• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.797-805
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• 2012

Contribution of immobilized media with bacteria to the odor removal was evaluated in a lab scale bio-filter compared to that with sponge or ceramic media without the immobilized bacteria. Candida tropicalis for volatile organic compounds and ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for inorganic compounds were used as seeds in lab-scale bio-reactors. Three different type of media in the bio-reactors that immobilized bioreactor (IBR), sponge bioreactor (SBR), and ceramic bioreactor (CBR) were examined, respectively. An empty bed contact time (EBCT) of the bio-filters was fixed as 60 seconds, and the inlet concentration of toluene was changed from 20 ppm to 200 ppm to observe the removal efficiency depending on the concentrations. As a result, the maximum elimination capacities of IBR, SBR, and CBR were 166 $g/m^3/hr$, 138 $g/m^3/hr$, and 138 $g/m^3/hr$, respectively. In addition, toluene as an organic compound and ammonia as an inorganic compound were applied together with different inlet concentrations varied from 80 ppm to 250 ppm of toluene and from 2.5 ppm to 40 ppm of ammonia. The toluene maximum elimination capacities in IBR, SBR, and CBR were 97.4 $g/m^3/hr$, 59.5 $g/m^3/hr$, and 81.9 $g/m^3/hr$, respectively. The ammonia maximum elimination capacities were reached as 7.2 $g/m^3/hr$ in IBR, 6.6 $g/m^3/hr$ in SBR, and 7.0 $g/m^3/hr$ in CBR.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1207-1213
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• 2005

In a search for bacteria capable of degrading styrene better than previously isolated strains, bacterium IS-3 was isolated from activated sludge and found to be most closely related to Pseudomonas sp. Styrene degradation by this strain was tested in liquid cultures and polyurethane-packed biofilters. In liquid cultures, the rate of styrene degradation by this bacterium increased from 24.93 to $76.53\;{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}\;DCW\;H^{-1}$ for an initial mass range from 8.7 to $34.8{\mu}mol$. The maximum styrene elimination capacity was 580-635 $g/m^{3}\cdot$h at a space velocity (SV) of 50-200/h. The critical elimination capacities guaranteeing $95\%$ removal of the input styrene were determined to be 635, 170, and 38 $g/m^{3}\cdot$h, respectively, at SVs of 50, 100, and 200/h. Kinetic analysis revealed that the maximum styrene elimination velocity ($V_{m}$) for this biofilter was 1,000 g/m$\cdot$h, and the saturation constant ($K_{m}$) was 454 ppmv. Together, these results suggest that a polyurethane biofilter containing Pseudomonas sp. IS-3 could have potential practical applications for the effective removal of styrene gas.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.568-574
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• 2013

A semi-pilot biofilter packed with media with immobilized Thiobacillus sp. IW and return sludge, was operated under various operating conditions in order to treat malodorous waste air containing both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia which are major air pollutants emitted from composting factories and many publicly owned treatment works (POTW). At the incipient and middle stages of a semi-pilot biofilter operation, the hydrogen sulfide-removal efficiency behaves regardless of an inlet-load of ammonia. However, the ammonia-removal efficiency decreased as an inlet-load of hydrogen sulfide increased. Nevertheless, at the final stage of the semi-pilot biofilter operation, the ammonia-removal efficiency was not affected by the increase of hydrogen sulfide-inlet load. It is attributed to that a serious acidification of semi-pilot biofilter-media did not occur due to continuous injection of buffer solution at the final stage of the semi-pilot biofilter operation. When both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia contained in malodorous waste air were treated simultaneously by semi-pilot biofilter, the maximum elimination capacities of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia turned out to be ca. 58 and $30g/m^3/h$, respectively. These maximum elimination capacities were estimated to be ca. 39 and 46% less than those for lab-scaled biofilter-separate elimination of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, respectively. Thus, for the simultaneous biofilter-treatment of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, the maximum elimination capacity of ammonia decreased by 7% more than that of hydrogen sulfide.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2003

The benzene removal characteritics of the polyurethane (PU) biofilter immobilized with S. maltophilia T3-c, that could efficiently degrade benzene, was investigated. Maximum capacity to eliminate benzene was maintained at $100-110g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1$ when space velocity (SV) ranged from 100 to $300 h^-1$ -1/, however, it decreased sharply to $55 g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1^$ as SV increased to $400 h^-1$. The critical elimination capacities that guaranteed $90\%$ removal of inlet loading of the PU biofilter were determined to be 70,30, and $15 g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1$ at SV 100,200, and $300 h^-1$, respectively. Based on the result of a kinetic analysis of the PU biofilter, maximum benzene elimination velocity ($V_m$) was $125 g{\cdot}m^-3^\;of\;PU{\cdot}h^-1$ and saturation constant ($K_m$) was $0.22 g{\cdot}m^-3^$ of benzene ($65{\mu}{\cdot}I^-1$). This study suggests that the biofilter utilizing S. maltophilia T3-c and polyurethane is a very promising technology for effectively degrading benzene.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2014

A semi-pilot hybrid system composed of a photocatalytic reactor and a biofilter was operated under various operating conditions in order to treat malodorous waste air containing both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia which are major air pollutants emitted from composting factories and many publicly owned treatment works (POTW). When both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia contained in malodorous waste air were treated simultaneously by a biofilter system, its performance of ammonia removal was much more poor than that by a biofilter system treating waste air containing only ammonia, unlike its performance of hydrogen sulfide removal. For semi-pilot hybrid system, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia turned out to be ca. 83 and 65%, respectively. Therefore, for semi-pilot hybrid system, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia was increased by ca. 4 and 30%, respectively, compared to those of semi-pilot biofilter system (control). In addition, the maximum elimination capacities of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia for semi-pilot hybrid system turned out to be ca. 60 and $37g/m^3/h$, respectively. These maximum elimination capacities of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were estimated to be ca. 9.1% and ca. 23.3% greater than those for semi-pilot biofilter system (control), respectively. Therefore, the semi-pilot hybrid system contributed the enhancement of removal efficiency and the maximum elimination capacity of ammonia in a higher degree than that of hydrogen sulfide, compared to the semi-pilot biofilter system.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.537-545
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• 2007

