• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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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.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.190-195
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• 2004

A new technology for advanced wastewater treatment was developed using a modified Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) process, named as Rotating Activated Bacillus Contactor (RABC) process that utilizes Bacillus sp., the facultatively anaerobic or activated microaerophilic bacteria on multiple-stage reticular rotating carriers, as a predominant species. The RABC process for a municipal wastewater with relatively low concentrations of organics, nitrogen, and phosphorus showed stable and high removal efficiencies, less than $BOD_5$ 10 mg/L, T-N 15 mg/L, and T-P 1.5 mg/L in final effluent. The performance load of RABC process was shown to be $1.23kg{\cdot}BOD/m^2{\cdot}day$ for the first stage (average $0.31kg{\cdot}BOD/m^2{\cdot}day$ for the total stages) based on both removed BOD and converted disc area corresponding to the reticular one. The sludge produced in the RABC process is characterized by low generation rate (about $0.18kg{\cdot}MLSS/kg{\cdot}BOD$) and excellent settleability. The number ratio of Bacillus ($2.4{\times}10^6CFU/ml$) to heterotrophic bacteria ($3.6{\times}10^7CFU/ml$) inhabiting in the biofilms of the RABC process was 6.7 %, indicating that Bacillus sp. was a predominant species in the biofilms. The RABC process with reticular rotating carriers showed its excellent performance for the advanced wastewater treatment without any offensive odor problem due to organic overloading.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.296-302
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• 2009

This paper was investigated the research regarding the effects of several factors such as initial ammonium nitrogen concentration, aeration rate. biomass amount and C/N ratio on nitrification process using synthetic wastewater and activated sludge obtained from wastewater treatment facility. As a result, in high ammonium nitrogen concentration above 100 mg/L, the pH of wastewater was dropped to pH 6.8. The increases of initial ammonium nitrogen concentration, aeration rate and initial biomass amount were linearly enhanced the removal rate of ammonium nitrogen. In the condition of C/N ratio of 0 to 3, high ammonium nitrogen removal rate was obtained.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.383-390
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• 2011

In this study, a process combined biofiltration with sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrification and membrane separation was proposed to examine the efficiency of nitrogen removal. As an experimental device, hollow-fiber module was installed in the center of reactor to generate the flux forward sulfur layer in the cylinder packed with granular sulfur. In addition, a simple module was installed in activated sludge aeration tank which inside and outside of sulfur-using denitrification module was covered with microfilter and the module was considered as an alternative of clarifier. The experiment for developing new MBR process was carried out for three years totally. As the results of first two-year experiment, successful nitrogen removal performance was revealed with lab-scale test and pliot scale plant using artificial wastewater and actual plating wastewater. In this year, pilot scale test using actual domestic wastewater was performed to prove field applicability. As the results, high-rate nitrogen removal performance was confirmed with about 0.19 kg ${NO_3}^--N/m^3$ day of rate. Also significant fouling and pressure increase were not found during the experiment. And, the production ratio of sulfate and the consumption ratio of alkalinity showed a slightly higher value about 311 mg ${SO_4}^{2-}/L$ and 369 mg $CaCO_3$/L, respectively. In conclusion, the developed MBR process can be utilized as an alternative for retrofiting existing wastewater plants as well as new construction of advanced sewage wastewater treatment plants, with cost-effective merit.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2020

For effective treatment of wastewater containing ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N), AT2, AT9, and AT12 strains, having high total organic carbon (TOC) removal capability, and FN47, possessing excellent ammonia nitrogen removal capability present in the activated sludge in the aeration tank of food wastewater treatment plants, were isolated and identified. The cells of these isolated strains were used for microbial augmentation with FIW-1 in the defatted rice bran as a medium to treat industrial wastewater. The investigation of the cultural characteristics of these isolated strains in the aeration tank showed that the affinities for substrate of the isolated strains were extremely high, of which AT12 (Alcaligenes sp. AT12) was the highest among the isolated strains. Ammonium nitrogen removal efficiency in the food wastewater was 71% in the isolated strain FN47 (Microbacterium sp. FN47) treatment group. When only activated sludge was added in the lab scale pilot using food wastewater during continuous culture experiment, the TOC removal efficiency was 63%. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of 92% was obtained when the microbial augmentation FIW-1 for wastewater treatment was applied. In addition, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) level from the effluent wherein microbial augmentation FIW-1 was input for the initial three days in the wastewater treatment site experiment showed a treatment rate of about 43%, which was increased to 62% after an elapse of 5 days.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2000

