• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3250-3259
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• 2022

A new approach to the use of rice straw as a difficult-to-recycle agricultural waste was proposed. Potassium aluminosilicate was obtained by spark plasma sintering as an effective material for subsequent immobilization of ¹³⁷Cs into a solid-state matrix. The sorption properties of potassium aluminosilicate to ¹³⁷Cs from aqueous solutions were studied. The effect of the synthesis temperature on the phase composition, microstructure, and rate of cesium leaching from samples obtained at 800-1000 ℃ and a pressure of 25 MPa was investigated. It was shown that the positive dynamics of compaction was characteristic of glass ceramics throughout the sintering. Glass ceramics RS-(K,Cs)AlSi₃O₈ obtained by the SPS method at 1000 ℃ for 5 min was characterized by a high density of ~2.62 g/cm³, Vickers hardness ~ 2.1 GPa, compressive strength ~231.3 MPa and the rate of cesium ions leaching of ~1.37 × 10^-7 g cm^-2·day^-1. The proposed approach makes it possible to safe dispose of rice straw and reduce emissions into the atmosphere of microdisperse amorphous silica, which is formed during its combustion and causes respiratory diseases, including cancer. In addition, the obtained is perspective to solve the problem of recycling long-lived ¹³⁷Cs radionuclides formed during the operation of nuclear power plants into solid-state matrices.

• Journal of Platform Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.54-65
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• 2023

Due to the nature of electric vehicles, the batteries used for electric vehicles have a very large rated capacity. If an electric vehicle runs for a long time or an electric vehicle is abandoned due to a traffic accident, the electric vehicle battery becomes a waste battery. Even in vehicles that are being abandoned, the remaining capacity of waste batteries for electric vehicles is sufficient for other purposes. Waste batteries for automobiles are very expensive, so they need to be recycled and reused, but there was a problem that the standards for measuring the performance grade of waste batteries for recycling and reuse were insufficient. As a method for measuring the remaining capacity of waste battery, the most stable and reliable method is to measure the remaining capacity of battery using full charge and discharge. However, the inspection method by the full charging and discharging method varies depending on the capacity of the battery, but it takes more than a day to inspect, and many people are making great efforts to solve this problem. In this paper, an electric vehicle battery residual capacity analysis technique using voltage deviation between cells was studied and analyzed as a method to reduce inspection time for electric vehicle batteries. To this end, a full charging and discharging-based capacity measurement system was constructed, experimental data were collected using a nose or waste battery, and the correlation between the voltage deviation and the remaining capacity of the battery pack was analyzed to verify whether it can be used for battery inspection.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.737-753
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• 2023

Abandoned mines represent unused space resulting from resource use and changes in industrial environments. Efforts are underway to repurpose such underground spaces, leveraging their unique attributes of temperature stability, shading, and security. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of operating high-demand data centers and public sports facilities as potential recycling options for abandoned mine spaces. The status of data centers located in abandoned mines abroad was examined, including their operational technology capitalizing on the advantages of underground spaces. Considering the varying sizes of underground spaces in different types of abandoned mine in South Korea, the suitability of installing facilities for 12 different sports was evaluated for potential contributions to the health and welfare of local residents. The utilization of abandoned mine spaces as data centers and public sports facilities is expected to not only recycle industrial heritage but also to allow new development opportunities for local communities.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2024

