• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2016

Conventional treatment techniques cannot meet the stringent modern water quality regulations emanating from the need to provide high quality drinking water. Therefore, a number of studies have suggested low pressure membrane filtration as a worthwhile alternative. However, a major constraint to the extensive use of this technology in low and middle income countries is the high operating and maintenance costs caused by the inherent predisposition to membrane fouling. Notwithstanding, pretreatment of feed water using techniques such as coagulation, adsorption, oxidation and bio-filtration is believed to control fouling. In this review paper, the existing scientific knowledge on membrane fouling and pretreatment techniques for controlling fouling in low pressure membranes is analyzed with the aim of providing new and valuable insights into such techniques, as well as unveiling crucial issues noteworthy for further studies. Among the techniques reviewed, coagulation was observed to be the most cost-effective and will remain the most dominant in the coming years. Although oxidants and magnetic ion exchange resins can also control fouling, the propensity of oxidants to form health treating precursors and the high economic implications of magnetic ion exchange resins will hinder their adoption in developing countries.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2020

Although membrane bio-reactor (MBR) has been widely applied for wastewater treatment plants, the membrane fouling problems are still considered as an obstacle to overcome. Thus, many studies and commercial developments on mitigating membrane fouling in MBR have been carried out. Recently, high voltage impulse (HVI) has gained attention for a possible alternative technique for desalting, non-thermal sterilization, bromate-free disinfection and mitigation of membrane fouling. In this study, it was verified if the HVI could be used for mitigation of membrane fouling, particularly the internal pore fouling in MBR. The HVI was applied to the fouled membrane under different conditions of electric fields (E) and contact time (t) of HVI in order to investigate how much of internal pore fouling was reduced. The internal pore fouling resistance (R_f) after HVI induction was reduced as both E and t increased. For example, R_f decreased by 19% when the applied E was 5 kV/cm and t was 80 min. However, the R_f decreased by 71% as the E increased to 15 kV/cm under the same contact time. The correlation between E and t that needed for 20% of R_f reduction was modeled based on kinetics. The model equation, E^1.54t = 1.2 × 10³ was obtained by the membrane filtration data that were obtained with and without HVI induction. The equation states the products of En and t is always constant, which means that the required contact time can be reduced in accordance with the increase of E.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.391-400
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• 2017

Understanding of seawater fouling characteristics is critical in designing a heat exchanger adapted in an effluent utilization system for a power plant. We reviewed three types of fouling mechanisms of general, biological, and crystallizing for a plate-frame heat exchanger, to be used for heat exchanging with heated effluent from a power plant. Also, mathematical models for each type of seawater fouling were suggested. Actual thermal resistance calculated from seawater fouling models were compared and implemented in designing a plate-frame heat exchanger. The bio-fouling model revealed the largest thermal resistance and the highest number of plates for a plate-frame heat exchanger under the same heat load. Overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of a plate-frame heat exchanger under fouling conditions was lower by 58 percent and higher by 2.85 times than those under clean conditions, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2017

Recently EC-MBR (Elctrocoagulation - Membrane Bio Reactor) has been suggested as one of alternative processes to overcome membrane fouling problems. Most important operational parameters in the EC-MBR are known to current density and contact time. Their effect on membrane filtration performances has been reported well, however, quantitative interrelationship between both parameters not been investigated yet. The purpose of this study is to give a kinetic model suggesting the current density and the contact time required to reduce the membrane fouling. The 4 different set of current densities (2.5, 6, 12 and $24A/m^2$) and contact times (0, 2, 6 and 12 hr) were selected as operational parameters. After each electro-coagulation under the 16 different conditions, a series of membrane filtration was carried out. The membrane fouling decreased as the current density and contact time increased, Total fouling resistances under different conditions, $R_t(=R_c+R_f)$ were calculated and compared to those of the controls ($R_0$), which were calculated from the data of experiments without electro-coagulation. A kinetic approach for the fouling reduction rate ($R_t/R_0$) was carried out and the equation ${\rho}^{0.46}_it=7.0$ was obtained, which means that the product of current density and the contact time needed to reduce the fouling in certain amounts (in this study, 10% of fouling reduction) is always constant.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.105-114
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• 2018

