• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.584-595
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• 2021

In this study, the correlation between operating stages of waste air-treating system composed of two alternatively-operating UV/photocatalytic reactors, and the deactivation of photocatalyst used in each operating stage, was investigated by instrumental analysis thereon. The repeated deactivation and subsequent re-generation of photocatalyst used in the waste air treating system of previous investigation performed by Lee and Lim (Korean Chem. Eng. Research, 59(4), 574-583(2021)), were characterized on virgin photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media (A4), used photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media (A1, A2 and A3) collected from the corresponding photocatalytic reactor upon 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd run, respectively, regenerated photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media upon 1 time-run (AD1) and 3 times regenerated photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media upon 3 time-runs (AD3) by instrumental analysis including BET analysis, SEM, XPS, SEM-EDS and FT-IR. As a result, the proper regeneration-temperature for deactivated photocatalyst to be regenerated several times (more than 3 times), was suggested below 200 ℃. Such temperature of deactivated photocatalyst-regeneration was almost consistent to the one, according to BET analysis, at which tiny nano-pores blocked by adsorbed ethanol-oxidative and degraded intermediates (AEODI), were regenerated to be reopened through almost complete mineralization of AEODI. In particular, the results of XPS analysis indicated an incurrence of insignificant deactivation of photocatalysis upon 1^st run of UV/photocatalytic reactor (A or C) of the previous investigation. In addition, the results of XPS analysis were consistent with the experimental results of the previous investigation in that 1) deactivation of photocatalyst incurred during 2^nd run of the UV/photocatalytic reactor (A or C) resulted in decreased removal efficiency, by ca. 5% and 5%, of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide, respectively, compared with its 1^st run; 2) there was insignificant difference between the removal efficiencies of its 2^nd run and 3^rd run. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide for hypothetical 4^th run of photocatalytic reactor in the previous investigation, using AD3, were expected to decrease, compared with its 3^rd run, by much more than those for 2^nd run in the previous investigation did, compared with its 1^st run.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2022

A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a major gateway for the engineered nano-particles (ENPs) entering the water bodies. However existing studies have reported that many WWTPs exceed the No Observed Effective Concentration (NOEC) for ENPs in the effluent and thus they need to be designed or operated to more effectively control ENPs. Understanding and predicting ENPs behaviors in the unit and \the whole process of a WWTP should be the key first step to develop strategies for controlling ENPs using a WWTP. This study aims to provide a modeling tool for predicting behaviors and removal efficiencies of ENPs in a WWTP associated with process characteristics and major operating conditions. In the developed model, four unit processes for water treatment (primary clarifier, bioreactor, secondary clarifier, and tertiary treatment unit) were considered. Additionally the model simulates the sludge treatment system as a single process that integrates multiple unit processes including thickeners, digesters, and dewatering units. The simulated ENP was nano-sized TiO₂, (nano-TiO₂) assuming that its behavior in a WWTP is dominated by the attachment with suspendid solids (SS), while dissolution and transformation are insignificant. The attachment mechanism of nano-TiO₂ to SS was incorporated into the model equations using the apparent solid-liquid partition coefficient (Kd) under the equilibrium assumption between solid and liquid phase, and a steady state condition of nano-TiO₂ was assumed. Furthermore, an MS Excel-based user interface was developed to provide user-friendly environment for the nano-TiO₂ removal efficiency calculations. Using the developed model, a preliminary simulation was conducted to examine how the solid retention time (SRT), a major operating variable affects the removal efficiency of nano-TiO₂ particles in a WWTP.