• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.92-100
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• 2016

Low-temperature conversion of nitrogen oxides using plasma-assisted hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction of (HC-SCR) was investigated. Plasma was created in the catalyst-packed bed so that it could directly interact with the catalyst. The effect of the reaction temperature, the shape of catalyst, the concentration of n-heptane as a reducing agent, the oxygen content, the water vapor content and the energy density on $NO_x$ removal was examined. $NO_x$ conversion efficiencies achieved with the plasma-catalytic hybrid process at a temperature of $250^{\circ}C$ and an specific energy input (SIE) of $42J\;L^{-1}$ were 83% and 69% for one-dimensional Ag catalyst ($Ag\;(nanowire)/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$) and spherical Ag catalyst ($Ag\;(sphere)/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$), respectively, whereas that obtained with the catalyst-alone was considerably lower (about 30%) even with $Ag\;(nanowire)/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ under the same condition. The enhanced catalytic activity towards $NO_x$ conversion in the presence of plasma can be explained by the formation of more reactive $NO_2$ species and partially oxidized hydrocarbon intermediates from the oxidation of NO and n-heptane under plasma discharge. Increasing the SIE tended to improve $NO_x$ conversion efficiency, and so did the increase in the n-heptane concentration; however, a further increase in the n-heptane concentration beyond $C_1/NO_x$ ratio of 5 did not improve the $NO_x$ conversion efficiency any more. The increase in the humidity affected negatively the $NO_x$ conversion efficiency, resulting in lowering the $NO_x$ conversion efficiency at the higher water vapor content, because water molecules competed with $NO_x$ species for the same active site. The $NO_x$ conversion efficiency increased with increasing the oxygen content from 3 to 15%, in particular at low SIE values, because the formation of $NO_2$ and partially oxidized hydrocarbon intermediates was facilitated.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.950-955
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• 2007

Non-point source control system which had been designed only for oil-water separation in the fields of oil refinery and garage was upgraded in this research for the removal of runoff pollutants in impervious urban area. Pollutants including oil from driveway and bridge were eliminated by two types of pathway in the system. One is the coalescence mechanism that the oil droplets in the runoff come into contact with each other in the spiral buoyant media surface and form larger coalesced droplets of oil that are carried upstream to the oil layer. The other is the precipitation that solids in runoff were settled by gravity in the system. In this research, coalescing characteristics of oil and water separation were investigated through image analyses, and efficiencies of the non-point source control system were evaluated using dust in driveway and waste engine oil. Media made of high density and high molecular weight polyethylene was indeterminate helical shape and had sleek surface by analysing SEM photographs and BET. Surface area and specific gravity of media which were measured directly were 1,428 $mm^2$ and 45.3 $kg/m^3$ respectively. From the image analyses of the oil droplets photographs which were taken by using microscope, it was proved clearly that the coalescence was the main pathway in the removal of oil from the runoff. Finally, the performances of the non-point source control system filled up with the media were suspended solid $86.6\sim95.2%$, $COD_{Cr}$, $87.3\sim95.4%$, n-Hexane extractable materials $71.8\sim94.8%$ respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.246-254
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• 2017

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is one of most abundant microcystins, and is derived from blue-green algae bloom. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are effective process when high concentrations of MC-LR are released into a drinking water treatment system from surface water. In particular, UV-based AOPs such as UV, $UV/H_2O_2$, $UV/O_3$ and $UV/TiO_2$ have been studied for the removal of MC-LR. In this study, UV-LED was applied for the degradation of MC-LR because UV lamps have demonstrated some weaknesses, such as frequent replacements; that generate mercury waste and high heat loss. Degradation efficiencies of the MC-LR (initial conc. = $100{\mu}g/L$) were 30% and 95.9% using LED-L (280 nm, $0.024mW/cm^2$) and LED-H (280 nm, $2.18mW/cm^2$), respectively. Aromatic compounds of natural organic matter changed to aliphatic compounds under the LED-H irradiation by LC-OCD analysis. For application to raw water, the Nak-dong River was sampled during summer when blue-green algae were heavy bloom in 2016. The concentration of extracellular and total MC-LR, geosmin and 2-MIB slightly decreased by increasing the LED-L irradiation; however, the removal of MC-LR by UV-LED (${\lambda}=280nm$) was insufficient. Thus, advanced UV-LED technology or the addition of oxidants with UV-LED is required to obtain better degradation efficiency of MC-LR.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2006

