• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2006

Two mesophilic trickling bed bioreactors filled with two different types of media, hydrophilic- and hydrophobic-cubes, were designed and conducted for hydrogen production under the anaerobic fermentation of sucrose. Each bioreactor consisted of the column packed with polymeric cubes and inoculated with heat-treated sludge obtained from anaerobic digestion tank. A defined medium containing sucrose was fed by the different hydraulic retention time(HRT), and recycle rate. Hydrogen concentrations in gas-phase were constant, averaging 40% of biogas throughout the operation. Hydrogen production rate was increased till $10.5\;L{\cdot}h^{-1}{\cdot}L^{-1}$ of bioreactor when influent sucrose concentrations and recycle rates were varied. At the same time, the hydrogen production rate with hydrophobic media application was higher than its hydrophilic media application. No methane was detected when the reactor was under a normal operation. The major fermentation by-products in the liquid effluent of the both trickling biofilters were acetate, butyrate and lactate. In order to run in the long term operation of both reactor filled with hydrophilic and hydrophobic media, biofilm accumulation on hydrophilic media and biogas produced should be controlled through some process such as periodical backwashing or gas-purging. Four sample were collected from each reactor on the opposite hydrogen production rate, and their bacterial communities were compared by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of PCR products generated using bacterial 16s rRNA gene primers (8f and 926r). It was expressed a marked difference in bacterial communities of both reactors. The trickling bed bioreactor with hydrophobic media demonstrates the feasibility of the process to produce hydrogen gas. A likely application of this reactor technology can be hydrogen gas recovery from pre-treatment of high carbohydrate-containing wastewaters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.852-859
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• 2006

The novel microbial process such as Anammox(anaerobic ammonium oxidation) and Canon(completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite) processes is promising biotechnology to remove nitrogen from ammonium-rich wastewater like anaerobic sludge digester liquid. In this research, a new Canon-type nitrogen removal process adopting upflow granular sludge bed type configuration was investigated on its feasibility and process performance, using synthetic wastewater and sludge digester liquids. Air as an oxygen source was provided in an external aeration chamber with flow recirculation. In the first experiment using the synthetic wastewater(up to 110 mg $NH_4$-N $L^{-1}$), the ammonium removal was about 95%(92% for T-N) at effective hydraulic retention time(HRT) for 3.8 days. In the second experiment using the sludge digester liquids($438{\pm}26$ mg $NH_4$-N $L^{-1}$), the total nitrogen removal was $94{\pm}1.7%$ at HRT for 5.4 days and $76{\pm}1.5%$ at HRT for 3.8 days, respectively. Little nitrite and nitrate were observed in the effluent of both experiments. The process revealed quite a lower oxygen($0.29{\sim}0.59$ g $O_2$ $g^{-1}N$) and less alkalinity($3.1{\sim}3.4$ g $CaCO_3$ $g^{-1}N$) consumption as compared to other new technology in microbial nitrogen removal. The process also offers the economical compact reactor configuration with excellent biomass retention, resulting in lower cost for investment and maintenance.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.613-619
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• 2018

In this study, various influent sludge pre-treatment methods and the internal recirculation of thickened sludge from effluents using a liquid/solid separation unit were adopted to investigate their effects on the sludge digestion and methane production in a combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic sludge digestion process. A lab-scale combined sludge digestion process was operated during 5 phases using different feed sludge pre-treatment strategies. In phase 1, the feed sludge was pre-treated with a thermal-alkaline method. In contrast, in phases 2, 3 and 4, the internal recirculation of thickened sludge from the effluent and thermal-alkaline, thermal, and alkaline pre-treatment (7 days) were applied to the combined process. In phase 5, the raw sludge without any pre-treatment was used to the combined process. With the feed sludge pre-treatment and internal recirculation, the experimental results indicated that the volatile suspended solid (VSS) removal was drastically increased from phases 1 to 4. Also, the methane production rate with the thermal-alkaline pre-treatment and internal recirculation was significantly improved, showing an increment to 285 mL/L/day in phase 2. Meanwhile, the VSS removal and methane production in phase 5 were greatly decreased when the raw sludge without any pre-treatment was applied to the combined process. Considering all together, it was concluded that the combined process with the thickened sludge recirculation and thermal-alkaline pre-treatment can be successfully employed for the highly efficient sewage sludge reduction and methane gas production.

