living environment and to provide comfort without destroying nature. In addition, the development of digital technology enables the implementation of various types of masonry method and curved forms. Parametric design is one of the ways to realize the curved forms and various architectural expressions for brick architecture. In this background, the purpose of this study is to develop algorithms that can easily generate curved brick walls through parametric design, enable various pattern designs, and respond to real-time feedback. The details of the study are as follows. First of all, we examine organic architecture, the trend of brick architecture, and the concept of parametric design. Secondly, In order to generate curved surface with complex curvature, major planning factors affecting form generation are examined. Finally, we develop a parametric design method that consists of generating a curved surface for brick arrangement, implementing a parametric algorithm, and generating a curved form using bricks. Consequentially, we propose an algorithm that can maximize the use of ready-made bricks without using cut bricks to design curved walls and present efficient and economical design alternatives.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.267-273
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• 2008

Energy efficiency and nutrient balance are good methods for environmental assessment of the environmentally-friendly agriculture. The objectives of this study were 1) to estimate the energy efficiency and nutrient balance of the organic rice farming, and 2) to suggest a solution to improvement the energy efficiency and nutrient balance. The set of estimation was performed at the organic rice farming area (8.9 ha) in Wanju-gun during the paddy cultivation period from 2006 to 2007. The organic farming complex consists of four weeding methods using 1) duck, 2) apple snail, 3) duck and apple snail and 4) hands and machinery. Results from this estimation should that the organic rice farming area was less efficient than conventional rice farming. The efficiency of organic farming area in 2006 was higher than in 2007. For the calculation of the nutrient balance, the N, P and K contents of input materials (cattle manure, milk vetch, mixed oilcake, rice bran, rice straw and barley straw) and output (farm products) were analysed. Annual environmental loads of N, $P_2O_5$ and $K_2O$ were estimated at 4.4 kg/10a, 13.8 kg/10a and 14.5 kg/10a, respectively. Cattle manure had the largest portion among the inputs items and nutrient concentration of cattle manure was high. Thus energy efficiency and nutrient balance depend on cattle manure input. Therefore it is necessary to control the manure input to improve the efficiency of organic rice farming.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.198-198
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• 2011

Organocatalysis is a relatively new and popular area within the field of chiral molecule synthesis. It is one of the main branches of enantioselective synthesis with enzymatic and organometallic catalysis. In recent years, immense high quality studies on catalysis by chiral secondary amines were reported. These progresses instantly led to different organocatalytic activation concepts, so thousands of researchers from academia and the chemical industry are currently involved in this field and new ideas, new approaches, and creative thinking have been rapidly emerged. Organocatalysts, some of which are natural products, appear to solve the problems of metal catalysts. Compared to metal-based catalysis, they have many advantages including savings in cost, time, and energy, easier experimental procedure, and reduction of chemical waste. These benefits originate from the following factors. First, organocatalysts are generally stable in oxygen and water in the atmosphere, there is no need for special equipments or experimental techniques to operate under anhydrous or anaerobic conditions. Second, organic reagents are naturally available from biological materials as single enantiomers that they are easy and cheap to prepare which makes them suitable for small-scale to industrial-scale reactions. Third, in terms of safety related catalysis, small organic molecules are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop novel synthetic methods and design for various organocatalyst. Furthermore, it is expected that these organocatalysts can be applied to a variety of asymmetric reactions and study the transition state of these reactions using a metal sulface. Here, we report the synthesis of unprecedented organocatalysts, proline and pyrrolidine derivatives with quaternary carbon center.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.145-156
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• 2009

