• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.732-739
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• 2010

Two combined autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) and biofilter (BF) systems were operated to treat the piggery wastewater and the ammonia offgas. Experimental results indicated that the organic removal efficiency of ATAD-2, operated with oxygen, was higher than that of ATAD-1, operated with air. The concentration of ammonia in ATAD-2 offgas was higher compared to ATAD-1 offgas, but the total amount of ammonia produced from ATAD-2 was less than that from ATAD-1 due to the lower oxygen flowrate. The ammonia gas produced from both ATAD reactors was successfully removed by the BF. The BF-1, connected with ATAD-1, removed 93% of ammonia at the loading rate of $9.4g\;NH_3-N/m^3/hr$. The BF-2, connected with ATAD-2, removed 95% of ammonia gas at the loading rate of $8.1g\;NH_3-N/m^3/hr$. As the nitrification process continued, pH value of recirculating solution continuously decreased due to the accumulation of nitrate. When the ammonia loading rate was less than $22.7g\;NH_3-N/m^3/h$, the proper replacing cycle of recirculating solution was in the range of 10 to 11 days. Almost 90% of total mass of nitrogen fed into the each BF was confirmed from the mass balance on nitrogen.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2013

The removal characteristics of composite odor and malodorous substances using 33 biofilters in sewage treatment facilities were investigated. The geometry mean values of composite odor and odor quotient were reduced by 52.7% and 59.2% at the outlet of the biofilters, respectively. The removal efficiencies of the biofiltes for the composite odor and odor quotient show a significant difference statistically(p=0.000<0.05). The median value of odor quotient of sulfur compounds was reduced by 69.1% at the outlet of the biofilter and the odor quotient of the sulfur compound at the inlet and outlet of the biofilter shows a significant difference statistically(p=0.000<0.05); on the other hand, those of the $NH_3$ and trimethylamine, aldehydes, VOCs and alcohols, organic acids do not.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.5 s.92
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• pp.469-477
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• 2006

When denitrification was connected with a single stream process by using biofilter and sulfur-limestone, it was found that such connection enabled highly efficient nitrification without special unit operation of microorganisms or injection of external carbon sources which is being shown in general biological treatment processes. It was observed that in the trickling filter bed, decomposition of organic substances and highly efficient nitrification by both the forced pressure feed trickling and the air fan were simultaneously done. In the denitrification tank where sulfur-limestone was mixed at a certain ratio, limestone was used by autotrophic microorganisms as a source of supply for alkalinity, and nitrate $NO_{3}^{-}$-N was denitrified into nitrogen gas. And in the sulfur-limestone autotrophic denitrification, $NO_{3}^{-}-N\;or\;NO_{2}^{-}-N$ was denitrified as a sulfur compound in reduction state was oxidized into a final output of $SO_{4}^{-2}$. The mean concentration of the discharge water was 8.6 mg/l for T-N and 0.8 mg/l for T-P, respectively, and their mean treatment efficiency was 79.2% and 80.8%, respectively. Implementing highly efficient denitrification without injection of an external organic carbon source or internal return, it is concluded that the proposed process is suitable for a sewerage in a small village with the merits of low power consumption and easy maintenance.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.409-415
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• 1997

In order to Investigate the possibility as a simple technique of wastewater treatment for recirculating aquaculture system, the experiment by a biofilter unfit was carried out. The high and stable removal efficiency of nitrogen could be obtained by selecting the optimum recycle ratio and DO concentration. It was found that the proper combination of nitrifacation and denitrfication step in the reactor would be required for increasing the removal efficiency. The extent of nitrogen removal gradually decreased UO the rise of re- cycle ratio since the depression of denitrificatlon by the lack of hydrogen donor. The depression of nitrogen removal was overcome by increasing the CIN ratio In the wastewater. The extent of phosphorus removal was increased slightly with the increase of DO concentration and recycle ratio, but high removal efficiency was not observed. However, the extent of COD removal was not affected by recycle ratio and DO concentration and showed the stable removal of above 90%.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.758-766
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• 2006

A two-stage bioreactor, which consists of a biotrickling filter module and a biofilter module in series, was investigated for the enhanced treatment of a VOC mixture, toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Throughout the experiments, the overall inlet loading rate was maintained at approximately $43g/m^3/hr$, but the inlet ratios of the VOCs were modified. The experimental results showed that the different ratios of the VOC mixture resulted in changes of overall removal efficiencies, elimination capacities (ECs) and microbial accumulation on the surface of each packing material. The ratio of inlet toluene to MEK at 50 : 150 was found to be most effective in terms of the overall removal efficiency, because, at this condition, MEK (i.e., the hydrophilic compound) was mostly removed in the biotrickling filter module and the following biofilter module was used to remove toluene. It was also found that when the inlet loading rate of the VOC mixture was serially increased stepwise within short-term periods, the ECs for toluene dropped significantly but the ECs for MEK increased at the ratio of the VOC mixture. These results implied that substrate interaction and/or substrate preferable utilization might have an effect on the biological removal of each compound in the two-stage bioreactor; therefore, the bioreactor should be operated in the condition where the substrate interaction could be minimized in order to maximize overall performance of the two-stage bioreactor.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.181-183
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• 2008

