• 신재생에너지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.110-115
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• 2024

Global sustainable energy needs and carbon neutrality goals make hydrogen a key future energy source. South Korea and Japan lead with proactive hydrogen policies, including South Korea's Hydrogen Law and Japan's strategy updates aiming for a hydrogen-centric society by 2050. A notable advance is the solar thermal chemical water-splitting cycle for green hydrogen production, spotlighted by Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Niigata University's joint initiative. This method uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a carbon-neutral hydrogen production route. The study focuses on international collaboration in solar energy for thermochemical water-splitting and E-fuel production, highlighting breakthroughs in catalyst and reactor design to enhance solar thermal technology's commercial viability for sustainable fuel production. Collaborations, like ARENA in Australia, target global carbon emission reduction and energy system sustainability, contributing to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.75-81
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• 2010

The aim of this work is to analyse and discuss the use of the Economic Evaluation and of some new "metrics" for an appropriate valuation of membrane operations in the logic of Process Intensification. In particular, the proposed approach has the goal to show how the utilized indicators can drive to the choice of the most convenient process. Although in this work the planned procedure is applied, as a case study, to the membrane-based systems for boron and arsenic removal from waters, the suggested approach can be generally applied to any other process of interest.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.54-65
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• 2024

Background: There is growing international recognition of the need for improvements to national chemical management systems for hazardous chemicals. The European Union has recently introduced the concept of 'essential uses' as a new approach to the management hazardous chemicals by limiting their uses. Objectives: This paper examines the concept of essential uses in chemical management and how to apply it through a case study of essential use. This approach is distinct from the current chemical management system, but seeks to improve its potential benefits by effectively restricting or gradually decreasing the use of hazardous substances. Methods: The concept of essential uses was introduced by reviewing the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Cousins's three essentiality categories applied to PFAS, restriction options assessed in the PFAS restriction proposal under REACH, and the California Safer Consumer Products regulations prioritizing 6PPD in motor vehicle tires. Based on these essential uses concepts for PFAS and 6PPD, uses of benzene were classified in accordance with the essential uses approach for products using benzene in South Korea. Results: The essential use concept is able to manage the restriction and authorization of substances of concern through essential uses and non-essential uses and the feasible substitution of uses and substances. Conclusions: If the concept and methodology of essential uses are clearly established, they can be expected to shift the national chemical management paradigm from regulating substances to limiting uses under the existing substance management system.

• 청정기술
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

나노플라스틱(NP)은 마이크로플라스틱(MP)에 비해 뚜렷한 물질적 특성을 나타내므로 별도의 관리 인식이 필요하다. NP에 관한 연구 결과와 정책 문서를 검토한 결과, 대부분의 정책 프레임워크는 MP를 NP와 구별하지 않고 주로 5 mm 이하 크기의 고체 합성 고분자 물질로 정의하고 있다. 그러나 최근 EU REACH 규정 개정에 따르면, MP를 5 mm ~ 100 nm로 정의함으로써 100 nm 보다 작은 크기를 NP로 구분하여 인식하고 있음이 나타난다. NP에 대한 연구는 종종 환경 거동 및 생물체 영향 연구에서 구형 폴리스티렌 기반 NP를 사용하는 고농도 실험 조건에 중점을 두고 수계를 중심으로 한 실험 조사에 치우쳐져 있다. 특히, NP 연구에서 환경 거동 특성은 NP 유형에 따라 영향의 차이를 보여 현장 모사가 필요하다. 이러한 경향은 국내 MP 연구와 환경 정책 모두에서 MP와는 다른 NP 개념을 재정의할 필요를 뒷받침한다. 이에 본 연구는 국내외 NP 관리 현황을 평가하고, NP에 대한 기존 대응의 문제점과 정책 고려 사항을 조명하는 것을 목표로 하였다. 포괄적인 검토를 통해 MP에 대한 국제 합의에 도달하는 것은 방법론적 한계에 직면하고 잠재적으로 NP 규모를 정확하게 정의하려는 노력에 부담이 된다는 것이 분명해졌다. 따라서 국내 정책 영역에서는 EU의 최근 규제 개정을 참고하는 것이 중요하며, NP를 포함한 MP의 정의에 관한 구체적인 조정이 필요하며, 산업계 및 학계의 노력을 통해 정책적 수용이 이루어지도록 해야 할 것이다.