• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.677-687
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• 2019

This study evaluated the biosorption properties of calcium ion using Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS). A sequencing batch reactor was used to induce the production of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) through salinity injection, and the calcium ion adsorption efficiency was analyzed by a batch test. The EPS contents showed significant changes (104-136 mg/g MLVSS) at different salinity concentrations. The calcium ion adsorption efficiency was highest for AGS collected at 5.0% salinity, and it was confirmed that the biosorption efficiency of AGS was increased owing to the increase in EPS content. The results of the Freundlich isotherms showed that the ion binding strength (1/n) was 0.3941-0.7242 and the adsorption capacity ($K_f$) was 2.4082-3.3312. The specific surface area and the pore size of the AGS were $586.1m^2/g$ and 0.7547 nm, respectively, which were not significantly different from each other. It was confirmed that the influence of biological properties, such as EPS content, was relatively large among the factors affecting calcium ion adsorption.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.719-727
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• 2019

In this study, the effect on the stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) with different Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratios was investigated. The C/N ratios were controlled to 10.0, 7.5, 5.0, and 2.5 using the sequencing batch reactor, and the results showed that the removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen decreased simultaneously with the decrease of C/N ratio. The removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen at C/N ratio of 2.5 was 70.7% and 52.3% respectively. In addition, the AGS/mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) ratio showed a tendency to decrease from 85.7% to 73.7%, while the sludge volume index showed a tendency to increase from 82 mL/g to 102 mL/g as the C/N ratio decreased. At the same time, the apparent deviation of polysaccharide (PS) content in extracellular polymeric substances was observed, and polysaccharides/protein (PS/PN) ratio decreased from 0.62 to 0.31 as the C/N ratio decreased. Optical microscope observations showed that the reduction in C/N ratio caused the growth of filamentous bacteria and significantly affected the stability of AGS.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2011

In the present work, the aerobic particle's characteristics were enhanced. A polymer was used to make aerobic granular sludge in short period of time. And operation parameters were calculated for organic matter removal in domestic wastewater using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The experiment for sewage (Influent concentration of 63~72 mg COD/L) by using mature aerobic granular sludge showed the organic matter removal rate k and oxygen utilization coefficient a', b' were $10.161d^{-1}$ and 0.87 mg $O_2/mg$ $COD_r$, 0.11 mg $O_2/mg$ MLVSS d respectively. Therefore, it was more effective than K value $5{\sim}8d^{-1}$ of conventional activated sludge process. The sludge synthetic value and sludge auto-oxydation value were 0.45 mg VSS/mg $COD_r$ and 0.05 mg VSS/mg MLVSS d respectively. Consequently, mortality rates of microorganisms was lower than conventional activated sludge process.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.405-409
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• 2003

To study the tolerant capacity of anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) to oxygen using semi -dynamic batch experiment, the aerating time, pH of the basal media, reductive inorganic materials, microorganism, and microorganism metabolite were investigated. When the aerating time was higher or lower than 0.5 h, the producing gas activity of sludge was lower than that of the control. The oxygen tolerance of the experimental sludge was the highest at the initial pH 7.2. The producing gas activity of sludge I was higher than that of sludge II. And storage at $4^{\circ}C$ can low the lose of the oxygen tolerance capacity of granular sludge. The producing gas activity of sludge was the highest when KI was added. The growth of aerobic microorganisms and some metabolite could increase the producing gas activity of granular sludge.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.480-487
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• 2004

This study was conducted to find the effect of electron acceptors on the formation of granular sludge by using four different types of electron acceptors. The phosphorous uptake, denitrification, and sulfate reduction in anoxic modes were simultaneously occured because of the presence of the polyphosphate accumultating organism(PAO) that utilize nitrate and sulfate as an electron acceptor in the anoxic zone. Denitrirying phosphorous removal bacteria(DPB) was enriched under anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic condition with a nitrate as an electron acceptor, and desulfating phosphorous removal bacteria(DSPB) was enriched under anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic condition with a sulfate as an electron acceptor. Polyphosphate accumulating organism(PAO) were enriched in the anaerobic/aerobic SBR. PAO took up acetate faster than DPB and DSPB during the aerobic phase. The sludge with nitrate and sulfate as an electron acceptors grew as a granules which possessed high activity and good settleability. In the anaerobic/aerobic modes, typical floccular growth was observed. In the result of bench-scale experiment, simultaneous reactions of phosphorus uptake, denitrification and sulfate reduction were observed under anoxic condition with nitrate and sulfate as an electron acceptors. These results demonstrated that the anaerobic/anoxic modes with nitrate and sulfate as an electron acceptors played an important role in the formation of the sludge granulation.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.629-637
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of high-salinity wastewater on the microbial activity of Aerobic Granule Sludge (AGS). Laboratory-scale experiments were performed using a sequencing batch reactor, and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrogen removal efficiency, sludge precipitability, and microbial activity were evaluated under various salinity injection. The COD removal efficiency was found to decrease gradually to 3.0% salinity injection, and it tended to recover slightly from 4.0%. The specific nitrification rate was 0.043 - 0.139 mg $NH_4{^+}-N/mg$ $MLVSS{\cdot}day$. The specific denitrification rate was 0.069 - 0.108 mg $NO_3{^-}-N/mg$ $MLVSS{\cdot}day$. The sludge volume index ($SVI_{30}$) ultimately decreased to 46 mL/g. The specific oxygen uptake rate decreased from an initial value 120.3 to a final value 70.7 mg $O_2/g$ $MLVSS{\cdot}hr$. Therefore, salinity injection affects the activity of AGS, causing degradation of the COD and nitrogen removal efficiency. It can be used as an indicator to objectively determine the effect of salinity on microbial activity.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.497-503
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• 2013

