• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.105-126
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• 2003

In Korea most of annual rainfall is concentrated in several episodic heavy rains during the season of summer monsoon and typhoon. Because of uneven rainfall distribution many dams have been constructed in order to secure water supply in dry seasons. The Han River system has the most dams among Korean rivers, and the river is a series of dams now. Reservoirs need different strategy of water quality control from river water. Autochthonous organic matter and phosphorus should be the major target to be controlled in lakes. In this Paper some problems are discussed that makes efforts of water quality improvement ineffective in lakes of Korea, even after the substantial investment to wastewater treatment facilities.1) Phosphorus is the key factor controlling eutrophication of lakes and the reduction ofphosphors should be the major target of water treatment. However, water quality management strategy in Korea is still stream-oriented, and focused on BOD removal from sewage. Phosphorus removal efficiency remains as low as 10-30%, because biological treatment is adopted for both secondary treatment and advanced treatment. The standard for TP concentration of the sewage treatment plant effluent is 6 mgP/l in most of regions, and 2 mg/l in enforced region near metropolitan water intake point. TP in the effluents of sewage treatment plants are usually 1-2 mg/1, and most of plants meet the effluent regulation without a further phosphorus removal process. The generous TP standard for effluents discourages further efforts to improve phosphorus removal efficiency of sewage treatment. Considering that TP standard for the effluent is below 0.1 mg/l in some countries, it should be amended to below 0.1 mg/l in Korea, especially in the watershed of large lakes.2) Urban runoff and combined sewer overflow are not treated, even though their total loading into lakes can be comparable to municipal sewage discharges on dry days. Chemical coagulation and rapid settling might be the solution to urban runoff in regard of intermittent operation on only rainy days.3) Aggregated precipitation in Korea that is concentrated on several episodic heavyrains per year causes a large amount of nonpoint source pollution loading into lakes. It makes the treatment of nonpoint source discharge by methods of other countries of even rain pattern, such as retention pond or artificial wetland, impractical in Korea.4) The application rate of fertilizers in Korea is ten times as high as the average ofOECD countries. The total manure discharge from animal farming is thought to be over the capacity of soil treatment in Korea. Even though large portion of manure is composted for organic fertilizer, a lot of nutrients and organic matter emanates from organic compost. The reduction of application rate and discharge rate of phosphorus from agricultural fields should be encouraged by incentives and regulations.5) There is a lot of vegetable fields with high slopes in the upstream region of the HanRiver. Soil erosion is severe due to high slopes, and fertilizer is discharged in the form of adsorbed phosphorus on clay surface. The reduction of soil erosion in the upland area should be the major preventive policy for eutrophication. Uplands of high slope must be recovered to forest, and eroded gullies should be reformed into grass-buffered natural streams which are wider and resistant to bank erosion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2007

The reciprocal effects towards the enhanced biological phosphorus removal were performed for anaerobic, aerobic and anoxic phases. The batch experiments showed that the p-absorption in the anoxic phase was 50% lower than aerobic phase. The correlation coefficient between p-back-solution and p-absorption was found to be $R^2=0.557$ however, the coefficient b(b = 8.4049) was relatively higher than the other researchers results. The increase and/or acceptance of the $K^+-,\;Mg^{2+}-$ and $NH_4-N$-concentration was proportional to those of the $PO_4-P$-concentration in the batch test. The relationship between $K^+-,\;Mg^{2+}$ and $PO_4-P$ was determined. The average value of this relation-ship agreed with 0.2 mol $K^+Ion$ / mol $PO_4-P$ ion and 0.21 mol $Mg^{2+}Ion$ / moi $PO_4-P$ ion in the anaerobic phase. The absorbed ratio of $K^+$ to $Mg^{2+}$ over $PO_4-P$ was found to be 1 : 5.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2003

This study was carried out to develop INSUB(Indirected Aerated Submerged Biofilter) which can remove organics, nitrogen and phosphorus with an advanced treatment system. The results were as followed in laboratory model experiment. As for treatment of sewage, when economical efficiency was considered in practice, the highest removal efficiency was at 18hr of HRT, 1.017m/hr of superficial velocity and 40% of media packing ratio. Each removal efficiency for $COD_{cr}$, $COD_{Mn}$, $BOD_5$, T-N, and T-P was 90.6, 85.3, 95.0, 52.3 and 56.8%. To remove the nitrogen and phosphorus With high efficiency, first of all, denitrification have to be completed, then uptake of phosphorus have to completed. Therefor, mixture of anoxic and aerobic reactor was necessary for the high removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus in INSUB.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.77-80
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• 2000

Various analytical methods such as electron microscopy, quinone analysis, and 16S rDNA sequencing studies were used to investigate the microbial communities and to identify the microorganisms responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) in an anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with acetate. Electron photomicrographs showed that oval-shaped microorganisms of about $0.7\;{\sim}\;1\;{\mu}m$ in diameter dominated the microbial sludge. These microorganisms contained polyphosphate granules and glycogen inclusions, which suggests that they are a kind of phosphorus accumulating organism. Quinone and 16S rRNA sequence analyses showed that the members of Proteobacteria beta subclass were the most abundant species, which were affiliated with the Rhodocyclus-likes group. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two dominating clones of the beta subclass were most distantly related to Propionivibrio dicarboxylicus DSM 5885 and Rhodocyclus tenuis DSM 109 with about 95% and 96% sequence similarity, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the oval-shaped organisms related to the Rhodocyclus-likes group are likely to be responsible for biological phosphorus removal in SBR operation supplied with acetate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.29-35
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to remove the organics, nitrogen and phosphorus using biosorption for the domestic sewage. The new process using biosorption is based on the methods of contact-stabilization, which remove the organics by absorbing them to the surface of the microorganism in the activated sludge. This process consists of biosorption reactor, biosorption clarifier, nitrifying reactor, nitrifying clarifier, denitrifying reactor, phosphorus uptake(polishing) reactor and final clarifier. The efficiency of removal could be reached 91% for organics, 76% for nitrogen, 90% for phosphorus in Eujungbu pilot plant. We operated the plant which irrigated $10m^3$ per day for sewage. During our operation the HRT(Hydraulic Retention time) was maintained for 10.5hr, but it could be reduced as 8.5hr according to our operation results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.745-753
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• 2007

