• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.100-108
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• 2022

Among various industries, the textile industry uses the largest amount of water for coloring textiles which leads to a large amount of wastewater containing various kinds of dye. There are various methods for the removal of dye such as flocculation, ozone treatment, adsorption, etc. But these processes are not much successful due to the issue of recycling which enhances the cost. Alternatively, the membrane separation process for the treatment of dye in wastewater is already documented as the best available technique. Polymeric membrane and ceramic membrane are two separate groups of separation membranes. Advantages of ceramic membranes include the ease of cleaning, long lifetime, good chemical and thermal resistance, and mechanical stability. Ceramic membranes can be prepared from various sources and natural materials like clay, zeolite, and fly ash are very cheap and easily available. In this review separation of wastewater is classified into mainly three groups: ultrafiltration (UF), microfiltration (MF), and nanofiltration (NF) process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.895-908
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• 2023

Disposal of waste containing heavy metals into the environment is a major threat to human health and can result in toxic or chronic poisoning in aquatic life. In the current study, metal-resistant Raoultella ornithinolytica was isolated from metal-contaminated samples collected from the Tanjaro River, located southwest of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. R. ornithinolytica was identified by partial amplification of 16S rRNA. The uptake potency of heavy metals was assessed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and indicated that R. ornithinolytica removed 67, 89, 63.4, 55.6, 56.5, 65, and 61.9% of Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Co, and Fe, respectively. These removal rates were influenced by temperature, pH, and contact time; at 35℃ and pH 5 with a change in the incubation time, the reduction rate improved from 89 to 95% for Pb, from 36.4 to 45% for Cu, and from 55.6 to 64% for Ni. Gene analysis indicated that R. ornithinolytica contained pbrT, chrB, nccA, iroN, and czcA genes, but the pcoD gene was absent. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) images showed evidence of metal ion binding on the cell wall surface with different rates of binding. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) detected different mechanisms for metal particle localization; cell surface adsorption was the main mechanism for Pb, Zn, and Co uptake, while Cd, Ni, and Fe were accumulated inside the cell. The current study describes, for the first time, the isolation of R. ornithinolytica from metal-contaminated water, which can be used as an eco-friendly biological expedient for the remediation and detoxification of metals from contaminated environments.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.126-132
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• 2014

A pilot-scale electrokinetic (EK) separation field test ($2{\times}3{\times}0.2m^3$, $W{\times}L{\times}D$) was performed in a greenhouse to remove salts from saline soil. Initially, the greenhouse soil had high electrical conductivity (EC), about 9 dS/m, and contained mainly $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions. After 2 weeks of EK treatment, the soil EC was reduced to 52% compared with its initial value. The EC reduction was mostly achieved within the first week (47%) due to removal of $Na^+$ and $Cl^-$ ions, but ions with a high adsorption capacity such as $Ca^{2+}$ and $SO_4^{2-}$ ions were difficult to be removed. During the EK test, the soil temperature increased and it reached around $50^{\circ}C$ at some regions. For in situ application to soils in cultivation, the current should be controlled to limit increases in temperature, especially near the cathodes. In conclusion, the in situ EK technique is feasible for the restoration of saline greenhouse soils in or no cultivation and an appropriate strategy is necessary for more effective remediation.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 2005

An MSBR using a membrane for not only filtration but also aeration (MA-MSBR) was designed to reduce membrane fouling and to enhance water quality, and compared with an MSBR using a membrane for only filtration (BA-MSBR). COD removal efficiency of the MA-MSBR was similar to that of the BA-MSBR, but membrane performance of the MA-MSBR was better than that of the BA-MSBR. The MA-MSBR had more small particles in mixed liquor, so the specific cake resistance of flocs in the MA-MSBR was higher than that in the BA-MSBR. However, in the aerobic reaction step of the MA-MSBR, air went through membrane pores and out of the membrane surface, so cake layers on the membrane surface and a portion of organics adsorbed on membrane pores could be removed periodically. Therefore, cake resistance, $R_c$, and fouling resistance by adsorption and blocking, $R_f$, for the MA-MSBR increased more slowly than those for the BA-MSBR. Additionally, in order to compare the energy efficiency for two MSBRs, oxygen transfer efficiency and power to supply air into the reactor by a membrane module and a bubble stone diffuser were measured using deionized water. From these measurements, the transferred oxygen amount per unit energy was calculated, resulting that of MA-MSBR was slightly higher than that of BA-MSBR.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.33-43
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• 2000

