• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.61-67
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• 2015

As the production of palm oil has been increased, the generation of oil palm biomass is also increased and the utilization of the oil palm biomass become more significant topic. One third of the oil palm biomass is empty fruit bunch (EFB) and the other two thirds are oil palm trunks and fronds. However, the effective use of oil palm biomass has not been developed and most of it is discarded near oil palm plants. In this study, we investigated the applicability of EFB to the paperboard mills, as an organic filler. The new organic filler was manufactured in a laboratory by grinding and fractionating dried EFB powder, and its properties were analyzed. The particles of EFB organic filler were larger and more spherical than those of the commercial wood powder. The use of EFB organic filler resulted in a higher bulk of the handsheets with similar trends of physical strength, compared to those made with wood powder. It was concluded that EFB could be used as a raw material to manufacture organic filler for paperboard 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.976-982
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• 2016

Seaweed has high growth rate, low land usage, high CO₂ absorption and no competition for food resources. Therefore, the use of lignin-free seaweed as a raw material is arising as a third generation biomass for bioethanol production. Various pretreatment techniques have been introduced to enhance the overall hydrolysis yield, and can be categorized into physical, chemical, biological, enzymatic or a combination. Thermal acid hydrolysis pretreatment is one of the most popular methods to attain high sugar yields from seaweed biomass for economic reasons. At thermal acid hydrolysis conditions, the 3,6-anhydro-galactose (AHG) from biomass could be converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which might inhibit the cell growth and decrease ethanol production. AHG is prone to decomposition into HMF, due to its acid-labile character, and subsequently into weak acids such as levulinic acid and formic acid. These inhibitors can retard yeast growth and reduce ethanol productivity during fermentation. Thus, the carbohydrates in seaweed require effective treatment methods to obtain a high concentration of monosaccharides and a low concentration of inhibitor HMF for ethanol fermentation. The efficiency of bioethanol production from the seaweed biomass hydrolysate is assessed by separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). To improve the efficiency of the ethanol fermentation of mixed monosaccharides, the adaptation of yeast to high concentration of sugar could make simultaneous utilization of mixed monosaccharides for the production of ethanol from seaweed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.63-71
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• 2021

Using fossil fuels in existing industrial systems causes a variety of social problems. Recently, many studies have been conducted on bio-refineries, which aim to actively utilize biomass to reduce the use of fossil fuels and solve various social problems. Among them, research using microalgae as a third-generation biomass has attracted considerable attention. Microalgae use inorganic matter to produce organic matter, and cell destruction is necessary to extract useful organic materials from microalgae. The extracted organic materials are currently used in various industrial fields. Numerous cell-destruction methods exist. We have investigated cell disruption by sonication, especially its efficiency. Ultrasound is a sound wave with frequencies above 20 kHz, and destroys cells by sending high energy through a cavitation that occurs, according to the characteristics of the sound wave. The Dunaliella salina microalgae used in this study was cultured in a flat-type photobioreactor. Experiments were performed using a batch low-frequency processing device. Logistic model was applied to analyze the results of cell-destruction experiments using ultrasound. The proper conditions for the most efficient cell destruction were OD 1.4(microalgae concentration)), 54watt(output power) and 200mL(microalgae capacity).

• 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.

• 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.