• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.91-104
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• 2019

The taxonomic and functional characteristics of bacterial communities in the pre-chlorinated rapid filters and ozonated biological activated carbon (BAC) filters were compared using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) based on sole-carbon-source utilization patterns. Both the rapid filters and BAC filters were dominated by Rhizobiales within ${\alpha}-proteobacteria$, but other abundant orders and genera were significantly different in both types of filter. Firmicutes were abundant only in the intermediate chlorinated rapid filter, while Acidobacteria were abundant only in the BAC filters. Bacterial communities in the rapid filter showed high utilization of carbohydrates, while those in the BAC filters showed high utilization of polymers and carboxylic acids. These different characteristics of the bacterial communities could be related to the different substrates in the influents, filling materials, and residual disinfectants. Chlorination and ozonation inactivated the existing bacteria in the influent and formed different bacterial communities, which could be resistant to the oxidants and effectively utilize different substrates produced by the oxidant, including Phreatobacter in the rapid filters and Hyphomicrobium in the BAC filters. Bradyrhizobium and Leptothrix, which could utilize compounds adsorbed on the GAC, were abundant in the BAC filters. Ozonation increased taxonomic diversity but decreased functional diversity of the bacterial communities in the BAC filters. This study provides some new insights into the effects of oxidation processes and filling materials on the bacterial community structure in the biological filters of drinking water treatment plants.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.671-675
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• 2007

The objective of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the removed micropollutant since the breakthrough of adsorption ability was occurred in biological activated carbon(BAC) process. The removal efficiency of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) was 36 % in the breakthrough of BAC occurred by NOM (Natural Organic Matter). The most of removal DOC was found out the adsorbable and biodegradable DOC (A&BDOC). But it was not clear to remove by any mechanism because A&BDOC have simultaneously the adsorption of activated carbon and biodegradation by microorganism in BAC. The removal of bromophenol was examined with BAC and rapid sand filter, for investigation of DOC removal mechanism in the breakthrough of BAC. In this experiment, BAC filter has been operated for 20 months for the treatment of reservoir water. The BAC filter was already exhausted by NOM. Bromophenol, adsorbable and refractory matter, was completely removed by BAC filter. Therefore, it might be removed by the adsorption in BAC. Adsorption isotherms of bromophenol were compared to two BACs which was preloaded with 500 daltons and 3,000 daltons of NOM. BAC preloaded with 3,000 daltons of NOM was not decreased to the adsorbability of bromophenol but BAC preloaded with 500 daltons of NOM was greatly decreased to it. These result indicated that NOM of low molecular weight can be removed by adsorption after a long period of operation and the breakthrough by NOM in BAC. Therefore, micropollutants might be removed through adsorption by saturated BAC.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.47-52
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• 2002

This study was carried out to examine the characteristics of dual media filter with BAC and sand on a pilot scale which was installed in T Water Treatment Plant of Seoul. The conclusions drawn from experimental results are as follows : For the BAC-Sand filter, the preceded gravity sand filter did not largely affect the removal of organics and turbidity causing matters, tut the frequency of backwashing was explicitly reduced to two times with the stable growth of microorganisms. The biomass on media in case of existence of preceded sand filter was 1.4 times higher than that of nonexistence. In case of backwashing with water, the time needed to comply with below 10NTU took 22, 10, and 5 minutes respectively with the expansion ration of 1.2, 1.5 and 1.8. The higher the expansion ration was, the shorter the backwashing time was.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.107-114
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• 1995

The raw drinking water quality is getting worse because of the winter drought and the conventional treatment system is'nt suitable to obtain the satisfied quality of water. So, the advanced water system, BAC(Biological Activated Carbon) process is said to be effective to remove dissolved organics and ammonia nitrogen. In our study, the BAC pilot plant using Nak-dong river water is tested in low temperature. Following results are found from the study. The ammonia nitrogen removal rate of BAC system using wood-based carbon (PICABIOL) was 99% in $6^{\circ}C$ temperature. Chlorine dosage in wood-based BAC effluent was reduced to 67% of that in sand filtered wate. It resulted from the removal of ammonia nitrogen. Also, THM formed by chlorine addition in wood-based BAC effluent was decreased to 65% of that in sand filtered water. In the case of dual-filter, the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen was increased 30% more than in conventional sand filter. According to this result, the ammonia nitrogen load to BAC system could be lessened by the use of dual-filter.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.378-381
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• 2009

The purpose of this research is the evaluation of removal efficiency of THMFP in BAC. The changes of four types of THMFP and total THMFP were examined in the influent and effluent of BAC filter from March to December in 2008. It turned out that the amounts of brominated THMFP were obviously higher in winter and autumn compared to the spring and summer, which also resulted in an increase of the total-THMFP levels during winter and autumn. In addition, long-term running of BAC filter shows the good removal function of chloroform formation potential, but not brominated THMFP; with further bromination, this function was declined, as it shows the formation of bromoform in BAC filter during October and December. These results were caused by changing of the proportion of $Br^-$/DOC.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1551-1558
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• 2015