Membrane fouling in EC-MBR (Electro-Coagulation aided Membrane Bio-Reactor) processes was evaluated according to the operating parameters, such as current density and contact time. In addition, the fouling mechanism was investigated. Compared to the control (i.e., no electro-coagulation), membrane fouling for filtration of the activated sludge suspension after electro-coagulation was reduced significantly. Membrane fouling was improved further when the contact time was doubled under a low current density of $2.5A/m^2$. On the other hand, membrane fouling was not mitigated further, as expected, even though the contact time was doubled from 12 to 24 hr. at a current density of $10A/m^2$. This indicates that the overall decrease in membrane fouling is a function of the product of the current density and contact time. The particle size of the activated sludge flocs after electro-coagulation was changed slightly, which means that the membrane fouling reduction was not attributed to a larger particle size resulting from electro-coagulation. The experimental confirmed that the dynamic membrane made from aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3, and/or aluminum phosphate, Al(PO4), which had been formed during the electro-coagulation, played a key role on the reduction of membrane fouling. The dynamic membrane prevents the particles in the feed solution from deposition to the membrane pores and cake layers. Dynamic membrane formation as a result of electro-coagulation plays a critical role in the mitigation of membrane fouling in EC-MBR.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.241-244
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• 2004

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2011

Membrane bio-reactor (MBR) has several advantages over the conventional activated sludge process, including a high biomass, low sludge production, and better permeate quality. Therefore, the MBR have gained popularity for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. However the MBR usually were used for sewage and low streng th wastewater treatment because of membrane fouling problem and limitation of oxygen transfer into biomass. In this study, the hybrid process combining MBR and pure oxygen was tested for high strength organic wastewater treatment in the COD loading range from 2 to $10kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$. The hybrid process, membrane coupled pure oxygen high compact reactor (MPHCR), had been operated for one year and operation parameters, the effect of COD loading, MLSS concentration and the location of membrane module were studied for membrane fouling characteristic. Also membrane resistance test and the component of foulant was analyzed to investigate what is specific foulant in the MBR.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.272-279
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• 2012

The neutral polymer, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), was coated onto polyamide (PA) thin film composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. And then these membranes were investigated for the model foulants, bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA) whether there are aome improvement. As the operating pressure increased with 2, 4, 8 atm for BSA, HA and SA 100 ppm in feed solution, the fouling phenomena was worse for both none and PSSA coated membranes. The fouling occurred in the sequence of BSA > HA > SA due to the interactions between PVA snd functional groups of foulants, and on the other hand the fouling reduction was observed in the order of HA > BSA > SA. The observation of scanning electron microscopy photographs showed the same trend. As a result, there should be the improvement of fouling phenomena for the PVA coated RO membranes and the case of HA was shown distinct.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

A lab-scale submerged membrane bio-reactor (MBR) with intermittent aeration was carried out for investigating the behavior of soluble microbial products (SMP). The SMP concentration of mixed liquor at Run 1 accumulated immediately at the end of running and biodegradable SMP converted into non-biodegradable SMP, but it did not occurred at the Run 2 and 3. The SMP formation coefficient (k) at the anoxic phase was a little higher than oxic phase, and the lowest k was investigated at Run 3. The combination of biological denitrification with the MBR Process was advantageous in the prevention of membrane bio-fouling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2019

Electro-coagulation process has been gained an attention recently because it could overcome the membrane fouling problems in MBR(Membrane bio-reactor). Effect of the key operational parameters in electro-coagulation, current density(${\rho}_i$) and contact time(t) on membrane fouling reduction was investigated in this study. A kinetic model for ${\rho}_i$ and t required to reduce the membrane fouling was suggested under different MLSS(mixed liquor suspended solids) concentration. Total 48 batch type experiments of electro-coagulations under different sets of current densities(2.5, 6, 12 and $24A/m^2$), contact times(0, 2, 6 and 12 hr) and MLSS concentration(4500, 6500 and 8500mg/L) were carried out. After each electro-coagulation under different conditions, a series of membrane filtration was performed to get information on how much of membrane fouling was reduced. The membrane fouling decreased as the ${\rho}_i$ and t increased but as MLSS decreased. Total fouling resistances, Rt (=Rc+Rf) were calculated and compared to those of the controls (Ro), which were obtained from the experiments without electro-coagulation. A kinetic approach for the fouling reduction rate (Rt/Ro) was carried out and three equations under different MLSS concentration were suggested: i) ${\rho}_i^{0.39}t=3.5$ (MLSS=4500 mg/L), ii) ${\rho}_i^{0.46}t=7.0$ (MLSS=6500 mg/L), iii) ${\rho}_i^{0.74}t=10.5$ (MLSS=8500 mg/L). These equations state that the product of ${\rho}_i$ and t needed to reduce the fouling in certain amounts (in this study, 10% of fouling reduction) is always constant.