• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.489-495
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• 2011

Silt Density Index (SDI) has been used as a fouling index for reverse osmosis (RO) processes for decades. In order to decrease RO fouling, feed water should meet SDI standard, which was used to select a proper pretreatment system for RO processes. However, SDI is supposed to be sensitive only to particles larger than 0.45 ${\mu}m$ in terms of diameters while nanoparticles and dissolved organic matter can be potent foulants for RO processes. Our study started from the suspected performance of SDI as a RO fouling index. SDI data from pilot plants located world wide including South Korea were collected and analyzed. Suspended partcle concentration (i.e., turbidity and particle counts), and dissolved organic matter concentration (i.e., dissolved orgnaic carbon (DOC) concentration) data were also collected and compared to SDI values of same water samples. We found that SDI values were not only affected by suspended particle concentration but also by dissolved organic matter concentration. Therefore SDI can be used as a reasonable fouling index for RO feed water because the main foulants for RO processes are suspended particle and dissolved organic matter.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2016

This study aimed to evaluate SBR operation cycle for removing the high-concentration organic matter of distillery wastewater in the ginseng processing plant. The experiment was conducted with the use of a laboratory scale SBR reactor and distillery wastewater as the influent. The results indicated an increase in pH from 4.08 to 7.59 of distillery wastewater after aeration for 2 hours. Also, the optimum SBR operation cycle for the removal of organic matter and nitrogen was 2 hr of aeration and 6 hr of anaerobic conditions. Adjustment of proper pH through aeration time is most critical in the SBR operation for distillery wastewater treatment. In this study, we presented an efficient method for distillery wastewater treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.393-399
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• 2013

To control organic matters, it needs to manage not only biodegradable organic matters but also refractory organic matters. Refractory organic matters from municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, non-point sources and etc., have been continuously discharged to the near watersheds. It is estimated that the refractory organic matter ratios are continuously increased in waterbody. In watersheds of the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), it was investigated that COD/BOD ratios increased in many unit watersheds of the 4 major river basins. The portions COD/BOD ratios increased were found to be a 97% of Geum River unit watersheds, a 81% of Yeongsan/Seumjin River unit watersheds, a 78% of Nakdong River unit watersheds, a 70% of Han River unit watersheds, respectively. Therefore, it has become important for establishment of effective management strategies to control refractory organic matter in watersheds of the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). In order to properly manage organic matters including refractory organic matters, the present organic indicator (BOD) has to be converted to TOC (or COD). Compared to COD and BOD, TOC, as a organic matter indicator, is evaluated more appropriate.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.674-680
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• 2013

Basic studies for the treatment of particulate organic substances contained in wastewater by flotation have been conducted. Four kinds of plastics were chosen as the possibly existing organic particles in wastewater and the Zisman plots for these substances were constructed by measuring the contact angle of liquids on their surfaces. The critical surface tensions for these organic substances were estimated based on the constructed Zisman plot and the floatability of organic substances were regarded to be related with their molecular structure. The existence of dissolved organic substances such as a surfactant was observed to affect the extent of flotation of particulate organics. In addition, the consideration of work of adhesion was thought to be better than adopting the critical surface tension as the analytical basis in the operational design of flotation process of organic particles.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2018

Climate change is believed to increase the amount of dissolved organic matter in surface water, as a result of the release of bulk organic matter, which make difficult to achieve a high quality of drinking water via conventional water treatment techniques. Therefore, the natural water treatment techniques, such as managed aquifer recharge (MAR), can be proposed as a alternative method to improve water quality greatly. Removal of bulk organic matter using managed aquifer recharge system is mainly achieved by biodegradation. Biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and assimilable organic carbon (AOC) can be used as water quality indicators for biological stability of drinking water. In this study, we compared the change of BDOC and AOC with respect to pretreatment methods (i.e., ozone or peroxone). The oxidative pretreatment can transform the recalcitrant organic matter into readily biodegradable one (i.e., BDOC and AOC). We also investigated the differences of organic matter characteristics between BDOC and AOC. We observed the decreases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the tryptophan-like fluorescence intensities. Liquid chromatographic - organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) analysis also showed the reduction of the low molecular weight (LMW) fraction (15% removed, less than 500 Da), which is known to be easily biodegradable, and the biopolymers, high molecular weight fractions (66%). Therefore, BDOC consists of a broad range of organic matter characteristics with respect to molecular weight. In AOC, low molecular weight organic matter and biopolymers fraction was reduced by 11 and 6%, respectively. It confirmed that biodegradation by microorganisms as the main removal mechanism in AOC, while BDOC has biodegradation by microorganism as well as the sorption effects from the sand. $O_3$ and $O_3+H_2O_2$ were compared with respect to biological stability and dissolved organic matter characteristics. BDOC and AOC were determined to be about 1.9 times for $O_3$ and about 1.4 times for $O_3+H_2O_2$. It was confirmed that $O_3$ enhanced the biodegradability by increasing LMW dissolved organic matter.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.163-172
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• 2018

