• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.44 no.7
• /
• pp.14-24
• /
• 2002

The effect of reclaimed water irrigation on paddy rice culture was evaluated by pilot study at the experimental field of Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea. The sewage was treated by constructed wetland system, and its effluent was used as irrigation water for four treatments and one control plots with three replications. Irrigation of reclaimed water onto paddy rice cultures did not adversely affect the growth and yield of rice. Instead, experimental rice plots of reclaimed water irrigation displayed about 10 to 50% more yield on average than controls. This implies that reclaimed water irrigation might be beneficial rather than harmful to rice culture as long as the sewage is treated adequately and used properly. The amount of irrigation water had little effect on experimental rice cultures, but its strength was important. The strength of treated sewage was not a limiting factor in this study, and no lodging was observed even with a relatively high nitrogen concentration (up to 160mg/L). In general the paddy soil was not affected by reclaimed water irrigation. However, there was an indication that continuous irrigation with high strength of reclaimed water might cause salt accumulation in the soil. Supplemental use of reclaimed water with existing sources of irrigation water is recommended rather than irrigation with a single source of reclaimed water. Overall, the results demonstrated that reclaimed water could be reused as a supplemental source of irrigation water for paddy rice culture without causing adverse effects as long as it is properly managed. For full-scale application, further investigation should be done on environmental risks, tolerable water quality, and fraction of supplemental irrigation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.433-441
• /
• 2000

A feasibility study was performed to examine the agronomic application of treated sewage on paddy rice culture by field experiment for two consecutive years. The domestic sewage was treated by the constructed wetland system which was in subsurface flow type and consisted of sand and macrophyte. The effluent of the wetland system was used for irrigation water. The effluent was diluted to maintain the total nitrogen concentration below $26mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in the first year and used without dilution in the second year experiment. Growth components and yields were compared against the CONTROL plot where conventional method was applied. And also, soil characteristics of the plots before and after reclaimed sewage irrigation were analyzed. Generally, addition of the treated sewage to the irrigation water showed no adverse effects on paddy rice culture, and even enhancement was noticed in both growth and yield. Irrigation of treated sewage after concentration adjusted with conventional fertilization showed the better result, and the yield exceeded that of CONTROL case where clean water was irrigated. Soil characteristics changed after irrigation, and significant EC increasing was observed for the reclaimed sewage irrigation plots. From this study, it appears that reuse of treated sewage, as supplemental irrigation water could be a feasible and practical alternative. For full-scale application, further study is recommended on the specific guideline of major water quality components in treated sewage for irrigation and public health.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.285-294
• /
• 2012

Current urban stream conditions and their restoration projects were investigated by surveying the urban stream management experts in 29 cities with high population density (more than 1,000person/$km^{2}$). The survey results showed that the ratio of covered urban streams decreased by 1.4% (from 14% to 12.6%) in the last 5 years through steady river restoration projects promoted by governments. Nonetheless, 36.3% of 369 urban streams surveyed still report stream depletion problems; therefore, more efforts to alleviate the problems caused by distorted water circulation of urban streams are still necessary. Water depletion in many local urban streams, unlike national rivers, is accelerated due to negligence in stream management, budget shortage, and other reasons. To prevent stream depletion, the use of reclaimed water is suggested as one of the prevention plans. When available amounts of reused sewage are estimated through actual available nationwide sewage discharges of each watershed and instream flow of stream, annual instream flow supply of 780 million $m^{3}$ is expected; 4.8% reduction in the pollution load of public sewer treatment facilities is expected; and the creation of new value through water reuse service is expected. Thus, it is important for the reviews of feasibility and alternatives of water reuse projects for flow augmentation to consider not only investment budget reductions, but also environmental aspects. Also it is necessary to provide the financial support of unified government with strict water quality management policy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.237-245
• /
• 2017

This study was aimed at investigating effluent water quality and proposing reuse possibilities for 12 sewage treatment plants discharged more than $5,000m^3/day$ in order to recycle the sewage treatment plant effluent of Jeollabuk-do effectively. Additionally, a laboratory scale test for reprocessing water discharge was performed. Categories of reclaimed sewage water reuse were divided into 7 topics and analyzed a total of 28 items including 16 heavy metals based on water quality standard. As a results, color, BOD, TN, chloride and Electrical Conductivity (EC) exceeded reused water quality standard. In particular, color and TN exceeded in 8 and 5 sewage treatment plants, respectively. The value of chloride and EC were high in sewage treatment plants including the food and industrial wastewater. At 4 sewage treatment plants were possible to reuse without re-treatment. The laboratory scale test was conducted to SandFilter (SF)-Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)-MicroFiltraion (MF)-Reverse Osmosis (RO). Both the removal efficiencies and economic feasibility of total E. coli., color and Suspended Solid (SS) suited in case using the SF-GAC treatment method. The removal of chloride and EC had little effect in the case of SF-GAC-MF system, but RO showed over 90% of removal efficiency. After using SF-GAC process only, the concentration of $UV_{254}$ decreased sharply from 0.3651 /cm to 0.0306 /cm and it showed over 92% of removal efficiency rate. In conclusion, for the effective reuse of sewage discharged water, water quality and the surrounding terrain of treatment plants should be all taken into account. If it needed for the reprocessing, both the selection for treatment and economic combination treatment methods will have to be considered.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.37 no.3 s.108
• /
• pp.344-354
• /
• 2004