In Korea, many drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) have introduced and are going to introduce biological activated carbon (BAC) process to treated dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water which are difficult to control by conventional water treatment processes. Even though more decade have passed since introduced BAC in Korea, most of BAC operating method was followed to the modified sand filter operating manuals. In case of BAC backwashing, many DWTPs set the periods of backwashing about 3~5 days. In this study, we have collected data to set the proper BAC backwashing periods from both pilot-plant and real DWTPs. We had measured heterotrophic plate count (HPC), turbidity, water temperature, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and headloss from just after backwashing to the next backwashing time for two years. Considering water quality factors, the BAC run time from backwashing to the next backwashing could extend more 30 days without water quality deterioration if the head loss do not reach the limited level which depends on each BAC facilities' condition. It means the BAC treated water could be saved in the proportion of extended the backwashing period to the existing backwashing period.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1101-1109
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• 2014

In this study we followed biofilm formation and development in a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter on pilot-scale during the 12 months of operation. GAC particles and water samples were sampled from four different depths (-5, -25, -50 and -90 cm from surface of GAC bed) and attached biomass were measured with adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) analysis and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) method. The attached biomass accumulated rapidly on the GAC particles of top layer throughout all levels in the filter during the 160 days (BV 23,000) of operation and maintained a steady-state afterward. During steady-state, biomass (ATP and HPC) concentrations of top layer in the BAC filer were $2.1{\mu}g{\cdot}ATP/g{\cdot}GAC$ and $3.3{\times}10^8cells/g{\cdot}GAC$, and 85%, 83% and 99% of the influent total biodegradable dissolved organic carbon ($BDOC_{total}$), $BDOC_{slow}$ and $BDOC_{rapid}$ were removed, respectively. During steady-state process, biomass (ATP and HPC) concentrations of middle layer (-50 cm) and bottom layer (-90 cm) in the BAC filter were increased consistently. Biofilm development (growth rate) proceed highest rate in the top layer of filter (${\mu}_{ATP}=0.73day^{-1}$; ${\mu}_{HPC}=1,74day^{-1}$) and 78%~87% slower in the bottom layer (${\mu}_{ATP}=0.14day^{-1}$; ${\mu}_{HPC}=0.34day^{-1}$). This study shows that the combination of different analytical methods allows detailed quantification of the microbiological activity in drinking water biofilter.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.308-323
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• 2009

This review paper serves to describe the composition and activity of biological activated carbon (BAC) biofilm which is considered as a progressive process for water treatment. As well as several physical-chemical, biochemical and microbiological analysis methods for characterizing the composition and activity of BAC biofilm, the ability of the biofilm to remove and biodegrade organic matters and pollutants related to other water treatment processes such as pre-ozonation will be reviewed. In this paper, conversion of GAC into BAC, removal mechanism of pollutants, characteristics and affecting factors of BAC biofilm, and modeling of BAC are described in detail. In addition, strategies to control the growth of the BAC biofilm, such as varying the nutrient loading rate, altering the frequency of BAC filter backwashing and applying oxidative disinfection, will be dwelled on related to their respective process control challenges.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.355-363
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• 2002

A demonstration plant was carried out to investigate the removal efficiency of $NH_3-N$ and $KMnO_4$ consumption depending on the existence of pre-chlorination for the ozonation and activated carbon process in the S water treatment plant which is located at the middle of Keum River. The averge removal efficiency of $KMnO_4$ consumption for $O_3/GAC$ processes with pre-chlorination and $O_3/BAC$ processes without pre-chlorination were 48.6% and 50% respectively. It is similar to removal effect of $KMnO_4$ consumption for GAC and BAC process depending on the existence of pre-chlorination. Otherwise, the removal of THMFP for GAC and BAC process was 58% and 68% respectively. $NH_3-N$ was not almost removed by sand filter and ozonation, but the average removal efficiency in the BAC process was about 31%. Especially, $NH_3-N$ was not almost removed by $O_3/BAC$ processes at the low temperature (below $$10^{\circ}C$$) in the winter season, $O_3/BAC$ processes have the advantage of removal of organic substance when it is compared to pre -chlorination followed by $O_3/GAC$ processes. Pre-chlorination followed by $O_3/GAC$ processes were required to remove $NH_3-N$ in the winter season because the removal of $NH_3-N$ was almost ineffective by $O_3/BAC$ process.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.189-198
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• 2009

Tastes and odor in water caused by geosmin and 2-MIB are the major customer complaints for water utilities. Therefore, control of geosmin and 2-MIB is a worldwide concern. In this study, the effects of biofilter media type (three different activated carbons and anthracite), empty bed contact time (EBCT) and temperature on the removal of geosmin and 2-MIB in BAC filters were investigated. Experiments were conducted at three different water temperatures (5, 15 and $25^{\circ}C$) and four different EBCTs (5, 10, 15, and 20 min). The experimental results indicated that the coal based BAC retained more bacterial biomass on the surface of the activated carbon than the other BACs, and increasing EBCT or increasing water temperature also increased the geosmin and 2-MIB removal in BAC filters. To achieve above 50% of removal efficiency for geosmin and 2-MIB in a BAC filter, above 10 min EBCT at $5^{\circ}C$ and 5 min EBCT at above $15^{\circ}C$ were required. The kinetic analysis for the biodegradation of geosmin and 2-MIB indicated a first-order reaction rate at various water temperatures. Data obtained from the BAC filters at various temperatures were also used to evaluate pseudo first-order rate constants for geosmin and 2-MIB. The half-lives evaluated at 5, 15, and $25^{\circ}C$ for geosmin and 2-MIB ranged from 2.39 to 10.31 min and 3.35 to 13.97 min, respectively, which can be used to assist water utilities in designing and operating BAC system.