• KSBB Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.225-231
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• 2014

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) and bioelectrochemical systems are novel bioprocesses which employ exoelectrogenic biofilm on electrode as a biocatalyst for electricity generation and various useful chemical production. Previous reports show that electrogenic biofilms of MFCs are time varying systems and dynamically interactive with the electrically conductive media (carbon paper as terminal electron acceptor). It has been reported that maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method can automatically control load by algorithm so that increase power generation and columbic efficiency. In this study, we developed logic based control strategy for external load resistance by using $LabVIEW^{TM}$ which increases the power production with using flat-plate MFCs and MPPT circuit board. The flat-plate MFCs inoculated with anaerobic digester sludge were stabilized with fixed external resistance from $1000{\Omega}$ to $100{\Omega}$. Automatic load control with MPPT started load from $52{\Omega}$ during 120 hours of operation. MPPT control strategy increased approximately 2.7 times of power production and power density (1.95 mW and $13.02mW/m^3$) compared to the initial values before application of MPPT (0.72 mW and $4.79mW/m^3$).

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.44-56
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• 1998

This study was performed to investigate the reaction characteristics of piggery wastewater for biological nutrient removal. The reaction characteristics were discussed the fraction of organics, the behavior of nitrogen, nitrification, denitrification, and the behavior of phosphorus. The fraction of readily biodegradable soluble COD was 11-12 percent. The ammonia nitrogen was removed via stripping, nitrification, autotrophic cell synthesis, and heterotrophic cell synthesis. The removal percents by each step were 12.1%, 68.9%, 15.0%, and 4.0%, respectively. Nitrification inhibition of piggery wastewater was found to occur at an influent volumetric loading rate over 0.2 NH$_{3}$-N kg/m$^{3}$/d. Denitrification rates were the highest in the raw wastewater and the lowest in the anaerobic effluent. The denitritation of piggery wastewater came out to be possible, and the rate of organic carbon consumption decreased about 10 percent. The phosphorus removed was released in the form of ortho-p in the aerobic fixed biofilm reactor, it was caused by autooxidation. The synthesis and release of phosphorus were related to the ORP and the boundary value for the phase change was about 170mV. In the synthesis phase, the phosphorus removal rate per COD removed was 0.023mgP$_{syn}$/mgCOD$_{rem}$. The phosphorus contents of the microorganism were 4.3-6.0% on a dry weight basis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.43-53
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• 1997

In this research, the synthetic livestock wastewater was prepared to study the characteristics of organic matter removal, the change of VFA production, and the amount of gas production with respect to the change of ammonium nitrogen concentration in the waste using anaerobic fixed bed process, which is an anaerobic biofilm process. The HRT and operation temperature were 1 day and $35{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, respectively. Also, the characteristics of organic matter removal and the inhibitory effect on microorganism in the anaerobic process were studied on the organic loading and ammonium nitrogen concentration. The results obtained were as follows: For COD loading of $10kg/m^3$-day and five levels of ammonium nitrogen concentration ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 mg/L, organic removal efficiencies were about 81, 74, 67, 58, and 51%, and gas productions were 3,860, 3,520, 3,240, 3,020, and 2,790 ml/l-day, respectively. Average methane contents in the gas produced on COD loading of $10kg/m^3$-day was about 76%. Throughout the whole period of experiment, remaining VFA (as COD base) in the effluent was over 90% of remaining COD. This result indicated the inhibitory effect of high concentration of ammonium nitrogen through the facts that accumulated VFA was almost COD and organic removal efficiency decreased also with the increase of ammonium nitrogen. Especially, that implys which high concentration of ammonium nitrogen not only inhibits methane forming bacteria, but also acid forming bacteria.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2008

Surface of hydrophobic media was modified to become hydrophilic by ion beam irradiation. Fixed bed biofilm reactors packed with or without surface modification were used to remove organics, nitrogen, and phosphorus from sewage. This system composed of anoxic/oxic cycles to increase the nutrient removal. A cylindrical polyethylene was used as a packing media in this study. With 12 hours of hydraulic retention time (HRT), the reactors with and without surface modification showed 95% and 92% $COD_{cr}$ removal, respectively. Both reactors showed over 95% $COD_{cr}$ removals for a longer HRT of 16 hours. Nitrogen removal ranged 54.8% to 70.2% for the surface modified system and 57.5% to 76.5% for the non-modified system under same condition. Finally, phosphorus removal ranged 59.4% to 69.8% for the surface modified system and 51.3% to 63.4% for the non-modified system under same condition. From this study organics and phosphorus were better removed in using surface modified media and vice versa for nitrogen removal.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2008