A pilot study was performed from September 2000 to April 2004 to examine the feasibility of the wetland-pond system for the agricultural reuse of reclaimed water. The wetland system was a subsurface flow type, with a hydraulic residence time of 3.5 days, and the subsequent pond was 8 $m^3$ in volume (2 m ${\times}$ 2 m ${\times}$ 2 m) and operated with intermittent-discharge and continuous flow types. The wetland system was effective in treating the sewage; median removal efficiencies of $BOD_5$ and TSS were above 70.0%, with mean effluent concentrations of 27.1 and 16.8 mg $L^{-1}$, respectively, for these constituents. However, they did often exceed the effluent water quality standards of 20 mg $L^{-1}$. Removal of T-N and T-P was relatively less effective and mean effluent concentrations were approximately 103.2 and 7.2 mg $L^{-1}$, respectively. The wetland system demonstrated high removal rate (92 ${\sim}$ 90%) of microorganisms, but effluent concentrations were in the range of 300 ${\sim}$ 16,000 MPN 100 $mL^{-1}$ which is still high for agricultural reuse. The subsequent pond system provided further treatment of the wetland effluent, and especially additional microorganisms removal in addition to wetland-pond system could reduce the mean concentration to 1,000 MPN 100 $mL^{-1}$ from about $10^5$ MPN 100 $mL^{-1}$ of wetland influent. Other parameters in the pond system showed seasonal variation, and the upper layer of the pond water column became remarkably clear immediately after ice melt. Overall, the wetland system was found to be adequate for treating sewage with stable removal efficiency, and the subsequent pond was effective for further polishing. This study concerned agricultural reuse of reclaimed water using natural systems. Considering stable performance and effective removal of bacterial indicators as well as other water quality parameters, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness, wetland- pond system was thought to be an effective and feasible alternative for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water in rural area.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.55-65
• /
• 2003

Pilot study was conducted to examine the effects of ponded-water depth and reclaimed wastewater irrigation on paddy rice culture. For the ponded-water depth effect, three treatments of shallow, traditional, and deep water depths were applied, and each treatment was triplicated. The irrigation water for the treatment pots was an effluent from constructed wetland system for sewage treatment, while the control pot was irrigated with tap water kept traditional ponded-water depth. Irrigation water quantity varied with ponded-water depth as expected and drainage water quantity also varied similarly, which implies that shallow irrigation might save irrigation water and also reduce environmental impacts on downstream water quality. Rice growth and production were not significantly affected by ponded-water depth within the experimental condition, instead there was an indication of increased production in shallow and deep ponded-water depths compared to the traditional practice. Raising drainage outlet to the adequate height in paddy dike might be beneficial to save water resources within the paddy field. There was no adverse effect observed in reclaimed wastewater irrigation on the rice production, and mean yield was even greater than the control pots with tap water irrigation although statistically not significant. Water-saving irrigation by shallow ponded-water depth, raising the outlet height in diked rice paddy fields, minimizing forced surface drainage by well-planned irrigation, and reclaimed wastewater irrigation are suggested to save water and protect water quality. However, deviation from traditional farming practices might affect rice growth in long term, and therefore, further investigations are recommended before full scale application.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.194-206
• /
• 2003

A pilot study was performed to examine the feasibility of the pond system for further polishing of treatment wetland effluent to agricultural reuse of reclaimed water. The constructed wetland and pond system was installed in Konkuk University and the effluent from septic tank of school building was used as an influent to the wetland system. The effluent of the wetland was used as an influent to pond systems. The influent concentrations of total coliform(TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli were about $10^5$MPN/100 ml, and they were reduced to less than 10,000 MPN/100 ml on average after wetland treatments, showing over 95 % removal. And they were further reduced to less than 1,000 MPN/100 ml in average, showing over 85∼93 % removal after pond treatment. Turbidity and SS were improved effectively on average and their pond effluent concentration was about 4.5 NTU and 9.8 mg/L in average, respectively Average $BOD^5$ concentrations were also reduced substantially to 9.3 mg/L with about 83 % removal rate after wetland and pond treatment systems. Nutrients removal was relatively low and removal rate for T-N and T-P was less than 43 and 44%, respectively after wetland and pond treatment. Considering stable performance and effective removal of bacterial indicators as well as other water quality parameters, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness, pond system was thought to be an effective and feasible alternative for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water. This paper describes a preliminary result Iron pilot study and further investigations are recommended on the optimum design parameters before full scale application.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.1523-1528
• /
• 2012

