• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.481-484
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• 2011

Although formation of organic chloramines have been studied for decades, most of them have involved model organic compounds (e.g., amino acids) but not naturally occurring organic nitrogen in water. This study investigated formation of organic chloramines during chlorination of 16 natural organic matters (NOM) solutions which were isolated from surface water and contained dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Organic chloramine yields per chlorine consumption was $0.25mg-Cl_2/mg-Cl_2$. Upon chlorination of NOM solutions, organic chloramines were rapidly formed within 10 minutes. The average organic chloramine yields upon addition of chlorine in to NOM solutions were $0.78mg-Cl_2/mg-DON$ at 10 minutes and $0.16mg-Cl_2/mg-DON$ at 24 hours. Organic chloramine yields increased as the dissolved organic carbon/dissolved organic nitrogen (DOC/DON) ratios decreased. Chlorination of molecular weight (10,000 Da) fractionated samples showed that the influence of DON molecular weights on the organic chloramine formation was minimal.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.843-849
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• 2007

Monitoring of NOM characteristics is important for improving removal efficiency of natural organic matter (NOM) in water treatment processes. In this study, several NOM characteristics, which include specific UV absorbance (SUVA), total carbonate content, molecular weight distribution, and fluorescence properties, were measured using samples collected from a pilot-scale water treatment plant consisting of coagulation/flocculation (C/F), filtration, ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC) processes. The highest removal of NOM was observed in C/F and filtration processes as demonstrated by the reduction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 25% and 21%, respectively. Despite nearly no change in DOC, however, the lowest SUVA value and the highest total carbohydrate content were observed in the sample from ozonation process. This indicates that non-degradable aromatic compounds become depleted and biodegradable organic compounds are enriched during the process. Comparison of synchronous fluorescence spectra of the samples showed that ozoation process increased protein-like fluorescence while it decreased fulvic-like and terrestrial humic-like fluorescence. Consistently, a slight peak of protein-like fluorescence was observed in the sample from ozonation process. The greatest change in molecular weight distributions of the samples was observed in C/F process. Comparison of size exclusion chromatogram of the samples revealed that NOM fractions with the molecular weight greater than 2000 Da were reduced by over 90% after C/F process. SUVA values and total carbohydrate content of the samples were well correlated with a ratio of protein-like fluorescence and terrestrial humic-like fluorescence intensities with the correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.91, respectively. This suggests that synchronous fluorescence properties of NOM could be used as useful tolls for monitoring changes of some NOM characteristics during water treatment processes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.480-486
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• 2005

The main goals of this work are to investigate the effect of molecular weight distribution(MWD) and activated carbon adsorption capacity after conventional coagulation and enhanced coagulation. The ozonation was very effective to decompose the NOM to smaller size and to remove molecular smaller than 1,000. The concentration of DOC was reduced 0.25mg/L and 0.56mg/L by the conventional coagulation and the enhanced coagulation, respectively The conventional coagulation was not effective to remove NOM. However, the enhanced coagulation was effective to remove MW bigger than 10,000. The higher MW was shifted to smaller weight by ozonation in the raw water and the after conventional coagulation. After enhanced coagulation the MW had not changed significantly by ozonation. Also, it was observed that the ozone dosage did not have significant impact on MW shifting to smaller size. The adsorption capacity simulated by IAST comparing K values showed that the adsorption capacity was not impacted by ozone doses. There was very strong correlation between MW smaller than 10,000 and the mid- and strongly adsorbable fractions.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.148-156
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• 2012

In this research, the application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modified PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) membrane was tested as a simply and beginning attempt to overcome membrane fouling because CNTs importantly affect the transport of natural organic matter (NOM). Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) as the representative of NOM was selected and its sorption results with single-walled CNT (SWCNT), multi-walled CNT (MWCNT), and oxidized MWCNT (O-MWCNT) were obtained through the batch experiment. SRFA sorption isotherms had a strong nonlinearity and its sorption capacity followed the order O-MWCNT < MWCNT < SWCNT. The adsorbed mass of SRFA on each CNT decreased as a function of pH due to their charge repulsion. For the CNT-PVDF membrane filtration experiments, the suspended CNT solution (10 mg/40 mL) was incorporated into $0.45{\mu}m$-PVDF membrane and 5 mg/L of SRFA solution was monitored using UV detector connected with high pressure pump after passing through CNT-PVDF membrane. The SRFA removal efficiency by MWCNT-PVDF membrane was the strongest among other modified membranes. This suggests that the CNT modified microfiltration (MF) membrane might effectively and selectively apply to treat the contaminated water including organic compounds in the presence of NOM.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.81-84
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• 1999

The aqueous geochemical characteristics of Cr(III) and Cr(Ⅵ) in environmental systems are very different from one another: Cr(Ⅵ) is highly soluble, mobile and toxic relative to Cr(III) Reduction of Cr(Ⅵ) to Cr(III) are beneficial in aquatic systems because of the transformation of a highly mobile and toxic species to one having a low solubility in water, thus simultaneously decreasing chromium mobility and toxicity. Fe(II) species are excellent reductants for transforming Cr(Ⅵ) to Cr(III), and in addition, keeping Cr(III) concentrations below the drinking water standard of 52 ppb at pH values between 5 and 11. Investigations of the effects of NOM on Cr(Ⅵ) reduction are for examining the feasibility of using ferrous iron to reduce hexavalent chromium in subsurface environments. Experiments in the presence of soils, however, showed that the solid phase consumes some of the reducing capacity of Fe(II) and makes the overall reduction kinetics slower. The soil components bring about consumption of the ferrous iron reductant. Particular attention is devoted to the complexation of Fe(II) by NOM and the subsequent effect on Cr(Ⅵ) reduction. Cr(Ⅵ) reduction rate by Fe(II) was affected by the presence of NOM (humic acid), The effects of humic acid was different from the solution pH values and the concentration of humic acid. It was probably due to the reactions between humic acid and Cr(Ⅵ), humic acid and Fe(II), and between Cr(Ⅵ) and Fe(II), at each pH.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.370-377
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• 2005

