• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.127-135
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• 2013

In this study, both pressure drop and microbe-population-distribution were observed while running a novel biofilter system with improved design in which the biofilter system is composed of two, upper and lower biofilters with both equal feed-rates of up-flow and down-flow, respectively. Then they were compared with the pressure drop and microbe-population-distribution observed in a conventional biofilter of the same effective volume with unidirectional flow. The pressure drop-value of biofilter system with improved design turned out to be less at the incipient stage of run or steady-state long term operation by more than 40~80% of that of the conventional biofilter. The microbe-population-distribution was observed to be lower and higher at higher and lower column of biofilter, respectively, for both the conventional biofilter and the biofilter system with improved design. The microbe-media of waste-tire crumb showed much greater CFU counts than GAC. In the biofilter system with improved design, the $bottom{\rightarrow}up$ feeding of waste air showed greater microbe-population growth than the $top{\rightarrow}down$ feeding for both the microbe-media of waste-tire crumb and GAC. However, it was more prominent for the former than the latter. Comparing the microbe-population-distributions of both of the conventional biofilter and the biofilter system with improved design, the microbe-population of latter was distributed ca. 15 and 2.5 times more evenly for GAC and the media of waste-tire crumb, respectively, than that of former.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.507-516
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• 2008

This research was conducted to elucidate the effect of temperature on the nitrogen removal of municipal wastewater with waste-tire media. The experiments were carried out in laboratory-scale batch reactor and pilot-scale moving bed biofilm reactor filled at a 0.15 filling ratio with waste-tire media, respectively. In batch tests, specific nitrification rate(SNR) with media was 3.4 mg NH$_4^+$-N/g Mixed-Liquor Volatile Suspended Solid(MLVSS)$\cdot$hr, compared with 1.7 mg NH$_4^+$-N/g MLVSS$\cdot$hr without media. In pilot-scale test with media, total nitrogen removal efficiency increased from 53 $\pm$ 8% to 76 $\pm$ 5% as the temperature increased from 9$\sim$10$^{\circ}C$ to 20$\sim$24$^{\circ}C$. At the temperature of 9$\sim$10$^{\circ}C$, 10$\sim$20$^{\circ}C$, and 20$\sim$24$^{\circ}C$, the SNRs were 0.8 $\pm$ 0.5, 3.1 $\pm$ 1.9, and 3.4 $\pm$ 2.1 mg NH$_4^+$-N/g MLVSS$\cdot$hr and the specific denitrification rates(SDNR) were 0.6 $\pm$ 0.2, 1.1 $\pm$ 0.6, 1.4 $\pm$ 0.6 mg NO$_3^-$-N/g MLVSS.hr, respectively. The overall activities of biomass in anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic zones at 20$\sim$24$^{\circ}C$ increased to 22, 20, and 15%, compared with those at 9$\sim$10$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The activity distribution of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter also increased with the increase of temperature.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.391-396
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• 2010

In this research the characteristics of ammonia removal from malodorous waste-air were investigated under various operating condition of biofiilter packed with equal volume of rubber media and compost for the efficient removal of ammonia, representative source of malodor frequently generated at compost manufacturing factory and publicly owned facilities. Then the optimum conditions were constructed to treat waste-air containing ammonia with biofilter. Biofilter was run for 30 days(experimental frequency of 2 times/day makes 60 experimental times.) with the ammonia loading from $2.18g-N/m^3/h$ to $70g-N/m^3/h$ at $30^{\circ}C$. The ammonia removal efficiency reached almost 100% for I through IV stage of run to degrade up to the ammonia loading of $17g-N/m^3/h$. However the removal efficiency dropped to 80% when ammonia loading increased to $35g-N/m^3/h$, which makes the elimination capacity of ammonia $28g-N/m^3/h$ for V stage of run. However, the removal efficiency remained 80% and the maximum elimination capacity reached $55g-N/m^3/h$ when ammonia loading was doubled $70g-N/m^3/h$ for VI stage of run. Thus the maximum elimination capacity exceeded $1,200g-N/m^3/day$(i.e., $50g-N/m^3/h$) of the experiment of biofilter packed with rock wool inoculated with night soil sludge by Kim et al.. However, the critical loading did not exceed $810g-N/m^3/day$ (i.e., $33.75g-N/m^3/h$) of the biofilter experiment by Kim et al.. The reason to exceed the maximum elimination capacity of Kim et al. may be attributed to that the rubber media used as biofilter packing material provide the better environment for the fixation of nitrifying and denitrification bacteria to its surface coated with coconut based-activated carbon powder and well-developed inner-pores, respectively.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.116-124
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• 2022

