• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2012

A simple in-situ methane enrichment system in mesophilic anaerobic digestion was developed to take advantage of the differing solubilities of $CO_2$ and methane. The methane enhancement systems consisted of low solids plug-flow maize digester coupled with a leachate recycle loop to an external $CO_2$ stripper. The effects of leachate recycle rate (LRR) and reactor alkalinity on the resulting offgas $CH_4$ contents, biogas productivity and TVS removal efficiency were quantitively evaluated. The results showed that offgas $CH_4$ contents of over 94% was achieved at 3 volume of leachate recycle per volume of reactor per day (3 v/v-d) and at the reactor alkalinity of 4 g/L as $CaCO_3$, as the optimum operating conditions. The TVS removal efficiency of the methane enhancement system was 79% which corresponds to 94% of the control reactor and the methane productivity appeared to be 0.71 v/v-d. Offgas methane contents correlated well with LRR. However excessively high LRR led to the decrease in TVS removal efficiency.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.418-425
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• 2015

Anaerobic Filters (AF) packed with porous ceramic floating media were operated at different operational conditions to identify the feasibility of the renewable bioenergy, methane production from swine wastewater and to verify the suitability of effluent from anaerobic filters for the subsequent biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Stepwise increase in organic loading rates (OLRs) or decrease in hydraulic retention times (HRTs) with influent TCOD concentration of 14,000 mg/L were utilized at mesophilic temperature. The maximum methane productivity of 1.74 volume of $CH_4$ per volume of reactor per day (v/v-d) was achieved at an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.5 day (OLR 28 g TVS/L-d). Based on the biogas production, the highest total volatile solids (TVS) removal efficiency of 63% was obtained at an HRT of 3 days (OLR 4.67 g TVS/L-d), however based on the result from the effluent total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) analysis, the highest TCOD removal efficiency of 75% was achieved. The effluent alkalinity concentration over the range of 2,050~2,980 mg/L as $CaCO_3$ at all operational conditions, could compensate the alkalinity destruction caused by nitrification. The effluent from the anaerobic filter operated under the HRT of 2 days showed the COD/TKN ratio of 15~35 and COD/TP ratio of 38~56. Therefore effluent C/N/P ratio is able to satisfy the optimum COD/TKN ratio of greater than 8.0 and COD/TP ratio of 33 for the subsequent biological nutrient removal.

• Journal of Korea Society of Waste Management
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.731-743
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• 2018

This study was performed to test the feasibility of thermophilic ($55^{\circ}$) co-digestion of municipal sewage sludge and food wastes. The management variables of co-digestion were the mixed ratios of municipal sewage sludge and food waste hydraulic retention times (HRTs). During the operation of thermophilic co-digestion, the reactor pH ranged from 7.0 to 7.5 and the reactor alkalinity remained above 3,200 to 4,000 mg/L as $CaCO_3$. The volatile fatty acids concentration increased as the HRT shortened from 20 days to 10 days and the mixture ratio increased to 1:4, but did not reach toxic levels for co-digestion of sewage sludge and food wastes. Methane productivity increased gradually as the organic loading rate increased. Maximum methane productivity reached 1.03v/v-d at an HRT of 10 days and at the mixture ratio of 1:4. The TVS removal efficiency decreased from 70.6% to 58.3% as the HRT shortened from 20 days to 10 days. TVS removal efficiency ranged from 57.0% to 77% during the entire operation. It is likely that thermophilic co-digestion of sewage sludge and food wastes is a very effective method both to environmentally treat food waste and to economically produce gas for energy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.696-704
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• 2015

This study was carried out to evaluate the optimum operational condition of Semi-continuously Fed and Mixed Reactor (SCFMR) to treat the dairy cow manure and saw dust mixture. Step-wise increase in organic loading rates (OLRs) or decrease in hydraulic retention times (HRTs) were utilized until the biogas volume became significantly decreased at mesophilic temperature ($35^{\circ}C$). The optimum operating condition of the SCFMR fed with TS 13% dairy cow manure and saw dust mixture was found to be an HRTs of 25 days and its corresponding OLRs of $4.45kg\;VS/m^3-day$. At this condition the biogas and methane production rates were 1.44 v/v-d and 1.12 v/v-d (volume of biogas per volume of reactor per day), respectively and the TVS removal efficiency of 37% was achieved. The successful operation with such a high OLR was due to the high reactor alkalinity concentration of 14,500~15,600 mg/L as $CaCO_3$ as a result of the characteristic of the original substrate, dairy cow manure and saw dust mixture whose alkalinity was more than 8,000 mg/L as $CaCO_3$. The parameters for the reactor stability, the ratios of volatile acids and alkalinity concentrations (V/A) and the ratio of propionic acid and acetic acid concentrations (P/A) appeared to be 0.11 and 0.43, respectively, that were greatly stable in operation. Free ammonia toxicity was not experienced due to the long term acclimation by the reactor TS content ranged 7.2~10.4% during the entire operational period.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.561-569
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• 2014

