• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.677-686
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• 2006

This study was the effectiveness of two downflow BAF(Biological Aerated Filter) systems at conventional water treatment system. A BAF reactor placed in front of coagulation and sedimentation tanks(Mode A) and after coagulation and sedimentation tanks(Mode B) that were compared in terms of removal of suspended particles, organic matters, and ammonia nitrogen. The suspended particles removal efficiency was over 80% for both Mode A and B, although Mode A gave slightly better results. $BOD_5$ removal and nitrification efficiencies were more than 90% for both reactor. The organic matter and ammonia removals were also superior in the Mode A. The biofilm thickness and biomass increased as increment of EBCT and the upper part of reactor more about 30% than lower part. The specific oxygen uptake rate(SOUR) was higher the upper part of reactor and Mode A than the lower part of reactor and Mode B. A cost analysis showed that the Mode A system was more cost effectiveness. It could save the coagulant dose by about 67% and the chlorine demand by about 95%. The ideal place to put the BAF reactor was in front of the coagulation/sedimentation process.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2010

Three biological aerated filters (BAFs) composed of a PVC pipe with a diameter of 75 mm were constructed and operated at a waste-water temperature at $13^{\circ}C$. The media used for each BAF were: 5-mm gravel; 5-mm lava rock; 12.5-mm diameter by 15-mm long plastic rings, all with a media depth of 1.7 m. The feedwater, which simulated the effluent of aerated lagoons, had influent soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) and ammonia concentrations of approximately 50 and 25 mg/L, respectively. For a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of two hours without recirculation, ammonia percent removals were 98.5, 98.9, and 97.8%, for the gravel, lava rock, and plastic rings, respectively. By increasing the effluent recirculation from 100 to 200% for an HRT of one hour, respective ammonia removals improved from 90.1 to 96, 76.5 to 90, and 65.3 to 79.5% for gravel, lava rock, and plastic rings. Based on the ammonia and sCOD loadings for different HRTs, the estimated maximum ammonia loading was approximately 0.6 kg $NH_3-N/m^3$-day for the three BAFs of different media types. The zero-order biotransformation rates for the BAF with gravel were found to be higher than the lava rock and plastic ring media. The results ultimately showed that BAF can be used as an add-on system to aerated lagoons or as a secondary treatment unit to meet ammonia discharge limits.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 2012

In this study, a 3-stage biological aerated filter (BAF) system was proposed to enhance nitrogen removal in the treatment of low carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) municipal wastewater. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dynamic-flow at the HRT of 6 h. Results of the long-term operation of 3-stage BAF systems showed that the dynamic-flow enabled the total nitrogen removal (T-N) removal efficiency of the system to be about 7 % higher than that of non-dynamic-flow system in treating domestic wastewater due to the more efficient use of organic substrates. The overall $NH_4$-N removal performance was stable during the operational period due to the unique system configuration where independent nitrification occurred. It was concluded that the 3-stage BAF system proposed in this study provided excellent performance in the removal of nitrogen by employing dynamic-flow and three columns functioning as sorption, denitrification and nitrification, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.505-511
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• 2012

While the existing sewage treatment facilities are mainly being operated by biological processes, winter-time efficiency improvement and additional phosphorus treatment equipment using chemicals have been required to follow the effluent criteria of TP (0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 mg/L for the zone of I, II and III respectively) and $BOD_5$ (5.0 mg/L) which is intensified from 2012 in Republic of Korea. We made an investigation into actual condition of biological treatment process and calculated the optimal chemical input amount by jar test of supernatant of secondary sedimentation tank to evaluate the process improvement for the intensified criteria. Ejector BAF system for removing TP, $BOD_5$ of sewage effluent was suggested. The concentration of TP from biological process is 0.3-0.8 mg/L, and the input amount of optimal chemical coagulant was above Al/P ratio of 3(1.9 mg/L as Al) to meet the criteria of TP for secondary treatment effluent. From the results of this experiment, the best Al/P ratio for Ejector BAF system was about Al/P ratio of 1, and LV of BAF process for intensified criteria of $BOD_5$ and TP was below 1.97m/hr.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.752-756
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• 2006