Objectives of this experiment were to select of the optimum water plant and to investigate the removal efficiency of the major nutrients in the constructed wetland by natural purification method for municipal sewage treatment in the farming and fishing village. For the experiment we used "constructed wetland" which was consisted of aerobic (vertical filter system) and anaerobic systems (horizontal filter system). Both systems were filled with gravel and filter media, and grew water plants on top of them. And then, we investigated several items such as sewage treatment efficiency, growth status of water plants and the absorbed amount of inorganic element in water plants with periodical periods. In aerobic area, removal efficiencies of BOD, COD, T-N and T-P were over 92%, 74%, 25% and 57%, respectively, and then when the water is passed through anaerobic area, the efficiency was over 96%, 84%, 44% and 71%, respectively, which was increased more treatment efficiency than that of aerobic area. Absorption amount of nitrogen and phosphorous in Miscanthus sacchariflorus BENTH were the highest in the water plants as 17.7 and 2.41 g/plant in the aerobic area, respectively. Absorption amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous in Scirpus tabernaemontani GMEL were the highest in the water plants as 8.7 and 1.13 g/plant in the anaerobic area, respectively. For the selection of optimum water plants in the constructed wetland by natural purification method for municipal sewage treatment, it were observed that there were Miscanthus sacchariflorus BENTH, Phragmites japonica STEUD and Phragmites communis TRINIUS in the aerobic area and were Zizania latifolia TURCZ, Scirpus tabernaemontani GMEL, Typha orientalis PRESL, Iris pseudoacorus L and Cares dispalata BOOTT in the anaerobic area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.997-1006
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• 2009

Organic removal efficiency and methane production rate, a feasibility of power generation from biogas, and the optimum conditions for membrane operation were evaluated for the pilot scale (5 tons/day) two-phase anaerobic digestion coupled with ultra filtration (TPADUF) system fed with garbage leachate. The TPADUF system is consisted of a thermophilic acidogenic reactor, a mesophilic methanogenic reactor, and an UF membrane. When garbage leachate with 150 g/L of TCOD was fed to the TPADUF up to organic loading rate (OLR) of 11.1 g COD/L/d, the effluent TCOD was lower than 6 g/L and the average removal efficiencies of TCOD and SCOD were higher than 95%. The methane composition of the gas was 65%, and the methane yield was 39 $m^3/m^3$ garbage leachatefed, 260 $m^3$/tons $COD_{added}$, or 270 $m^3$/tons $COD_{removed}$, even there was some gas leak. The power production per consumed gas was 0.96 kWh/$m^3$ gas or 1.49 kWh/$m^3$ methane. This lower power production efficiency mainly due to the small capacity of gas engine (15 kW class). The membrane was operated at the average flux of 10 L/$m^2$/hr. When the flux decreased, washing with water and chemical (NaOCl) was conducted to restore the flux. In the TPADUF system, optimum pH could be maintained without alkali addition by recycling the membrane concentrate or mixed liquor of the methanogenic digester to the acidogenic reactor. Also, partial production of methane in the acidogenic reactor had a positive effect on lowering the OLR of the methanogenic reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.561-567
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• 2017

This study focused on estimating the low concentration of $NH_4{^+}-N$ removal by using simultaneous reaction of the adsorption and microbial nitrification with microbe-attached zeolite media. To evaluate the adsorption effect of the zeolite media, the expanded polypropylene (EPP) media which are not able to adsorb $NH_4{^+}-N$ were used as a control media in order to compare the adsorption ability. Each media was used to experiment after aerated 8 hr for attachment of the microbes. The batch experiment shows that nitrification occurred in zeolite media better than EPP media because nitrifiers could consume the relatively enough amount of $NH_4{^+}-N$ adsorbed onto the zeolite media. Compared to the reactor with EPP media, nitrification occurred only in the reactor with zeolite media under continuous operation at the empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 25 min and 3 mg/L of $NH_4{^+}-N$ concentration. As the EBCT of the reactor with zeolite media increased from 10 to 60 min, the nitrification efficiencies increased too. $NH_4{^+}-N$ removal efficiency showed up more than 90% at EBCT 60 min. And the difference in concentration of the total nitrogen between the influent and the effluent was 0.25 mg/L at EBCT 10 min, 0.78 mg/L at EBCT 25 min, 0.59 mg/L at EBCT 40 min and 0.37 mg/L at EBCT 60 min, respectively. This difference was due to between adsorption rate and nitrification rate of $NH_4{^+}-N$, and it was considered that $NH_4{^+}-N$ was adsorbed on the zeolite media by the gap of the concentration.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2015

Dongchun, one of the representative streams in urban area, is a downstream that is connected to Hogyechun, Bujeonchun, Jeonpochun, Danggamchun, and Gayachun as its upstream. Hogyechun has been mostly covered with concrete structures for decades, causing sewage pollution from the upstream, overflow of the downstream region and other serious pollution that gave rise to many civil complaints from the residents nearby. In this study, we analyzed 3 stations, including control station for water quality and malodor changes of Hogyechun after applying the microbial augmentation (BM-2) for a few months including the rainy season. Amounts (g/h) of DO in the middle site (Middle) and the downstream site (Borim) increased by 1.7 times compared with the upstream site (Chuhae) after augmentation for about 2 months. Amounts (g/h) of COD and $NO_3{^-}N$ decreased by 2 and 1.7 times, respectively, in the middle and downstream sites while SS increased by 7.5 and 22 times in the middle and downstream sites, respectively. Moreover, odor removal efficiencies at the middle and downstream sites were 65% and 19%, respectively, indicating the microbial activity in reduction of malodor in the polluted stream. The dominant microbial species of the sampling sites were Hydrogenophaga caeni, Sphaerotilus natans, Acidovorax radicis, Acidovorax delafieldii, and Cloacibacterium rupense. Densities of the two species Sphaerotilus natans and Acidovorax delafieldii were significantly increased in the middle site after augmentation which possessed potential odor removal and denitrification activity, respectively. Potential pathogens (e.g., Arcobacter cryaerophilus) were also removed from the middle site after the implementation.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2015