Deodorization characteristics and removal rate of sulfur-containing odor have been investigated in the soil filter reactors packed with montmorillonites (Mont.), rice hulls(Rh.), and thickening-activated sludge(Ts.). And variation of pH and $SO_4{^{2-}}$ with the removal of malodorous sulfur compounds have been investigated together. As compared removal rate of montmorillonites between wet and dry condition for sulfur compounds through batch test, it showed that wet condition was better than dry one; removal ratio, as wet/dry, was $H_2S$ of 1.2 and $CH_3SH$ of 1.9, and decrease of pH and increase of $SO_4{^{2-}}$ concentration in the wet condition also showed to be larger than in dry condition. In continuous test for biological deodorization experiment, removal rate of sulfur compounds in reactor packed with Mont., Rh. and Ts, was more than 98 %, and the variation of static pressure was maintained stably under condition of SV $150h^{-1}$, LV 4.2 mm/sec and SV $200h^{-1}$, LV 5.6 mm/sec, and in reactor packed with Mont. and Rh., $H_2S$ was 76.4 % to 87.2 % and $CH_3SH$ was 87.8 % to 93.3 % under the same condition. From above results, it ascertained that it can obtain the high deodorization efficiency by inoculating thickening-activated sludge in soil filter using montmorillonites.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.88-93
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• 1991

The biodegradable bacteria for fats and oils were isolatcd from soil and wastewater. The isolated strain was designated as LW-27 which had high COD removal rate and biodegr2idability on fats and oils, and was identified as pseudomonas chlrorapihis. The cell viability of LW-27 which produced by vacuum drying at $45^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours was 82%. When the wastewater was mixed with LW-27 agent (0.1g/ day) on the activated sludge unit, the removal rates of COD, BOD and n-hexanc extract of the effluents were about 92.9%, 94.8% and 98.0%, respectively.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.345-350
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• 1991

The purpose of this study is to investigate biomass characteristics and organic removal efficiency by changing superficial upflow velocity and organic loading rate in treating alcoholic distillery wastewater. Since the biomass concentration and the thickness of biofilm are very sensitive to superficial upflow velocity, a high concentration of biomass could be achieved by decreasing superficial upflow velocity that lowered the organic removal efficiency. Therefore, superficial upflow velocity should be controlled as to give optimum conditions and removal efficiency. Generally, activated sludge system shows 70% COD removal efficiency at$1.5kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$, but the fluidized-bed biofllm reactor shows 80% COD removal efficiency even at 6kgCOD/$m^2{\cdot}day$.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2020

Although membrane bio-reactor (MBR) has been widely applied for wastewater treatment plants, the membrane fouling problems are still considered as an obstacle to overcome. Thus, many studies and commercial developments on mitigating membrane fouling in MBR have been carried out. Recently, high voltage impulse (HVI) has gained attention for a possible alternative technique for desalting, non-thermal sterilization, bromate-free disinfection and mitigation of membrane fouling. In this study, it was verified if the HVI could be used for mitigation of membrane fouling, particularly the internal pore fouling in MBR. The HVI was applied to the fouled membrane under different conditions of electric fields (E) and contact time (t) of HVI in order to investigate how much of internal pore fouling was reduced. The internal pore fouling resistance (R_f) after HVI induction was reduced as both E and t increased. For example, R_f decreased by 19% when the applied E was 5 kV/cm and t was 80 min. However, the R_f decreased by 71% as the E increased to 15 kV/cm under the same contact time. The correlation between E and t that needed for 20% of R_f reduction was modeled based on kinetics. The model equation, E^1.54t = 1.2 × 10³ was obtained by the membrane filtration data that were obtained with and without HVI induction. The equation states the products of En and t is always constant, which means that the required contact time can be reduced in accordance with the increase of E.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.439-446
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• 2009

This study was performed to evaluate SND(simultaneous nitrification and denitrification)efficiency, nitrogen removal efficiency and filtration function of non-woven fabric by using submerging MBR packed with granular sulfur covered with non-woven fabric filter. Synthetic wastewater was used as influent wastewater. Concentration of $NH_4{^+}-N$ in influent was maintained about 40 mg/L and the experiment was performed in four phases according to the flow rate. Nitrogen loading rate divided four phases ranging from $0.04 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$ to $0.16 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$. As a result, the maximum $NH_4{^+}-N$ removal rate was accomplished at $0.142 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$ in nitrogen loading of $0.147 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$. Nitrification efficiency was higher than 95% in all phases. $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading rate was adjusted ranging from $0.22 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$ to $0.89 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. The maximum $NO_3{^-}-N$ removal rate was accomplished up to $0.71 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$ in $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading of $0.89 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. The maximum $NO_3{^-}-N$ removal efficiency was 95% in $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading of $0.22 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. T-N removal rate was 90% and concentration of T-N in effluent was 3.7 mg/L in T-N loading rate of $0.039 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. In this study, TMP in reactor with and without non-woven fabric filter were observed to define fouling of hollow-fiber membrane module. Reaching time to standard washing pressure(22 cm Hg) of two reactors were 29 days with non-woven fabric But the reactor without non-woven fabric reached standard washing pressure only after 4 days. Accordingly, non-woven fabric was demonstrated the superiority as a filtration ability. With high nitrogen removal rate and decreasing of fouling of membrane, MBR packed with granular sulfur covered with non-woven fabric filter submerging in activated sludge aeration tank can be used as an advanced treatment process.