It has been a very hard problem to reduce solids especially suspended solids (SS) in recirculating aquaculture systems. Present description is based on the performance of trapping SS by the biofilter of Intensive Bio-production Korean (IBK) system which is originally developed for nitrification. We found out that this filter has an excellent capability to remove SS in addition to nitrification. Filter element used here is corrugated plastic roofing plates readily available in the market, and cheaper than specially developed and patented products. It is easy to maintain the system, and requires low power consumption to operate for the treatment of a large amount of water. With 2 pumps of 5 hp each, about 500 $m^3$ of water is treated per hour. Flow speed in the filter was 2.6 mm/sec on average. This low flow speed and very large amount of water treated are the reasons for very effective trapping of fine SS. Upon single pass through this filter, 74.5% of total SS and 40% of non-settleable SS were removed. Wherever this filter is employed in recirculating fish farms water keeps high clarity, this having also been empirically ascertained.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1161-1169
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• 2008

The removals of TCE and PCE vapor with or without a supply of toluene as a primary substrate were compared in a biofiltration process, and the variations of microbial communities associated with the removal were also investigated. As a result of investigations on the removals of TCE/PCE in a biofilter B within which TCE/PCE-acclimated sludge was attached on the surface of media without a supply of primary substrate, and those in another biofilter A where toluene-acclimated sludge was attached with a supply of toluene as a primary substrate, followings were found: (i) parts of microbes responsible to the decomposition of toluene vapor participate in the removal of chlorinated VOCs such as TCE and PCE, and (ii) effective biological removals of TCE and PCE vapor do not necessarily need cometabolism. Sequencing of 16S rDNA obtained from the band profile of DGGE (Denaturating Gradient Gel Electrophoresis), it was confirmed that: (i) uncultured alpha proteobacterium, uncultured Desulfitobacterium, uncultured Rhodobacteraceae bacterium, Cupriavidus necator, and Pseudomonas putida were found to be toluene-decomposing microbes, (ii) alpha proteobacterium HTCC396 is a TCE-removing microbe, (iii) Desulfitobacterium sp. is a PCE-decomposing microbe, and (iv) particularly, uncultured Desulfitobacterium sp. is probably a microbe decomposable not only toluene but also various chlorinated VOC vapor including TCE and PCE.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.989-996
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• 2009

In this study, the effects of biofilter media type (three different activated carbons and anthracite), empty bed contact time (EBCT) and temperature on the removal of four aldehyde species (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glyoxal and methylglyoxal) in BAC filters were investigated. Experiments were conducted at three water temperature (5, 15 and $25^{\circ}C$) and four EBCTs (5, 10, 15, and 20 min). The experimental results indicated that the coal based BAC retained more bacterial biomass on the surface of the activated carbon than the other BACs, and increasing EBCT or increasing water temperature also increased the four aldehyde species removal in BAC filters. To achieve above 80% of removal efficiency for four aldehyde species in a BAC filter, above 15 min EBCT at $5^{\circ}C$ and 10 min EBCT at above $15^{\circ}C$ were required. The kinetic analysis indicated a first-order reaction rate for the biodegradation of four aldehyde species at various water temperatures. Data obtained from the BAC filters at various temperatures were also used to evaluate pseudo first-order rate constants for four aldehyde species. The half-lives evaluated for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glyoxal and methylglyoxal in the coal-based BAC ranging from 0.89 to 3.19 min, from 0.75 to 3.35 min, from 2.16 to 4.72 min and from 1.49 to 3.86 min, respectively, could be used to assist water utilities in designing and operating BAC filters.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.603-608
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• 2001

In this study, we studied on the remeval of toluene vapors in a lab-scale biofilter. Biofiltration was performed in a column fed downflow with contaminated air at ambient conditions. The column was packed with mixture of Peat and Calstene(5:3 vol. Ratio), Synthesized media, Bark and Wood chip, which were inoculated with microbial population of selected stains(Pseudomonas. putida, KCCM 11343, ATCC 12633). The microorganisms were immobilized on the bed medium and then biofilm were formed. The biofilter was operated under the conditions of various inlet toluene concentrations for 180 days and treated up to the elimination capacity of maximum 40 g/㎥hr at the inlet load of 30 g/㎥ hr with percentage removals of 20∼90% and gas retention times between 1 and 2 min. The pressure drop was very negligible through the biofilter columps because its value of 0.054 cmH$_2$O/m was much less than others. The effect of operating conditions such as flow rate, inlet toluene concentration and moisture contents on the performance of the biofilter was sequentially investigated in this study.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.129-138
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• 1988

In order to develop the design and operational criteria in sewage treatment by indirect aerating submerged biofilter, experimental investigations were performed for the reasonable oxygen supply and effecting factors of treatment efficiency. The experiments were executed for the up-flowing synthetic wastewater and aerated water in the submerged biofilter at $20^{\circ}C$. The obtained results are as follows: 1) Appropriate mean diameter of gravels was about 11mm. 2) $BOD_5$ loading rate based on biofilter volume was more reasonable than that on surface area of gravel for operational criteria. 3) To remove the influent $BOD_5$ more than 90%, $BOD_5$ loading rate must be less than $1.0kg-BOD_5/m^3{\cdot}d$ and circulating flowrate must be more than $189m^3/m^3{\cdot}d$. 4) Reaction rate coefficient $K_1$ is related to diameter of gravel and circulating flow rate based on biofilter volume.