This study proposes the product development through an organic link with multi-faceted analysis on the archetype of traditional costumes culture. In order to find ways to develop cultural products, Jogakbo was selected, and the research result is as following. 1. Analysis on the types of Jogakbo products sold in the market shows that there are not only living, stationary, and fashion items, but also DIY packages. In terms of materials used, most of these Jogakbo products were made of fabric or mixture of different materials. These products displayed similar tendency by reflecting formative characteristics of Jogakbo. 2. This study analyzed the color, surface composition, material, manufacturing, and usage of Jogakbo. The rotor of Jogakbo is mostly composed of mono tone colors or Obangsac(five-element colors). The mono tone colors carries environmentally friendly meaning as it is using the natural color and Obangsac means harmony. Moreover, the surface composition of Jogakbo represents the expansion through connection and its material is also meaningful in that it is recycling. Manufacturing of Jogakbo has educational significance, fortune-wishing characteristics, decorative function, it also gives a gratification of handcraft. The usage of Jogakbo is a multi-(unctional article whose form is determined by an item that is held inside it. 3. Through the analysis on Jogakbo, this study presents the baby wear in relation to the ere-friendliness of colors, brooch sets using the surface composition, dresses using recycling fabric, children's educational instruments with educational significance, as well as multi-functional packages in regards to usage of Jogakbo.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.747-757
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• 2014

Since the air contamination by air pollutants from indoor construction materials and daily supplies has been increased in recent decades, the public interest of using environmentally friendly products and improving indoor air quality also attracted much attention. As known as effects of phytoncide, it has been used in construction materials and daily supplies with various method. In this study, hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) was used because of its high contents of phytoncide. The leaves of hinoki cypress (C. obtusa), which generated by pruning, were extracted by steam distillation, and then used as humidification water source. Volatile organic compound (VOC) from C. obtusa were characterized by GC-MS (Gas chromatograph-Mass spectrophotometry) in order to evaluate effects and risks of using C. obtusa extracts. Total 86 types and 116 types of VOC were detected from distilled water (DI water) and C. obtusa extracts, respectively. Aromatic compounds (DI water: 13 types, 53%; C. obtusa extracts: 13 types, 38%) and terpenoids (DI water: 16 types, 23%; C. obtusa extracts: 23 types, 33%) were detected more diverse types and higher amount than other compound categories. No additional aromatic compounds were found from C. obtusa extracts, so C. obtusa extracts did not affect on aromatic compounds emission. However, in terpenoids, total amount of emission from C. obtusa extracts increased to 33% from 23% (DI water) and 7 more types of compounds were found from C. obtusa extracts. Especially, from C. obtusa extracts, terpinen-4-ol was emitted 71 times higher than DI water. During the humidification with C. obtusa extracts, emitted terpenoid compounds were well known for higher anti-bacterial, anti-insect, and anti-septic functions, but also these had anti-hypertensive and anti-cancer activities. Therefore, terpenoids from C. obtusa extracts can help to improve public health by using humidifier.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1430-1436
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• 2017

This study assessed the effects of treatment with sap extract from onion residues postharvest and purslane on the quality and quantity of organic onions. At the bending stage, onions treated with the sap extract showed vigorous growth, with higher plant heights, more leaves, and longer sheath lengths than untreated onions. The onion yield was significantly increased when the plant was treated with extracted sap as compared with that of untreated plants (p<0.05). The bulb weight distribution of onions in the mixed onion and purslane treatment was also significantly increased (~300 g) as compared with that of the other treatment (p<0.05). Except for CaO and S, the mineral content of the onions produced from plants treated with the onion and purslane extract mixture was higher than those of onions in the other treatment. The hardness of onions produced from plants treated with the onion and purslane extract was significantly increased (8% and 20%, respectively) as compared with that of onions produced from plants treated with the onion extract only or no treatment (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the sugar contents of the onions produced from extract-treated and nonextract-treated plants. Postharvest, the content of inorganic components (phosphate, calcium, sulfuric acid, and manganese) was higher in soil treated with the onion extract than in soil treated with the onion and purslane extract and non-treated soil. It can be concluded that residues left after onion harvests and purslane extract can be used as natural and environmentally friendly materials for the cultivation of organic onions.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2012

