• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.267-275
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• 2021

Background and objective: Particulate matter (PM) has a fatal effect on health. There have been many studies on the use of plants such as trees and shrubs as eco-friendly and sustainable biofilter for the removal of PM. In forming more green space, ground cover plants play an important role in multi-layered planting. This study was conducted to investigate the ability of plants to reduce PM, targeting Korean native ground cover plants with high availability in urban green spaces. Methods: For 4 species of Asteraceae, 4 species of Liliaceae, and 3 species of Rosaceae, one species of plants at a time were placed in an acrylic chamber (800 × 800 × 1000 mm, L × W × H) modeling an indoor space. After the injection of PM, the amount of PM remaining in the chamber over time was investigated. Results: For all three types of PM (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), significant difference occurred in the amount of PM remaining between plant species after 1 hour in the Liliaceae chamber, 3 hours in the Asteraceae chamber, and 5 hours in the Rosaceae chamber. With Liliaceae, the leaf area and the amount of PM remaining in the chamber showed a negative (-) correlation. With the Asteraceae and Rosaceae, there was a weak negative correlation between the leaf area and the amount of PM remaining in the chamber. Conclusion: When using ground cover plants as a biofilter to remove PM, it is considered effective to select a species with a large total leaf area, especially for Liliaceae.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.1 s.106
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• pp.112-121
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• 2004

A study was performed to examine the effects of UV-disinfected reclaimed water on microorganism concentration during rice culture. Four treatments were used and each one was triplicated to evaluate the changes of microorganism concentrations: stream water irrigation (STR), biofilter effluent irrigation (BE), UV-disinfected water irrigation with dose of 6 mW ${\cdot}$ s $cm{-2}$ (UV-6), and UV-disinfected water irrigation with dose of 16 mW ${\cdot}$ s $cm{-2}$ (UV-16). The indicator microorganisms of interest were total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli. The biofilter effluent from 16-unit apartment sewage treatment plant was used as reclaimed water and flowthrough type UV-disinfection system was used. Concentrations of indicator microorganisms in the treatment plots ranged from $10^2$ to $10^5$ MPN/100 mL during 24 hours after irrigation in May and June, where initial irrigation water for transplanting reparation was biofilter-effluent without UV-disinfection. It implies that initial irrigation using only non-disinfected reclaimed water for puddling in paddy field can be health-concerned because of more chance of farmer's physical contact with elevated concentration of microorganisms. The concentrations of microorganisms varied widely with rainfall, and treatments using UV-disinfected water irrigation showed significantly lower concentrations than others and their levels were within the range of paddy rice field with normal surface water irrigation. The mean concentrations of STR and BE during growing season were in the range of 4 ${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for TC, and 2${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for FC and E, Coli, While mean concentrations of UV-S and UV-lS were less than 1${\times}\;10^3$ MPN/100 mL for all the indicator microorganisms. Overall, UV-disinfection was thought to be feasible and practical alternative for agricultural reuse of secondary level effluent in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2006

In this study, effects of influent C/N(COD/Nitrate) ratio and dissolved oxygen(DO) concentration on biological nitrate removal from groundwater were investigated in the fixed-type biofilter. Influent nitrate of 30 mg/L was removed completely by biological denitrification at the C/N ratio of 10 and 4.0, while residual nitrate of 5 mg/L occurred at the C/N ratio of 2.0, which resulted from deficiency of organic electron donor. Furthermore, nitrite was accumulated up to about 5 mg/L as the C/N ratio decreased to 2.0. Increase in DO concentration also inhibited denitrification activity at the relatively high C/N ratio of 5.0, which decreased the nitrate removal efficiency. Although the influent DO concentration was reduced as low as 0.3 mg/L using sodium sulfite($Na_2SO_3$), effluent nitrite was up to 3.6 mg/L. On the other hand, nitrate was completely removed without detection of nitrite at the DO concentration of 0.3 mg/L using nitrogen gas($N_2$) sparging. The organic matter for denitrification in biofilter were in the range from 3.0 to $3.5gSCOD/g{NO_3}^--N$, while utilized these values increased at the high DO concentration of 5.5 mg/L. In addition to the high DO concentration and the low influent C/N ratio, DO control by chemical such as sodium sulfite affected on biological denitrification, which resulted in the reduction of nitrate removal efficiency and nitrite build-up in a biofilter.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.789-797
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate removal characteristics of gaseous trimethylamine(TMA) through biofilter packed with waste tire-chips. The sludge in this experiment was collected from an activated sludge operated in a wastewater treatment facility treating malodorous pollutants. The nominal amount of collected sludge was inoculated through packing materials in the filter. The removal efficiencies for varying concentrations and SVs(Space velocity) were assessed based on TMA, COD$_{Cr}$, NO$_3{^-}$-N, NO$_2{^-}$-N, NH$_4{^+}$-N and EPS(Extracellular Polymeric Substances) in leachate, since biofilter had been steady-stately operated. The influent concentration of 10 ppm of TMA was removed to approximately 95% regardless of changing SV at 120 and 180 hr$^{-1}$, but it was lowered to 80 to 90% at SV 240 hr$^{-1}$. As influent concentration was gradually increased from 5 to 55 ppm, the removal efficiencies of TMA were initially high for 95% in the range of 5 to 10 ppm, but lowered to 80% for 10 to 30 ppm. As a part of kinetic study for TMA decomposition, V$_m$(maximum substrate removal rate) and $K_s$(substrate infinity coefficient) were 14.3 g$\cdot$m$^{-3}$$\cdot$h$^{-1}$ and 0.043 g$\cdot$m$^{-3}$, respectively while adapted period was shown in the range of 100 to 150 hr. Also, the EPS concentration was consistently observed from the leachate showing 100 to 200 ppm, which indicates that biofilm has been continuously formed and sustained throughout tire-chips packed reactor.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.280-286
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• 2005