This study was carried out to get the characteristics of anaerobic digestion for chemical/biological sludge produced from municipal sewage treatment plant for phosphorus. Anaerobic mesophilic batch tests showed that the ultimate biodegradability of waste activated sludge showed 31%, PACl sludge 24%, Alum sludge 26%, respectively. At the S/I 1.0, 75% of total biodegradable volatile solids (TBVS) of waste activated sludge was degraded with an initial rapid decay coefficient, k1 of $0.1129day^{-1}$ and 74% of TBVS of PACl sludge with k1 of $0.0998day^{-1}$, and 76% of TBVS of Alum sludge with k1 of $0.1091day^{-1}$ for 20 days. During the operation of SCFMRs, the 3 reactor (Control, PACl, Alum) pH maintained 6.7~7.0 and the reactor alkalinity maintained 1,800~ 2,200 mg/L as $CaCO_3$. The average biogas production rates of SCFMRs fed with PACl sludge and Alum sludge were 0.089 v/v-d and 0.091 v/v-d, respectively, which was 27~28% lower than that of the control (0.124 v/v-d) at an HRT (hydraulic retention times) of 20 days. And the methane content during the operation ranged 70~76% in 3 reactor. The average TVS removal efficiency of SCFMRs fed with PACl sludge and Alum sludge were 19.6% and 19.9%, respectively, at an HRT of 20 days, which showed 4% lower than that of the control (23.8%). The average BVS removal efficiency of SCFMRs fed with PACl sludge and Alum sludge were 25.8% and 26.9%, respectively, at an HRT of 20 days, which was 8~9% lower than that of the control (34.5%).

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

Bioretention systems, an advance low impact development and green infrastructure approach were currently utilized in different parts of the world because it promotes biodiversity thereby mimicking and preserving the pre-developed state of an area. This study investigated and compared the capability of four bioretention systems to identify factors affecting the hydraulic capabilities and pollutant removal efficiencies of each system. The two bioretention type A referred as Type A-C and Type A-FC were planted with perennials such as Chrysanthemum and Fan columbine, respectively. On the other hand, the two type B bioretention systems referred as Type B-A and Type B-JM were planted with shrub plant species such as Azalea and Japanese Meadowsweet, respectively. Based on the results, TV, infiltration mechanism, filter media depth and plant species were identified as the factors affecting the difference in flow attenuation, retained volume and pollutant removal efficiency of Type A-C, Type A-FC, Type B-A and Type B-JM bioretention systems. The design of bioretention Type B-A and Type B-JM were advantageous considering greater volume retention, groundwater recharge, longer HRT and peak flow attenuation and greater pollutant removal efficiency. On the other hand, the design of bioretention Type A-C and Type A-FC was more appropriate for design considering reduced groundwater contamination.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.277-284
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• 2015

Experiments for highly concentrated contaminants in pig waste slurry were carried out for the feasibility test of a pilot-scale innovative process scheme of engaging autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) and expended granular sludge bed (EGSB) followed by sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system. Contaminants in pig waste slurry such as organic substance, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus (TP) contents were successfully reduced in the system. Total volatile solids (TVS) and chemical oxygen demands (COD) for organic matter in the feed were 32.92 g/L and 42.55 g/L respectively, and they were reduced by about 98.7% and 99.2%, respectively in the system. The overall removal efficiencies for TN and ammonium nitrogen were found to be 98.1 and 98.5%, respectively. The overall removal efficiency for total phosphorus was also found to be 92.5%. Faecal coliform density was reduced to <$1.2{\times}10^4CFU/g$ total solids. Biogas and $CH_4$ were produced in the range of 0.39-0.85 and $0.25-0.62m^3/kg$ [VS removed], respectively. The biogas produced in the system comprised of $295{\pm}26ppm$ (v/v) [$H_2S$].

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.583-589
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• 2015

This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of anaerobic pretreatment for the leachate solubilized from thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge cake. Overall process for the treatment of sludge cake consists of thermal hydrolysis, crystallization of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate (MAP) for the leachate and anaerobic digestion of supernatant from MAP crystallization. The experimental evidence showed that the optimum ratio of Mg : P for the struvite crystallization of leachate solubilized from thermal hydrolysis of sludge cake was 1.5 to 1.0 as weight basis at the pH of 9.5. With this operational condition, the removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen and phosphorous achieved 50% and 97%, respectively. The mesophilic batch test showed that the ultimate biodegradability of the supernatant from MAP crystallization reached 63% at S/I ratio of 0.5. The readily biodegradable fraction of 90% ($S_1$) of the MAP supernatant BVS (Biodegradable Volatile Solids, $S_0$) degraded with $k_1$ of $0.207day^{-1}$ for the initial 17 days where as the rest slowly biodegradable fraction ($S_2$) of 10% of BVS degraded with $k_2$ of $0.02day^{-1}$ for the rest of the operational period. Semi-Continuously Fed and Mixed Reactor (SCFMR) was chosen as one of the best candidates to treat the MAP supernatant because of its total solids content over 6%. Maximum average biogas production rates reached 0.45 v/v-d and TVS removal efficiency of 37~41% was achieved at an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 20 days and its corresponding organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.43 g VS/L-d.