Dispersion of coagulant should be completed in a fraction of a second before the metal hydroxide precipitate has form. For the reason so-called pump diffusion flash mixing (PDFM) have been proposed, and PDFM is one of reasonable methods to quickly disperse the hydrolyzing metal salts. In this study, therefore, we attempt to understand the difference of removal characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) between pump diffusion flash mixing (PDFM) and conventional rapid mixing (CRM) for coagulation in a water treatment system, and to enhance the removal of NOM through the improved mixing process. DOC and turbidity removal by PDFM higher than those by CRM, while SUVA value of water treated by PDFM was high as compared with that by CRM. Hydrophilic NOM was more effectively removed by PDFM than CRM, since charge neutralization effect increased by quick dispersion of coagulant. The DBP formation potentials due to NOM was effectively reduced by the improved mixing (i.e., PDFM) for coagulation and could be controlled through decrease in concentration of precursor rather than reduction of activity with disinfectant.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2004

This study investigated the phenomena of membrane fouling by NOM and the effect of the fouling on removal of micro-pollutants. NOM has a great effect on decline of permeate flux. Permeate flow rate was reduced by 88% in RO and 34.8% in NF for 323hr operation period. Removal rate of $UV_{254}$, is 87.4% in RO and 78.5% in NF and removal rate of DOC is 42.7% in RO and 32.9% in NF for 2mg/l humic acid. Removal efficiency of the micro-pollutants by the RO and NF membranes fouled by humic acid was mostly lower than that by the new membrane. The concentration polarization which affects the flux and the rejection was thought to occur in the active layer of the membrane, as the membrane was getting fouled.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.367-376
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• 2014

This study assessed the removal efficiency of NOM which is known as the precursors of DBPs in advanced water treatment using the ceramic membrane filtration, introduced the first in the nation at the Y water treatment plant (WTP). It is generally well-known that the removal of NOM by MF Membrane is very low in water treatment process. But, the result of investigation on removal efficiency of NOM in advanced water treatment using the ceramic membrane was different as follows. The removal rate of organic contaminant by the ceramic membrane advanced water treatment was determined to be 65.5% for the DOC, 85.8% for UV254, and 77 to 86% for DBPFP. The removal rate of pre-ozonation was found to be 6 to 15% more effective compared with the pre-chlorination. The removal rate of DOC and $UV_{254}$ in biological activated carbon(BAC) process was over 50% and 75%, respectively although the rate was decreased 10 ~ 20% according to analysis items in converting from GAC to BAC.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.563-568
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• 2015

Natural Organic Matter (NOM) is a precursor of disinfection by products. Recently, with the increase in NOM concentration caused by a large amount of algae, the creation of disinfection by-products is becoming a big issue. Therefore, in this study, PAC+Membrane+F/A hybrid process was organized to control disinfection by-products in small-scale water treatment plants. The optimal dosage of PAC was set at 20 mg/L through Lab. scale test. Also, it is judged that NOM concentration must be less than 1.0 mg/L to meet the recommended criteria of drinking water quality monitoring items of disinfection by-products during chlorination. The existing conventional water treatment process was compared to the independent F/A process and the PAC+Membrane+F/A hybrid process through pilot plant operation, and the result showed that there is a need to apply an advanced water treatment process to remove not only NOMs but also Geosmin caused by algae. Accordingly, it is considered that applying the PAC+Membrane+F/A process will help in controling a clogged filter caused by a large amount of algae and disinfection by-products created by chlorination and can be used as an advanced water treatment process to meet the recommended criteria of drinking water quality monitoring items.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.534-541
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• 2003

Membrane processes are now frequently considered for application in drinking water treatment. The biggest impediment for applying membrane processes is fouling that comes from mass flux (such as particle and organic matter) to the membrane surface and its pores due to convection flow through the membrane. Natural organic matter (NOM) has been reported as the most detrimental foulant. Some research also indicated that particles were often the dominant cause of fouling. Therefore, both NOM and particle fouling need to be examined to better understand fouling in ultrafiltration. Two waters from natural sources, Lake Austin water and Missouri River water, were selected. Both waters are relatively hard waters but has significantly different particle concentrations, which will elucidate effects of particles on membrane fouling. Precipitative softening is traditionally designed to remove hardness ions in hard waters but it can also remove particles and organic matter. Therefore, the integrated water treatment with softening and ultrafiltration is proposed as a promising option for hard waters. The three levels of softening were used to represent different degrees of pretreatment to ultrafiltration in terms of organic matter (i.e., NOM fouling) and precipitates (i.e., particle fouling by further precipitation). Results showed that natural particles in Missouri River water was detrimental foulants of ultrafiltration. As the levels of softening were increased, NOM and particle removal was increased, and thus fouling was decreased. Direct images of the surface of the membranes by scanning electron microscopy allowed observation of the different properties of particles caught in fibril networks of natural organic matter.