• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.55-68
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• 2020

Because of the intensified environmental problems such as climate change and resource depletion, sewage treatment technology focused on energy management has recently attracted attention. The conversion of primary sludge from the primary sedimentation tank and excessive sludge from the secondary sedimentation tank into biogas is the key to energy-positive sewage treatment. In particular, the primary sedimentation tanks recover enriched biodegradable organic matter and anaerobic digestion process produces methane from the organic wastes for energy production. Such technologies for minimizing oxygen demand are leading the innovation regarding sewage treatment plants. However, sewage treatment facilities in Korea lack core technology and operational know-how. Actually, the energy potential of sewage is higher than sewage treatment energy consumption in the sewage treatment, but current processes are not adequately efficient in energy recovery. To improve this, it is possible to apply chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT), high-rate activated sludge (HRAS), and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to the primary sedimentation tank. To maximize the methane production of sewage treatment plants, organic wastes such as food waste and livestock manure can be digested. Additionally, mechanical pretreatment, thermal hydrolysis, and chemical pretreatment would enhance the methane conversion of organic waste. Power generation systems based on internal combustion engines are susceptible to heat source losses, requiring breakthrough energy conversion systems such as fuel cells. To realize the energy positive sewage treatment plant, primary organic matter recovery from sewage, biogas pretreatment, and co-digestion should be optimized in the energy management system based on the knowledge-based operation.

• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.121-131
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• 2018

Domestic sewage treatment plants (STPs) consume about 0.5 % of total electric energy produced annually, which is equivalent to 207.7 billion Korean won per year. To minimize the energy consumption and as a way of mitigating the depletion of energy sources, the sewage treatment strategy should be improved to the level of "energy positive". The core processes for the energy positive sewage treatment include A-stage for energy recovery and B-stage for energy-efficient nitrogen removal. The integrated process is known as the A/B-process. In A-stage, chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) or high rate activated sludge (HRAS) processes can be utilized by modifying the primary settling in the first stage of sewage treatment. CEPT utilizes chemical coagulation and flocculation, while HRAS applies returned activated sludge for the efficient recovery of organic contents. The two processes showed organic recovery efficiencies ranging from 60 to 70 %. At a given recovery efficiency of 80 %, 17.3 % of energy potential ($1,398kJ/m^3$) is recovered through the anaerobic digestion and combustion of methane. Besides, anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) can recover 85% of organic contents and generate $1,580kJ/m^3$ from the sewage. The recovered energy is equal to the amount of energy consumption by sewage treatment equipped with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX)-based B-stage, $810{\sim}1,620kJ/m^3$. Therefore, it is possible to upgrade STPs as efficient as energy neutral. However, additional novel technologies, such as, fuel cell and co-digestion, should be applied to achieve "energy positive" sewage treatment.

• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.322-331
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• 2020

By introducing chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) in the first stage of sewage treatment, organic matter in sewage can be effectively recovered. Because CEPT sludge contains a high biodegradable organic matter in volatile solids (VS), it is feasible to convert the collected CEPT sludge into energy through anaerobic digestion. This study examined the properties and biochemical methane potential (BMP) of the CEPT sludge obtained from a sewage treatment plant located in an ocean area. The CEPT sludge contains a VS content of 37,597 mg/L, which is higher than that of excessive sludge (ES), i.e., 33,352 mg-VS/L. In the methane generation reaction, the lag period was as short as 1 to 2 days. The BMP for the CEPT sludge was 0.57 ㎥-CH₄/kg-VS_removed which is better than that of ES, i.e., 0.36 ㎥-CH₄/kg-VS_removed. Unfortunately, the CEPT sludge showed a high salinity as 0.56~0.75% probably due to the saline sewage. Due to the salinity, repeated BMP testing in a sequencing batch reactor showed significantly low methane production rates and BMPs. Also, the ES showed a strongly reduced BMP when the salinity was adjusted from 0.20 to 0.70% by NaCl. The ES mixture with higher CEPT content showed a better BMP, which is suitable for co-digestion. Besides, anaerobic digestion for 100% CEPT sludge can be a considerable option instead of co-digestion.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제41권11호
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• pp.318-327
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• 2017