Mining wastes left without any proper treatment are affecting barren or arable lands where are located near and far from source through various pathway Metals are the only hazardous constituents that cannot be destroyed or altered by chemical or thermal methods and must be converted into the most insoluble and harmless form as possible, which have slower leaching rates than the original species, to prevent their reentry into the environment. Three types of chemical additives used in this study to immobilize heavy metals showed high immobilized capacity (q) and the efficiency (k) in the order of CaO, $Na_2$S.$5H_2$O, and $CaCO_3$. In addition, bentonite was considered as a good additive to remedy AM(Acid Mine Drainage) from the results of the physicochemical characteristics and immobilizing capacity. The Freundlich coefficients (n and k) from adsorption isotherm for the heavy metals adsorbed on 50g Benlonite were calculated.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 2020

In this study, iron nanoparticles impregnated hydrochar (FeNPs@HC) was synthesized using lignocellulosic waste and simple one-pot synthetic method. During hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process, the mixture of lignocellulosic waste and ferric nitrate (0.1~0.5 M) as a precursor of iron nanoparticles was added and heated to 220℃ for 3 h in a teflon sealed autoclave, followed by calcination at 600℃ in N₂ atmosphere for 1 h. For the characterization of the as-prepared materials, X-ray diffraction (XRD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) were used. The change of Fe(III) concentration in the feedstock influenced characteristics of produced FeNPs@HC and removal efficiency towards As(V) and Pb(II). According to the Langmuir isotherm test, maximum As(V) and Pb(II) adsorption capacity of Fe_0.25NPs@HC were found to be 11.81 and 116.28 mg/g respectively. The results of this study suggest that FeNPs@HC can be potentially used as an adsorbent or soil amendment for remediation of groundwater or soil contaminated with arsenic and cation heavy metals.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.97-109
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• 2020

Membrane fouling is the main drawback of membrane technology. Frequent membrane cleaning and membrane replacement are, therefore, required to reduce membrane fouling that causes permeate flux reduction, lower rejection, or higher operating pressure. Studies have proved that the alteration of membrane properties is the key controlling factor in lessening membrane fouling. Among stimuli-responsive membranes, thermo-responsive membrane is the most popular, with a drastic phase transition and swelling-shrinking behavior caused by the temperature change. In this study, the thermo-responsive ability of two commercial membranes, PolyCera® Titan membrane and PolyCera® Hydro membrane, at different temperatures was studied on the antifouling function of the membrane in palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment. The evaluation of the membrane's thermo-responsive ability was done through three cycles of adsorption (fouling) and desorption (defouling) processes in a membrane filtration process. The experimental result depicted that PolyCera® Hydro membrane had a higher membrane permeability of 67.869 L/㎡.h.bar than PolyCera® Titan membrane at 46.011 L/㎡.h.bar. However, the high membrane permeability of PolyCera® Hydro membrane was compensated with low removal efficiency. PolyCera® Titan membrane with a smaller mean pore size had better rejection performance than PolyCera® Hydro membrane for all tested parameters. On the other hand, PolyCera® Titan membrane had a better hydrodynamic cleaning efficiency than PolyCera® Hydro membrane regardless of the hydrodynamic cleaning temperature. The best hydrodynamic cleaning performed by PolyCera® Titan membrane was at 35℃ with the flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 99.17 ± 1.43%. The excellent thermo-responsive properties of the PolyCera® Titan membrane could eventually reduce the frequency of membrane replacement and lessen the use of chemicals for membrane cleaning. This outstanding exploration helps to provide a solution to the chemical industry and membrane technology bottleneck, which is the membrane fouling, thus reducing the operating cost incurred by the membrane fouling.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.199-207
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• 2015