The independent anoxic reactor was introduced in biological aerated filters as the regulation of water quality requirement, especially total nitrogen, had been strengthened. The process studied in this work was upflow $Biobead^{(R)}$ process which was used commercial invented for removal of organic materials and nitrification. For the purpose of evaluating the independent anoxic reactor, PCR-DGGE, of the molecular biological methods, was performed. Two types of nitrite reductase genes were selected. One is nirS represented cytocrome $cd_1$ nitrite reductase gene and the other is nirK represented Cu-containing nitrite reductase gene. Denitrifier community in the independent anoxic reactor was analyzed with PCR-DGGE using these two denitrifying functional genes. As the result of the PCR, only nirS gene was detected between nirS and nirK. With the result of the DGGE, specific bands became strong, as the operating days were longer, nitrate loading rate was increased. otherwise those of the initial activated sludge showed various bands. In the consequence of the sequence of DGGE bands, various denitrifiers were sequenced in the initial activated sludge, while specific denitrifiers like alcaligenes faecalis were predominant in the anoxic reactor. Consequently, introduction of the independent anoxic reactor made it possible to achieve 96% denitrification efficiency, and was proper for the modification of BAF process.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.664-669
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• 2004

An upflow BAF(Biological Aerated Filter) equipped with an expanded clay media was applied to reuse weaving wastewater of water jet loom. The performance of lab-scale biofilter was investigated by the adjustment of EBCTs(Empty Bed Contact Time) and the packing ratio of media, which were changed 1.1 to 3.7hr and 38 to 63%, respectively. In most conditions except 1.1hr of EBCT, BOD, CODcr, SS and Turbidity of the effluent were 1~4mg/L, 7~16mg/L, 1~5mg/L and 5~14NTU, where their removal efficiencies were 76~95%, 82~93%, 63~94% and 59~81%, respectively. From the observation of SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) photographs of porous clay media, it was revealed that this media provided good performance of retaining microbes effectively. In addition, $0.44~0.49kgVSS/kgBOD_{rem}$. of low sludge reduction was expected. The most efficient back washing cycle and procedure were once per 4 to 9 days and air including collapse-pulsing method, respectively. Therefore, this system can be of use as an weaving wastewater treatment for reuse.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.200-206
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• 2006

In a biological aerated filter (BAF) packed with ceramic media (void fraction of BAF=0.32), nitrite accumulation was studied with the variation of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and superficial air velocity. Synthetic ammonium wastewater and petrochemical wastewater were fed at a constant load of $1.6kgNH_4^+-N/m^3{\cdot}d$. Ammonium removal rate was mainly affected by the superficial air velocity in BAF, but nitrite ratio($NO_2-N/NO_x-N$) in the effluent was dependent on both HRT and superficial air velocity. For a fixed HRT of 0.23 hr (corresponding to the empty bed contact time of 0.7 hr) ammonium removal rate was 73/90/92％ and nitrite ratio was 0.92/0.82/0.48 at the superficial air velocity of 0.23/0.45/0.56 cm/s, respectively. When HRT is increased to 0.9 hr with superficial air velocity ranging from 0.34 to 0.45 cm/s, the ammonium removal rate was 89％ on average. However nitrite ratio decreased significantly down to 0.13. When HRT was further increased to 1.4 hr, ammonium removal rate decreased, thereby resulting in the free ammonia ($NH_3-N$, FA) build-up and nitrite ratio gradually increased (>0.95). Although aeration rate and FA concentration at HRT of 0.23 hr were unfavorable for nitrite accumulation compared with those at HRT of 0.9 hr, nitrite ratio at HRT of 0.23 hr was higher. Taken together, HRT and nitrogen load were found to be critical, in addition to FA concentration and aeration condition, for nitrite accumulation in the BAF tested in the present study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 1999