The heavy metal removal capacity of filamentous green alga Cladophora sp. cultured together with wet-mixed solidified soil (loess) was tested. A Cladophora sp. was cultured for 5d, with added Chu No. 10 medium, in stream water contaminated by high concentration of heavy metals from a closed mine effluent. Heavy metal ion concentrations of the medium and in algal tissue were measured every day during the experiment. Dissolved metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) in medium were rapidly removed (over 90% elimination) within 1-2d when alga and loess were added. Dissolved heavy metals dropped by only 10% when algae were cultured without loess. The Cladophora sp. accumulated much more heavy metals when cultured with loess than when the alga was cultured alone. Cladophora sp. exhibited a maximum uptake capacity for Al ($17,000{\mu}g^{-1}$ algal dry weight). The metal bioremoval capacities of the algae were in the order Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and Cd. The heavy metal removal capacity of Cladophora sp. showed significant increases when wet-mixed solidified soil was added to culture media.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.211-219
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• 2006

An experimental study on the removal of VOCs gas using a biomembrane reactor were carried out at various inlet gas concentration, specific loading rate, retention time and gas flow rate of volume. The variations of efficiency and various parameters, which are relevant to gas removal, with mixing of soluble gas and without have been discussed. More than 95% of the toluene and methanol present in the feed was successfully removed in each study. The elimination of methanol with mixture of soluble compound of about 300 mg/h corresponds to a portion of 21% if there is a feed stream of 1400 mg/h. On the contrary the maximum efficiency of about 72% of toluene was reached. This is to be rated as a treatment of sorption that the limiting factor of the dismantling speed could be represented by this difficult degradable component. Nevertheless the elimination capacities for this reactor for toluene were on a very high level. For substances which show a very high solubility in silicon rubber an advantage of a bio membrane is clearly shown. Therefore a similarly good result is expected for n-hexane, because of its relatively good permeability which was distinguished during permeation experiments.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 2002

Removal of malodorous gases from swine manure by a polyurethane biofilter inoculated with heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria was investigated. Ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other gases could be efficiently treated at 3~3.6 second of empty bed retention time by the polyurethane biofilter. In the range of SV $200~l,200h^{-1}$ , the average removal efficiency of odor was about 89% when the odor unit of inlet gas was below 4100. Odor elimination capacity of the polyurethane biofilter was$ 1.8$\times$10^{5}$ $~5.0$\times$10^{7}$OUㆍm$^{-3}$ㆍ$h^{-1}$ that were 84~90% of the inlet load. The critical loads of $NH_3$ and $H_2$S, which mean 97% removal with respect to the inlet loads, were 31 and $27 g.m^{-3}$ ㆍ$h^{-1}$ , respectively. The maximum elimination capacities of $NH_3$ and $H_2$S were 56 and $157 gㆍm^{-3}$ ㆍh$^{-1}$ , respectively. Although the removability for$ NH_3$ and $H_2$S was not influenced by $H_2$S$NH_3$ ratio (ppmv/ppmv), the $H_2$S removability was inhibited by high $H_2$S concentration more than 80 ppmv.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1151-1156
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• 2014

The photocatalytic decomposition characteristics of single n-pentane, n-pentane mixed with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and n-pentane mixed with ethyl acetate (EA) by cylindrical UV reactor installed with $TiO_2$-coated perforated plane were studied. The effects of the residence time, the inlet gas concentration, and the oxygen concentration were investigated. The removal efficiency of n-pentane was increased with increasing the residence time and the oxygen concentration, but decreased with increasing the inlet concentration of n-pentane. The photocatalytic decomposition rates of single n-pentane, n-pentane mixed with MEK, and n-pentane mixed with EA fitted well on Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics equation. The maximum elimination capacities of single n-pentane, n-pentane mixed with MEK, and n-pentane mixed with EA were obtained to be $465g/m^3{\cdot}day$, $217g/m^3{\cdot}day$, and $320g/m^3{\cdot}day$, respectively. The presence of coexisting MEK and EA vapor had a negative effect on the photocatalytic decomposition of n-pentane and the negative effect of MEK was higher than that of EA.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2007

This study developed composition-plastic media with woodchips and plastic as main materials, and examined the performance of media. Compared to the existing commercial media, the media had similar performance in removal efficiency and microbes attaching characteristic, and was evaluated that they are distinguished from economic side. Performance test of media was conducted to examine the removal capacity of toluene and hydrogen sulfide in a gas stream by using a lab-scale biotrickling filter systems packed with them. At a volumetric loading of $1.5\;m^3/hr$ with inlet concentration 260 ppm and empty bed residence time (EBRT) 42s, the toluene removal efficiency was shown over 90%, and the maximum elimination capacity of toluene in the biotrickling filter was $77g/m^3{\cdot}hr$. Effective co-treatments of $H_2S$ and Toluene were observed in the lab-scale biotrickling filters. The maximum elimination capacity of $H_2S$ was $100\;g-S/m^3{\cdot}hr$. Up to 100 ppm, the concentration of $H_2S$ did not have an effect on toluene removal efficiency, but the removal efficiency of toluene decreased with increasing inlet $H_2S$ concentration.