This study investigated the effect of organic matter on the precipitation of struvite and calcium phosphate for phosphorus recovery from synthetic dairy wastewater. Batch precipitation experiments were performed to precipitate phosphorus from solutions containing $PO_4{^{3-}}$ and $NH_4{^+}$ by the addition of $Mg^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$, separately, at varying pH, Mg/P and Ca/P molar ratios, and organic matter concentrations. Soluble total organic solids exhibited more inhibition to precipitation due to potential interaction with other dissolved ionic species involved in phosphorus precipitation. Xylan with low total acidity only exhibited significant inhibition at very high concentrations in synthetic wastewater (at up to 100 g/L). No significant inhibition was observed for Mg and Ca precipitation at relatively lower concentrations (at up to 1.2 g/L). MINTEQ simulations show that dissolved organic matter (DOM) as humic substances (HS) can cause significant inhibition even at relatively low concentrations of 0.165 g/L fulvic acid. However, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis suggested that xylan altered the crystal structure of both precipitates and had caused the formation of smaller sized struvite crystals with slightly rougher surfaces This could be due to xylan molecules adhering on the surface of the crystal potentially blocking active sites and limit further crystal growth. Smaller particle sizes will have negative practical impact because of poorer settleability.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1265-1271
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• 2008

Aerated submerged bio-film (ASBF) pilot plant has been developed. The presented studies optimized an inexpensive method of enhanced wastewater treatment. The objectives of this research were to describe pilot scale experiments for efficient removal of dissolved organic and nitrogen compounds by using ASBF reactor in plug-flow reactor (PFR) and improve understanding of dissolved organic matter and nitrogen compounds removal rates with dynamic relationships between heterotrophs and autotrophs in the fixed-film reactor. This research explores the possibility of enhancing the performance of shallow wastewater treatment lagoons through the addition of specially designed structures. This direct gas-phase contact should increase the oxygen transfer rate into the bio-film, as well as increase the micro-climate mixing of water, nutrients, and waste products into and out of the bio-film. This research also investigated the efficiency of dissolved organic matter and ammonia nitrogen removals in the ASBF. As it was anticipated, nitrification activity was highest during periods when the flow rate was lower, but it seemed to decline during times when the flow rate was highest. And ammonia nitrogen removal rates were more sensitive than dissolved organic matter removal rates when flow rates exceeded 2.2 L/min.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.997-1002
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• 2007

The objectives of this research are to remove dissolved organic matter and nitrogen compounds by using aerated submerged bio-film(ASBF) reactors in batch systems and improve understanding of dissolved organic matter and nitrogen compounds removal rates with dynamic relationships between heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria in the fixed-film reactor. This research explores the possibility of enhancing the performance of shallow wastewater treatment lagoons through the addition of specially designed structures. These structures are designed to encourage the growth of a nitrifying bacterial bio-film on a submerged surface. Specially, the effects of cold temperatures on the dissolved organic matter and ammonia nitrogen performance of the ASBF pilot plant was investigated for the batch system. It is anticipated thai the ASBF would be used for a design of biological treatment for removing of dissolved organic matter and nitrogen compounds in new wastewater treatment plants as well as existing wastewater treatment plants.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

In this study, an analysis of the characteristics of organic matter and nitrogenous oxygen demand (NOD) of 17 sewage effluent and wastewater treatments was conducted. High CODMn and carbonaceous biological oxygen demand (CBOD) concentrations were observed in the livestock treatment plants (LTP), wastewater treatment plants(WTP), and night soil treatment plants (NTP), but the highest NOD concentration and contribution rates of NOD to BOD5 were found in sewage treatment plants (STP). There was no significant difference in the CBOD/CODMn ratio for each of the six pollution source groups, but the LTPs, WTPs, and NTPs all showed relatively high CODMn concentrations in their effluent samples, indicating that they are facilities which discharge large amounts of refractory organic matter. The seasonal change of NOD in all facilities' effluent was found to be larger than the seasonal change of CBOD, and data results also revealed an elevation of NOD and NH3-N concentration from December to February, when the water temperature was low. There was no significant difference in NH3-N concentration in relation to pollution source group (p=0.08, one-way ANOVA), but the STP, which had a high NOD contribution rate to BOD5 of 48%, showed a high correlation between BOD5 and NOD (r2=0.95, p<0.0001). These results suggest that the effect of NOD on BOD5 is an important factor to be considered when analyzing STP effluent.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.331-339
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biodegradability and performance of organic removal and methane production rate when treating piggery wastewater using a pilot scale two-phase anaerobic system operated up to a volumetric rate of $10m^3/day$. The pilot scale two-phase anaerobic process is consisted of a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CFSTR) for the acidification phase and an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (UASB) for the methanogenesis. The acidogenic reactor played key roles in reducing the periodically applied shock-loading and in the acidification of the influent organics. The acidogenic CFSTR was operated at organic loading rates (OLR) between 1.8 and $14.4kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$, and the UASB reactor was operated between 0.5 and $5.6kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$. A stable maximum biogas production rate was $81m^3/day$ and the methane conversion rate of the organic matter varied from 0.30 to $0.42L\;CH_4/g\;COD_{removed}$(0.40) at hydraulic retention time (HRT) above 3.5days. The methane contents ranged from 73 to 82% during the experimental period. It is known that most of the removed organic matter was converted to methane gas, and the produced biogas might be high quality for its subsequent use.