• Environmental Sciences Bulletin of The Korean Environmental Sciences Society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.125-136
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• 1997

Digestion of a municipal wastewater sludge by the anaerobic sequencing batch reactor(ASBR) was investigated to evaluate the performance of the ASBR process at a critical condition of high-solids-content feed. The reactors were operated at an HRT of 10 days with an equivalent loading rate of 0.8-1.5 gVS/L/d at $35^{\circ}C.$ The main conclusions drawn from this study were as follows: 1. Digestion of a municipal wastewater sludge was possible using the ASBR in spite of high concentration of settleable solids in the sludge. The ASBRS with 3- and 4-day cycle period showed almost identical high digestion performances. 2. No adverse effect on digestion stability was observed in the ASBRS in spite of withdrawal and replenishment of $30\%\;or\;40\%$ of liquid contents. A conventional anaerobic digester could be easily converted to the ASBR without any stability problem. 3. Flotation thickening occurred in thicken step of the ASBRS throughout steady state, and floating bed volume at the end of thicken period occupied about $70\%$ of the working volume of the reactor. Efficiency of flotation thickening in the ASBRS could be comparable to that of additional gravity thickening of a completely mixed digester. 4. Solids were accumulated rapidly in the ASBR during start-up period. Solids concentrations in the ASBRS were 2.6 times higher than that in the completely mixed control reactor at steady state. Dehydrogenase activity had a strong correlation with the solids concentration. Dehydrogenase activity of the digested sludge in the ASBR was 2.9 times higher than that of the sludge in the control reactor, and about 25 times higher than that of the subnatant in the ASBR. 5. Remarkable increase in equivalent gas production of $52\%$ was observed at the ASBRS compared with the control reactor in spite of similar Quality of clarified effluent from the ASBRS and control reactor. The increase in gas production from the ASBRS was believed to be combined results of accumulation of microorganisms, higher driving force applied, and additional long-term degradation of organics continuously accumulated.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.745-754
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• 2013

This study evaluated the optimal soil washing conditions for toxic metals considering the removal efficiency of toxic metals from contaminated soils as well as from soil washing effluents. In the contaminated soils, As was the major contaminant and extracted by sodium hydroxide solution better than by sulfuric acid. However, in the case of the treatment of soil washing effluents, sodium hydroxide was less effective extractant because soil organic matter extracted by sodium hydroxide prevented the solid-liquid phase separation and toxic metal removal. In the treatment of soil washing effluents with sulfuric acid, toxic metals in the effluents were mostly precipitated at the pH above 6.5. In addition, granular ferric oxide (GFO) as an adsorbent enhanced the removal of As and Pb indicating that toxic metals in the washing effluents can be removed almost completely by the use of combined adsorption-neutralization process. This study suggests that soil washing techniques for toxic metals should be optimized based on the physical and chemical properties of the contaminated soils, the nature of chemical extractant, and the removal efficiency and effectiveness of toxic metals from the soils as well as soil washing effluents.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.654-659
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• 2013

This study was conducted to identify an optimal ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N ratio) for denitrification of nitrate using molasses as an external carbon source. A series of batch and column tests was conducted using an indigenous bacterium Pseudomonas sp. KY1 isolated from a nitrate-contaminated soil. For the initial nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 100 mg-N/L, batch test results indicated that C/N ratio of 3/1 was the optimal ratio with a relatively high pseudo-first-order reaction constant of $0.0263hr^{-1}$. At C/N ratio of 3/1, more than 80% of nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 100 mg-N/L was removed in 100 hrs. Results of column tests with a flow velocity of 0.3 mL/min also indicated that the C/N ratio of 3/1 was optimal for denitrification with minimizing remaining molasses concentrations. After 172 hrs of column operation (35 pore volumes) with an influent nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 100 mg-N/L, the effluent met the drinking water standard (i.e., 10 mg $NO_3$-N/L).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.202-210
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• 2005

In this study, the fly ash was employed as a possible alternative to the bentonite for its high sorption capacity against cationic heavy metal. To consider the constituents of barrier possibly used, the specimens were mixed with different material contents (fly ash : weathered soil : bentonite), then sorption test was performed. Also the specimens were molded on the wet side of optimum moisture contents like mixing ratio of sorption test and their hydraulic conductivities were measured in flexible-wall permeameters. And to confirm the effect of dissolved cations, the hydraulic conductivity tests were repeated by converting the permeant liquids from water to $Cd^{2+}$ solution. Finally, the Cd-concentration at the effluent was analyzed for 500hrs to compare the effectiveness of each specimen in contaminant retardation. Test results showed that the more the ratio of fly ash increase, the more Kd value increase, and the hydraulic conductivity of weathered soil/bentonite (95:5) mixture was the lowest $(2.9*10^{-8}cm/sec)$, and specimens made of fly ash and fly ash/weathered soil mixtures showed similar hydraulic conductivity. Although the permeant liquid was changed from water to $Cd^{2+}$ solution, the hydraulic conductivity of all specimens except for weathered soil maintained similarly like before. Consequently, the initial breakthrough point of Cd in weathered soil specimen was observed at about 5hrs after the test started while that of fly ash specimens was not observed during the whole test period of 500hrs. The results implied that fly ash had a sufficient retardation capacity against contaminant transport possibly by its high sorption capacity although it showed little effect on the reduction of hydraulic conductivity. Based on the test results, it could be concluded that the fly ash can be possibly used as a suitable barrier material in containment system to attenuate the contaminant transport for its high retardation capacity and for the low cost.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1979

