• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

Transition metal based spent catalysts (Ni-Mo and Co-Mo), which were scrapped from the petrochemical industry, were reused for the removal processes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Especially the optimum regeneration procedures were determined using the removal efficiency of VOCs. In this work, the spent Ni-Mo and spent Co-Mo catalysts were pretreated with different physic-chemical treatment procedure: 1) acid aqueous solution, 2) alkali solution, 3) chemical agent and 4) steam. The various characterization methods of spent and its regenerated catalysts were performed using nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). It was found that all spent catalysts were found to be potentially applicable catalysts for catalytic oxidation of benzene. The experimental results also indicated that among the employed physico-chemical pretreatment methods, the oxalic acid aqueous (0.1 N, $C_2H_2O_4$) pretreatment appeared to be the most efficient in increasing the catalytic activity, although the catalytic activity of spent Ni-Mo and spent Co-Mo catalysts in the oxidation of benzene were greatly dependent on the pretreatment conditions. The pretreated spent catalysts at optimum condition could be also applied for removing other aromatic compounds (Toluene/Xylene).

• Clean Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.197-206
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• 2003

We performed removal of aromatic compounds, benzene and toluene, from soil and zeolite using supercritical carbon dioxide. Extraction was performed at $50^{\circ}C$ and 27.7 MPa with changing the extent of pollutant concentration and the results were compared and analyzed. Experiments were carried out using flow method and high pressure extractor of 1.27 cm in diameter and 25cm in length was used. The pollutants were sampled every ten minutes and their concentrations were analyzed with GC/FID. As a result, highly contaminated sample followed solubility/elution model and slightly contaminated sample followed desorption/kinetics model. At the same condition benzene was extracted faster than toluene. In the case of zeolite, more time is required to extract pollutants than soil. This phenomena was due to high adsorption capacity of zeolite. In the case of highly contaminated soil, we could correlate experimental data using simple Brady's fixed bed extractor model. But in the case of slightly contaminated soil, that was governed with desorption/kinetics model, there was some errors.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.559-569
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• 2018

Catalytic supports made of carbon have many advantages, such as high coking resistance, tailorable pore and surface structures, and ease of recycling of waste catalysts. Moreover, they do not require pre-reduction. In this study, ash-free coal (AFC) was obtained by the thermal extraction of carbonaceous components from raw coal and its performance as a carbon catalytic support was compared with that of well-known activated carbon (AC). Nickel was dispersed on the carbon supports and the resulting catalysts were applied to the steam reforming of toluene (SRT), a model compound of biomass tar. Interestingly, nickel catalysts dispersed on AFC, which has a very small surface area (${\sim}0.13m^2/g$), showed higher activity than those dispersed on AC, which has a large surface area ($1,173A/cm^2$). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the particle size of nickel deposited on AFC was smaller than that deposited on AC, with the average values on AFC ${\approx}11nm$ and on AC ${\approx}23nm$. This proved that heteroatomic functional groups in AFC, such as carboxyls, can provide ion-exchange or adsorption sites for the nano-scale dispersion of nickel. In addition, the pore structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, and chemical state of the prepared catalysts were analyzed using Brunauer-Emmett-Taylor (BET) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR).

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2021

In this study, the waste activated carbon used in the painting process was filled into a cylindrical cartridge and the characteristics of desorption by low temperature gas were investigated. Adsorption and desorption experiments of toluene with activated carbon were conducted to determine the flow rate of desorption. In an experiment where desorption was performed while changing conditions at flow rates of 1, 2 and 4 ㎥ min-1, it was determined that 2 ㎥ min-1 was appropriate due to the high THC concentration and desorption time. In the early stage of the desorption of waste activated carbon, 2-butanone and MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone) with a low boiling point were generated at a high rate in the gas component, and after that, the concentration of THC decreased and the BTX was desorbed at a high rate. The total calorific value of the gas component generated during the desorption of waste activated carbon was 316 kcal kg-1. From repeating the regeneration of waste activated carbon with toluene five times, it was observed that the iodine value and the specific surface area were relatively lower than that of new activated carbon. In the desorption experiment where two cylindrical cartridges were connected in series, the maximum THC concentration was about 470 ppm.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.69-76
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• 2008

To estimate removal ability of harmful gas by charcoal, we carbonized Red oak (Quercus mongolica Fischer) wood and Larch (Larix leptoepis) bark at $300^{\circ}C$, $600^{\circ}C$ and $900^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. Gas removal ratios was increased with carbonization temperature but there is no difference between wood and bark charcoal. In the case of bad smell and VOC gas, woody charcoal including bark charcoal carbonized at $300^{\circ}C$ showed low removal ratio, less than 50%, whereas woody charcoals which was carbonized at more than $600^{\circ}C$ reached almost 100% removal ratio to bad smell gas such as trimethylamine, methymercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, and to VOC such as benzene, toluene, xylene in $5{\ell}$ tedler bag with each gas of 100 ppm. It was thought that because charcoals carbonized at high temperature, for example, $600^{\circ}C$ or $900^{\circ}C$ have enough specific surface area to adsorb gas of 100 ppm. Moreover these charcoals rapidly removed almost gas in 10 minutes. However, acetylene, $SO_2$ and $NO_2$, charcoals which was carbonized more than $600^{\circ}C$ and which showed high removal ratio had low gas removal ratio of 40% at even 4 hours adsorption. It was concluded that adsorptive ability of woody charcoal was mainly influenced with carbonizing temperature, so that different charcoals carbonized at different temperature brings different gas removal ratio because these charcoals have not only different physical factor such as specific surface area but different chemical characteristic such as functional group, expected.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 1989

