• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.285-290
• /
• 2000

This research was carried out to investigate the runoff pattern of nutrients by rainfall from the paddy field located at the southwest of Korea. Effective rainfalls were 17.0 and 21.2 mm for irrigation and non-irrigation period, respectively. The first runoff in paddy field was 6.3-33.7 mm (average=12.9 mm) and 5.9-12.5 mm (9.2 mm) for irrigation and non-irrigation period, respectively. And runoff ratio was 0.59-1.36 and 0.57-0.86 for irrigation and non-irrigation period, respectively. During irrigation and non-irrigation period, the outflow increased significantly with the precipitation. Pattern of precipitation-runoff differed between irrigation and non-irrigation period, as affected by precipitation intensity, hydrological condition, and cropping. There existed a linear relationship between the runoff loading of N and P and precipitation. During the irrigation and non-irrigation period, runoff loadings of N and P were not significantly different. However, there was significant difference in case of total suspended solids.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.98-106
• /
• 2011

In order to investigate water quality factors controlling chlorophyll-$a$ concentrations, the by-daily monitoring was conducted from February to November 2010 in 4 stations of Masan Bay. Seasonal variability in physico-chemical factors was mainly controlled by freshwater loading as a result of precipitation: chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and nutrient concentrations rapidly increase during the heavy rainy season, whereas they decrease in the dry season. From late winter to mid spring, phosphorus and silica sources relative to Redfield ratio were probably functioned as limiting factor for phytoplankton flourishing in surface waters, but nitrogen concentration during mid-spring to autumn might be responsible for the increase of phytoplankton biomass. The multiple regression analysis revealed that variations in chlorophyll-$a$ concentration may be strongly correlated with changes of water temperature, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved inorganic phosphorus in spring, and salinity, chemical oxygen demand and precipitation in summer. Consequently, in the Masan Bay, a heavy rainfall event is an important factor to determine changes of biotic and abiotic factors, and in addition the dynamics of chlorophyll-$a$ concentration are strongly affected by changes of hydrological factors, especially water temperature, precipitation and nutrients.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.90-102
• /
• 2017

In this study, various types of nutrient models were tested by using two tears's water quality data collected from the stormwater wetland in Korea. Based on results, most important factor influencing nitrogen removal was hydraulic loading rate, which indicates that surface area of wetland is more important than its volumetric capacity, and model proposed by WEF was found to give a least error between measured and calculated values. For the phosphorus, in case assuming a power relationship between rate constant and temperature, the best prediction result were obtained, but temperature was most sensitive parameter affecting phosphorus removal. In addition, denitrification was always a limiting step for the nitrogen removal in this particular wetland mostly due to the lack of carbon source and high dissolved oxygen concentration. In this paper, several alternatives to improve nitrogen removal, including proper arrangement and designation of wetland elements and use of floating plants or synthetic fiber mat to control oxygen level and to capture the algal particles were proposed and discussed.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 2020

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely used to solve water quality problems caused by diffuse pollution from agricultural areas; however, phytoplankton blooms in CW systems can occur due to long hydraulic retention time (HRT), high nutrient loading, and exposure to sunlight. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a CW designed to treat agricultural diffuse pollution and develop a design concept to improve the nature-based capabilities of the system. Monitoring was conducted to assess contribution of individual wetland components (i.e. water, sediments, and plants) in the treatment performance of the system. During dry days, the turbidity and particulates concentration in the CW increased by 80 to 197% and 10 to 87%, respectively, due to the excessive growth of phytoplankton. On storm events, the concentration of particulates, organics, and nutrients were reduced by 43% to 70%, 22% to 49%, and 15% to 69% due to adequate water circulation and constant flushing of pollutants in the system. Based on the results, adequate water circulation is necessary to improve the performance of the CW. Free water surface CWs are usually designed to have a constant water level; however, the climate in South Korea is characterized by distinct dry and rainy seasons, which may not be suitable for this conventional design. This study presented a concept of multifunctional design in order to solve current CW design problems and improve the flood control, water quality management, and environmental functions of the facility.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.11
• /
• pp.781-790
• /
• 2014

