• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Eutrophication and algal blooms can lead to increase of taste and odor compounds and health problems by cyanobacterial toxins. To cope with these eco-social issues, Ministry of Environment in Korea has been reinforcing the effluent standards of wastewater treatment facilities. As a result, various advanced phosphorus removal processes have been adopted in each wastewater treatment plant nation-widely. However, a lot of existing advanced wastewater treatment processes have been facing the problems of expensive cost in operation and excessive sludge production caused by high dosage of coagulant. In this study, the sedimentation and dissolved air flotation (SeDAF) process integrated with sedimentation and flotation has been developed for enhanced phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment facilities. Design and operating parameters of the SeDAF process with the capacity of 100 ㎥/d were determined, and a demonstration plant has been installed and operated at I wastewater treatment facility (located in Gyeonggi-do) for the verification of field applicability. Several empirical evaluations for the SeDAF process were performed at demonstration-plant scale, and the results showed clearly that T-P and turbidity values of treated water were to satisfy the highest effluent standards below 0.2 mg/L and 2.0 NTU stably for all of operation cases.

• Journal of Korea Society of Waste Management
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.653-659
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• 2018

In the industrial wastewater that occupies a large proportion of river pollution, the wastewater generated in textile, leather, and plating industries is hardly decomposable. Though dyeing wastewater has generally been treated using chemical and biological methods, its characteristics cause treatment efficiencies such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids (SS) to be reduced only in the activated sludge method. Currently, advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of dyeing wastewater is being developed worldwide. Electro-coagulation is highly adapted to industrial wastewater treatment because it has a high removal efficiency and a short processing time regardless of the biodegradable nature of the contaminant. In this study, the effects of the current density and the electrolyte condition on the COD removal efficiency in dyeing wastewater treatment by using electro-coagulation were tested with an aluminum anode and a stainless steel cathode. The results are as follows: (1) When the current density was adjusted to $20A/m^2$, $40A/m^2$, and $60A/m^2$ under the condition without electrolyte, the COD removal efficiency at 60 min was 62.3%, 72.3%, and 81.0%, respectively. (2) The removal efficiency with NaCl addition was 7.9% higher on average than that with non-addition at all current densities. (3) The removal efficiency with $Na_2SO_4$ addition was 4.7% higher on average than that with non-addition at all current densities.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

Due to the physical-chemical characteristics of some bottom ash (BA), there are technical, economic and environmental limitations to find a destination that will add value to it. In Brazil, this residue is eventually used for filling coal extraction pits or remains in sedimentation ponds, creating a susceptible panorama to environmental issues. The geopolymers binders are one of the alternatives to the proper use high amounts of these materials. In this work, geopolymeric binder pastes were produced with BA mixed to activators with different alkali contents (expressed as %Na₂O), as well as the incorporation of soluble silicates (Ms content). The production of binary geopolymeric pastes based on the use of two industrial wastes: fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and aluminum anodizing sludge (AAS), was also assessed. The content in mass of BA/FCC and BA/AAS ranged from 100/0, 90/10; 80/20 and 70/30. Systems with soluble silicates as activator in a molar ratio SiO₂/Na₂O of 1.0 (Ms = 1.0) and Na₂O content of 15%, showed the best results of mechanical strength (42 MPa at day 28^th). The improvement is up to 5X when compared to NaOH based systems. For systems with partial replacement of BA of 10% of AAS and 20% of FCC (80/20), the presence of soluble silicates was also effective to increase compressive strength.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.671-678
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• 2023

Objective: Previous studies isolated the thermophilic ammonium-tolerant (TAT) bacterium Bacillus sp. TAT105 that grew in composting swine manure with the assimilation of ammonium nitrogen and reduced ammonia emissions during composting. Those studies also investigated the potential for applications of TAT105 to composting. It was observed that the concentration of TAT bacteria, phylogenetically close to TAT105, increased during composting. The objectives of this study were to identify the phylogenetic placement of these TAT bacteria and investigate their distribution in various composts. Methods: The phylogenetic placement of TAT105 was examined based on the sequence of 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The genomic DNA homology between TAT105 and the type strains of bacterial species that were phylogenetically close to TAT105 were examined by DNA-DNA hybridization. Moreover, the tolerances of these strains to NH₄Cl and NaCl were analyzed using a cultivation method. Concentrations of TAT bacteria in various composts were evaluated using an agar medium specific to TAT bacteria and polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results: TAT105 was most closely related to Bacillus thermolactis and Bacillus kokeshiiformis. Many variants of these species have been detected in various environments, including composts. The type strains of these species displayed TAT characteristics that were similar to those of TAT105. Among the composts examined in this study, TAT bacteria were detected at high concentrations (10⁵ to 10⁹ colony forming units per gram of dry matter) in most of the composts made from cattle manure, swine manure, bark, and excess sludge. Conclusion: TAT bacteria comprised B. thermolactis, B. kokeshiiformis, and their phylogenetically close relatives. They were considered to be adaptable to composting of some certain materials, and a favorable target for searching for strains with some useful function that could be applied to composting of these materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.134-134
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• 2019