An experimental study was carried out to develop a rural type toilet of which the effluent could not transmit parasitic diseases at a village in Kangwon Province, Korea, during the period of January through December 1978, A drum tank (dia. 57cm$\times$90cm) and a cement tank (100cm$\times$100cm$\times$100cm) were filled with human excreta collected from toilets of the villages (the ratio of feces to urine was estimated approximately 1: 5) at once and three threecompartment toilets were constructed and used by people. pH, temperatures and viability of parasitic eggs were examined with the content of toilets. Rusults are summarized as follows: 1. pH increased from 7.0 at the beginning of experiment to 7.5 or 8.0 after 4 months of storage in drum tank as well as in cement tank and so did from 7.0~7.5 in the first tank to 8.0~8.5 in the third tank of all three-compartment toilets. 2. Temperatures of content at middle part of toilets in January through March ranged from 2 to 6$\circ$C which were 2-4$\circ$C higher than those of air, and those of lower part were again 1~2$\circ$C higher than of middle part. but temperatures of air, at middle part andat lower part in April were 14$\circ$C, 9~10$\circ$C and 8~9$\circ$C respectively, in July 29$\circ$C, 20~21$\circ$C and 19~20$\circ$C respe ctively and in October 17$\circ$C, 14$\circ$C and 14~13$\circ$C respectively. 3. All the parasitic eggs were degenerated about 4 months after filling drum tank with human excreta on 10th April while 10% of eggs were degenerated on 15th May, and all the eggs were degenerated about 4 months after filling cement tank on 24th August while about 10% were degenerated on 11th September and 20% on 4th October. 4. Degeneration rates of eggs were only 5~15% at 5cm below surface in the first tanks of three-compartment toilets while 45~65% at 50cm below, and concentration rates of eggs in second tanks were 8~12% of those in first tanks and only a few eggs were found in third tank but all of them were degenerated. Specific gravity of liquid of 1.022~1.024 in second tanks was not enough for overflowing eggs into third tanks.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.549-557
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• 2006

The characteristics of supercritical water oxidation have been studied to decompose the waste anionic exchange resins which were produced from a power plant. The waste resins from a power plant were mixture of anionic and cationic exchange resins. The waste anionic exchange resins had been separated from the waste resins using a solid-liquid fluidized bed. It was confirmed that the cationic exchange resins were not included in the separated anionic exchange resins by the elemental and thermogravimetric analysis. A slurry of anionic exchange resins which could be fed continuously to a supercritical water oxidation apparatus by a high pressure pump was prepared using a wet ball mill. Although the COD of liquid effluent had been reduced more than 99.9% at 25.0 MPa and $500^{\circ}C$ within 2 min, the total nitrogen content was reduced only 41%. The addition of nitric acid to the slurry could reduce the total nitrogen content in treated water. The central composite design as a statistical desist of experiments had been applied to optimize the conditions of decomposing anionic resin slurry by means of the COD and total nitrogen contents in treated waters as the key process output variables. The COD values of treated waters had been reduced sufficiently to $99.9{\sim}100%$ af the reaction conditions of $500{\sim}540^{\circ}C$, 25.0 MPa within 2 min. The effects of temperature and nitric acid concentration on COD were not significant. However, the effect of nitric acid concentration on the total nitrogen was found to be significant. The regression equation for the total nitrogen had been obtained with nitric acid concentration and the coefficient of determination($r^2$) was 95.8%.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2022

A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a major gateway for the engineered nano-particles (ENPs) entering the water bodies. However existing studies have reported that many WWTPs exceed the No Observed Effective Concentration (NOEC) for ENPs in the effluent and thus they need to be designed or operated to more effectively control ENPs. Understanding and predicting ENPs behaviors in the unit and \the whole process of a WWTP should be the key first step to develop strategies for controlling ENPs using a WWTP. This study aims to provide a modeling tool for predicting behaviors and removal efficiencies of ENPs in a WWTP associated with process characteristics and major operating conditions. In the developed model, four unit processes for water treatment (primary clarifier, bioreactor, secondary clarifier, and tertiary treatment unit) were considered. Additionally the model simulates the sludge treatment system as a single process that integrates multiple unit processes including thickeners, digesters, and dewatering units. The simulated ENP was nano-sized TiO₂, (nano-TiO₂) assuming that its behavior in a WWTP is dominated by the attachment with suspendid solids (SS), while dissolution and transformation are insignificant. The attachment mechanism of nano-TiO₂ to SS was incorporated into the model equations using the apparent solid-liquid partition coefficient (Kd) under the equilibrium assumption between solid and liquid phase, and a steady state condition of nano-TiO₂ was assumed. Furthermore, an MS Excel-based user interface was developed to provide user-friendly environment for the nano-TiO₂ removal efficiency calculations. Using the developed model, a preliminary simulation was conducted to examine how the solid retention time (SRT), a major operating variable affects the removal efficiency of nano-TiO₂ particles in a WWTP.