Solid materials of ammonia sources with SCR have been considered for the application of lean NOx reduction in automobile industry, to overcome complex problems of liquid urea based SCR. These solid materials produce ammonia gas directly with proper heating and can be packaged by compact size, because of high volumetric ammonia density. Among ammonium salts and metal ammine chlorides, calcium ammine chloride was focused on this paper due to low decomposition temperature. In order to make calcium ammine chloride in lab-scale, simple reactor and glove box was designed and built with ammonium gas tank, regulator, and sensors. Basic test conditions of charging ammonia gas to anhydrous calcium chloride are chosen from equilibrium vapor pressure by Van't Hoff plot based on thermodynamic properties of materials. Synthetic method of calcium ammine chloride were studied for different durations, temperatures, and pressures with proper ammonia gas charged, as a respect of ammonia gas adsorption rate(%) from simple weight calculations which were confirmed by IC. Also, lab-made calcium ammine chloride were analyzed by TGA and DSC to clarify decomposition step in the equations of chemical reaction. To understand material characteristics for lab-made calcium ammine chloride, DA, XRD and FT-IR analysis were performed with published data of literature. From analytical results, water content in lab-made calcium ammine chloride can be discovered and new test procedures of water removal were proposed.

• Carbon letters
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• v.22
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

Porous materials play a vital role in science and technology. The ability to control their pore structures at the atomic, molecular, and nanometer scales enable interactions with atoms, ions and molecules to occur throughout the bulk of the material, for practical applications. Three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon-based materials (e.g., graphene aerogels/hydrogels, sponges and foams) made of graphene or graphene oxide-based networks have attracted considerable attention because they offer low density, high porosity, large surface area, excellent electrical conductivity and stable mechanical properties. Water pollution and associated environmental issues have become a hot topic in recent years. Rapid industrialization has led to a massive increase in the amount of wastewater that industries discharge into the environment. Water pollution is caused by oil spills, heavy metals, dyes, and organic compounds released by industry, as well as via unpredictable accidents. In addition, water pollution is also caused by radionuclides released by nuclear disasters or leakage. This review presents an overview of the state-of-the-art synthesis methodologies of 3D porous graphene materials and highlights their synthesis for environmental applications. The various synthetic methods used to prepare these 3D materials are discussed, particularly template-free self-assembly methods, and template-directed methods. Some key results are summarized, where 3D graphene materials have been used for the adsorption of dyes, heavy metals, and radioactive materials from polluted environments.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.67-79
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• 2016

Cyanotoxins in aquatic ecosystems have been investigated by many researchers worldwide. Cyanotoxins can be classified according to toxicity as neurotoxins (anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), saxitoxins) or hepatotoxins (microcystins, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin). Microcystins are generally present within cyanobacterial cells and are released by damage to the cell membrane. Cyanotoxins have been reported to cause adverse effects and to accumulate in aquatic organisms in lakes, rivers and oceans. Possible pathways of microcystins in Lake Suwa, Japan, have been investigated from five perspectives: production, adsorption, physiochemical decomposition, bioaccumulation and biodegradation. In this study, temporal variability in microcystins in Lake Suwa were investigated over 25 years (1991~2015). In nature, microcystins are removed by biodegradation of microorganisms and/or feeding of predators. However, during water treatment, the use of copper sulfate to remove algal cells causes extraction of a mess of microcystins. Cyanotoxins are removed by physical, chemical and biological methods, and the reduction of nutrients inflow is a basic method to prevent cyanobacterial bloom formation. However, this method is not effective for eutrophic lakes because nutrients are already present. The presence of a cyanotoxins can be a potential threat and therefore must be considered during water treatment. A complete understanding of the mechanism of cyanotoxins degradation in the ecosystem requires more intensive study, including a quantitative enumeration of cyanotoxin degrading microbes. This should be done in conjunction with an investigation of the microbial ecological mechanism of cyanobacteria degradation.