Contaminants such as organic matters, nutrients and toxic chemicals in rivers and lakes with a weak flow rate are first removed from the water and accumulated in the sediments. Subsequently, they are released into the water column again, posing direct/indirect adverse effects on the water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In particular, phosphorus is known to accelerate the eutrophication phenomenon when it is released into the water column via physical disturbance and biological/chemical actions as one of important materials that determine the primary production of aquatic ecosystems and an element that is stored mainly in the sediments in the process of material circulation in the body of water. In this study, the effect on reducing phosphorus release in sediments was analyzed by applying different capping materials to lake water, where the effect of aquatic microorganisms is taken into account, and to distilled water, where the effect of microorganisms is excluded. The experimental results showed that capping with chemical materials such as Fe-gypsum and $SiO_2$-gypsum further reduced the phosphorus release by at least 40% compared to the control case. Composite materials like granule gypsum+Sand showed over 50% phosphorus release reduction effect. Therefore, it is determined that capping with chemical materials such as granule-gypsum and eco-friendly materials such as sand is effective in reducing phosphorus release. The changes in phosphorus properties in the sediments before and after capping treatment showed that gypsum input helped to change the phosphorus that is present in lake sediments into apatite-P, a stable form that makes phosphorus release difficult. Based on the above results, it is expected that the application of capping technology will contribute to improving the efficiency of reducing phosphorus release that occurs in river and lake sediments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.277-284
• /
• 2015

In order to analyze the contamination level of sediment samples taken from Chusori and Chudong areas in Daechung Reservoir, the particle size and concentrations of organics and nutrients were analyzed and phosphorus fractionation analysis was conducted. The average fraction of silt-sized particles was 92% in the sediments taken from Chudong area and Chusori area at the site adjacent to main current, which was higher than that from the upper Chusori area. The concentrations of total phosphorus in the sediments at Chusori and Chudong area were 999 (${\pm}98$) and 1,123 (${\pm}119$) mg/kg sediment, respectively. The fractions of autochthonous phosphorus, which can be readily eluted by change of environmental conditions, were much higher than those of allochthonous phosphorus, indicating the internal load can contribute the eutrophication in these areas. The concentrations of total nitrogen were over 5,600 mg/kg sediment in all samples, which is the guideline of Contamination Assessment of River and Lake Sediments of the Ministry of Environment, indicating the contamination level of total nitrogen is serious in the sediments. It is concluded that the countermeasures to manage the quality of sediments are required to improve the water quality in the Daechung Reservoir.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.253-261
• /
• 2007

Molecular and cultivation techniques were used to characterize the bacterial communities of biobead reactor biofilms in a sewage treatment plant to which an Aerated Up-Flow Biobead process was applied. With this biobead process, the monthly average values of various chemical parameters in the effluent were generally kept under the regulation limits of the effluent quality of the sewage treatment plant during the operation period. Most probable number (MPN) analysis revealed that the population of denitrifying bacteria was abundant in the biobead #1 reactor, denitrifying and nitrifying bacteria coexisted in the biobead #2 reactor, and nitrifying bacteria prevailed over denitrifying bacteria in the biobead #3 reactor. The results of the MPN test suggested that the biobead #2 reactor was a transition zone leading to acclimated nitrifying biofilms in the biobead #3 reactor. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences cloned from biofilms showed that the biobead #1 reactor, which received a high organic loading rate, had much diverse microorganisms, whereas the biobead #2 and #3 reactors were dominated by the members of Proteobacteria. DGGE analysis with the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene supported the observation from the MPN test that the biofilms of September were fully developed and specialized for nitrification in the biobead reactor #3. All of the DNA sequences of the amoA DGGE bands were very similar to the sequence of the amoA gene of Nitrosomonas species, the presence of which is typical in the biological aerated filters. The results of this study showed that organic and inorganic nutrients were efficiently removed by both denitrifying microbial populations in the anaerobic tank and heterotrophic and nitrifying bacterial biofilms well-formed in the three functional biobead reactors in the Aerated Up-Flow Biobead process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.340-354
• /
• 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton biomass and community composition in Jinhae Bay on the southern coast of Korea. Phytoplankton pigment analysis was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) were conducted from April to December 2019 at seven stations. Temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO) and inorganic nutrients (dissolved nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus, and orthosilicic acid) were measured to investigate the environmental factors associated with the structure of phytoplankton community. Phytoplankton biomass (Chl-a) was the highest in July (mean 15.4±4.3 ㎍/L) and the lowest in December (mean 3.5±0.6 ㎍/L). Fucoxanthin was the most abundant carotenoid and showed a similar variation pattern to Chl-a, peridinin, and Chl-b. Phytoplankton community composition analysis showed that diatoms were a predominant group with an average abundance of 70 % whereas chlorophytes, cryptophytes, and dinoflagellates often appeared with lower averages. Further, the dominance of diatoms was closely correlated with water temperature and N:P ratio, which might be influenced by high temperatures in the summer and nutrient loading from the land. Additionally, freshwater and nutrient input by rainfall was estimated to be the most important environmental factor. Hence, the spatial and temporal variations in the composition of phytoplankton pigments and phytoplankton community were correlated with physicochemical and environmental parameters.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.291-304
• /
• 2023