In this study, waste air containing ethanol and hydrogen sulfide, was treated by an integrated hybrid system composed of two alternatively-operating UV/photocatalytic reactor-process and biofilter processes of a biofilter system having two units with an improved design (R reactor) and a conventional biofilter (L reactor). Both a pressure drop (△p) per unit process of the integrated hybrid system and a microbe-population-distribution of each biofilter process were observed. The △p of the UV/photocatalytic reactor process turned out very negligible. The △p of the L reactor was observed to increase continuously to 4.0~5.0 mmH₂O (i.e., 5.0~6.25 mmH₂O/m). In case of R reactor, its △p showed the one below ca. 16~20% of the △p of the L reactor. Adopting such microbes-carrying biofilter media with high porosity as waste-tire crumb media, and the improved biofilter design, contributed to △p of this study, reduced by ca. 37~50% and 40~53%, respectively, from the reported △p of conventional biofilter packed with biofilter media of the mixture (50:50) of wood chip and wood bark. In addition, the △p of R reactor in this study, reduced by ca. 80% from the reported △p of conventional biofilter packed with biofilter media of the mixture (75:25) of scoria with high porosity and compost, was mainly attributed to adopting the improved biofilter design. On the other hand, in case of L reactor, the CFU counts in its lowest column was analyzed double as much as those in any other columns. However, in case of R reactor, its CFU counts were bigger by 50% than the one of L reactor and its microbes were evenly distributed at its higher and lower columns of R_dn reactor and R_up reactor. This phenomena was attributed to an even moisture distribution of 50~55% of R reactor at its higher and lower columns. Therefore, R reactor showed superb characteristics in terms of both △p and microbe-population-distribution, compared to L reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.436-441
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• 2008

This work experimentally determined the effect of operating parameters such as temperature and solid retention time (SRT) on the phosphorus removal of municipal wastewater with waste-tire media. The experiments were carried out in pilot-scale moving bed biofilm reactor filled at a 0.15 filling ratio with the media. Total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency was $91{\pm}5$, $75{\pm}16$, and $59{\pm}14%$ at the temperature of 9~10, 10~20, and $20{\sim}26^{\circ}C$, respectively. TP removal efficiency was $71{\pm}17$, $74{\pm}16$, $74{\pm}16$, and $68{\pm}18%$ at the SRT of 3.5~5, 5~10, 10~15, and 15~20 days, respectively. At the nitrate concentration of 1~3, 3~6, and 6~9 mg/L, TP removal efficiency was $82{\pm}9$, $68{\pm}18$, $47{\pm}7%$, respectively. The concentration of total phosphorus in the effluent was $0.1{\sim}1.8(0.8{\pm}0.4)mg/L$ regardless of operating conditions, which meets Korean phosphorus limit value, 2 mg/L, for discharge into receiving waters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.789-797
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate removal characteristics of gaseous trimethylamine(TMA) through biofilter packed with waste tire-chips. The sludge in this experiment was collected from an activated sludge operated in a wastewater treatment facility treating malodorous pollutants. The nominal amount of collected sludge was inoculated through packing materials in the filter. The removal efficiencies for varying concentrations and SVs(Space velocity) were assessed based on TMA, COD$_{Cr}$, NO$_3{^-}$-N, NO$_2{^-}$-N, NH$_4{^+}$-N and EPS(Extracellular Polymeric Substances) in leachate, since biofilter had been steady-stately operated. The influent concentration of 10 ppm of TMA was removed to approximately 95% regardless of changing SV at 120 and 180 hr$^{-1}$, but it was lowered to 80 to 90% at SV 240 hr$^{-1}$. As influent concentration was gradually increased from 5 to 55 ppm, the removal efficiencies of TMA were initially high for 95% in the range of 5 to 10 ppm, but lowered to 80% for 10 to 30 ppm. As a part of kinetic study for TMA decomposition, V$_m$(maximum substrate removal rate) and $K_s$(substrate infinity coefficient) were 14.3 g$\cdot$m$^{-3}$$\cdot$h$^{-1}$ and 0.043 g$\cdot$m$^{-3}$, respectively while adapted period was shown in the range of 100 to 150 hr. Also, the EPS concentration was consistently observed from the leachate showing 100 to 200 ppm, which indicates that biofilm has been continuously formed and sustained throughout tire-chips packed reactor.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2015

