• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2006

The effects of turning frequency were examined on the efficiency of composting lime treated excess sludge amended with sawdust from the activated sludge process after a liquid/solids separation process. The raw and excess sludge from the activated sludge process associated with the hog wastewater treatment system is a significant problem and composting is an effective method far reducing the pollution potential of hog wastewater sludge. The coagulant used sludge composting and ammonia emissions from composting are not well established. The effect of compost properties such as high total carbon, C/N ratio and pH value on performance of composting sludge and biofiltration of ammonia from composting process were investigated. The ammonia emission was not significantly increased during composting. The ammonia concentrations of the exhaust air of composter were ranged from 0.5 and 7 ppm about 12 days after composting. The performance of the hog wastewater sludge composting was the most sensitive to chemical treated sludge properties such as high total carbon and high C/N ratio of the initial compost mixes. Temperature in compost and ammonia emission were not greatly affected by the turning frequency.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2011

The study purpose was to examine an effect of zero emission of excess sludge on biological reactor and treated water quality within the biological reactor in the process of biological treatment combined with excess sludge reduction system with ozone. Under an ozone injection rate 0.03 g $O_3/g$ SS, Sludge Disintegration Number (SDN) 3 and less than pH 4 as pre-treatment process, it was possible to maintain a stable biological treatment process without sludge disintegration. In the test of $OUR_{max}$, of sludge, its value was hardly under the condition of ozone injection rate 0.03 g $O_3/g$ SS. There were almost no changes of MLVSS/MLSS within biological reactor followed by a solubilization of excess sludge. Accumulation of microorganism within biological reactor was also not observed. After solubilization of excess sludge, an increase for organic matter and SS concentrations of an effluent was not observed and T-N concentration was reduced by increasing nitrification and denitrification rate within biological reactor. Most of T-P was not removed by zero emission of excess sludge and was leaked by being included in effluents.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1183-1190
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• 2007

A metabolic uncoupler, 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS), was used to reduce excess sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes. Batch experiments confirmed that 0.4 mg/l of TCS reduced the aerobic growth yield of activated sludge by over 60%. However, the growth yield remained virtually constant even at the increased concentrations of TCS when cultivations were carried out under the anoxic condition. Reduction of sludge production yield was confirmed in a laboratory-scale anoxic-oxic process operated for 6 months. However, it was found that ammonia oxidation efficiency was reduced by as much as 77% in the presence of 0.8 mg/l of TCS in the batch culture. Similar results were also obtained through batch inhibition tests with activated sludges and by bioluminescence assays using a recombinant Nitrosomonas europaea (pMJ217). Because of this inhibitory effect of TCS on nitrification, the TCS-fed continuous system failed to remove ammonia in the influent. When TCS feeding was stopped, the nitrification yield of the process was resumed. Therefore, it seems to be necessary to assess the nitrogen content of wastewater if TCS is used for reducing sludge generation.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2013

This study was conducted to reduce excess sludge generation by recycling of return sludge to the aeration tank after solubilization by electric field charger and ultrasonifier. The return sludge was purposely broken-up to the ratio of $SCOD_{Cr}/TCOD_{Cr}$ at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, which was tested along with control (i.e., untreated). Solubilized sludge was subsequently treated in a bench-scaled conventional activated sludge reactor. According to varying $SCOD_{Cr}/TCOD_{Cr}$ ratios, TSS in the reactor was correspondingly increased from 129 to 219 mg/L and $TCOD_{Cr}$ was also from 257 to 335 mg/L. However, TSS in the effluent was nevertheless kept lower at below 30 mg/L and $TCOD_{Cr}$ was also unvaryingly below 40 mg/L. For $SCOD_{Cr}/TCOD_{Cr}$ = 0.3, the amount of excess sludge produced was at the highest decreased up to as high as 78%.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.97-103
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• 2006

Excess sludge treatment and disposal currently represent a rising challenge for domestic or wastewater treatment plants due to economic, environmental and regulation factors. Conventional gravity sedimentation process has been widely used in sludge thickening. The operation method of the process is very simple, but the process requires long detention time for sludge thickening, uses polymers, and shows low sludge thickening efficiency. To solve the problems, we studied on DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) system. We use bulking sludge of a paper manufacturing plant. The effects of parameters such as SVI (Sludge Volume Index), storage time, initial concentration and wet density of excess sludge were examined. The results showed that the more SVI was low, the more sludge was thickened. As storage time goes by, SVI was increased and thickening performance was deteriorated. In order to improve flotation performance at high concentration, high recycling ratio and pressure did not increase the concentration due to thickening limitation. The addition of 0.8 g/L of loess was increased flotation efficiency of 1.41 times.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2014

It is essential to decrease energy consumption and excess sludge to economically operate sewage treatment plant. This becomes more important along with a ban on sea dumping and exhaustion of resource. Therefore, many researchers have been study on energy consumption reduction and strategies for minimization of excess sludge production from the activated sludge process. The aeration cost account for a high proportion of maintenance cost because sufficient air is necessary to keep nitrifying bacteria activity of which the oxygen affinity is inferior to that of heterotrophic bacteria. Also, additional costs are incurred to stabilize excess sludge and decrease the volume of sludge. There were anoxic, aerobic, membrane, deairation and concentration zone in this MBR process. Continuous aeration was provided to prevent membrane fouling in membrane zone and intermittent aeration was provided in aerobic zone through ammonia sensor. So, there was the minimum oxygen to remove $NH_4-N$ below limited quantity that could be eliminated in membrane zone. As the result of this control, energy consumption of aeration system declined by between 10.4 % and 19.1 %. Besides, we could maintain high MLSS concentration in concentration zone and this induced the microorganisms to be in starved condition. Consequentially, the amount of excess sludge decrease by about 15 %.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.565-572
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• 2011