Acidic properties of ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts were investigated by temperature-programmed desorption technique and ir spectroscopy. Ammonia t.p.d. pattern of HZSM-5 showed three different states, designated as ${\alpha}$,${\beta}$ and ${\gamma}$. The amount of ${\gamma}$-state decreased with increasing $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ ratio, and upon cation-exchanging with alkali cations. From the ir adsorption spectra of absorbed pyridine and the reaction study of toluene alkylation, the ${\gamma}$-state could be explained to be due to the strong Bronsted acid sites of H-ZSM-5. Also they showed that the interaction between alkali cation-exchanged ZSM-5 and bases, i.e. $NH_3$ and pyridine, was increasing with decreasing the size of cations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.77.2-77.2
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• 2013

In this talk, I will briefly review recent results of my group related to application of atomic layer deposition (ALD) for fabricating environmental catalysts and organic solar cells. ALD was used for preparing thin films of TiO2 and NiO on mesporous silica with a mean pore size of 15 nm. Upon depositing TiO2 thin films of TiO2 using ALD, the mesoporous structure of the silica substrate was preserved to some extent. We show that efficiency for removing toluene by adsorption and catalytic oxidation is dependent of mean thickness of TiO2 deposited on silica, i.e., fine tuning of the thickness of thin film using ALD can be beneficial for preparing high-performing adsorbents and oxidation catalysts of volatile organic compound. NiO/silica system prepared by ALD was used for catalysts of chemical conversion of CO2. Here, NiO nanoparticles are well dispersed on silica and confiend in the pore, showing high catalytic activity and stability at 800oC for CO2 reforming of methane reaction. We also used ALD for surface modulation of buffer layers of organic solar cell. TiO2 and ZnO thin films were deposited on wet-chemically prepared ZnO ripple structures, and thin films with mean thickness of ~2 nm showed highest power conversion efficiency of organic solar cell. Moreover, performance of ALD-prepared organic solar cells were shown to be more stable than those without ALD. Thin films of oxides deposited on ZnO ripple buffer layer could heal defect sites of ZnO, which can act as recombination center of electrons and holes.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.544-552
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• 2006

Emission tests were carried out to investigate the characteristics of concentration according to flooring sort using small chamber method. The target Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) included 27 individual compounds of environmental concern, which were determined by adsorption sampling and thermal desorption coupled with GC/MS method and by DNPH cartridge/HPLC method. The emission factor of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) and Formaldehyde (HCHO) was detected $0.3mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ and $0.2mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ respectively, and the floorings of 37 (9 PVC Tile, 10 PVC Sheet, 18 Flooring) were satisfied emission standard. TVOC emission factor appeared in order of concentration of PVC Sheet, PVC Tile, and floor flooring, while HCHO was detected very high emission factor (as $0.4mg/m^2{\cdot}h$) at floor flooring above PVC series (as $0.001mg/m^2{\cdot}h$).

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.325-345
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• 2020

Determination of Best available technology (BAT) was suggested to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a petrochemical industrial complex, by conducting human health risk, environmental, and economic assessment based on multimedia fugacity model. Fate and distribution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) was predicted by the multimedia fugacity model, which represent VOCs emitted from the industrial complex in U-city. Media-integrated human health risk assessment and sensitivity analysis were conducted to predict the human health risk of BTEX and identify the critical variable which has adverse effects on human health. Besides, the environmental and economic assessment was conducted to determine the BAT for VOCs reduction. It is concluded that BTEX highly remained in soil media (60%, 61%, 64% and 63%), and xylene has remained as the highest proportion of BTEX in each environment media. From the candidates of BAT, the absorption was excluded due to its high human health risk. Moreover, it is identified that the half-life and exposure coefficient of each exposure route are highly correlated with human health risk by sensitivity analysis. In last, considering environmental and economic assessment, the regenerative thermal oxidation, the regenerative catalytic oxidation, the bio-filtration, the UV oxidation, and the activated carbon adsorption were determined as BAT for reducing VOCs in the petrochemical industrial complex. The suggested BAT determination methodology based on the media-integrated approach can contribute to the application of BAT into the workplace to efficiently manage the discharge facilities and operate an integrated environmental management system.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.521-529
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• 2011

Methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction was studied over MWW zeolite with independently developed two pores (circular and straight) and MFI zeolite with intercrossed sinusoidal and straight pores in order to investigate the effect of pore structure on their catalytic behavior. MWW and MFI zeolites with similar acidity exhibited commonly high conversion and slow deactivation in the MTO reaction, but their product selectivities were considerably different: linear hydrocarbons of $C_3-C_9$ were mainly produced on MWW, while the yield of $C_2{^=}$ and aromatics were high on MFI. Polyaroamatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were accumulated on MWW, but a small amount of benzene and aromatics on MFI. The impregnation of phosphorous on MWW caused significant decreases in the catalytic activity and toluene adsorption, but the decreases were relatively small on MFI. Although the straight pores of MWW were inactive in the MTO reaction due to the accumulation of PAHs, its circular pores which suppressed the formation of PAHs sustained catalytic activity for the production of linear hydrocarbons. Therefore, the impregnation of phosphorous on the circular pores of MWW caused a significant decrease in catalytic activity. The phosphorous impregnation on the cross sections of MFI altered the product selectivity due to the neutralization of strong acid sites, but catalytic deactivation was negligible. The difference of MWW and MFI zeolites in the MTO reaction was explained by their difference in pore structure.