• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.128-136
• /
• 2021

It is generally known that a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) consumes immense energy even if it can produce energy. With an aim to increase the energy independence rate of WWTP from 3.5% in 2010 to 50% in 2030, the Korean government has invested enormous research funds. In this study, cost-effective operating alternatives were investigated by analyzing the energy efficiency and economic feasibility for biogas and power generation using new and renewable energy. Based on the US EPA Energy Conservation Measures and Korea ESCO projects, energy production and independence rate were also analyzed. The main energy consumption equipment in WWTP is the blower for aeration, discharge pump for effluent, and pump for influent. Considering the processes of WWTP, the specific energy consumption rate of the process using media and MBR was the lowest (0.549 kWh/㎥) and the highest (1.427 kWh/㎥), respectively. Energy-saving by enhancing anaerobic digester efficiency was turned out to be efficient when in conjunction with stable wastewater treatment. The result of economic analysis (B/C ratio) was 2.5 for digestive gas power generation, 0.86 for small hydropower, 0.49 for solar energy, and 0.15 for wind energy, respectively. Furthermore, it was observed that the energy independence rate could be enhanced by installing energy production facilities such as solar and small hydropower and reducing energy consumption via the replacement of high-efficiency operating.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.559-572
• /
• 2018

The aim of this study was to evaluate pretreatment methods for 27 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in various sewage samples using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) and online solid-phase extraction with LC-MS/MS. Extraction efficiencies of PPCPs in the solid phase under different experimental conditions were evaluated, showing that the highest recoveries were obtained with the addition of sodium sulfate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dehydrate in acidified conditions. The recoveries of target compounds ranged from 91 to 117.2% for liquid samples and from 61.3 to 137.2% for solid samples, with a good precision. The methods under development were applied to sewage samples collected in two sewage treatment plants (STPs) to determine PPCPs in liquid and solid phases. Out of 27 PPCPs, more than 19 compounds were detected in liquid samples (i.e., influent and effluent) of two STPs, with concentration ranges of LOQ-33,152 ng/L in influents and LOQ-4,523 ng/L in effluents, respectively. In addition, some PPCPs such as acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, and ofloxacin were detected at high concentrations in activated sludge as well as in excess sludge. This methodology was successfully applied to sewage samples for the determination of the target compounds in STPs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.165-175
• /
• 2024

The dissolved air at the bottom layer of the deep aeration tank transforms into fine gas bubbles within the MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solid) floc when exposed to the atmosphere. MLSS floc flotation occurs when MLSS from the deep aeration tank enters the secondary clarifier for solid-liquid separation, as dissolved air becomes fine air within the MLSS floc. The floated MLSS floc causes a high SS (Suspended Solid) concentration in the secondary effluent. The fine air bubbles within the MLSS floc must be removed to achieve stable sedimentation in the secondary clarifier. Fine bubbles within the MLSS floc can be removed by air sparging. The settleability of MLSS was measured by sludge volume indexes (SVIs) after air sparging MLSS taken at the end of the deep aeration tank. MLSS settling tests were performed at MLSS heights of 200, 300, 400, and 500 mm, and compressed air was fed at the bottom of the settling column with air flow rates of 100, 300, and 500 ml/min at each MLSS height, respectively. Also, at each height and air flow rate, air was sparged for 3, 5, and 7 minutes, respectively. SVI was determined for each height, air flow rate, and sparging time, respectively. Experimental results showed that a 300 mm MLSS height, 300 ml/min air flow rate, and 3 minutes of sparging time were the least conditions to achieve less than 120 ml/g of SVI, which was the criterion for good MLSS settling in the secondary clarifier.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.257-262
• /
• 2013

As the regulation of total phosphorus (T-P) concentration in biologically treated sewage effluent is reduced to 0.2~2 mg/L, flocculation process is recommended to remove T-P. In this study, the performance of Ti-salt coagulant was investigated in terms of dosage and pH in removing phosphorus and the collected sludge after Ti-salt flocculation was calcined to produce titania for effective sludge recycling. The flocculation performance was carried out using two methods: sedimentation and air floatation. Both methods were feasible to apply for Ti-salt flocculation. Ti-salt flocculation was effective in reducing phosphorus concentration in sewage effluent, which showed similar performance of alum ($Al_2(SO_4)_3$). The calcined sludge was recycled to titania which is the widely used metal oxide. Titania produed from Ti-salt sludge indicated similar characteristics of commercially-available P-25 in regard to photocatalytic activity and surface area. Therefore, this can be easily adopted to titania application by replacing P-25.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.105-126
• /
• 2003

