The effect of heat treatment and vacuum conditions on the textural properties and electrochemical performance of commercially available activated carbons (ACs) was investigated. The AC after post-heat treatment was characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. The ACs treated under vacuum conditions exhibit a higher specific surface area and micropore surface area than those treated under nitrogen atmospheric pressure without significantly affecting the graphite structure of the AC. Under 800 °C temperature and vacuum conditions (AC-V800), the AC with the highest Brunauer– Emmett–Teller surface area of 1951.9 m2 g−1 (16.4% improvement relative to that of the original AC (1677.2 m2 g−1)) was obtained. This is attributed to the removal of oxygen-containing functional groups and volatile matters in the carbon by thermal treatment under vacuum conditions. Consequently, the electric double-layer capacitor using ACs treated under vacuum conditions (1 kPa) at 800 °C (AC-V800) shows considerably improved electrochemical performance in terms of higher specific capacitance and better cycling stability at a high working voltage (3.1 V), compared to the nitrogen-treated and commercial ACs.

제 4 차 산업혁명이 일어남에 따라 각국의 정부와 기업들은 보다 환경친화적인 정책과 기술 개발에 힘쓰고 있다. 배기가스 배출과 소음이 거의 없는 전기차 및 수소차의 개발, 그리고 이를 보편화 하기 위한 정부의 정책 등 기존의 경제, 산업 구조를 친환경적으로 바꾸려는 시도가 많이 이루어지고 있다. 최근 여러 환경문제를 해결하기 위해 각종 유해 가스 흡착 및 폐수 처리용으로 활성탄을 많이 사용하고 있으나 흡착질의 특성에 따라 요구되는 표면 특성이 다르기 때문에 수요에 걸맞는 활성탄의 개발이 점차 요구되고 있는 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 친수성 유기물 제거에 유리한 활성탄을 개발하고자 C-O, C-O-C, C=O 및 O=C-O 등과 같은 친수성 작용기를 질산처리 방법을 통해 활성탄 표면에 효과적으로 도입하는 연구를 진행하였다. 질산을 활용하여 끓는점 및 다양한 농도 조건에서 활성탄을 환류, 개질하였고, 이를 세척 후 고온에서 탄화시켜 활성탄의 표면을 개질하였다. 제조된 개질활성탄은 활성탄의 비표면적, mesopore 및 micropore 의 함량을 알기 위하여 BET 를 이용하여 측정하였고, 4 M 120 ℃에서 개질한 결과 가장 높은 792.22 m2g-1 으로 확인되었다. 또한 제조된 활성탄의 표면 및 기공 특성 변화를 확인하기 위해 SEM, XPS, EDX, BET 등의 분석을 실시하였으며 질산 처리 정도에 따른 특성 변화에 대해 비교 고찰하였다.

This study investigated the effect of dry heat treatment (DHT) on the physicochemical properties of hard type (HR) and floury type (FR) rice to improve the processing aptitude of rice flour. The rice flour was heated at 130oC for 0, 2 and 4 hours, and the color value, water absorption index (WAI), water soluble index (WSI), swelling power, solubility, pasting properties, particle shape and the X-ray diffraction were measured. After DHT, the L value of rice flour decreased, and the b value increased. The WAI, WSI, swelling power and solubility of HR and FR increased with the increase of treatment time. The cold viscosity and setback increased, while breakdown decreased. Cracks and lumps formed with fine particles were observed. The X-ray diffraction pattern was A-type, while the diffraction intensity decreased. According to the results of the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, the hydration and pasting properties were significantly different between HR and FR and were affected by DHT time. The results suggest that the properties of modified rice flour by DHT can be used in the food industry.

Water treatment process simulator is the tool for predicting sequential changes of water quality in a train of unit processes. This predicts the changes through governing equations that represent physicochemical performance of each unit processes with an initial and boundary conditions. Since there is no operational data for the design of a water treatment facility, there is no choice but to predict the performance of the facility by assuming initial and boundary conditions in virtual reality. Therefore, a simulator that can be applied in the design stage of a water treatment facility has no choice but to be built as a numerical analysis model of a deductive technique. In this study, we had conducted basic research on governing equations, inter-process data-flow, and simulator algorithms for the development of simulators. Lastly, this study will contribute to design engineering tool development research in the future by establishing the water treatment theory so that it can be programmed in a virtual world and suggesting a method for digital transformation of the water treatment process.