• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.400-408
• /
• 2020

Hydrodynamic study of Activated Sludge Process (ASP) is important to optimize the reactor performance and detect anomalies in the system. Residence time distribution (RTD) study has been performed using LiCl as tracer on a pilot scale aeration tank (AT) and ASP, treating the pulp and paper mill effluent. The hydraulic performance and treatment efficiency of the AT and ASP at different operating parameters like residence time, recycle rate was investigated. Flow anomalies were identified and based on the experimental data empirical models was suggested to interpret the hydrodynamics of the reactors using compartment modelling technique. The analysis of the RTD curves and the compartment models indicated increase in back-mixing ratio as the mean hydraulic retention time (MHRT) of the tank was increased. Bypassing stream was observed at lower MHRT. The fraction of dead zone in the tank increased by approximate 20-25% with increase in recycle rate. The fraction of the stagnant zone was found well below 5% for all performed experiments, which was under experimental error. The substrate removal of 91% for Chemical oxygen demand and 96% for Biochemical oxygen demand were observed for the ASP working at a hydraulic mean residence time 39 h MRT with a 20% recycling of activated sludge.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.15 no.10
• /
• pp.945-949
• /
• 2006

For a membrane bio-reactor, it is possible to fillet and separate activated sludge and effluent by head loss of centimeters, if non-woven fabric material is used as titration media. However, if non-woven fabric material is used to thicken high-concentration sludge, excessive sludge attachment causes the rapid decrease of flux. Mesh with fore sizes of $100{\mu}m,\;150{\mu}m,\;and\;200{\mu}m$ allows for easy separation of attached sludge. This study examined the possibility of mesh as filtration media. Existing close-flow filtration process, which requires maintaining sludge movement, makes It difficult to obtain high thickening rate. With a view of complementing this weakness, this study has made an experimental examination on how high-concentration sludge (about 3,000mg/L to 10,000mg/L) will be filtered and thickened when mesh module is submersed in the bio-reactor. Effluent flowed from the bottom of the bio-reactor by head loss of 65cm. In case of pore size of $100{\mu}m$, SS showed high recovery of 80% to 96%; therefore, it has been decided that mesh can be used as filtration media. Filtration lasted for more than 9 hours, until sludge with 9,000mg/L in MLSS concentration was thickened 9 times as dense. In the range from 3,610mg/L to 9,060mg/L in MLSS concentration, it was possible to obtain effluent with less than 2mg/L in MLSS concentration within 10 minutes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.275-280
• /
• 2011

In the present work, the aerobic particle's characteristics were enhanced. A polymer was used to make aerobic granular sludge in short period of time. And operation parameters were calculated for organic matter removal in domestic wastewater using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The experiment for sewage (Influent concentration of 63~72 mg COD/L) by using mature aerobic granular sludge showed the organic matter removal rate k and oxygen utilization coefficient a', b' were $10.161d^{-1}$ and 0.87 mg $O_2/mg$ $COD_r$, 0.11 mg $O_2/mg$ MLVSS d respectively. Therefore, it was more effective than K value $5{\sim}8d^{-1}$ of conventional activated sludge process. The sludge synthetic value and sludge auto-oxydation value were 0.45 mg VSS/mg $COD_r$ and 0.05 mg VSS/mg MLVSS d respectively. Consequently, mortality rates of microorganisms was lower than conventional activated sludge process.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.553-560
• /
• 2002

The research was performed to compare to the biofilm characteristics and phenol removal efficiency in RBCs(Rotating Biological Contactor) using Rhodococcus sp. EL-GT(single population) and activated sludge(mixed population) as inoculum. Both reactors showed similar tendency on variations of dry weight, thickness and dry density of biofilm. However, the growth of biofilm thickness in 3 and 4 stage of single population reactor has sustained longer than that of the mixed population reactor. Unlike the mixed population reactor, the dry density of biofilm in the single population reactor had a difference between 1, 2 stage and 3, 4 stage. The single population reactor was stably operated without the decrease of phenol removal efficiency in the range of pH 6 ~ 9 and 15mM phenol was completely degraded in these pH ranges. But in case of the mixed population reactor, the phenol degradability was dramatically decreased at over 5mM phenol concentration because of the overgrowth and detachment of its biofilm.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2005

Fermentation efficiencies of organic wastes from the variety of sources were evaluated based on the production of total volatile acids(TVA) in batch reactor. Mixing and pH were not significant factors in producing TVA from the organic wastes. After a 10-day fermentation, final TVA concentrations in piggery, cattle, poultry, and primary settled sludge of domestic wastewater were 8,900, 2,900, 7,370 and 1,630 mg/L, respectively. The pH of organic wastes was decreased from neutral to 5.7. The ratio of TVA to $NH_4{^+}-N$ produced from the animal waste ranged from 11.5 to 30.1, whereas, that in the primary settled sludge of domestic wastewater, was 5.4. Possibility of fermented organic wastes as the electron donors for denitrification in the activated sludge was investigated. In both acclimated and nonacclimated activated sludge, higher denitrification rates were obtained with fermented piggery sludge added than with either methanol or acetate added. The fermented organic acids derived from the primary settled sludge gave the higher denitrification rate ($4.2mg\;NO_3-N/g\;vss{\cdot}hr$) in the acclimated activated sludge. Denitrification rate was $1.5mg\;NO_3-N/g\;vss{\cdot}hr$ in the nonacclimated sludge with the fermented acids from the primary settled sludge of domestic wastewater added.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.20-30
• /
• 2014