The effects of chemical pretreatments on the excess sludge production in the membrane-coupled bioreactor were investigated. In addition, their effects on membrane fouling were also evaluated. Two membrane bioreactors were operated. In one reactor, a part of the mixed liquor was t reated with NaOH and ozone gas consecutively and was returned to the reactor. T he f lowrate of the chemical pretreatment stream was 1.5% of the influent flowrate. During the 200days of operation, the MLSS level in the bioreactor with mixed liquor pretreatment was maintained relatively constant at the range of 8,000 ~ 10,000$mg/{\ell}$ while it increased steadily up to 26,000 $mg/{\ell}$ in the absence of the pretreatment. Each reactor was equipped with two laboratory membrane modules where the flux for each module was 20, and 30 ${\ell}/m^2{\cdot}h$, respectively. With pretreatment, almost constant transmembrane pressure(TMP) was observed throughout the operation at the flux of 20 ${\ell}/m^2{\cdot}h$. Without pretreatment the membrane module at the same flux could also be operated at relatively stable condition. However, as the MLSS increases up to 25,000 $mg/{\ell}$, a fast TMP increase was observed. In conclusion, a complete control of excess sludge production in the membrane-coupled bioreactor was possible without significant deterioration of the treated water quality. In addition, it was shown that stable operation in terms of TMP is possible with sludge pretreatment and recirculation.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.5-13
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• 2022

The current environmental problem is that environmental pollution is accelerating due to the generation of large amounts of waste and indiscriminate consumption of energy. Fossil fuels, a representative energy production fuel, are burned in the process of producing energy, generating a large amount of greenhouse gases and eventually causing climate change. In addition, the amount of waste generated worldwide is continuously increasing, and environmental pollution is occurring in the process of waste treatment. One of the methods for simultaneously solving these problems is the energy recovery from and reduction of organic wastes. Sewage sludge generated in sewage treatment plants has been treated in various ways since ocean disposal was completely prohibited, but the amount generated has been continuously increasing. Since the sewage sludge contains a large amount of organic materials, it is desirable to recover energy from the sewage sludge and reduce the final discharged waste through anaerobic digestion. However, most of the excess sludge is a mass of microorganisms used in sewage treatment, and in order for the excess sludge to be anaerobically digested, the cell walls of the microorganisms must be destroyed first, but it takes a lot of time to destroy the cell walls, so high rates of biogas production and waste reduction cannot be achieved only by anaerobic digestion. Therefore, the pre-treatment process of solubilizing excess sludge is required, and the thermal solubilization process is verified to be the most efficient among various solubilization methods, and high rates of biogas production and waste reduction can be achieved by anaerobic digestion after destroying cell walls the thermal solubilization process. In this study, when pretreating TS 10% thickened excess sludge through a thermal solubilization system, a study was conducted on solubilization characteristics according to retention time and operating temperature variables. The experimental variables for the retention time of the thermal solubilization system were 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes, respectively, while the operating temperature was fixed at 160℃. The soulbilization rates calculated through TCOD and SCOD derived from the experimental results increased in the order of 12.11%, 20.52%, 28.62%, and 31.40%, respectively. And the variables according to operating temperature were 120℃, 140℃, 160℃, 180℃, and 200℃, respectively, while the operating retention time was fixed at 60 minutes. And the solubilization rates increased in the order of 7.14%, 14.52%, 20.52%, 40.72%, and 57.85%, respectively. In addition, TS, VS, T-N, T-P, NH₄⁺-N, and VFAs were analyzed to evaluate thermal solubilization characteristics of thickened excess sludge. As a result, in order to obtain 30% or more solubilization rate through thermal solubilization of TS 10% thickened excess sludge, 120 minutes of retention time is required when the operating temperature is fixed to 160℃, and 170℃ or more of operating temperature is needed when the operating time is fixed to 60 minutes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2004

The change of the microbial community structure in excess sludge of different sewage treatment plants by ozone treatment was investigated by quinone profiles. The resulting ozone dosage ranged from 0.1 to $0.4gO_3/gTS$. In terms of overall sludge reduction, more than 50% reduction of the total sludge mass could be achieved by ozone treatment at $0.4gO_3/gTS$. Quinone concentration and type in sludge of different treatment plants were remarkably decreases with increasing ozone dose. Ubiquinones(UQs)-8, -10 and MK-8 were still remained in the ozonized sludge at $0.4gO_3/gTS$. The results of this study showed that the remaining microorganisms belong to UQs-8, -10 and MK-8 were difficult to destruct cell membrane or wall by ozonation. Fecal Streptococci and Salmonella were not detected at ozone dose of $0.2gO_3/gTS$, but Fecal Coliform was not detected at ozone dose of $0.4gO_3/gTS$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2023

Biological process is used worldwide to treat domestic and industrial wastewater. The process generally uses a mixed microbial culture of sludge. The growth of microorganisms in the sludge produces excess sludge from the wastewater treatment process. Some of the excess sludge is recycled as inoculum for wastewater treatment, but the rest is removed as waste from the process. As wastewater production is increasing worldwide every year, the number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is also in- creasing, resulting in the generation of large amount of waste sludge. The increasing amount of waste sludge from WWTPs has led to concerns about its management. Sludge disposal has been reported to account for 50~60% of the total operating costs of a WWTP. Sludge disintegration is a new technology that can minimize volume of waste sludge and recover useful components (e.g., P, N, and soluble organic compounds) from it. Various methods of sludge disintegration have been developed based on physical, chemical, and biological treatments or combinations of these. In this review, we focus on sludge disintegration by acid hydrolysis, which is less studied among sludge disintegration methods. Such information can be useful in the development and implementation of a new technology for better sludge treatment.