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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 10844

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Dr. Birm-June Kim

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Guest Editor

Department of Forest Products & Biotechnology, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Interests: wood plastic composites; cellulose nanocomposites; biocomposites; 3D printing; material characterization
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Prof. Dr. Sumin Kim

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Guest Editor

Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Interests: building energy; building environment and materials; eco-friendly materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Eco-friendly R&D will be an inevitable primary option to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, because the pollutions caused by petrochemical-based materials and greenhouse gases have significant impacts on the global environment. Therefore, the growing threat of environmental contaminants requires the development of new biodegradable materials, environmentally-friendly processing, and low carbon systems.
As an effective solution to address the global environmental pollution problem, eco-friendly composites, materials, and systems for sustainable development will be very important.
This Special Issue will contribute to the practical and comprehensive forum for exchanging novel research ideas or empirical practices which represent and connect a variety of developments in sustainable materials, composites, and systems.
Papers that report new research ideas and recent progresses on the latest development and findings in sustainable eco-friendly materials and composites, and which also analyze aspects related to energy systems for climate change on the basis of one or more of the following topics are welcome in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Birm-June Kim
Prof. Dr. Sumin Kim
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Bio-based materials
Composites
3D Printings
Sustainability
Greenhouse gases (GHGs)
Renewable energy
Bio-based fiber modification
Wood plastic composites
Natural fiber-reinforced composites
Nanocellulose-based polymer composites
Low carbon energy production
Thermal energy storage system
Energy systems for climate change
Energy harvesting technology
Building environment and energy
Energy saving building materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal and Thermomechanical Characterization of Polypropylene-Seed Shell Particles Composites

by José Luis Rivera-Armenta, Beatriz Adriana Salazar-Cruz, Ana Cecilia Espindola-Flores, Diana Samantha Villarreal-Lucio, Claudia María De León-Almazán and Jorge Estrada-Martinez

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8336; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168336 - 20 Aug 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1781

Abstract

The use of plant waste, such ashusks, fibers, and bagasse, as additives in polymeric matrices generated great interest recently, since they became an option to be used as additives, reinforcers, or only as fillers. The pistachio is a seed for human consumption, while the Jatropha curcas (JC) is a seed from which oils are extracted, and are used to obtain biofuels; however, their shells are not used when discardedbecause no useful application is known.An interesting application for this waste material is to use it as a bioadditive in polymeric matrix. The objective of the present work is to prepare polymer composites with polypropylene (PP) as a matrix and as a bio-additive particle inseed shells, in this case Jatropha curcas shell particles (JA) and pistachio shell particles (PI), in different content from 2 to 10 phr. The composites were characterized by techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to evaluate crystallinity; by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the thermal stability was studied, and by using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) the viscoelastic behavior of composites was evaluated. According to DSC, results suggest that a nucleating effect occurs with the addition of the JA and PI, which was reflected in an increase in thepercent of crystallinity of the composites. The TGA results show that thermal stability of the composites was modified with the presence of JA and PI, compared with that PP pristine.In addition, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) reported that the viscoelastic behavior was modified, findinga higher capacity to dissipate energy for composites, PI being the one that presented a greater effect on them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials, Composites and Systems for Sustainable Development)

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24 pages, 5875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examination of Efficient Operation Method of ATES System by Comparison Operation with WTES System of Existent Heat Storage System

by Jewon Oh, Daisuke Sumiyoshi, Masatoshi Nishioka and Hyunbae Kim

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10321; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110321 - 3 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1624