A membrane-coupled sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) was used for the advanced treatment of rural village sewage which is very low C/N ratio. The effect of powdered activated carbon, aeration rate, and external organic material loadings on the treatment efficiency and filtration performance were investigated in sequencing batch reactor, in which a flat-sheet type microfiltration membrane with a pore size of $0.4{\mu}m$ was submerged. At the initial operation (within 54 days) MLSS concentration, and the removal efficiencies of COD, T-N, and T-P were increased with the increase of C/N ratio. After 89 days the removal efficiencies of COD, T-N, and T-P were 97.1%, 75.0%, and 48.3%, respectively. Suspended solid-free effluent was obtained by membrane filtration. The T-P removal was relatively low because of depending on the amount of excess sludge wasting. During the operation of MSBR with powdered activated carbon, the particle size of the sludge reduced by the increase of collision frequency and mixing intensity. In comparison with MSBR without powdered activated carbon, TMP of MSBR with that was significantly elevated.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.2314-2320
• /
• 2015

MBR (Membrane Bio-Reactor) process is known to consume enormous energy to control membrane fouling. To solve this problem, electro-coagulation technique has been applied to MBR. A series of electro-coagulation was applied to activated sludge suspension under different current density condition. After the electro-coagulations, membrane filtration of the activated sludge suspensions was conducted to investigate the effect of electro-coagulation on the fouling. As current density increased 10 to 40A/m2, the total fouling resistance (Rc+Rf) decreased from 18 to 79%, showing that the electro-coagulation improved the membrane filtration efficiency. Both the organic concentration in bulk and the particles size distribution were not nearly changed before and after the electro-coagulation. The enhanced filtration efficiency might be due to the aluminum hydroxide generated from chemical precipitation, which can be acted as a dynamic membrane preventing a deposition of foulants on membrane surfaces.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.7
• /
• pp.1005-1014
• /
• 2012

The understanding of the relationship between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) communities in activated sludge and the operational treatment parameters supports the control of the treatment of ammonia-rich wastewater. The modifications of treatment parameters by alteration of the number and length of aerobic and anaerobic stages in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working cycle may influence the efficiency of ammonium oxidation and induce changes in the AOB community. Therefore, in the research, the impact of an SBR cycle mode with alternating aeration/mixing conditions (7 h/1 h vs. 4 h/5.5 h) and volumetric exchange rate (n) on AOB abundance and diversity in activated sludge during the treatment of anaerobic sludge digester supernatant at limited oxygen concentration in the aeration stage (0.7 mg $O_2/l$) was assessed. AOB diversity expressed by the Shannon-Wiener index (H') was determined by the cycle mode. At aeration/mixing stage lengths of 7 h/1 h, H' averaged $2.48{\pm}0.17$, while at 4 h/5.5 h it was $2.35{\pm}0.16$. At the given mode, AOB diversity decreased with increasing n. The cycle mode did not affect AOB abundance; however, a higher AOB abundance in activated sludge was promoted by decreasing the volumetric exchange rate. The sequences clustering with Nitrosospira sp. NpAV revealed the uniqueness of the AOB community and the simultaneously lower ability of adaptation of Nitrosospira sp. to the operational parameters applied in comparison with Nitrosomonas sp.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.16 no.9
• /
• pp.1085-1090
• /
• 2007

The performance of EF (electroflotation) on the thickening of activated sludge were investigated using laboratory scale batch flotation reactor. In this paper, the effects of parameters such as electrode material, NaCl dosage, initial sludge concentration and electrode distance were examined. The results showed that the performance for sludge thickening of the five electrodes lay in: Pt/Ti > Ru/Ti > Ir/Ti > Ti mesh > Ti plate. The more NaCl dosage was high, the more sludge was thickened and the shorter thickening time was obtained. However, considering the final thickening time and sludge concentration, optimum NaCl dosage was 0.5 g/L. Thickening time and sludge concentration was not affected by electrode distance. In DAF (dissolved air flotation) system, optimum recycle ratio was 40% and thickening performance was lower than that of the EF.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.875-883
• /
• 2006

The carbon and nitrogen removal process using PVA-gel (Polyvinyl Alcohol) immobilized microorganisms was studied. The process has been operated under diverse process conditions for 12 months. The process consists of denitrification with internal recycle of 300%, nitrification, aerobic digestion reactors and settling tank. Nitrificatoin and nitrogen removal efficiency according to gel packing ratio and temperature were studied. Yield for Heterotrophs ($Y_H$), decay coefficient for Heterotrophs($b_H$) in aerobic digestion reactor were determined to seize sludge reduction mechanism and compared with typical data of activated sludge process. Then SRT in aerobic digestion reactor was determined on an experimental basis and sludge reduction efficiency was calculated. The process was implemented successfully with sludge reduction efficiency of 92.0~98.5% on a basis of biomass.