The morphological characteristics of granules, which were generated in lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal with denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organism (dPAO) were identified. Granular sludge was fully developed in the anaerobic-anoxic (An-Ax) SBR after 180 days of SBR operation. The average diameter of granular sludge was 2.2 mm and rod-type organisms dominated in the granules. In addition, about 1.0 mm of white precipitate was observed in the core of the granule, and the material was confirmed that it is very similar to hydroxyapatite $(HAP;\;Ca_5(PO_4)_3(OH))$ by X-ray diffraction) analysis.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.233-240
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to confirm the applicability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in the advanced sewage treatment process. Simulated influent was used in the operation of a laboratory scale reactor. The operation time of one cycle was 4 h and the reactor was operated for six cycles per day. The volume exchange ratio was 50%. The influent was injected in divisions of 25% to increase the removal efficiency of nitrogen in every cycle. As a result, the removal efficiencies of $COD_{Cr}$ and TN in this reactor were 98.2% and 76.7% respectively. During the operation period, the AGS/MLVSS concentration ratio increased from 70.0% to 86.7%, and the average $SVI_{30}$ was 67 mL/g. The SNR and SDNR were 0.073-0.161 kg $NH_4{^+}$-N/kg MLVSS/day and 0.071-0.196 kg $NO_3{^-}$-N/kg MLVSS/day respectively. These values were higher or similar to those reported in other studies. The operation time of the process using AGS is shorter than that of the conventional activated sludge process. Hence, this process can replace the activated sludge process.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2021

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) can be classified as a type of self-immobilized microbial aggregates measuring more than 0.2 mm. It offers the option to simultaneously remove COD, N, and P that occur in different zones inside a granule. Also, AGS is characterized by high precipitability, treatability with high organic loading, and high tolerance to low temperature. In this study, a sequencing batch reactor inoculated with AGS (AGS-SBR) is a new advanced wastewater treatment process that was proven to grow AGS with integrated nutrient removal and low C/N ratio. A pilot plant, AGS-SBR with a capacity of 225 ㎥/d was installed at an S sewage treatment plant in Gyeonggi-do. The results of the operation showed that the water quality of the effluent indicated that the value of BOD5 was 1.5 mg/L, CODMn was 11.4 mg/L, SS was 6.2 mg/L, T-N was 13.2 mg/L, and T-P was 0.197 mg/L, and all of these values reliably satisfied an effluent standard (I Area). In winter, the T-N treatment efficiency at a lower temperature of less than 11℃ also showed reliability to meet the effluent standard of the I Area (20 mg/L or less). Analysis of microbial community in AGS showed a higher preponderance of beneficial microorganisms involved in denitrification and phosphorus accumulation compared with activated sludge. The power consumption and sludge disposal cost were reduced by 34.7% and 54.9%, respectively, compared to the domestic SBR type sewage treatment plant with a processing capacity of 1,000 ㎥/d or less.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.238-245
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• 2019

This study investigated the characteristic of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process to treat the sewage having low carbon/nitrogen ratio (Biochemical oxygen demand ($BOD_5$):Total nitrogen (T-N), 4.5:1) in sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The removal efficiency of $BOD_5$, suspended solid (SS), T-N and phosphorus ($PO_4{^{3-}}$-P) were 92.6%, 64.3% and 90.1%. Concentration and size of AGS were changed in proportion to the organic matters and nitrogen concentration of the influent (Concentration and size of AGS: 1,700-3,000 mg/L, 0.5-1.0 mm). Mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) also changed with the concentration of AGS (MLSS: 2,000-3,500 mg/L). When the settling time was shortened from 15 min to 10 min, size and shape of AGS were maintained (Size of AGS: 1.0-1.5 mm). In addition, the concentration of AGS and MLSS increased (Concentration of AGS: 3,500 mg/L, MLSS: 4,000 mg/L). Concentration, size and shape of AGS were affected the settling time of the reactor more than the concentration of organic matter and nitrogen in the influent. In the results of removal efficiency and changes in AGS, we confirmed that the SBR process using AGS can be used to treat the sewage having low carbon/nitrogen ratio by applying short settling time.