Background: A typical sewage treatment plant is designed for organic and nutrient removal from municipal sewage water and not targeted to eliminate micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and nano-sized metals which become a big concern for sustainable human and ecological system and are mainly discharged from sewage treatment plant. Therefore, despite contaminant removal by wastewater treatment processes, there are still remaining environmental risks by untreated pollutants in STP (sewage treatment plant) effluents. This study performed aquatic toxicity tests of raw wastewater and treated effluents in two sewage treatment plants to evaluate toxicity reduction by wastewater treatment process and analyze concentration of contaminants to reveal potential toxic factors in STP effluents. Methods: Water samples were collected from each treatment steps of two STPs, and acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted following USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines. Endpoints were immobility for mortality and reproduction effect for estrogenicity. Results: Acute $EC_{50}s$ (median effective concentration) of influents for Seungki (SK) and Jungnang (JN) STPs are $54.13{\pm}32.64%$ and $30.38{\pm}24.96%$, respectively, and reduced to $96.49{\pm}7.84%$ and 100%. Acute toxicity reduction was clearly correlated with SS (suspended solids) concentration because of filter feeding characteristics of test organisms. Chronic toxicity tests revealed that lethal effect was reduced and low concentration of influents showed higher number of neonates. However, toxicity reduction was not related to nutrient removal. Fecundity effect positively increased in treated wastewater compared to that in raw wastewater, and no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in JN final effluent implying potential effects of estrogenic compounds in the STP effluents. Conclusions: Conventional wastewater treatment process reduced some organics and nutritional compounds from wastewater, and it results in toxicity reduction in lethal effect and positive reproductive effect but not showing correlation. Unknown estrogenic compounds could be a reason causing the increase of brood size. This study suggests that pharmaceutical residues and nanoparticles in STP effluents are one of the major micropollutants and underline as one of estrogenic effect factors.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제18권9호
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• pp.486-491
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• 2017

하수처리장의 방류수는 낙차를 이용하는 기존 발전 방식으로는 소수력발전에 대한 경제성이 없어 버려지는 물로 인식되어져 왔다. 국내 대다수의 하수처리장 방류수로는 2m 미만의 낙차를 형성하고 있고 유량이 지속적이며 변동이 크지 않다는 점을 고려할 때, 저낙차 조건에서도 안정적인 전력 생산과 효율을 유지할 수 있는 소수력 발전장치 개발이 시급히 요구된다. 본 논문은 저낙차의 유수 특성을 갖는 하수처리장 방류수로에 적용 가능한 일체형 소수력 발전장치의 개발을 완료하여 발전장치에 대한 성능 평가 및 결과를 분석하였다. 그리고 실제 적용을 위한 경제성과 활용방안을 제시하였다. 분석결과, 발전기 효율은 92%이며 전력량은 10kWh로서 경제성의 경우 B/C를 1.0 이상 확보할 수 있는 것으로 분석되었다. 특히, 일체형 발전장치의 운영수준을 정격출력의 80% 이상으로 유지할 경우 경제성 확보가 가능하여 23년차 이후에는 투자비를 회수하여 이익이 발생하는 것으로 확인하였다. 일체형 소수력 발전장치는 하수처리장의 방류수뿐만 아니라 이와 유사한 유수 특성을 갖는 시설에 확대 적용할 경우 긍정적인 효과가 기대된다.

• 한국해양환경ㆍ에너지학회지
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.98-103
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• 2004

최근 목포-고하 대교가 목포내항을 가로질러 건설될 계획이고 목포시 인근에 남악신도시가 건설중이다. 목포항의 모습을 자연경관과 해양환경에 어울리도록 아름답게 조성하기 위하여 미항목포가꾸기 운동에 대한 시민의 관심과 참여가 필요하다. 지역시민여론에 관한 설문조사를 통하여 연안해양환경에 관한 시민의식 수준을 확인하였으며, 설문조사 결과에 기초하여 목포항과 그 주변해역의 해양환경럴전방안를 제시하였다. 해양폐기물 발생제어에 관한 지역 정책 및 해안의 해양폐기물 수거운동에 시민의 적극적 참여가 요구된다. 도시하수처리장의 운영은 효과적·효율적으로 이루어져야 하고 일반대중, 환경운동연합 혹은 민간단체에 의하여 주기적으로 감시 및 평가를 받아야 한다. 해양 환경교육프로그램의 개발과 시행 그리고 환경보전 계몽운동이 지역주민의 협조 하에서 끊임없이 이루어져야 한다. 지자체가 시민의견을 수집하고 반영하여 목포를 세계적 미항으로 꾸준히 가꾸는 경우에는 시민들이 환경보전을 위한 시민장기실천계획에 적극적으로 참여함으로써 목포항 주변의 연안해양환경은 잘 보전될 수 있을 것이다.