Abstract

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system is widely used mainly in Europe and USA. In this paper, we examined the efficient operation method of ATES by comparing it with the water thermal energy storage (WTES) system of an existent thermal energy storage (TES) system using simulation. This study uses three aquifers: pumping wells, thermal storage wells, and reducing wells. The initial temperature is 19.1 °C groundwater from the surrounding area. ATES systems use the same operating methods as WTES systems to reduce heat storage efficiency and increase energy consumption. The operation that combines the ATES system with the pre-cooling/pre-heating coil can be used for air conditioning operation even if the heat storage diffuses or the pumping temperature changes. The aquifer heat storage system was used for the pre-cooling/pre-heating coil, and the cooling power consumption was reduced by 20%. The heating operation could not maintain heat for a long time due to the influence of groundwater flowing in from the surroundings. Therefore, it is recommended to use the stored heat as soon as possible. When energy saving is important by introducing a pre-cooling/pre-heating coil, the operation is performed by storing heat at a low temperature close to geothermal heat and also using groundwater heat. In addition, if the reduction of peak power in the daytime is important, it is appropriate to operate so that the heat stored in the pre-cooling/pre-heating coil is used up as much as possible. As a result, it was found that it is effective to operate the ATES system in combination with a pre-cooling/pre-heating coil. In cooling operation, ATES-C1-7 was the lowest at coefficient of performance (COP) 2.4 and ATES-C2-14 was the highest at COP 3.7. In heating operation, ATES-H1-45 was the lowest at COP1.2, and in other cases, it was about the same at COP2.4-2.8. In terms of energy efficiency, the heating operation ATES-H1-45 had a low energy efficiency of 4.1 for energy efficiency ratio (EER) and 3.9 for seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). In other cases, the energy efficiency was 8.2–12.4 for EER and 8.7–15.3 for SEER. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials, Composites and Systems for Sustainable Development)

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19 pages, 26018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Cellulose Nanocrystal and Inorganic Nanofillers on the Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D-Printed Photopolymer Composites

by Sang-U Bae and Birm-June Kim

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 6835; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11156835 - 25 Jul 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3876

Abstract

Photopolymer composites filled with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and/or inorganic nanofillers were fabricated by using digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. To investigate the effects of different CNC lyophilization concentrations and behaviors of CNC particles in the photopolymer composites, morphological and mechanical properties were analyzed. CNC loading levels affected the morphological and mechanical properties of the filled composites. Better CNC dispersion was seen at a lower lyophilization concentration, and the highest mechanical strength was observed in the 0.25 wt% CNC-filled composite. Furthermore, nano-precipitated calcium carbonate (nano-PCC) and nanoclay were added to photocurable resins, and then the effect of inorganic nanofillers on the morphological and mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated. By analyzing the morphological properties, the stress transfer mechanism of nano-PCC and nanoclay in the photopolymer composites was identified and related models were presented. These supported the improved mechanical strength of the composites filled with CNC, nano-PCC, and nanoclay. This study suggested a new approach using wood-derived cellulose nanomaterials and inorganic nanofillers as effective fillers for DLP 3D printing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials, Composites and Systems for Sustainable Development)

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19 pages, 7088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Visual Environment of a Railroad Station’s Platform, Focused on the User’s Psychology

by Jaeyoung Heo, Miki Kozaki, Takaaki Koga, Kotaroh Hirate and Hyun Bae Kim

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6566; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146566 - 16 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1972

Abstract

Through a comprehensive evaluation of the spaces of 25 railway stations, where power-saving operations are being conducted due to an earthquake, the effects of various components of the space on users’ psychology were reviewed. For the platforms of railway stations, which are divided into ‘island platforms’ and ‘side platforms’ the ‘physical quantity measurement’ and ‘impression evaluation’ were assessed. When a simple power-saving method, such as partial lighting up is adopted, it has been shown that there is a negative effect on the users, both physically and psychologically. In particular, in the case of outdoor platforms, there is a concern that glare and anxiety due to contrast may increase; therefore, it is necessary to utilize the reflective surfaces effectively. Floor illuminance is fundamental to lighting design. However, some areas cannot be evaluated by floor illuminance alone. The difference in the results of the impression evaluation in five areas with floor illuminance around 50 lx was widely distributed, and it was found that the shape and material of the space affected the results. If platform screen doors are installed, a lighting method that can evenly illuminate the interior of the space is necessary. By reviewing each factor that determines the visual impression, it was revealed that the lighting location and lighting method were significantly affected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Friendly Materials, Composites and Systems for Sustainable Development)

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