The volume of shells, a prominent form of marine waste, is steadily increasing each year. However, a significant portion of these shells is either discarded or left near coastlines, posing environmental and social concerns. Utilizing shells as a substitute for traditional aggregates presents a potential solution, especially considering the diminishing availability of natural aggregates. This approach could effectively reduce transportation logistics costs, thereby promoting resource recycling. In this study, we explore the feasibility of employing wasted shell aggregates in 3D concrete printing technology for marine structures. Despite the advantages, it is observed that 3D printing concrete with wasted shells as aggregates results in lower strength compared to ordinary concrete, attributed to pores at the interface of shells and cement paste. Microstructure characterization becomes essential for evaluating mechanical properties. We conduct an analysis of the mechanical properties and microstructure of 3D printing concrete specimens incorporating wasted shells. Additionally, a mix design is proposed, taking into account flowability, extrudability, and buildability. To assess mechanical properties, compression and bonding strength specimens are fabricated using a 3D printer, and subsequent strength tests are conducted. Microstructure characteristics are analyzed through scanning electron microscope tests, providing high-resolution images. A histogram-based segmentation method is applied to segment pores, and porosity is compared based on the type of wasted shell. Pore characteristics are quantified using a probability function, establishing a correlation between the mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the specimens according to the type of wasted shell.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.188-195
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• 2024

Recently, the use of recycled aggregates from construction waste has been introduced as a solution for environmental problems and aggregate shortage. In spite of the various methods to promote recycling of recycled aggregate, the use of recycled aggregate as the structural aggregate has been limited because the quality of recycled aggregate(especially recycled fine aggregate) has been considered lower than that of natural aggregate. In this work, recycled fine aggregate was immersed for an hour in acrylic resin solutions of various concentrations to improve its quality, the appropriate immersion concentration was selected by measuring the absorption capacity and skeletal density of the recycled fine aggregate, and mortar specimens were prepared to evaluate the mechanical performance in order to propose a applicable treatment process to promote the use of recycled fine aggregate. According to the experimental results, as the acrylic resin concentration increased, the absorption capacity and skeletal density of the recycled fine aggregate decreased. The absorption capacity was lowest at acrylic resin concentrations around 6 to 8 %. However, among mortar specimens made of recycled fine aggregate immersed in acrylic resin solution, the compressive strength was the highest at 4 % acrylic resin concentration, suggesting that the use of higher concentration acrylic resin solution can actually lower the compressive strength of mortar.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.466-474
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• 2023

In recent years, the government has strongly promoted multi-purpose utilization of paddy field. However, poor drainage causes waterlogging stress in upland crops, requiring subsurface drainage technology, resulting in high installation and management costs. To address this issue, a low-cost and high-efficiency technique was developed that utilizes wasted coir substrates which have characteristics of high porosity and good drainage, for upland crop cultivation in paddy fields. Soybeans were grown in both paddy soil and wasted coir slab with two planting densities (80×20 cm and 60×20 cm). The results showed that the coir substrates had better performance than the paddy soil in terms of soil physical and chemical properties and the growth and yield of upland crops are improved. The treatments using wasted coir substrate showed a 41.4% increase in yield and a 21.3% increase in protein content compared to PS treatment. Our findings demonstrate that recycling waste coir substrates to grow upland crops is a positive cultivation strategy to solve some drainage problems in paddy fields. This approach offers a sustainable solution for upland crop production while also addressing the issue of waste management in agriculture.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.115-122
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• 2019

Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD), which is a dust waste generated in the steel manufacturing process, contains heavy metals. Recently, researches of recycling a large amount of valuable metals such as zinc and iron in EAFD are being actively carried out. In this study, EAFD is used as a substitute for cobalt in blue ceramic pigments without any pretreatment. Then, the synthesized blue ceramic pigment using EAFD was micronized and formulated as a ceramic ink for inkjet printer. The particle size distribution, crystal structure and color characteristics during the micronization process were investigated for the development of ceramic ink. $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments showed excellent blue coloric properties and monomodal distribution through micronization process. The average particle size of $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments after 3 hours of milling was $0.271{\mu}m$, which is smaller than $0.303{\mu}m$, which is the average particle size of $CoAl_2O_4$ ceramic pigments without EAFD after 5 hours of milling. Especially, it was confirmed that $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments showed a color difference (${\Delta}E{^*}_{ab}$) value of 5.67, which smaller than ${\Delta}E{^*}_{ab}$ value of $CoAl_2O_4$ during micronization. These results show that EAFD can be used as a raw material for a blue ceramic pigment by replacing expensive cobalt without any pretreatment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.235-252
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• 2022

