• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.143-155
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• 2013

Four membranes were used to separate Chlorella sp. from their culture medium in cross-flow microfiltration (MF) experiments: cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose nitrate (CN), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF). It was found that the hydrophilic CA and CN membranes with a pore size of 1.2 ${\mu}m$ exhibited the best performances among all the membranes in terms of permeation flux. The hydrophobicity of each membrane material was determined by measuring the angle between the water (liquid) and membrane (solid). Contact angle measurements showed that deionized (DI) water had almost adsorbed onto the surfaces of the CA and CN membranes, which gave $0.00^{\circ}$ contact angle values. The PP and PVDF membranes were more hydrophobic, giving contact angle values of $95.97^{\circ}$ and $126.63^{\circ}$, respectively. Although the pure water flux increased with increasing pore diameter (0.8 < 1.2 < 3.0 ${\mu}m$) in hydrophilic CA and CN membranes, the best performance in term of filtration rate for filtering a microalgae suspension was attained by membranes with a pore size of 1.2 ${\mu}m$. The fouled membrane pore sizes and pore blocking were inspected using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). MF with large pore diameters was more sensitive to fouling that contributed to intermediate blocking, where the size of the membrane pores is almost equivalent to that of cells.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.403-410
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of sedimentation basin omission when installed hybrid membrane filtration process in the field plant with the capacity of $500m^3/day$ for 11 months in the "G", water purification plant in Seoul. In order to evaluate the possibility of the sedimentation basin omission, we measured the change of DOC by coagulant dosage. Dosage of PAC(power activated carbon) 4mg/L and coagulant($AI_2O_3$ 10%) 1.67mg/L were compatible to meet the water quality. Also according to the experiment without settlement process, optimization G values were determined to be 300/s, 64/s, and 32/s at the mixing tank, the first flocculator and the second flocculator, respectively. The test was performed under the conditions PAC-coagulation-no settlement-MF. As a result, a dosage of 4.0mg/L as PAC and 0.86 to 1.22mg/L as $Al_2O_3$(10%) in the condition of flux of 62.5LMH were determined to keep TMP value less than $1.0kg_f/cm^2$.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.591-595
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• 2007

The membrane filter coated with nanostructured porous surface layer was made by heat treatment after depositing nanoparticles onto a conventional micron-fibrous metal filter as a substrate filter. The nanostructured porous layer membrane filter (NSPL-MF), whose the filtration performance was improved compared with the conventional metal membrane filters, was developed by coating the nanoparticle agglomerates of dendrite structure onto the micron-fibrous metal filter. Pressure drop of nanostructured porous layer membrane filter decreased with increasing the heat treatment temperature to make the nanostructured porous layer adhered on the filter surface because the nanoparticle agglomerates shrank, but filtration efficiency did not decrease clearly.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.207-231
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• 1997

The use household water purifier is continuously increasing due to the distrust of the piped, rap water, which may be caused by the deterioration of water quality and water supply facilities in Korea. The water purifier distributing in the domestic market is the membrane type that composes of membrane as a basic filter, sediment filter as a prefilter and activated carbon filter instead of one purifying water system. The membrane type using as a water cleaning system is mainly the method of micro filtration(NIF) as well as ultra filtration(UF) and reverse osmosis(RO). The types of MF and UF are using to remove suspended solids and virus, and RO is using to remove ionic compound in chemical organic compounds. At the beginning the household water purifier was imported as end-product or assembled by only importing module from small businesses in Korea. Therefore, people was hard to confide in the product quality because the sales policy and management of water purifier by small business were not effectively organized. However, the defects of water purifier having up to now ate improving by the efforts of special branches of water purifier and large enterprises, and new great products are developing and producing. To develop the best quality product of water purifier in Korea, it should be considered seasonal water characteristrics rather than any other condition. For example, the water purifier can be affected by the water temperature change, increase of suspended solids in the rainy season and inflow of raw water having concentration in a dry season. The subject we have to investigate in the future is to develop the water purifying system adaptable in Korea which can treat the water quality using close analyses of local and seasonal water characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.271-279
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• 2023

Fouling is an inevitable problem in membrane water treatment plant. It can be measured by trans-membrane pressure (TMP) in the constant flux operation, and chemical cleaning is carried out when TMP reaches a critical value. An early fouilng alarm is defined as warning the critical TMP value appearance in advance. The alarming method was developed using one of machine learning algorithms, decision tree, and applied to a ceramic microfiltration (MF) pilot plant. First, the decision tree model that classifies the normal/abnormal state of the filtration cycle of the ceramic MF pilot plant was developed and it was then used to make the early fouling alarm method. The accuracy of the classification model was up to 96.2% and the time for the early warning was when abnormal cycles occurred three times in a row. The early fouling alram can expect reaching a limit TMP in advance (e.g., 15-174 hours). By adopting TMP increasing rate and backwash efficiency as machine learning variables, the model accuracy and the reliability of the early fouling alarm method were increased, respectively.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2007