In Korea most of annual rainfall is concentrated in several episodic heavy rains during the season of summer monsoon and typhoon. Because of uneven rainfall distribution many dams have been constructed in order to secure water supply in dry seasons. The Han River system has the most dams among Korean rivers, and the river is a series of dams now. Reservoirs need different strategy of water quality control from river water. Autochthonous organic matter and phosphorus should be the major target to be controlled in lakes. In this Paper some problems are discussed that makes efforts of water quality improvement ineffective in lakes of Korea, even after the substantial investment to wastewater treatment facilities.1) Phosphorus is the key factor controlling eutrophication of lakes and the reduction ofphosphors should be the major target of water treatment. However, water quality management strategy in Korea is still stream-oriented, and focused on BOD removal from sewage. Phosphorus removal efficiency remains as low as 10-30%, because biological treatment is adopted for both secondary treatment and advanced treatment. The standard for TP concentration of the sewage treatment plant effluent is 6 mgP/l in most of regions, and 2 mg/l in enforced region near metropolitan water intake point. TP in the effluents of sewage treatment plants are usually 1-2 mg/1, and most of plants meet the effluent regulation without a further phosphorus removal process. The generous TP standard for effluents discourages further efforts to improve phosphorus removal efficiency of sewage treatment. Considering that TP standard for the effluent is below 0.1 mg/l in some countries, it should be amended to below 0.1 mg/l in Korea, especially in the watershed of large lakes.2) Urban runoff and combined sewer overflow are not treated, even though their total loading into lakes can be comparable to municipal sewage discharges on dry days. Chemical coagulation and rapid settling might be the solution to urban runoff in regard of intermittent operation on only rainy days.3) Aggregated precipitation in Korea that is concentrated on several episodic heavyrains per year causes a large amount of nonpoint source pollution loading into lakes. It makes the treatment of nonpoint source discharge by methods of other countries of even rain pattern, such as retention pond or artificial wetland, impractical in Korea.4) The application rate of fertilizers in Korea is ten times as high as the average ofOECD countries. The total manure discharge from animal farming is thought to be over the capacity of soil treatment in Korea. Even though large portion of manure is composted for organic fertilizer, a lot of nutrients and organic matter emanates from organic compost. The reduction of application rate and discharge rate of phosphorus from agricultural fields should be encouraged by incentives and regulations.5) There is a lot of vegetable fields with high slopes in the upstream region of the HanRiver. Soil erosion is severe due to high slopes, and fertilizer is discharged in the form of adsorbed phosphorus on clay surface. The reduction of soil erosion in the upland area should be the major preventive policy for eutrophication. Uplands of high slope must be recovered to forest, and eroded gullies should be reformed into grass-buffered natural streams which are wider and resistant to bank erosion.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.5-16
• /
• 2021

In this study, the applicability of the MBR(Membrane Bio Reactor) process of oxygen dissolve was evaluated through comparison and evaluation of the efficiency of oxygen dissolve device and conventional aeration device in the explosive tank within the MBR process. The organic matter and ammonia oxidation by oxygen dissolve device were evaluated, and the efficiency of persaturation was evaluated by applying real waste water (anaerobic digester effluent treatement from food waste). SCOD and ammonia removal rates for oxygen dissolve device and conventional aeration device methods were similar. However, it was determined that the excess sludge treatment cost could be reduced as the yield of microorganisms by oxygen dissolve device is about 0.03 g MLSS-produced/g SCOD-removed lower than that of microorganisms by conventional aeration device. The removal rates of high concentrations of organic matter (4,000 mg/L) and ammonia (1,400 mg/L) in anaerobic digester effluent treatment from food waste were compared to the conventional aeration device and the oxygen dissolve device organic matter removal rate was approximately 13% higher than that of the conventional aeration device. In addition, for MLSS, the conventional aeration device was 0.3 times higher than for oxygen dissolve device. This is believed to be due to the high progress of sludge autooxidation because the dissolved oxygen is sufficiently maintained and supplied in the explosive tank for oxygen dissolve device. Therefore, it was determined that the use of oxygen dissolve device will be more economical than conventional aeration device as a way to treat wastewater containing high concentrations of organic matter.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Urban Environment
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.401-408
• /
• 2018

EQPS (Effluent Quality Prediction System, Dynamita, France) was applied to analyze the appropriateness of the design of a bioreactor in A sewage treatment plant. A sewage treatment plant was designed by setting the design concentration of the secondary clarifier effluent to total nitrogen and total phosphorus, 10 mg/L and 1.8 mg/L, respectively, in order to comply with the target water quality at the level of the hydrophilic water. The retention time of the 4-stage BNR reactor was 9.6 hours, which was 0.5 for the pre-anoxic tank, 1.0 for the anaerobic tank, 2.9 for the anoxic tank, and 5.2 hours for the aerobic tank. As a result of the modeling of the winter season, the retention time of the anaerobic tank was increased by 0.2 hours in order to satisfy the target water quality of the hydrophilic water level. The default coefficients of the one step nitrification denitrification model proposed by the software manufacturer were used to exclude distortion of the modeling results. Since the process modeling generally presents optimal conditions, the retention time of the 4-stage BNR should be increased to 9.8 hours considering the bioreactor margin. The accurate use of process modeling in the design stage of the sewage treatment plant is a way to ensure the stability of the treatment performance and efficiency after construction of the sewage treatment plant.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.114-125
• /
• 2016