Forward osmotic pressure-free reverse osmosis (Δ𝜋=0 RO) was invented in 2013. The first patent (US 9,950,297 B2) was registered on April 18, 2018. The "Osmotic Pressure of Concentrated Solutions" in JACS (1908) by G.N. Lewis of MIT was used for the estimation. The Chang's RO system differs from conventional RO (C-RO) in that two-chamber system of osmotic pressure equalizer and a low-pressure RO system while C-RO is based on a single chamber. Chang claimed that all aqueous solutions, including salt water, regardless of its osmotic pressure can be separated into water and salt. The second patent (US 10.953.367B2, March 23, 2021) showed that a low-pressure reverse osmosis is possible for 3.0% input at Δ𝜋 of 10 to 12 bar. Singularity ZERO reverse osmosis from his third patent (Korea patent 10-22322755, US-PCT/KR202003595) for a 3.0% NaCl input, 50% more water recovery, use of 1/3 RO membrane area, and 1/5th of theoretical energy. These numbers come from Chang's laboratory experiments and theoretical analysis. Relative residence time (RRT) of feed and OE chambers makes Δ𝜋 to zero or negative by recycling enriched feed flow. The construction cost by S-ZERO was estimated to be around 50~60% of the current RO system.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2024

Environmental problems caused by plastic waste have been continuously growing around the world, and plastic waste is increasing even faster after COVID-19. In particular, PP and PE account for more than half of all plastic production, and the amount of waste from these two materials is at a serious level. As a result, researchers are searching for an alternative method to plastic recycling, and plastic pyrolysis is one such alternative. In this paper, a numerical study was conducted on the pyrolysis behavior of non-condensable gas to predict the chemical reaction behavior of the pyrolysis gas. Based on gas products estimated from preceding literature, the behavior of non-condensable gas was analyzed according to temperature and residence time. Numerical analysis showed that as the temperature and residence time increased, the production of H₂ and heavy hydrocarbons increased through the conversion of the non-condensable gas, and at the same time, the CH₄ and C₆H₆ species decreased by participating in the reaction. In addition, analysis of the production rate showed that the decomposition reaction of C₂H₄ was the dominant reaction for H₂ generation. Also, it was found that more H₂ was produced by PE with higher C₂H₄ contents. As a future work, an experiment is needed to confirm how to increase the conversion rate of H₂ and carbon in plastics through the various operating conditions derived from this study's numerical analysis results.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.71-78
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• 2016

In this study, execution costs of the foundation system are compared with PHC and steel pile in the same soil layers and load condition. Steel piles installed on the thin weathered rock are reduced as 12.5% in comparison with the number of PHC piles. Steel piles installed on the soft rock through weathered rock with 1.7m of thickness reduce the number of piles as 35.7% (STK 400) and 46.4% (STK 490), respectively, in comparison with PHC piles installed on the weathered rock. Also, they reduce the number of piles as 26.5% (STK 400) and 38.8% (STK 490), respectively, in comparison with steel piles (STK 400) installed on the weathered rock. When the thickness of footings is constant, steel piles installed on the soft rock may reduce the area of footings up to 12.2% (STK 400) and 45.4% (STK 490), respectively, in comparison with PHC piles installed on the weathered rock. Total cost of foundation system installed on the soft rock with steel piles (STK 400) increases as 12%, whereas in case of replaced with steel piles (STK 490), it reduces as 16% in comparison with PHC piles installed on the weathered rock. This is because the cost reduction due to the number of piles and footing area is more effective despite high cost of steel piles (STK 490). When the thickness of weathered rock is less than 5m, installing steel piles (STK 490) on the soft rock through it is more economic in comparison with installing PHC piles on the weathered rock.