This study was carried out to develop pilot plant Net3FM(Net Fit Fiber Filter Module) system and to suggest optimum operating condition for municipal wastewater reuse. SS concentration of biologically treated sewage effluent was reduced from 1.5~5.4mg/L to 0.4~1.0mg/L without coagulant injection in Net3FM system, and the SS removal efficiency was average 84.7%. And also, the removal efficiencies of COD and T-P were decreased slightly due to the SS removal by filtration. Coagulation-Filtration test was conducted to enhance the removal efficiencies of SS and T-P. The optimum dosage of coagulant was injected automatically by auto-controlling system, which is controlled by detecting value of turbidity of secondary sewage effluent. SS, COD and T-P concentrations in filtrated effluent were 0.21~0.57, 1.6~6.2 and 0.137~0.392mg/L with coagulant injection by in-line mixer in Net3FM system, respectively. The removal efficiencies of SS and T-P were highly increased to 92.8% and 89.8%, respectively. It was due to the combined the processes of coagulation and filtration. Net3FM system was evaluated that the removal efficiency of pollutants in secondary sewage effluent and the utilization potential as reclaimed water technology were very high.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.37 no.1 s.106
• /
• pp.112-121
• /
• 2004

A study was performed to examine the effects of UV-disinfected reclaimed water on microorganism concentration during rice culture. Four treatments were used and each one was triplicated to evaluate the changes of microorganism concentrations: stream water irrigation (STR), biofilter effluent irrigation (BE), UV-disinfected water irrigation with dose of 6 mW ${\cdot}$ s $cm{-2}$ (UV-6), and UV-disinfected water irrigation with dose of 16 mW ${\cdot}$ s $cm{-2}$ (UV-16). The indicator microorganisms of interest were total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli. The biofilter effluent from 16-unit apartment sewage treatment plant was used as reclaimed water and flowthrough type UV-disinfection system was used. Concentrations of indicator microorganisms in the treatment plots ranged from $10^2$ to $10^5$ MPN/100 mL during 24 hours after irrigation in May and June, where initial irrigation water for transplanting reparation was biofilter-effluent without UV-disinfection. It implies that initial irrigation using only non-disinfected reclaimed water for puddling in paddy field can be health-concerned because of more chance of farmer's physical contact with elevated concentration of microorganisms. The concentrations of microorganisms varied widely with rainfall, and treatments using UV-disinfected water irrigation showed significantly lower concentrations than others and their levels were within the range of paddy rice field with normal surface water irrigation. The mean concentrations of STR and BE during growing season were in the range of 4 ${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for TC, and 2${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for FC and E, Coli, While mean concentrations of UV-S and UV-lS were less than 1${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for all the indicator microorganisms. Overall, UV-disinfection was thought to be feasible and practical alternative for agricultural reuse of secondary level effluent in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.236-244
• /
• 1999

A feasibility study was performed to examine the agronomic application of treated sewage on paddy rice culture by field experiment. The domestic sewage was treated by the constructed wetland system which was in subsurface flow type and consisted of sand and macrophyte. The effluent of the wetland system was adjusted to maintain the total nitrogen concentration below $25mgL^{-1}$ and used for irrigation water. Four treatments include (1) irrigation of treated sewage after concentration adjusted with conventional fertilization (TWCF), (2) irrigation of treated sewage after concentration adjusted with half of the conventional fertilization (TWHF), (3) irrigation of treated sewage after concentration adjusted without fertilization (TWNF), and (4) irrigation of treated sewage as it was without fertilization (SWNF). These cases were compared to the control case of tap water irrigation with conventional fertilization (Control). Generally, addition of the treated sewage to the irrigation water showed no adverse affect on paddy rice culture, and even improvement was noticed in both growth and yields. TWCF showed the best result and the yields exceed the Control in about 10%. Overall performance of the treatments was TWCF, Control, TWHF, TWNF, and SWNF in decreasing order. From this study, it appears that reuse of treated sewage as a supplemental irrigation water could be feasible and practical alternative for ultimate sewage disposal which often causes water quality problem to the receiving water body. For full scale application, further study is recommended on the specific guidelines of major water quality components and public health.