Eui-Chan Jeon

Effect of carbon dioxide on the thermal degradation of lignocellulosic biomass.

Using biomass as a renewable energy source via currently available thermochemical processes (i.e., pyrolysis and gasification) is environmentally advantageous owing to its intrinsic carbon neutrality. Developing methodologies to enhance the thermal efficiency of these proven technologies is therefore imperative. This study aimed to investigate the use of CO2 as a reaction medium to increase not only thermal efficiency but also environmental benefit. The influence of CO2 on thermochemical processes at a fundamental level was experimentally validated with the main constituents of biomass (i.e., cellulose and xylan) to avoid complexities arising from the heterogeneous matrix of biomass. For instance, gaseous products including H2, CH4, and CO were substantially enhanced in the presence of CO2 because CO2 expedited thermal cracking behavior (i.e., 200-1000%). This behavior was then universally observed in our case study with real biomass (i.e., corn stover) during pyrolysis and steam gasification. However, further study is urgently needed to optimize these experimental findings.

Novel hybrid technology for VOC control using an electron beam and catalyst

Noble (Pt, Pd) and transition metals (Mn, Cu) were employed as coupling catalysts to evaluate the toluene (1500 ppm C of initial concentration) removal efficiencies in the electron beam (EB)-catalyst coupling system. The toluene removal efficiency was 60.1% in the EB-only system at a dose of 8.7 kGy. In the presence of the metal catalysts (Pt, Pd, Cu and Mn), the removal efficiency was enhanced by 37, 33, 6 and 22%, respectively, compared to that of EB-only treatment. It was found that the selectivity to CO2 with Pt and Pd coupling were relatively higher than those of Cu and Mn. Especially the CO2 selectivity of EB-Pt coupling was significantly high at a relatively low absorbed dose. The removal efficiencies were compared for loading of catalyst and there was no significant difference among 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 wt%.

A Study on N2O Measurement Characteristics Using Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS)

N2O, which is emitted mainly from nitrogen decomposition via bacteria, livestock manure, agricultural fertilizer use, fossil fuel combustion and waste incineration, is classified as a substance that causes significant destruction of the ozone layer. The N2O measurement methods for these emission sources may be divided into chromatography, optical, and electrical current measurements. Chromatography has been widely utilized for analyzing N2O. However, up until now, few studies have been conducted on N2O using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate performance of photoacoustic spectroscopy in this regard based on laboratory and field test results. The repeatability of photoacoustic spectroscopy was measured at 1.12%, which is lower than the repeatability of 3.0% suggested by the ISO 1564 standard, so, it has shown an excellent repeatability. The detection limit was determined to be 0.025 ppm, and the response time was confirmed to be 3 min and 26 s. The results of comparison between these measurements and GC show that the latter has superior accuracy, but mobility and convenience are superior for PAS. On the contrary, GC has a continuous measurement limitation, but PAS makes it possible to conduct continuous measurements. Therefore, PAS can be extremely useful to confirm the characteristics of N2O emissions and to quantify their amount.

Development of Emission Factors for Greenhouse Gas CO 2 ) from Anthracite Fired Power Plants in Korea

Although the anthracite power plant is an important source of greenhouse gas, research on this type of power plant has not been conducted much. The present study investigated the entire anthracite power plants in Korea and analyzed the emitted gas in connection with GC/FD and a methanizer in order to develop emission factors. The study also sampled the anthracite to analyze the amount of carbon and hydrogen using an element analyzer, and to measure the calorie using an automatic calorie analyzer. The emission factors computed through the fuel analysis was 30.45 kg/GJ and that computed through the gas analysis was 26.48 kg/GJ. The former is approximately about 15% higher than the latter. When compared the carbon content factors of anthracite with that of bituminous coal, the value of anthracite was 24% higher Compared with IPCC values, the emission factors by the fuel was 14% higher, and that by the emitted gas was about 1.2% lower. More research is needed on our own emission factors of various energy-consuming facilities in order to stand on a higher position in international negotiations regarding the treaties on climate changes.