This study was accomplished using Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic biofilm reactors with fixed media and post-treatment reactor for natural purification with aquatic floating plants. The objectives of this study was to investigate the characteristics of organics, nitrogen and phosphorus removal from sewage with the HRT. The average removal efficiency of SS and $COD_{Cr}$ increases as increasing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) until 12 hr of the HRT, and it was constant over 12 hr of the HRT. The removal efficiency of them was about 93% and 89% respectively over the 12 hr of HRT. The average $BOD_5$ and $COD_{Mn}$ increases as increasing the HRT and the removal efficiency of them was 84.91 % and 76.03% respectively at the 26 hr of HRT. The removal efficiency of T-N and T-P increases as increasing the HRT until 61 hr of the HRT, and it was constant over 61 hr of the HRT. At the HRT of 61 hr, it was 70.20%, 77.86% respectively. It was found that the optimum HRT was 61 hr in case of the nutrients. Before and after experiment, the nitrogen content was similar in leaves of the water hyacinths but the nitrogen content in roots after experiment was 5.5% more than its content before experiment. It was known that the nitrogen was absorbed by the water hyacinths.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2006

When polluted stream water was treated with biological aerated filter(BAF) in pilot plant, all operation with 90, 60, 45 and 30 min of EBCT at fixed $0.1m^3air/m^2min$ of aeration showed 80% or higher treatment efficiency of particle materials(SS, turbidity and Chl.-a) and 85% or higher efficiency of ammonia nitrogen removal. It was thought that, in case of BOD, biological stability may sufficiently be assured with BAF because grade III or IV inflow water was changed to grade I for outflow water. In case of $COD_{Mn}$, about 60% of removal efficiency was found. When the mechanism of the result was investigated, about 30% of COD materials was produced by algae clogged in the reactor. There was almost no biological decomposition because specific substrate utilization rate of algogenic organic materials were $0.0245mg{\cdot}COD_{Mn}/mg{\cdot}VSS{\cdot}day$, thus partial backwashing(washing the media in 1 m upper of the reactor once a day) was required. It is thought that elevation of removal rate about 10% of $COD_{Mn}$ and 5.5% of $BOD_5$ could be obtained with partial backwashing resulting in assurance of biologically more stable raw water and that saving backwashing water may be significant.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.419-426
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• 2021

Purpose: In the surgical treatment of pyogenic lumbar spondylodiscitis, screw insertion at the affected vertebra has been avoided because of biofilm formation, and the risk of infection recurrence. The authors analyzed the success rate of infection treatment while minimizing the number of instrumented segments by inserting pedicle screws into the affected vertebrae. Therefore, this study examined the usefulness of this technique. Materials and Methods: From January 2000 to June 2018, among patients with pyogenic lumbar spondylodiscitis treated surgically, group A consisted of patients with pedicle screws inserted directly at the affected vertebrae (28 cases), and group B underwent fusion by inserting screws at the adjacent normal vertebrae due to bone destruction of the affected vertebral pedicle (20 cases). The classified clinical results were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were treated via the posterior-only approach, so the affected disc and sequestrum were removed. Posterior interbody fusion was performed with an autogenous strut bone graft, and the segments were then stabilized with pedicle screw systems. The hospitalization period, operation time, amount of blood loss, EQ-5D index, duration of intravenous antibiotics, and the clinical and radiological results were analyzed. Results: In group A, the number of instrumented segments, operation time, blood loss, and EQ-5D index at one month postoperatively showed significant improvement compared to group B. There were no significant differences in the duration of antibiotic use, hospitalization, radiological bone union time, sagittal angle correction rate, and recurrence rate. Conclusion: Minimal segmental fixation, in which pedicle screws were inserted directly into the affected vertebrae through the posterior approach, reduced the surgery time and blood loss, preserved the lumbar motion by minimizing fixed segments and showed rapid recovery without spreading or recurrence of infection. Therefore, this procedure recommended for the surgical treatment of lumbar pyogenic spondyodiscitis.