AF(anaerobic filter)/BAF(biological aerated filter) system and UASB(upflow anaerobic sludge blanket)/BAF system, of which system effluents were recirculated to the anaerobic reactors in each system, were operated in order to investigate the performance in simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen in high-strength dairy wastewater. Advanced anaerobic treatment processes of AF and UASB were evaluated on applicability as pre-denitrification reactors, and BAF was also evaluated on the performance in oxidizing the remaining organics and ammonia nitrogen. At system HRTs of 4.0 to 4.5 days and recirculation ratios of one to three, the AF/BAF system could achieve more than 99% of organics removals and 64 to 78% of total nitrogen removals depending upon the recirculation ratio. Although the UASB/BAF system also showed more than 99% of organics removals, total nitrogen removals in the UASB/BAF system were 53 to 66% which are lower than those in the AF/BAF system at the corresponding recirculation ratios. Optimum recirculation ratios considering simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen and cost-effectiveness, were in the range of two to three. The upflow AF packed with crossflow module media, as a primary treatment of the anaerobic reactor/BAF system, showed better performances in denitrification, SS removals, and gas production than the UASB. Higher loading rate of suspended solids from the UASB increased the backwashing times in the following BAF. Especially, at a recirculation ratio of three in the UASB/BAF system, the increase in head loss due to clogging in the BAF caused frequent backwashing, at least once d day. The BAF showed the high nitrification efficiency of average 99.2% and organics removals more than 90% at organics loading rate less than $1.4KgCOD/m^3/d$ and $COD/NH_3-N$ ratio less than 6.4. It was proved that the simplified anaerobic reactor/BAF system could maximize the organics removal and achieve high nitrogen removal efficiencies through recirculation of system effluents to the anaerobic reactor. The AF/BAF system can, especially, be a cost effective and competitive alternative for the simultaneous removal of organics ana nitrogen from wastewaters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2006

When polluted stream water was treated with biological aerated filter(BAF) in pilot plant, all operation with 90, 60, 45 and 30 min of EBCT at fixed $0.1m^3air/m^2min$ of aeration showed 80% or higher treatment efficiency of particle materials(SS, turbidity and Chl.-a) and 85% or higher efficiency of ammonia nitrogen removal. It was thought that, in case of BOD, biological stability may sufficiently be assured with BAF because grade III or IV inflow water was changed to grade I for outflow water. In case of $COD_{Mn}$, about 60% of removal efficiency was found. When the mechanism of the result was investigated, about 30% of COD materials was produced by algae clogged in the reactor. There was almost no biological decomposition because specific substrate utilization rate of algogenic organic materials were $0.0245mg{\cdot}COD_{Mn}/mg{\cdot}VSS{\cdot}day$, thus partial backwashing(washing the media in 1 m upper of the reactor once a day) was required. It is thought that elevation of removal rate about 10% of $COD_{Mn}$ and 5.5% of $BOD_5$ could be obtained with partial backwashing resulting in assurance of biologically more stable raw water and that saving backwashing water may be significant.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.343-346
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of influent $NH_4^{\;+}-N$ load, C/N ratio and superficial air velocity on the nitrogen removal efficiencies. Laboratory scale upflow biological aerated filter(BAF) was consisted of an anoxic-aerobic filter packed with porous ceramic media and operated with synthetic wastewater. BAFs requires less energy and space for the system when compared to conventional activated sludge process. The influent C/N ratios were varied from 0 to 1 by adjusting acetate. Various superficial air velocity had been applied to investigate aeration effect on nitrogen removal. The BAF reactor showed more than 90% average $NH_4^{\;+}-N$ removal efficiencies at $NH_4^{\;+}-N$ loading in the range of $0.26{\sim}1.33$ kg $NH_4^{\;+}-N/m^3{\cdot}d$ and 62% average T-N removal efficiencies at the C/N ratio of 1. Moreover, average T-N removal efficiencies increased as the superficial air velocity increased, because of the increase $NH_4^{\;+}-N$ removal efficiencies.