The comparison of fossil carbon fraction and greenhouse gas emissions through an analysis of exhaust gases from urban solid waste incineration facilities

ABSTRACT In this study, in order to understand accurate calculation of greenhouse gas emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities, which are major waste incineration facilities, and problems likely to occur at this time, emissions were calculated by classifying calculation methods into 3 types. For the comparison of calculation methods, the waste characteristics ratio, dry substance content by waste characteristics, carbon content in dry substance, and 12C content were analyzed; and in particular, CO2 concentration in incineration gases and 12C content were analyzed together. In this study, 3 types of calculation methods were made through the assay value, and by using each calculation method, emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities were calculated then compared. As a result of comparison, with Calculation Method A, which used the default value as presented in the IPCC guidelines, greenhouse gas emissions were calculated for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B at 244.43 ton CO2/day and 322.09 ton CO2/day, respectively. Hence, it showed a lot of difference from Calculation Methods B and C, which used the assay value of this study. It is determined that this was because the default value as presented in IPCC, as the world average value, could not reflect the characteristics of urban solid waste incineration facilities. Calculation Method B indicated 163.31 ton CO2/day and 230.34 ton CO2/day respectively for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B; also, Calculation Method C indicated 151.79 ton CO2/day and 218.99 ton CO2/day, respectively. Implications: This study intends to compare greenhouse gas emissions calculated using 12C content default value provided by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) with greenhouse gas emissions calculated using 12C content and waste assay value that can reflect the characteristics of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities. Also, the concentration and 12C content were calculated by directly collecting incineration gases of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities, and greenhouse gas emissions of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities through this survey were compared with greenhouse gas emissions, which used the previously calculated assay value of solid waste.

Analysis Methods for Measurement of Ammonia Concentration

Management and control of ammonia at the sources and ambient largely depend on sampling and measurement techniques. Good sampling and measurement techniques provide high quality data. The main purpose of the study is compare the analytical characteristics of the Indolphenol method which is one of the standard method in Korea with automatic analyzers for continued measuring gaseous ammonia. For comparison with other analytical methods, the verification test was designed to evaluate performance parameters; linearity, absorption efficiency, reproducibility and repeatability test, accuracy, and response time test. of calibration curve using IPM and CLM was very high (value is 1.000), but for EcSM value was estimated to be lower than IPM and CLM (as 0.991). The RSD of the CLM ranged from 0.1 to 2.3% over the nine concentration levels measured, %Ds was 0.1 to 10.7%, and average RA over all the measurements was 3.3%. The RSD of IPM and EcSM was ranged from 1.0 to 8.1, 3.9 to 14.0 respectively, and average RA were 8.71, 4.9% respectively. Rise in response times of EcSM was estimated to be 1 minute. It is found to be more sensitive than response time (which ranged from 2 to 9 minute) of CLM. For ammonia concentration measured using the IPM and the CLM from the same ammonia source, linear regression of IPM versus CLM show a slope of 0.805, an intercept of 637 ppb, and of 0.868.

The study on biomass fraction estimate methodology of municipal solid waste incinerator in Korea