We performed periodic water-back-flushing using permeate water to minimize membrane fouling to enhance permeate flux in tubular ceramic microfiltration system for water treatment of high turbid source. The filtration time (FT) = 2 min with periodic 6 sec water-back-flushing showed the highest value of dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_o$), and the lowest value of resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), and we acquired the highest total permeate volume $(V_T)\;=\;6.805L$. Also in the result of BT effect at fixed FT = 10 min and BT (back-flushing time) = 20 sec showed the lowest value of $R_f$ and the highest value of $J/J_o$, and we could obtain the highest $V_T\;=\;6.660\;L$. Consequently, FT = 2 min and BT = 6 sec could be the optimal condition in water treatment of high turbid source above 10 NTU. However, FT = 10 min and BT = 20 sec was superior to reduce operating costs because of lower back-flushing frequency. Then the average quality of water treated by our tubular ceramic MF system was turbidity of 0.07 NTU, $COD_{Mn}$ of 1.86 mg/L and $NH_3-N$ of 0.007 mg/L.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.201-212
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• 2014

This study was performed to discover the optimum operation conditions for the advanced water treatment using the ceramic membrane, introduced the first in the nation at the Y water treatment plant (WTP). The result of investigation to find the optimum operation conditions which can continue preserving the filtration performance as well as satisfying both the economics and the water quality is as follows. In the ordinary water quality condition of the Y WTP, the optimum filtration time(the backwash period), which can minimize the production of backwash waste and preserve the membrane performance was examined to be 4.0 hours on basis of institution capacity ($16,000m^3/day$). Examining the recovery rate of TMP from the chemical cleaning (CIP) discovered that the inorganic contaminants, which cause membrane fouling, such as iron, manganese, aluminum, were removed through the acidic cleaning using citric acid, whereas the membrane recovery rate was found to be low. But, on the other hand, the TMP was recovered to the initial value from the alkali cleaning using the NaOCl. Therefore, the main contaminant causing the fouling was determined to be hydrophilic organic compound( biopolymer). The membrane recovery rate is highly influenced by the temperature of the cleaning chemical. That is, the rate increased with increasing temperature.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.170-178
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• 2001

PVC microfiltration membrane was prepared by phase immersion method and applied to membrane bioreactor (MBR) contained activated sludge. The hydrophilicity of membrane and the pore size increase with the amount of additive(PVP) ducting the preparation of membrane. Permeation characteristics and the membrane fouling behavior were investigated by varying the internal environment in MBR using the prepared membranes. When there is a sludge bulking in MBR caused by microorganism, membrane fouling was accumulated. The cake layer resistance, R$_{c}$, of membrane increased in the order of CP-0 > CP-1.0 > CP-1.5. Rc increased up to 3.5~7 fold where the sludge bulking occurred in MBR. CP-1.5 seems to be appropriated membrane on the basis of the surface characteristics and the flux. The average flux of all the test membrane was 12(${\pm}$2) L/$m^2$hr whereas the COD removal efficiency was 98.8%. The ratio of bulking sludge and the type and the size of microorganism in operating MBR accelerate the membrane fouling and flux decline. It is concluded that the characteristic of membrane filtration depends on the hydrophilicity of membrane, the internal environment of MBR reactor and the growth factor of sludge.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2003

This study was focused on the investigation of filtration characteristics of membrane-coupled fermentor system for dissolved organics recovery from liquid organic sludge. On the filterability of MF over the range of $0.1{\sim}5 {\mu}m,$ the magnitude of total membrane resistance ($R_t$) is ranged as follows in the order; $0.1 {\mu}m>0.2{\mu}m>0.5 >1{\mu}m>2{\mu}m>5{\mu}m$. The cake layer resistance ($R_c$) occupied about 68~88% of total resistance with fermented sludge. Permeation flux decline was mainly attributed to the $R_c$, which was formed by a strong deposition from physico-chemical interactions of solids on membrane surface. Higher suspended solids (SS) concentration of suspension caused lower permeation flux. However, there was not a proportion relation beyond a certain SS concentration. The cross-flow velocity on the membrane surface was faster, which resulted in the higher permeation flux and also more efficient with low trans membrane pressure (TMP) in viewpoint of energy efficiency. The appropriate pH of suspension was over the range of 5.0~6.0 for dissolved organics recovery as well as the permeation flux. It is possible f3r bacteria to be separated perfectly with $0.1{\mu}m\; and \;0.2{\mu}m$ membrane pore size. Based on experimental results, most appropriate membrane pore size for the recovery is believed to around $1{\mu}m$.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2008

The Gongji stream water of Chuncheon city was filtrated by 2 kinds of tubular alumina ceramic MF membranes with periodic $N_2$-back-flushing. $N_2$-back-flushing time (BT) was changed in $0{\sim}50$ sec at fixed filtration time (FT), or back-flushing period, of 4 min for NCMT-5231 membrane ($0.05\;{\mu}m$). Then, FT was changed in $0{\sim}32$ min at fixed BT of 40 sec for NCMT-7231 $0.1{\mu}m)$). In the viewpoints of total permeate volume ($V_T$), dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_0$) and resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), the optimal $N_2$-BT was 50 sec, which was the longest BT, at 4 min FT for NCMT-5231. It means the longest BT was the most effective to minimize the membrane fouling, and we could acquire the most $V_T$. But the optimal FT for NCMT-7231 was 16 min in the viewpoint of $V_T$, and was 8 min in the viewpoints of $J/J_0$ and $R_f$ at fixed BT of 40 sec. The rejection rates were excellent as $80.6{\sim}96.6\;%$ for turbidity, $35.2{\sim}58.4%$ for $NH_3$-N, $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for T-P and $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for $COD_{Mn}$. However, the rejection rate of T-N was very low as $2.7{\sim}13.4%$ and it of TDS below 6.1%.