• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2006

Two mesophilic trickling bed bioreactors filled with two different types of media, hydrophilic- and hydrophobic-cubes, were designed and conducted for hydrogen production under the anaerobic fermentation of sucrose. Each bioreactor consisted of the column packed with polymeric cubes and inoculated with heat-treated sludge obtained from anaerobic digestion tank. A defined medium containing sucrose was fed by the different hydraulic retention time(HRT), and recycle rate. Hydrogen concentrations in gas-phase were constant, averaging 40% of biogas throughout the operation. Hydrogen production rate was increased till $10.5\;L{\cdot}h^{-1}{\cdot}L^{-1}$ of bioreactor when influent sucrose concentrations and recycle rates were varied. At the same time, the hydrogen production rate with hydrophobic media application was higher than its hydrophilic media application. No methane was detected when the reactor was under a normal operation. The major fermentation by-products in the liquid effluent of the both trickling biofilters were acetate, butyrate and lactate. In order to run in the long term operation of both reactor filled with hydrophilic and hydrophobic media, biofilm accumulation on hydrophilic media and biogas produced should be controlled through some process such as periodical backwashing or gas-purging. Four sample were collected from each reactor on the opposite hydrogen production rate, and their bacterial communities were compared by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of PCR products generated using bacterial 16s rRNA gene primers (8f and 926r). It was expressed a marked difference in bacterial communities of both reactors. The trickling bed bioreactor with hydrophobic media demonstrates the feasibility of the process to produce hydrogen gas. A likely application of this reactor technology can be hydrogen gas recovery from pre-treatment of high carbohydrate-containing wastewaters.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.15 no.1 s.69
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• pp.37-45
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• 2006

For treating a huge amount of plastic waste with the environment problem, pyrolysis of plastic waste into alternative fuel oil is one or important issue in recycling methods. This study was introduced over the trend or generation of plastic waste, in Korea pyrolysis technology in domestic and foreign countries, basic technology in pyrolysis process and new technology of pyrolysis developed in KIER (Korea Institute of Energy research). The characteristics of process developed in KIER are the continuous loading treatment or mixed plastic waste with an automatic control system, the minimization of wax production by circulation pyrolysis system in non-catalytic reactor, the reuse of gas produced and the oil recovery from sludge generated in pyrolysis plant, which have greatly the advantage economically and environmetally. The experiment result data in 300 ton/yr pilot plant showed about $81\;wt\%$ liquid yield for 3 days continuous reaction time, and also the boiling point distribution of light oil (LO) and heavy oil (HO) produced in distillation tower was a little higher than that of commercial gasoline and diesel, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Resources Recycling Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.34-46
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• 2005

For treating a huge amount of plastic waste with the environment problem, pyrolysis of plastic waste into alternative fuel oil is one of important issue in recycling methods. This study was introduced over the trend of generation of plastic waste, pyrolysis technology in domestic and foreign countries, basic technology in pyrolysis process and new technology of pyrolysis developed in KIER (Korea Institute of Energy Research). The characteristics of process developed in KIER are the continuous loading treatment of mixed plastic waste with an automatic control system, the minimization of wax production by circulation pyrolysis system in non-catalytic reactor, the reuse of gas produced and the oil recovery from sludge generated in pyrolysis plant, which have greatly the advantage economically and environmetally. The experiment result data in 300 ton/yr pilot plant showed about 81 wt% liquid yield for 3 days continuous reaction time, and also the boiling point distribution of light oil (LO) and heavy oil (HO) produced in distillation tower was a little higher than that of commercial gasoline and diesel, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.35-43
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• 2008