In this study, 165 wastewater discharge facilities in 10 business types were investigated with regard to 24 specific hazardous substances that included heavy metals, VOCs, CN, and phenol in the Gwangju city. Cu in the range from from 0.008 to 35.420 mg/L was detected in all business types and the detection rate was 46.8 %. Other heavy metals, such as Cd, As, Hg, Pb, and Cr⁺⁶ were detected as well. However, their detection rates ranged between 0.6 and 1.8 %. CN and phenol were detected in one and five facilities, respectively. 12 species of VOCs were detected: chloroform 80.6 % (0.42 to 81.60 μg/L), benzene 16.4 % (1.49 to 3.31 μg/L), trichloroethylene 11.5 % (1.78 to 6.02 μg/L), 1,1-dichloroethylene 10.3 % (1.23 to 5.89 μg/L), and dichloromethane 8.5 % (0.28 to 968.86 μg/L) in the detection rate order. The concentration of VOCs was detected in trace amounts, except for dichloromethane that exceeded the effluent quality standard in three business types, namely, metal manufacturing, food industry, and car washing facility. Chloroform was detected in all business types, where 24.88 μg/L were detected in the laundry business and 53.41 μg/L in the water supply business; the mean concentration of chloroform in these two business types was higher than elsewhere. Therefore, for the disposal of non-degradable specific hazardous substances in industrial wastewater, it is necessary to introduce physical and chemical processes, such as activated carbon adsorption, fenton oxidation, ozone treatment, as well as photocatalyst and the UV radiation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.79-95
• /
• 2017

Euiam and Paldang Reservoirs have often been facing water quality problems, such as eutrophication, algal blooms and off-flavors by treated wastewater effluent (TWE) in the North-Han and the Han River basins, but little is examined on the direct biological effect of TWE. This study tested algal growth potential (AGP) of four TWEs discharged into Euiam and Paldang Reservoirs to evaluate water fertility in September 2014 and March and September 2015. Test alga was used Anabaena circinalis isolated from Paldang Reservoir. Mean concentration of T-N and T-P in TWEs was $3,956.7{\mu}g\;N\;L^{-1}$ and $50.8{\mu}g\;P\;L^{-1}$, and the proportion of $NO_3-N$ and $PO_4-P$ to the total fraction was 72.1% and 40.8%, respectively. Both N and P were high in TWEs, but much higher N than P concentration indicates strong P-limitation. As a consequence, the maximum AGP was determined by $PO_4-P$ concentration (r=0.998, p<0.01). Mean AGP value was $15.4mg\;dw\;L^{-1}$ among four effluents indicating its eutrophic condition. Due to the establishment of tertiary (advanced T-P) treatment method in the studied plants recently, P concentration was significantly decreased in TWEs compared to the years prior to 2012. However, P concentration seems to be still high enough to cause eutrophication and algal blooms. Therefore, wastewater treatment to P-free level needs to be considered if effluents are directly discharged into the drinking water resources.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.12
• /
• pp.1277-1284
• /
• 2005

Alkylphenol Polyethoxylate(APEs) and their metabolites were determined in the aquatic environment in the central Nakdong river basin. The concentrations of APE's ranged between $0.62{\sim}11.70\;{\mu}g/L$ from the Nakdong and the Kumho rivers, and were $70.00{\sim}212.50\;{\mu}g/L$ in the samples from the 3rd industrial complex stream and the Dalseo stream, which are both heavily polluted by industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater. The APEs revealed a removal rate of more than 87% by biodegradation and adsorption etc. in the wastewater treatment plant. Nonylphenol polyethoxylates(NPnEO) and Nonylphenol carboxylic acid(NPnEC) consisted of APE metabolites shifted from NP($n=4{\sim}10$)EO and NP($n=4{\sim}10$)EC to NP($n=1{\sim}3$)EO and NP($n=1{\sim}3$)EC or removed by the adsorption of activated sludge during the biological wastewater treatment process. Upper streams have a higher distributed rate of NP($n=7{\sim}10$)EO than water downstream. Continuous monitoring is necessary for non-point sources as well as point sources, such as a wastewater treatment plant. Effluent concentrations of nonylphenol(NP) in industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater averaged about 4.33 and $1.70\;{\mu}g/L$, respectively. In addition, the removal rate average was 90% in the wastewater treatment plant. NP concentrations in the rivers did not exceed $1.0\;{\mu}g/L$, which are prescribed by environmental risk concentration in the USA and Europe. However, NP required continuous monitoring, which detected over $0.1\;{\mu}g/L$ in all river areas.