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become an increasing concern in terms of human health risks as well as aesthetic impairment due to their toxicity. The reduction of water pollutants, especially nutrients from non-point sources in a reservoir watershed, is fundamental for HABs prevention. We investigated the pollutant removal efficiencies of a constructed wetland to evaluate its feasibility as a method for controlling non-point sources located in the Annaecheon stream within the Daecheong Reservoir watershed. The overall removal efficiencies of pollutants were as follows: BOD 14.3%, COD 17.9%, SS 50.0%, T-N 19.0%, and T-P 35.4%. These results indicate that constructed wetlands are effective in controlling pollutants from non-point sources. The seasonal variation in removal efficiency depended on the specific pollutants. The removal efficiencies of BOD, COD, and T-N were stable throughout the year, except during winter, which might have been influenced by lower microorganism activity. In contrast, T-P showed a consistent removal efficiency even during the winter season, suggesting that the wetland can reduce external phosphorus loading to the reservoir. Regarding the effects of pollutant loadings on removal efficiency, the effluent concentrations of all pollutants were significantly decreased compared to those in the influent in case of middle and high loadings. This demonstrates that constructed wetlands can handle high pollutant loads, including the initial runoff during rainfall, to prevent reservoir eutrophication. Despite the various strengths of wetland water purification, there are limitations as passive treatment. Therefore, more case studies should be conducted to suggest optimum operational conditions for constructed wetlands, taking into consideration reservoir-specific characteristics.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2023

This batch experiment was conducted to investigate the patterns of major plant nutrients in the leachates from the soil that was incorporated with rice hull biochar adjusted pH with dry fish powder utilizing rice hull biochar for loading the soil microorganisms. The rice hull biochar adjusted pH between 6.0 and 7.0, and the mixture ratio of rice hull biochar and dry fish powder was 4:6. The treatments consisted of three; the soil incorporated with rice hull biochar non-adjusted pH with dry fish powder as control (RB + DF), the soil incorporated with rice hull biochar adjusted pH by pyroligneous acid solution and dry fish powder (RBP+DF), and the soil incorporated with rice hull biochar adjusted pH by citric acid solution and dry fish powder (RBC+DF). NH₄-N, NO₃-N, PO₄-P, and K concentrations in the leachates were analyzed during incubation. The accumulated NH₄-N and PO₄-P concentrations in the leachates from the RBC+DF treatment were the highest during leaching periods. The highest accumulated NO₃-N and K concentrations in the leachates from the RBP+DF treatment were observed. It observed that NH₄-N and PO₄-P were more released in the adjusted citric acid solution, but NO₃-N and K were less released than those in the pyroligneous acid solution due to their low absorption capacity. Furthermore, it is necessary to investigate crop growth responses to the soil incorporated with adjusted pH rice hull biochar and dry fish powder for loading soil microorganisms.