Utilization of organic waste as a renewable energy source is promising for sustainability and mitigation of climate change. Pyrolysis converts organic waste to gas, oil, and biochar by incomplete biomass combustion. Biochar is widely used as a soil conditioner and adsorbent. Biochar adsorbs/desorbs metals and ions depending on the soil environment and condition to act as a nutrient buffer in soils. Biochar is also regarded as a carbon storage by fixation of organic carbon. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are strictly controlled in many wastewater treatment plants because it causes eutrophication in water bodies. P and N is removed by biological and chemical methods in wastewater treatment plants and transferred to sludge for disposal. On the other hand, P is an irreplaceable essential element for all living organisms and its resource (phosphate rock) is estimated about 100 years of economical mining. Therefore, P and N recovery from waste and wastewater is a critical issue for sustainable human society. For the purpose, intensive researches have been carried out to remove and recover P and N from waste and wastewater. Previous studies have shown that biochars can adsorb and desorbed phosphates implying that biochars could be a complementary fertilizer. However, most of the conventional biochar have limited capacity to adsorb phosphates and nitrate. Recent studies have focused on biochar impregnated with metal salts to improve phosphates and nitrate adsorption by synthesizing biochars with novel structures and surface properties. Metal salts and metal oxides have been used for the surface modification of biochars. If P removal is the only concern, P adsorption kinetics and capacity are the only important factors. If both of P and N removal and the application of recovery are concerned, however, P and N desorption characteristics and bioavailability are also critical factors to be considered. Most of the researches on impregnated biochars have focused on P removal efficiency and kinetics. In this study, coffee waste is thermally treated to produce biochar and it was impregnated with Mg/Al to enhance phosphates and nitrate adsorption/desorption and P bioavailability to increase its value as a fertilizer. Kinetics of phosphates and nitrate adsorption/desorption and bioavailability analysis were carried out to estimate its potential as a P and N removal adsorbent in wasewater and a fertilizer in soil.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.831-838
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• 2008

This study investigated the characteristics of nitrogen removal and microbial community in a lab-scale A$_2$O activated sludge process filled with the fluidized media at an aerebic basin. The change of microbial community was monitored based on quinone profiles of activated sludge according to feeding sewage with/without external carbon source. Low C/N ratio(COD$_{Cr}$/T-N of 1.24) sewage was fed. The obtained results from this study were as follows; Ubiquinone(UQ) in the influent was in the descending order of UQ-8, UQ-10 and UQ-9. Menaquinone(MK) was simpler and much less than UQ. The ratio of UQ/MK was less than 0.41 and the dissimilarity was below 0.26. Without an external carbon source, MK-8 was the dominant species and there were 3 kinds of quinone species and low DQ and EQ values in an anaerobic basin. The ratio of UQ/MK increased to 2.3 in an anoxic basin. In an oxic basin, UQ-7 and UQ-8 were the dominant species. UQ-7 was dominating in suspended microorganisms, while UQ-8 was in attached microorganisms. With an external carbon source addition, MK-8 decreased but UQ-8 increased in an anaerobic basin. So did quinone species, DQ and EQ values. There was also a change in an anoxic basin with the improvement of denitrification. UQ-8 decreased instead, MK-7 and MK-8 increased. UQ/MK ratio decreased 2.3 to 1.4. It means that the dominant species change from Pseudomonas sp. to Bacillus and Micrococcus species. etc. In an oxic basin, UQ-8 replaced UQ-7 in suspended microorganisms and UQ-10 replaced UQ-8 in attached microbials. This seemed related with the growth of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobactor species.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.45-52
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• 2015

With the rising interest in the environment, more attention on ecological restoration for damaged slope surface to restore its original state has been drawn. Generally, the most useful method is vegetation based spray work. This method uses green soil including sewage sludge, sawdust, paper sludge, and weathered granite soil. However, because there are neither accurate information nor test values about green soil, green soil is often lost by environmental factors such as rainfalls and strong winds. To solve the problem of green soil, it is necessary to prepare design standards about green soil, and conduct studies to deal with green soil loss in consideration of various variables including basic material property, soil quality of slope surface, and weather. This study was conducted in the mixture of green soil and eco-friendly soil stabilizer. With green soil, basic material property test and compaction test were conducted for the analysis on the basic characteristics of green soil. In the mixture with soil stabilizer at a certain ratio, we conducted shear strength test depending on the ratio in order to analyze the maximum shear strength, cohesion and the change in internal friction angles. Furthermore, in the mixture ratio of green soil and soil stabilizer, which is the same as the ratio in the shear strength test, an inclination of slope surface was made in laboratory for the analysis on erosion and germination rate. Finally, this study evaluated the most effective and economic mixing ratio of soil stabilizer to cope with neighboring environmental factors. According to the test, the shear strength of green soil increased up to 51% rely onto the mixing ratio of and a curing period, and its cohesion and internal friction angle also gradually increases. It is judged that the mixture of soil stabilizer was effective in improving shear strength and thereby increased the stability of green soil.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.7227-7236
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• 2015