ABSTRACT In Korea, the amount of greenhouse gases released due to waste materials was 14,800,000 t CO2eq in 2012, which increased from 5,000,000 t CO2eq in 2010. This included the amount released due to incineration, which has gradually increased since 2010. Incineration was found to be the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, with 7,400,000 t CO2eq released in 2012. Therefore, with regards to the trading of greenhouse gases emissions initiated in 2015 and the writing of the national inventory report, it is important to increase the reliability of the measurements related to the incineration of waste materials. This research explored methods for estimating the biomass fraction at Korean MSW incinerator facilities and compared the biomass fractions obtained with the different biomass fraction estimation methods. The biomass fraction was estimated by the method using default values of fossil carbon fraction suggested by IPCC, the method using the solid waste composition, and the method using incinerator flue gas. The highest biomass fractions in Korean municipal solid waste incinerator facilities were estimated by the IPCC Default method, followed by the MSW analysis method and the Flue gas analysis method. Therefore, the difference in the biomass fraction estimate was the greatest between the IPCC Default and the Flue gas analysis methods. The difference between the MSW analysis and the flue gas analysis methods was smaller than the difference with IPCC Default method. This suggested that the use of the IPCC default method cannot reflect the characteristics of Korean waste incinerator facilities and Korean MSW. Implications: Incineration is one of most effective methods for disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This paper investigates the applicability of using biomass content to estimate the amount of CO2 released, and compares the biomass contents determined by different methods in order to establish a method for estimating biomass in the MSW incinerator facilities of Korea. After analyzing the biomass contents of the collected solid waste samples and the flue gas samples, the results were compared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, and it seems that to calculate the biomass fraction it is better to use the flue gas analysis method than the IPCC method. It is valuable to design and operate a real new incineration power plant, especially for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Development of Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for the Biomass Fired Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion Power Plant

This study makes use of this distinction to analyze the exhaust gas concentration and fuel of the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler that mainly uses wood biomass, and to develop the emission factors of Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O). The fuels used as energy sources in the subject working sites are Wood Chip Fuel (WCF), RDF and Refused Plastic Fuel (RPF) of which heating values are 11.9 TJ/Gg, 17.1 TJ/Gg, and 31.2 TJ/Gg, respectively. The average concentrations of CH4 and N2O were measured to be 2.78 ppm and 7.68 ppm, respectively. The analyzed values and data collected from the field survey were used to calculate the emission factor of CH4 and N2O exhausted from the CFB boiler. As a result, the emission factors of CH4 and N2O are 1.4 kg/TJ (0.9–1.9 kg/TJ) and 4.0 kg/TJ (2.9–5.3 kg/TJ) within a 95% confidence interval. Biomass combined with the combustion technology for the CFB boiler proved to be more effective in reducing the N2O emission, compared to the emission factor of the CFB boiler using fossil fuel.

A Study on Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions Characteristics from Anthracite Circulating Fluidized Bed Power Plant in Korea

In order to tackle climate change effectively, the greenhouse gas emissions produced in Korea should be assessed precisely. To do so, the nation needs to accumulate country-specific data reflecting the specific circumstances surrounding Koreas emissions. This paper analyzed element contents of domestic anthracite, calorific value, and concentration of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the exhaust gases from circulating fluidized bed plant. The findings showed the concentration of CH4 and N2O in the flue gas to be 1.85 and 3.25 ppm, respectively, and emission factors were 0.486 and 2.198 kg/TJ, respectively. The CH4 emission factor in this paper was 52% lower than default emission factor presented by the IPCC. The N2O emission factor was estimated to be 46% higher than default emission factor presented by the IPCC. This discrepancy can be attributable to the different methods and conditions of combustion because the default emission factors suggested by IPCC take only fuel characteristics into consideration without combustion technologies. Therefore, Korea needs to facilitate research on a legion of fuel and energy consumption facilities to develop country-specific emission factors so that the nation can have a competitive edge in the international climate change convention in the years to come.

Estimation of optimal biomass fraction measuring cycle for municipal solid waste incineration facilities in Korea

This study estimates the optimum sampling cycle using a statistical method for biomass fraction. More than ten samples were collected from each of the three municipal solid waste (MSW) facilities between June 2013 and March 2015 and the biomass fraction was analyzed. The analysis data were grouped into monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual intervals and the optimum sampling cycle for the detection of the biomass fraction was estimated. Biomass fraction data did not show a normal distribution. Therefore, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare the average values for each sample group. The Kruskal-Wallis test results showed that the average monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual values for all three MSW incineration facilities were equal. Therefore, the biomass fraction at the MSW incineration facilities should be calculated on a yearly cycle which is the longest period of the temporal cycles tested.