A fluidized biofilter was filled with Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis-fixed waste-tire crumb media and was run to treat authentic textile-dyeing wastewater mixed with alkaline polyester-weight-reducing wastewater. As a result, its removal efficiency of $COD_{Cr}$ and color were 75~80% and 67%, respectively. In addition, upon constructing hybrid-recirculating system composed of the fluidized biofilter and a 450 W-UV/photocatalytic reactor, only fluidized biofilter was run bypassing UV/photocatalytic reactor at stage I. Subsequently, the hybrid system was continuously run at stage II-i, ii and iii. At stage II-i, the total removal efficiency of $COD_{Cr}$ was enhanced to be 80~85%, compared to 75% at stage I, owing to 20~30% removal efficiency of the UV/photocatalytic reactor. However, at stage II-i, the total removal efficiency of color was enhanced to be 65~70%, compared to 45~65% at stage I, even though the removal efficiency of the UV/photocatalytic reactor was tantamount to merely 0~5%. As far as the removal efficiency of fluidized biofilter of the hybrid-recirculating system is concerned, its removal efficiency of color was enhanced by the synergy effect of the hybrid-recirculating system unlike $COD_{Cr}$. Besides, despite of the increase of hybrid-recirculating system-recycle ratio, the deactivation of photo-catalytic activity was scarcely observed to eliminate the color while its irreversible deactivation was observed to eliminate $COD_{Cr}$.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.837-845
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• 2017

A recirculating integrated system composed of a fluidized biofilter filled with waste-tire crumb media fixed with return sludge from wastewater treatment facility of D dyeing industrial center, and a UV/photocatalytic reactor packed with calcined $TiO_2$ coated-glass beads as photocatalyst-support, was constructed and was run to treat authentic textile-dyeing wastewater from D-dyeing industrial center, which was mixed with an alkaline polyester-weight-reducing wastewater and a wastewater from sizing process. As a result, its total removal efficiency(RE(tot)) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors were ca. 81% and 55%, respectively. The synergy effect of the recirculating integrated system to enhance total removal efficiency(RE(tot)) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors were evaluated at most ca. 7% and 3%, respectively. The fluidized biofilter and the UV/photocatalytic reactor were responsible for ca. 94% and 6% of the total $COD_{cr}$ removal efficiency, respectively, and were also responsible for ca. 86% and 14% of the total color-removal efficiency, respectively. Thus, the degree of the UV/photocatalytic reactor-unit process's contribution to RE(tot) of color, was about 2.4 times of that to RE(tot) of $COD_{cr}$. Therefore, the UV/photocatalytic reactor facilitated the more effective elimination of colors by breaking down the chemical bonds oriented from colors of dyes such as azo-bond, than $COD_{cr}$. In addition, the effect of the removal efficiency of each unit process(i.e., the fluidized biofilter or the UV/photocatalytic reactor) of the recirculating integrated system on RE(tot) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors, was analysed by establishing its model equation with an analytic correlation.