The survey revealed that, due to the discharge characteristics of seafood wastewater, irregular inflow loads were caused, making it difficult to treat the wastewater safely. It is crucial for the operation of pressure and floating tanks for the treatment of high-concentration organic wastewater such as seafood wastewater. The survey of operation factors for the pressure and floating tanks revealed this: A/S ratio 0.05 (design criteria 0.01), the pressurized air pressure 8bar(design criteria 6bar), the pressure tank pressure 6bar (design criteria 4.5bar), and HRT 60sec(design criteria: 10sec). Also, the recirculation rate was changed to over 40%(design criteria: 30%), and the surface load rate was changed to under $13.7m^3/m^2{\cdot}hr$(design criteria: under $17.7m^3/m^2{\cdot}hr$); thus, compared to the initial design criteria, the operation factors were changed according to inflow characteristics, thus enhancing the pressure and floating tank performance. The survey of inflow load revealed BOD 140.7%, $COD_{Mn}$ 120.32%, and SS 106.3%, compared to the inflow design criteria, as well as T-N 135.5% and T-P173.3%, higher than the design criteria. The survey of the treatment facility annual operation cost revealed high portions in sludge treatment cost(27.7%) and chemicals costs(26.0%), and the sludge treatment cost will likely further increase due to the ban on ocean dumping. The unit cost for the treatment of seafood wastewater was found to be KRW 3,858 per ton, more than 27 times higher than the sewage treatment cost(KRW 142.6/ton), presumably because the seafood wastewater contains high-concentration organic substances and nutritive salts.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.709-716
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• 2021

In this study, an adsorbent prepared by natural drying of iron hydroxide-based sludge collected from settling basin at a mine drainage treatment facility located in Gangneung, Gangwon-do was used to remove fluoride in an artificial fluoride solution and mine drainage, and the adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent were investigated. As a result of analyzing the chemical composition, mineralogical properties, and specific surface area of the adsorbent used in the experiment, iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) occupies 79.2 wt.% as the main constituent, and a peak related to calcite (CaCO₃) in the crystal structure analysis was analyzed. It was also identified that an irregular surface and a specific surface area of 216.78 m²·g^-1. In the indoor batch-type experiment, the effect of changes in reaction time, pH, initial fluoride concentration and temperature on the change in adsorption amount was analyzed. The adsorption of fluoride showed an adsorption amount of 3.85 mg·g^-1 16 hours after the start of the reaction, and the increase rate of the adsorption amount gradually decreased. Also, as the pH increased, the amount of fluoride adsorption decreased, and in particular, the amount of fluoride adsorption decreased rapidly around pH 5.5, the point of zero charge at which the surface charge of the adsorbent changes. Meanwhile, the results of the isotherm adsorption experiment were applied to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption models to infer the fluoride adsorption mechanism of the used adsorbent. To understand the thermodynamic properties of the adsorbent using the Van't Hoff equation, thermodynamic constants 𝚫H° and 𝚫G° were calculated using the adsorption amount information obtained by increasing the temperature from 25℃ to 65℃ to determine the adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent. Finally, the adsorbent was applied to the mine drainage having a fluoride concentration of about 12.8 mg·L^-1, and the fluoride removal rate was about 50%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1319-1330
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• 2000

Activated carbons prepared by chemical activation of organic waste sludges with $ZnCl_2$ and $K_2S$ have been studied in terms of their pore development and adsorptivity. Pore development of the carbons prepared from organic waste sludges was characterized by the nitrogen adsorption at 77K. The $ZnCl_2$-activated carbon produced by chemical activation with zinc chloride exhibited type I isotherm characteristics according to the BDDT classification, suggesting the presence of micropores formed by activation process. The isotherms of the commercial powdered activated carbon and $K_2S$-activated carbon reveal a hysteresis similar to that of type IV in BDDT classification, indicating the formation of mesopores. This result implies that the major pores of $K_2S$-activated carbon are composed of meso and micropores, and a macropores are minor. The adsorptive capacities of metal on the $K_2S$-activated carbon prepared from organic waste sludges were found to be superior to those on a commercial granular activated carbon. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms yield a fairly good fit to the adsorption data, indicating a monolayer adsorption of metals onto $K_2S$-activated carbon. The adsorptive capacity of the $K_2S$-activated carbon was superior to $ZnCl_2$-activated carbon for $PO_4$-P, and vice versa for $NO_3$-N. From the results of the studies reported here, it can be concluded that activated carbons with adsorptivity superior to commercial granular activated carbons can be produced from organic waste sludge using a two-step carbonization/activation procedure with zinc chloride or potassium sulfide as the activating agents.