This study was carried out to estimate the performance of modified sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process by the application of SBR process for small advanced wastewater treatment plant. Organic, nitrogen and phosphorus were able to remove in the unit reactor by SBR process and it would be able to select the suitable operation method. The plant was operated to achieve high performance with influent control, optimum anoxic/oxic condition using intermediate aeration method, and solid (sludge) /liquid (effluent) separation by modified decanter. The optimum operating mode was 3Cycles a day and intermediate input and aeration. Under these conditions, the treatment efficiencies were good with 60% of designed flow rate and low influent quality. When the influent concentrations of BOD and CODMn were 120.4 mg/L and 95.7 mg/L, respectively. The effluent concentrations of BOD and CODMn were 6.8 mg/L and 11.0 mg/L, respectively. The average removal efficiencies of BOD and CODMn were 94.4% and 88.5%, respectively. The removal efficiencies of T-N and T-P were 69.6% and 73.6%, respectively when the average T-N and T-P concentrations were 32.2mg/L and 4.65mg/L, respectively. The T-N and T-P removal efficiencies were slightly decreased to 58.8% and 68.5%, respectively in the winter season but its were also stable efficiencies. BOD, T-N and T-P were removed by 90%. 67% and 46% respectively in the first anoxic/oxic condition, in addition to T-P was removed by 70% in the second anoxic/oxic condition. From the results, modified sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process is suitable for small advanced wastewater treatment.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.163-168
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• 2000

To remove phosphate accumulated in the soil and water, Acinetobacter lwoffi PO8 possessing a high ability to accumulate phosphate was isolated from a active sludge. Bacterium was cultured in the liquid medium containing $150\;{\mu}g/mL$ of phosphate at $30^{\circ}C$ in different culture conditions to examine intracellular phosphate uptake. The initial pH in the range of $7.5{\sim}8.5$ was effective on the growth and phosphate uptake of the strain. Glycerol and arabinose used as a carbon sources showed 93 and 91% the phsphate uptake, respectively. Among the nitrogen sources, ammonium salt such as $NH_4NO_3$ and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ was effectively utilized on the phosphate uptake compared with amino compounds. The rate of phosphate uptake of $NH_4NO_3$, and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$, was 95 and 96%, respectively The growth and Phosphate uptake ability in the strain were significantly promoted when metal ions were added in the medium; $Co^{2+}$, however, was not utilized by the strain. The capacity of phosphate uptake was enhanced to $10{\sim}20%$ when arginine, methionine, or lysine was added. Using $^{32}P$ to examine the uptake Pattern of intracellular phosphate, experiment result showed that polyphosphate was largely found in the fraction of intracellular inorganic phosphate of Acinetobacter lwoffi PO8.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2024

In the context of Korean residential heating systems, Ondol pipelines are a prevalent choice. However, the maintenance of these pipelines becomes a complex task once they are embedded within concrete structures. As time progresses, the accumulation of sludge, corrosive oxides, and microorganisms on the inner surfaces of these pipelines diminishes their heating efficiency. In extreme scenarios, this accumulation can induce corrosion and scale formation, compromising the system's integrity. Consequently, this research introduces an ultrasonic generation system tailored for the upkeep of Ondol pipelines, with the objective of empirically assessing its practicality. This investigation delineates three variants of ultrasonic generating apparatuses: those employing surface vibration, external generation, and internal generation techniques. To emulate the presence of contaminants within the pipelines, substances in powder, slurry, and liquid forms were employed. The efficacy of the cleaning process post-ultrasonic wave application was scrutinized over time, with image analysis methodologies being utilized to evaluate the outcomes. The findings indicate that ultrasonic waves, whether generated externally or internally, exert a beneficial effect on the cleanliness of the pipelines. Given the inherent characteristics of Ondol pipelines, external generation proves impractical, thereby rendering internal generation a more viable solution for pipeline maintenance. It is anticipated that future endeavors will pave the way for innovative maintenance strategies for Ondol pipelines, particularly through the advancement of internal generation technologies for pipeline applications.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2022

A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a major gateway for the engineered nano-particles (ENPs) entering the water bodies. However existing studies have reported that many WWTPs exceed the No Observed Effective Concentration (NOEC) for ENPs in the effluent and thus they need to be designed or operated to more effectively control ENPs. Understanding and predicting ENPs behaviors in the unit and \the whole process of a WWTP should be the key first step to develop strategies for controlling ENPs using a WWTP. This study aims to provide a modeling tool for predicting behaviors and removal efficiencies of ENPs in a WWTP associated with process characteristics and major operating conditions. In the developed model, four unit processes for water treatment (primary clarifier, bioreactor, secondary clarifier, and tertiary treatment unit) were considered. Additionally the model simulates the sludge treatment system as a single process that integrates multiple unit processes including thickeners, digesters, and dewatering units. The simulated ENP was nano-sized TiO₂, (nano-TiO₂) assuming that its behavior in a WWTP is dominated by the attachment with suspendid solids (SS), while dissolution and transformation are insignificant. The attachment mechanism of nano-TiO₂ to SS was incorporated into the model equations using the apparent solid-liquid partition coefficient (Kd) under the equilibrium assumption between solid and liquid phase, and a steady state condition of nano-TiO₂ was assumed. Furthermore, an MS Excel-based user interface was developed to provide user-friendly environment for the nano-TiO₂ removal efficiency calculations. Using the developed model, a preliminary simulation was conducted to examine how the solid retention time (SRT), a major operating variable affects the removal efficiency of nano-TiO₂ particles in a WWTP.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2015

