• Title/Summary/Keyword: ecological exergy

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Characterizing Ecological Exergy as an Ecosystem Indicator in Streams Using a Self-Organizing Map

  • Bae, Mi-Jung;Park, Young-Seuk
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.203-213
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    • 2008
  • Benthic macro invertebrate communities were collected at six different sampling sites in the Musucheon stream in Korea from July 2006 to July 2007, and ecological exergy values were calculated based on five different functional feeding groups (collector-gatherer, collector-filterer, predator, scrapper, and shredder) of benthic macro invertebrates. Each sampling site was categorized to three stream types (perennial, intermittent and drought) based on the water flow condition. Exergy values were low at all study sites right after a heavy rain and relatively higher in the perennial stream type than in the intermittent or the drought stream type. Self-Organizing Map (SOM), unsupervised artificial neural network, was implemented to pattern spatial and temporal dynamics of ecological exergy of the study sites. SOM classified samples into four clusters. The classification reflected the effects of floods and droughts on benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and was mainly related with the stream types of the sampling sites. Exergy values of each functional feeding group also responded differently according to the different stream types. Finally, the results showed that exergy is an effective ecological indicator, and patterning changes of exergy using SOM is an effective way to evaluate target ecosystems.

A Study on the Application of Ecological Structural Dynamic Modelling (생태 모델링기법으로서 동적구조모형의 고찰)

  • Kim, Jwa-Kwan
    • Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.213-222
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    • 2004
  • Exergy is defined as the amount of work (entropy-free energy) a system can perform when it is brought into thermodynamic equilibrium with its environment. Exergy measures the distance from the inorganic soup in energy terms. Therefore, exergy can be considered as fuel for any system that converts energy and matter in a metabolic process. The aim of this study is to introduce structural dynamic modelling which is based on maximum exergy principle. Especially, almost ecological models couldn't explain algal succession until now. New model (structural dynamic model) is anticipated to predict or explain the succession theory. If the new concept using maximum exergy principle is used, algal succession can be explained in many actual cases. Therefore, It is estimated that structural dynamic model using maximum exergy principle might be a excellent tool to understand succession of nature from now on.

Study on Utilizing Resources in Ecopolis -Evaluation of the Potential Heat Capacity of Sewage For Utilizing as Sewage Energy- (생태도시에서의 자원활용에 관한 연구 -하수 에너지 활용을 위한 보유열량 평가-)

  • 정용현
    • Journal of Environmental Science International
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    • v.12 no.6
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    • pp.583-591
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    • 2003
  • The research on potential energy was conducted to conserve the high-exergy energy like primary energy and utilize waste heat from sewage. From the Point of view in using the waste heat, the energy Potential of waste water from the model house was simulated. From the results, when the heated water was supplied to the model house side in order to put unused energy to Practice use, heated water had higher energy Potential than unheated water, which was due to the discharge of most of unused energy. The possessing heat capacity of sewage from heated water was increased to 40-70 percents in comparison with that from the unheated water. Therefore, it can be used as energy source for improving coefficient of performance of heat pumps. By adopting the multiple heat pump into a model house, It showed that the possessing heat capacity of sewage was reduced. It was also found that the heat was recovered as energy source fur multiple heat pump in a model house.

Hydrogen production in the light of sustainability: A comparative study on the hydrogen production technologies using the sustainability index assessment method

  • Norouzi, Nima
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.54 no.4
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    • pp.1288-1294
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    • 2022
  • Hydrogen as an environmentally friendly energy carrier has received special attention to solving uncertainty about the presence of renewable energy and its dependence on time and weather conditions. This material can be prepared from different sources and in various ways. In previous studies, fossil fuels have been used in hydrogen production, but due to several limitations, especially the limitation of the access to this material in the not-too-distant future and the great problem of greenhouse gas emissions during hydrogen production methods. New methods based on renewable and green energy sources as energy drivers of hydrogen production have been considered. In these methods, water or biomass materials are used as the raw material for hydrogen production. In this article, after a brief review of different hydrogen production methods concerning the required raw material, these methods are examined and ranked from different aspects of economic, social, environmental, and energy and exergy analysis sustainability. In the following, the current position of hydrogen production is discussed. Finally, according to the introduced methods, their advantages, and disadvantages, solar electrolysis as a method of hydrogen production on a small scale and hydrogen production by thermochemical method on a large scale are introduced as the preferred methods.