• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2014

The effects of pH and oxygen back-flushing were investigated in hybrid process of ceramic microfiltration and PES (polyethersulfone) beads loaded with titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) photocatalyst for advanced drinking water treatment in viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J), and total permeate volume ($V_T$). As increasing pH, $R_f$ decreased and J increased. Finally the maximum $V_T$ could be acquired at pH 9. Treatment efficiencies of turbidity was almost same independent of pH. Treatment efficiency of dissolved organic matters (DOM) decreased as increasing pH. As results of comparing the oxygen and nitrogen back-flushing, $R_{f,180}$ at oxygen back-flushing was the lower than that at nitrogen back-flushing, and the dimensionless final permeate flux ($J_{180}/J_0$) by initial permeate flux ($J_0$) at oxygen back-flushing was maintained the higher than that at nitrogen back-flushing except 10 and 12 min of back-flushing period (FT). Treatment efficiency of turbidity at oxygen back-flushing was a little higher than that at nitrogen back-flushing. Treatment efficiency of the DOM at nitrogen back-flushing was the higher than that at oxygen back-flushing. Also, treatment efficiency of turbidity at saturated oxygen was similar with those of oxygen and nitrogen back-flushing, but the treatment efficiency of DOM was increased significantly because OH radical could be generated by reaction between saturated oxygen and photocatalyst.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.123-135
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• 2014

The effects of pH, saturated oxygen, and back-flushing media were investigated in hybrid process of tubular ceramic microfiltration and $TiO_2$ photocatalyst-loaded PES (polyethersulfone) beads for advanced drinking water treatment, and compared results of water, nitrogen, or oxygen back-flushing in the viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J) and total treated water ($V_T$). $R_f$ decreased, and J and $V_T$ increased as decreasing pH. Turbidity treatment efficiencies were similar at water or nitrogen back-flushing independent of pH, but DOM (dissolved organic matter) treatment efficiency did not have a trend at water back-flushing. $R_f$ at NBF (no back-flushing) with SO (saturated oxygen) was the lower than that at NBF without SO. Also, the DOM treatment efficiency at NBF with SO was the lower than that at NBF without SO. It happened because OH radicals produced by reaction of SO and photocatalyst could dilute with water inside the module. The DOM treatment efficiency of gas back-flushing showed the larger than that of water back-flushing at back-flushig period 10 min. It proved that the adsorption or photo-oxidation of PES beads could be activated by the more effective bead-cleaning of gas back-flushing than water back-flushing.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.194-202
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• 2009

In this study periodic water-back-flushing using permeate water was performed to minimize membrane fouling and to enhance permeate flux in advanced water treatment by tubular ceramic ultrafiltration membrane for Gongji stream in Chuncheon city. The back-flushing period (FT, filtration time) 2 min with periodic water-back-flushing of 15 sec showed the highest value of dimensionless permeate flux (permeate flux vs. initial permeate flux), and the lowest value of resistance of membrane fouling. Also in the results of BT effect at fixed FT 10 min, BT (back-flushing time) 20 sec showed the lowest value of resistance of membrane fouling and the highest value of dimensionless permeate flux, and we could be obtained the highest total permeate volume of 107.3 L. Consequently FT 10 min and BT 20 sec could be the optimal condition in Gongji stream water treatment, which was the exactly same results of our previous tubular alumina microfiltration. Then the average rejection rates of pollutants by our tubular ceramic UF system were 97.0% for turbidity, 32.1 % for chemical oxygen demand by manganese method, 28.8% for ammoniac nitrogen and 54.4% for T-P.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.226-236
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• 2013

The effect of $N_2$ back-flushing period (FT) and time (BT) was compared with the previous result used PES (polyethersulfone) beads loaded with titanium dioxide photocatalyst in hybrid process of alumina microfiltration and PP (polypropylene) beads coated with photocatalyst in viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J), and total permeate volume ($V_T$). The reason of nitrogen back-washing instead of the general air back-washing method is to minimize the possible effect of oxygen included in air on water quality analysis. As decreasing FT, $R_f$ decreased and J and $V_T$ increased. Treatment efficiency of dissolved organic matters (DOM) was 82.0%, which was the higher than 78.0% of the PES beads result. This means that PP beads coated with photocatalyst was the more effective than PES beads loaded with photo-catalyst in the DOM removal. As increasing BT, the final $R_f$ decreased and the final J increased, but $V_T$ was the maximum at BT 15 sec. The average treatment efficiency of turbidity did not have any trend as changing BT. As BT increasing from 6 sec to 30 sec, the treatment efficiency of DOM increased 11.8%, which was a little higher than the result of PES beads.