Occurrences of coastal dredged materials are ever increasing due to port construction, navigational course maintenance and dredging of polluted coastal sediments. Ocean dumping of the coastal dredged materials has become virtually prohibited as London Treaty will be enacted as of the year 2012. It will be necessary to treat and recycle the dredged materials that may carry organic pollutants and heavy metals in a reasonable and effective process: collection of the dredged materials, liquid and solid separation, and treatment of organic compounds and heavy metals. In this study we have developed a continuous bioreactor system that can treat a mixture of silt and particulate organic matter using a microbial consortium (BM-S-1). The steady-state operation conditions were: pH (7.4-7.5), temperature ($16^{\circ}C$), DO (7.5-7.9), and salt concentration (3.4-3.7%). The treatment efficiencies of SCOD, T-N and T-P of the mixture were 95-96%, 92-99%, and 79-97%. The system was also effective in removal of heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Cr. Levels of MLSS during three months operation period were 11,000-19,000 mg/L. Interestingly, there was little sludge generated during this period of operation. The augmented microbial consortium seemed to be quite active in the removal of the organic component (30%) present in the dredged material in association with indigenous bacteria. The dominant phyla in the treatment processes were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes while dominant genii were Marinobacterium, Flaviramulus, Formosa, Alteromonadaceae_uc, Flavobacteriaceae_uc. These results will contribute to a development of a successful bioremediation technology for various coastal and river sediments with a high content of organic matter, inorganic nutrients and heavy metals, leading to a successful reuse of the polluted dredged sediments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.70-75
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• 1998

A model of pond system is developed for treatment and recycling of excreta from twenty-five adult dairy cattle. It is composed of wastewater treatment ponds and small fish ponds. Those are three facultative ponds in series; primary-secondary-tertiary pond and these are designed to rear carps without feeding. A pit is constructed at the bottom of primary pond for efficient sludge sedimentation and effective methane fermentation. It is contrived to block into it the penetration of oxygen dissolved in the upper layer of pond water. The excreta from the cattle housed in stalls are diluted by water used for clearing them. The washed excreta flow into the pit. The average yearly $BOD_5$ concentration of influent is 398.7mg/l. That of the effluent from primary, secondary and tertiary pond of the system is 49.18, 27.9, and 19.8.mg/l respectively. Approximate 88, 93, and 95 % of BOD5 are removed in each pond. The mean yearly SS concentration of influent is 360.5 mg/l That of the effluent from each pond is 53.4, 45.7, and32.7mg/l respectively. Approximate 86, 88, and 91% of SS are removed in each pond. The $BOD_5$ concentration of secondary and tertiary pond can satisfy 30mg/l secondary treatment standard. The SS concentration of effluent from tertiary pond, however, is slightly greater than the standard, which results from activities of carps growing in the pond. The average yearly total nitrogen concentration of influent is 206.8mg/l and that of the effluent from each pond is 48.6, 30.8, and 21.0mg/l respectively. Approximate 74, 88, and 90% of total nitrogen are removed in each pond. The mean yearly total phosphorous concentration of influent is 20.7mg/l and that of the effluent from each pond is 5.3, 3.2, and 2.1mg/l respectively. Approximate 97, 98, and 99% of total phosphorous are removed in each pond. The high removal of nitrogen and phosphorous results from active growth of algae in the upper layer of pond water. Important pond design parameters for southern part of Korea -- areal loading of BOD5, liquid depth, hydraulic detention time, free board, and pond arrangement -- are taken up.