Occurrences of coastal dredged materials are ever increasing due to port construction, navigational course maintenance and dredging of polluted coastal sediments. Ocean dumping of the coastal dredged materials has become virtually prohibited as London Treaty will be enacted as of the year 2012. It will be necessary to treat and recycle the dredged materials that may carry organic pollutants and heavy metals in a reasonable and effective process: collection of the dredged materials, liquid and solid separation, and treatment of organic compounds and heavy metals. In this study we have developed a continuous bioreactor system that can treat a mixture of silt and particulate organic matter using a microbial consortium (BM-S-1). The steady-state operation conditions were: pH (7.4-7.5), temperature ($16^{\circ}C$), DO (7.5-7.9), and salt concentration (3.4-3.7%). The treatment efficiencies of SCOD, T-N and T-P of the mixture were 95-96%, 92-99%, and 79-97%. The system was also effective in removal of heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Cr. Levels of MLSS during three months operation period were 11,000-19,000 mg/L. Interestingly, there was little sludge generated during this period of operation. The augmented microbial consortium seemed to be quite active in the removal of the organic component (30%) present in the dredged material in association with indigenous bacteria. The dominant phyla in the treatment processes were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes while dominant genii were Marinobacterium, Flaviramulus, Formosa, Alteromonadaceae_uc, Flavobacteriaceae_uc. These results will contribute to a development of a successful bioremediation technology for various coastal and river sediments with a high content of organic matter, inorganic nutrients and heavy metals, leading to a successful reuse of the polluted dredged sediments.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.3 s.172
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• pp.273-284
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• 2005

Coagulation and precipitation process by using lime$(Ca(OH)_2)$ and calcium carbonate $(CaCO_3)$ were applied to remove heavy metals from groundwater in laboratory scale. From results of batch tests, by the addition of $0.3\;wt.\%$ lime, more than $90\%$ of As and Mn were removed and $70-80\%$ of Cd and Zn were removed by using $0.5\;wt.\%$ of lime. Removal efficiency of Pb almost reached $100\%$ with only $0.1\;wt.\%$ of calcium carbonate and more than $93\%$ of Cd were removed by the addition of $0.1\;wt.\%$of calcium carbonate. Pilot scale column experiments were performed to remove heavy metals in the separation process of precipitated Hoc to supernatant after the coagulation/ precipitation. For lime as a coagulant, more than $99\%$of As were removed from artificial groundwater and removal efficiencies of Cd, Mn, and Zn were over $80\%$. By using calcium carbonate, more than $95\%$ of Cd and Pb were removed in column experiment. Fe and Mn contaminated groundwater taken from a real landfill site, Ulsan was used for the column experiment and more than $99\%$ of Fe and Mn were removed by the addition of $1\;wt.\%$ lime in column experiment, suggesting that the coagulation/precipitation process by using lime and calcium carbonate have a great possibility to remove heavy metals from contaminated groundwater.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.79-93
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• 2022

In this study, an electronics industrial wastewater activated sludge model (e-ASM) to be used as a Water Digital Twin was calibrated based on real high-tech electronics industrial wastewater treatment measurements from lab-scale and pilot-scale reactors, and examined for its treatment performance, effluent quality prediction, and optimal process selection. For specialized modeling of a high-tech electronics industrial wastewater treatment system, the kinetic parameters of the e-ASM were identified by a sensitivity analysis and calibrated by the multiple response surface method (MRS). The calibrated e-ASM showed a high compatibility of more than 90% with the experimental data from the lab-scale and pilot-scale processes. Four electronics industrial wastewater treatment processes-MLE, A2/O, 4-stage MLE-MBR, and Bardenpo-MBR-were implemented with the proposed Water Digital Twin to compare their removal efficiencies according to various electronics industrial wastewater characteristics. Bardenpo-MBR stably removed more than 90% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and showed the highest nitrogen removal efficiency. Furthermore, a high concentration of 1,800 mg L^-1 T MAH influent could be 98% removed when the HRT of the Bardenpho-MBR process was more than 3 days. Hence, it is expected that the e-ASM in this study can be used as a Water Digital Twin platform with high compatibility in a variety of situations, including plant optimization, Water AI, and the selection of best available technology (BAT) for a sustainable high-tech electronics industry.