• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.359-368
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• 2012

For hybrid water treatment of high turbidity water, we used the hybrid module that was composed of photocatalyst packing between tubular membrane outside and module inside. Photocatalyst was PP (polypropylene) bead coated with $TiO_2$ powder by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process. Water back-flushing of 10 sec was performed per every period of 10 min to minimize membrane fouling for modified solution was prepared with humic acid and kaolin. Resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$) decreased as humic acid concentration changed from 10 mg/L to 2 mg/L, and finally the highest total permeate volume ($V_T$) could be obtained at 2 mg/L, which was the same with the previous results. Then, treatment efficiencies of turbidity and humic acid were above 98.9% and 88.7%, respectively. As results of treatment portions of UF, UF + $TiO_2$, and UF + $TiO_2$ + UV processes, turbidity was treated little by photocatalyst adsorption, and photo-oxidation. However, treatment portions of humic acid by adsorption and photo-oxidation were 2.5% and 12.3%, respectively. Compared with the previous results, treatment portions of humic acid by adsorption and photo-oxidation were different depending on membrane material and pore size. As simplified the process, the membrane fouling resistance after 180 minutes' operation ($R_{f,180}$) increased and the final permeate flux decreased a little.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.737-744
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• 2016

The investigation of effects on fouling propensity with various viscosity of feed solutions would be better understanding for forward osmosis (FO) performance since the fouling propensity was directly influenced with solution viscosity. Therefore, this study was focused on the FO fouling with model foultants (humic acid, alginate) by altering solution viscosity with change of ionic strength (I.S) and $Ca^{2+}$ concentrations. In the comparison between humic acid and alginate, as expected, the alginate generally caused more severe fouling (almost 35.8 % of flux reduction) based on the solution characteristics (high viscosity) and fouling patterns (coil and gel layer). However, interesting point to note is that the fouling propensity of alginate was more severe even though it was applied with low viscosity of feed conditions (I.S = 20 mM, $Ca^{2+}=1mM$). This might be due to that crossed linked gel layer of alginate on the FO membrane surface could be best formed in the condition of $Ca^{2+}$ presence and higher I.S, and that is more dominant to fouling propensity than the low viscosity of feed solutions.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.7-18
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• 2009

In this study, we used the hybrid module that was composed of granular activated carbons (GAC) packing between module inside and outside of tubular ceramic microfiltration membrane for advanced drinking water treatment. Instead of natural organic matters (NOM) and fine inorganic particles in natural water source, modified solution was prepared with humic acid and kaolin. We were investigated effect of water-back-flushing time (BT) and water-back-flushing period (FT) to minimize membrane fouling and to enhance permeate flux (J) in the hybrid process, and tried to find the optimal operating conditions. As a result, resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$) was slightly decreased according to increasing BT. Also, the shorter FT was the more effective to reduce $R_f$ and to enhance J because of frequent water-back-flushing. However, the optimal BT and FT conditions were 10 sec and 8 min respectively when operating costs were considered. Then, the optimal conditions derived from our experiments of modified solution were applied to lake water treatment. As a result, average treatment efficiencies of turbidity, $UV_{254}$ absorbance, and $COD_{Mn}$ were very high as 99.11%, 91.40% and 89.34%, respectively, but that of TDS was low as 30.05%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.200-208
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• 2005

In this study, a new submerged membrane bioreactor process packed with granular sulfur (MBR-GS) was operated to identify the biological nitrogen removal behaviors with plating wastewater containing high-strength $NO_3{^-}$ concentration. The continuous denitrification was carried out at $20^{\circ}C$ with various nitrogen loading rates using synthetic wastewater, which composed of $NO_3{^-}$ and $HCO_3{^-}$, but also actual plating wastewater, which was collected from the effluent of the H metal plating company. As a result, high-rate denitrification in the range of $0.8kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3\;day$ was accomplished at nitrogen loading rate of $0.9kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3\;day$ using synthetic wastewater. Also, higher-rate denitrification with actual plating wastewater was achieved up to $0.91kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3\;day$ at the loading rate of $1.11kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3\;day$. Additionally, continuous filtration was possible during up to 30 days without chemical cleaning in the range of 20 cmHg of transmembrane pressure. On the basis of the proposed stoichiometry, ${SO_4}^{2-}$ production could be estimated efficiently, while observed alkalinity consumption was somewhat lower than theoretical value. Consequently, a new process, MBR-GS is capable of high-rate autotrophic denitrification by compulsive flux and expected to be utilized as an alternative of renovation techniques for nitrogen removal from not only plating wastewater but also municipal wastewater with low C/N ratio.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.171-177
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• 2012

Effect of humic acid (HA), photo-oxidation and adsorption with periodic $N_2$ back-flushing was investigated in hybrid process of ceramic ultrafiltration and photocatalyst for drinking water treatment. It was compared and investigated with the previous result at water back-flushing in viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J), and total permeate volume ($V_T$). As decreasing HA, $R_f$ decreased dramatically and J increased, and finally $V_T$ was the highest at HA 2 mg/L. As HA concentration increased from 2 to 10 mg/L, the membrane fouling resistance after 180 mins' operation ($R_{f,180}$) improved 0.8 times more than that of water back-flushing. Therefore, HA concentration should affect on the membrane fouling at $N_2$ back-flushing than water back-flushing. Turbidity treatment efficiencies were almost constant independent of HA concentration, but HA treatment efficiency was the maximum at HA 2 mg/L. This means that adsorption and photo-oxidation of photocatalyst beads could removed HA at HA 2 mg/L, but it was not enough at 4 mg/L. Beyond HA 6 mg/L, UF could effectively treat HA by thick cake layer on membrane surface and severe inner membrane fouling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

Biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination process causes many problems such as flux decline, biodegradation of membrane, increased cleaning time, and increased energy consumption and operational cost. Therefore biofouling is considered as the most critical problem in system operation. To control biofouling in early stage, detection of the most problematic bacteria causing biofouling is required. In this study, six model bacteria were chosen; Bacillus sp., Flavobacterium sp., Mycobacterium sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Rhodobacter sp. based on report in the literature and phylogenetic analysis of seawater intake and fouled RO membrane. The adhesion to RO membrane, the high pressure resistance, and the hydrophobicity of the six model bacteria were examined to find out their fouling potential. Rhodobacter sp. and Mycobacterium sp. were found to attach very well to RO membrane surface compared to others used in this study. The test of hydrophobicity revealed that the bacteria which have high hydrophobicity or similar contact angle with RO membrane ($63^{\circ}$ of contact angle) easily attached to RO membrane surface. P. aeruginosa which is highly hydrophilic ($23.07^{\circ}$ of contact angle) showed the least adhesion characteristic among six model bacteria. After applying a pressure of 800 psi to the sample, Rhodobacter sp. was found to show the highest reduction rate; with 59-73% of the cells removed from the membrane under pressure. P. fluorescens on the other hand analyzed as the most pressure resistant bacteria among six model bacteria. The difference between reduction rates using direct counting and plate counting indicates that the viability of each model bacteria was affected significantly from the high pressure. Most cells subjected to high pressure were unable to form colonies even thought they maintained their structural integrity.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.177-192
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• 2011

Hollow fiber membrane using CTA polymers were prepared by the phase separation method for the separation and purification of biogas and the hollow fiber gas separation membrane modules with the effective surface area of 0.17 $m^2$ were prepared. The pure gas permeation properties of membrane modules for methane, oxygen and carbon dioxide were measured. The permeance of $CO_2$ and $CH_4$were 0.46 GPU and 18.52 GPU, respectively, therefore, the high $CO_2$/$CH_4$ selectivity of 40.4 was obtained. The separation and purification test for 4 different simulated mixed gases were carried out after the pure gas test and the gas concentration and flux of the permeate at the various stage-cut were measured from the 1 stage, 2 stage, and 3 stage cascade of membrane modules. In the 1 stage test, the concentration of $CH_4$ increased as the increase of the stage-cut, while the $CH_4$ recovery efficiency ratio decreased. In the 2 stage test, the $CH_4$ recovery efficiency ratio increased compared to the 1 stage. The 3 stage test was employed to reduce the loss of $CH_4$ in biogas and the result showed less than 5% of $CH_4$ recovery loss.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.323-328
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• 2016

Pressurized membrane used for side-stream MBR process requires fouling control strategy both for normal and abnormal operation conditions for stable operation of the facilities. In this study, $85m^3/day$ of pilot-scale side-stream MBR process was constructed for the evaluation of fouling mitigation by air bubble injection into the membrane module. In addition, fouling phenomena at abnormal operation conditions of low influent and/or loading rate were also investigated. Injection of air bubble was found to be effective in delaying transmembrane pressure (TMP) increase mainly due to scouring effect on the membrane surface, resulting in expanded filtration cycle at a high flux of $40L/m^2{\cdot}h$ (LMH). At abnormal operation condition, injection of PACl (53 mg/L as Al) into the bioreactor showed 19% reduction of TMP increase. However, inhibition of nitrifying bacteria by continuous PACl injection was observed from batch experiments. In contrast, injection of powdered activated carbon (PAC, 0.6 g/L) was able to maintain the initial TMP of $0.2kg/cm^2$ for 5 days at the abnormal conditions. It may have been caused from the adsorption of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which was known to be excessively released during growth inhibition condition and act as the major foulants in MBR operations.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.99-109
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• 1999

The dried sea tangle added for soup prepatation to improved the taste in Korean and Japaness for long time. Attempts were made to develop the best procedures for extraction and removal of alginate by ultrafiltration and diafiltration. The summerized results of this study are as follows: 1) For hot water extraction in temperature range of 60～100$^{\circ}C$ for 4 hours, the higher temperature resulted higher yields in solids and protein. 2) Optimum sea tangle hot water extraction condition were 60～65$^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour which was cheap operating cost and high yield of good taste components. 3) The membrane flux was more higher GR 51 PP. and increase of flow rate permeate flow rate was accordingly increased. but limiting flow volume was 3.7 l/min. 4) It was found that ultration was relatively of higher recovery rate, solid and taste components, and low rejection coefficient rate than diafiltration.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.424-429
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• 2007

Novel conductive $CO_2$ membranes composed of dual phases, molten carbonates and electronic conducting ceramics, were investigated. As the microstructure control of electronic conducting ceramic supports is extremely important to keep the molten carbonates stable in the membranes by a capillary force applied by the pore structure of the supports, we have scrutinized the microstructure of the electronic conducting supports utilizing microscopic images and gas permeability measurement. From the evaluation of the electrical conductivities of the molten carbonates and the electronic conducting ceramic supports, we found that the ionic conductivity of the molten carbonates could determine $CO_2$ flux through the dual phase membranes if the surface exchange rate were relatively high enough.