A total of 20 agricultural organic materials including inorganic compounds, plant oils and plant extracts were used in the study for assessing the control efficacy on pepper diseases. Among inorganic compounds, only copper hydroxide showed inhibitory effect on both Phytophthora capsici causing Phytophthora blight and Colletotrichum acutatum causing anthracnose. Phosphorous acid inhibited the growth of P. capsici on PDA, and Sulfur/quicklime had it on that of C. acutatum. Plant essential oil, rosemary oil, and rapeseed oil among plant oils and plant extract of Japanese apricot/ginkgo nut inhibited the mycelial growth of the two pathogens. In the screening using pepper plant seedlings, the control efficacy on Phytophthora blight in 6-leaf stage of seedling was superior to that in 4-leaf stage of seedling. A protective effect on Phytophthora blight was displayed by copper hydroxide, sulfur/quicklime, water soluble calcium, phosphorous acid, plant essential oil, and cloves extract. When C. acutatum was inoculated by the non-wound method, copper hydroxide and rapeseed oil showed excellent protective activities with control values of 91.3% and 82.6%, respectively. However, copper hydroxide did not show any activity, when C. acutatum was inoculated after wounding pepper fruits. All organic materials never showed the curative effect on Phytophthora blight and anthracnose in pepper seedling assay and fruit assay.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.163-171
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• 2014

Environmental issues about indoor air quality have been increased and focused on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) caused cancer, asthma, and skin disease. Reducing VOCs has been attempted in many different methods such as using environmentally friendly materials and air cleaner or purifier. Charcoal is well known material for absorbing VOCs. Therefore, carbonized board from medium density fiberboard has been developed. We assumed that the source of carbonized boards can be any type of wood-based panels. In this study, carbonized boards were manufactured from oriented strand board (OSB) at 400, 600, 800, and $1000^{\circ}C$. Each carbonized OSB (c-OSB) was evaluated and determined physiomechanical characteristics such as exterior defects, dimensional shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, and bending strength. No external defects were observed on c-OSBs at all carbonizing conditions. As carbonizing temperature increased, less porosity between carbonized wood fibers was observed by SEM analysis. The higher rate of dimensional shrinkage was observed on c-OSB at $1000^{\circ}C$ (66%) than c-OSB at 400, 600, and $800^{\circ}C$ (47%, 58%, and 63%, respectively). The densities of c-OSBs were lower than original OSB, but there was no significant different among the c-OSBs. The bending strength of c-OSB increased 1.58 MPa (c-OSB at $400^{\circ}C$) to 8.03 MPa (c-OSB at $1000^{\circ}C$) as carbonization temperature increased. Carbonization temperature above $800^{\circ}C$ yielded higher bonding strength than that of gypsum board (4.6 MPa). In conclusion, c-OSB may be used in sealing and wall for decorating purpose without additional artwork compare to c-MDF which has smooth surface.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2020

The study was compared for growth and yield of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme) crops as affected by various homemade liquid fertilizer (LF), commonly applied in the environmentally friendly farmhouses. LF treatment included UT (untreatment, water), OC (oil cake), BF (bone+fish meal), FA (fish amino meal), SO (sesame oil meal), and SF (starfish). Seasonal pH and EC in SO- and SF-LF rapidly decreased at 30 days after the storage, which were the highest EC of 0.6 - 0.8 dS/m, followed by BF-LF with 0.4 dS/m EC. T-N concentration in LF was the highest on the SF (0.0062%), followed by SO (0.0059%) and BF materials (0.0030%), which were all the great for the K concentration in the LF. P and Ca concentrations were the highest on the FA-LF, with the highest Mg concentration observed on the vegetable SO-LF. Soil EC was the highest on the SF-LF plots of 0.74 dS/m, with no significant differences between the treatments observed on the macro-nutrient concentrations in the soil and leaf. Leaf dry weight, leaf temperature, stem diameter, and plant height were investigated at once per 15 days. UT-LF reduced the leaf dry weight at all the measurement time while the plant height was low at an initial measurement but increased and similar to the other homemade LF treatments at a later measurement. Fruit yield and average fruit weight were the lowest on the UT-LF plots at 75 days after fertigation. Fruit diameter was increased by the BF-LF and SF-LF, with the highest fruit soluble solid contents and fruit coloring observed on the FA-LF. BF-LF maintained high fruit firmness.