By struvite and hydroxyapatite crystallization, was high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater simultaneously. Particularly, removal of nitrogen and phosphate for crystallization have been applied to landfill leachates and animal wastewater. The purpose of this study is to decide the optimum struvite crystallization factors, sequence of $Mg^{2+}$ addition, pH control and the molar ratio of $Mg^{2+}$ over $PO_4^{3-}$. In conclusion, dosage of the magnesium followed by pH control formed magnesium hydroxide, so pH was decreased. Therefore, pH adjustment should followed by after magnesium dosage and then pH should be adjusted to 11. Over pH 10, it was not good for struvite crystallization efficiency by side reaction. Following of the $Mg^{2+}$ and the $PO_4^{3-}$ are dosed excessively, the removal efficiency of the $NH_4^+$ increased. A molar ratio of $Mg^{2+}:NH_4^+:PO_4^{3-}$, 1.3:1:1.3 was the most on effective for $NH_4^+$ removal at pH 9.5. But for the perfect removal $NH_4^+$, it is thought to be that molar ratio should be 2:1:2.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.1261-1265
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• 2002

This study was focused on the investigation of the characteristics of organics and nitrogen removal with the recycle ratio in anoxic/oxic(A/O) packed bed process that consisted of the anoxic reactor and the aerobic reactor. As increasing the recycle ratio by 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, the COD removal efficiency increased by 94.0%, 98.5%, 98.8% respectively. The aerobic reactor showed the perfect nitrification efficiency by 98.5%, 99.2%, 98.0% respectively. The T-N removal efficiency with the recycle ratio, increased by 56%, 67%, 70% respectively. As increasing the recycle ratio by 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, T-P removal efficiency decreased by 62.1%, 57.4%, 51.3% respectively. The process by releasing the stored phosphorus in the anoxic reactor and uptaking the excess phosphorus in the aerobic reactor, occurred well comparatively when recycle ratio is 0.5. But this process did not occur when the recycle ratio is 1.0 and 2.0. And optimum pH of nitrification was about 6~7 and alkalinity decreased as nitrification rate increased. As increasing the recycle ratio in the anoxic reactor, DO concentration and ORP increased.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.124-132
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• 2017

The performance of electrolytic processes using copper and catalyzed electrodes for enhanced nutrient removal with various catalyzers and combinations of electrodes was evaluated. The catalyzed electrodes removed more ammonia nitrogen than the copper electrode, but higher ammonia removal was achieved using a Pt/Ti anode. On the other hand, electrolysis using the Pt/Cu anode consumed less energy and cost less. During electroreduction, nitrate was better removed by a pair of copper electrodes than by the catalyzed electrodes. During electrolysis of synthetic wastewater, ammonia removal not only increased owing to direct oxidation at the anode, but was also influenced by indirect oxidation at the cathode. Platinum-coated copper and titanium cathodes actively produced oxidizers and thus removed more ammonia than a pure metal cathode. Although phosphorus was removable irrespective of the type of catalyzer, electrocoagulation using the copper electrode achieved complete removal of phosphorus in a period of less than 10 min.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.418-427
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• 2015

This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of a lab-scale novel septic tank system for improving the conventional septic tank in the developing countries of water shortages. The lab-scale novel septic tank system consists of sepetic tank, aeration tank with HBC-ring, and sand filter. Optimum HRT was reguired about 1.5days to get a total COD removal efficiency of 90%, COD, BOD and SS removal efficiency was about 70%, 60%, and 85% in sepetic tank only. The structure of sepetic tank with two stages results in the high removal efficiency of organic matter. When sepetic tank, aeration tank, and sand filter were more than HRT 1.5days, 18hrs, and 12hrs, respectively, final effluent was less than 20 mg/L of BOD, 14 mg/L of SS, so that there is a high potential of its use for reusing water in flush toilet. There is no significant effect of HRT change on nutrient removal. Total nitrogen removal efficiency was about 40%, final effluent was 30~40 mg/L of TN, total phosphorus removal efficiency was about 11~25%, final effluent was 9~12 mg/L of TP. Because there is very small amounts of organic nitrogen and phosphorus in effluent, it was possible to reuse water for agricultural use.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Constructed wetlands are low-cost alternatives for treating domestics sewage. However, previous study has reported that the removal of phosphorus in constructed wetlands was limited. Therefore, a new alternative was needed to extend the life of the constructed wetlands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of total phosphorus removal by oyster shell on longevity of constructed wetlands for treating domestic sewage. METHODS AND RESULTS: The changes of total phosphorus concentration and treatment efficiency in two constructed wetlands (CWs) classified as system A (coarse sand 100%) and system B (coarse sand 90%+oyster shell 10%) were investigated for 6 years. The actual saturation time of total phosphorus in the systems A and B was estimated to be longer than that of theoretical saturation by adsorption isotherm experiment. In particular, the saturation pattern of phosphorus in system A was maintained at a certain concentration level in the initial stage of operation, and finally saturation was reached as the saturation gradually progressed from the breaking point. In system B, the saturation period of phosphorus was prolonged as compared with system A due to the addition of oyster shells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the longevity of the constructed wetlands can be extended due to the phosphorus saturation by adding the oyster shells to the coarse sands in constructed wetlands.