Experiments were conducted to examine the differences in ammonia removal rates with the different filter media between sand and zeolite, the expanding rates between $50\%$ and $100\%$, the water temperatures between $15^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, and the ammonia loading rates between 2 mg/L and 5 mg/L in the seawater fluidized bed filters system (FBF). The 2.1 m high FBF (8.3 cm diameter) consisted of the clear acrylic for the upper half and a PVC pipe for the lower half, Sand and zeolite were used as the filter media in sizes of 0.5$\pm$0.1mm. Each biofilter contained 5.4 L of media. The ammonia removal rates of the biofilter were higher at the $25^{\circ}C$ water temperature than those of the biofilter at $15^{\circ}C$ water temperature, and higher at the $50\%$ expanding rate of filter media than those of the biofilter at $100\%$ expanding rate of filter media. Also, the ammonia removal rates of FBF were higher at 5 mg/L ammonia concentration than those of FBF at 2 mg/L ammonia concentration in rearing water. With these better conditions the ammonia removal rates of FBF per day are practically acceptable and ranged ken 80.6 to $210.6g/m^3$.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.648-653
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• 2006

As an alternative for the traditional materials packed in biofilters treating gaseous VOCs, a novel packing material has been developed and tested. In the packing material(named as Hydrogel Bead, HB), pollutant-degrading microorganisms were immobilized in hydrogel consisted of alginate, polyvinyl alcohol(PVA), and powdered activated carbon. A closed-bottle study showed that the HB rapidly removed gaseous styrene without the losses of adsorption and biodegradation capacity. Biofilter column experiments using the HBs also demonstrated that greater than 95% of removal efficiencies were found at an inlet styrene loading rate of $245g/m^3/hr$, which was higher biofilter performance than other elimination capacity reported earlier. Furthermore, when the inlet styrene concentration increased stepwise, the adsorption played an important role in overall styrene removals. The absorbed styrene was found to be biodegraded in the following low inlet loading condition. Consequently, the new HB material is able to successfully minimize the drawbacks of activated carbon(necessity of regeneration) and biological processes(low removal capacity at dynamic loading conditions), and maximize the overall performance of biofilter systems treating VOCs.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.277-286
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• 2003

Nitrification performance of fixed film biofilters using coarse sand, loess bead, or styrofoam beads in biofilter columns 1 meter high and 30cm in diameter were studied at different hydraulic and organic matter loading rates. Synthetic wastewater was supplied to the culture tank in order to maintain desired TAN concentrations in inlet water to biofilters. All the biofilters were conditioned 5 months before start of sampling. TAN and $NO_2-N$ conversion rates increased with an increase in the hydraulic loading rate (HLR). However, the improvement in biofilter performance was not linearly correlated to HLR in styrofoam bead filters. This is mainly due to the characteristics of the styrofoam beads used. TAN conversion rates of sand filters increased with the increase of HLR up to $200m^3/m^2$. per day. No increase in the TAN conversion rate was observed at the highest HLR since flooding on the media surface took place. HLR had a significant impact on the TAN conversion rates in loess bead filter up to the highest HLR tested (P<0.05). TAN conversion rates were much less at organic matter loading rates of 9 and 18kg $O_2/m^3$ per day than those without the addition of organic matter in styrofoam bead filters. The addition of glucose resulted in a reduction of the TAN conversion rate from 540 to 284g $TAN/m^3$ per day. No significant difference of TAN conversion rates between the two organic matter loading rates was found (p<0.05). This indicates that the impact of organic matter on nitrification becomes less and less sensitive with an increase in the COD/TAN ratio. At an organic matter loading rate of 9kg $O_2/m^3$. per day, a great reduction of TAN conversion rates was observed in sand filters and loess bead filters. Clearly, organic matter can be one of the most Important Impacting factors on nitrification. $NO_2-N$ conversion rates showed a similar trend for TAN. Based on the TAN and nitrite conversion rates, styrofoam beads showed the best performance among the three filter media tested. Also, the low gravity and price of styrofoam beads make the handling easier and more cost-effective for commercial application. The results obtained at the highest organic matter loading rates can be used in the biofilter design in recirculating aquaculture system.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.563-570
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• 1985

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate a revolving plate-type biofilter system for mass culture of eels (Anguilla japonica) based on the experimental rearing for 199 days. Water quality, growth efficiency of fish and effects of fish disease control were critically evaluated. The experiment was conducted in two different units, each unit consisting of a cement tank containing $20m^3$ of water. In unit A, a biofilter which includes 400 rotating undulated P. V. C. plates being 70 cm in diameter which rotates at 6 rpm and also 400 undulated P. V. C. plates fixed in the settling chamber of an area of $66{\times}62cm$. Water was continuously passed through the filter at a rate of 260 l/min., and supplemental water was added to the fish tank at a rate of $4m^3$ a day. In unit B, the biofilter has 400 P. V. C. plates being $66{\times}62cm$ each was installed in the settling tank. The results gained from the experimental rearing for 199 days from April 21, 1984 to November 5, 1984 are as follows. In the growth experiment, the weight of fish in unit A increased from 3.0 kg to 815.6 kg, while in unit B, from 3.0kg to 416.0kg. During the period of the experiment, in the both units the fish grew at an acceptable rate at the temperature at which they were held. Observing every aspect of eel culture, including growth rate, disease control and water quality, unit A appears to have adventages over unit B, which makes it particuraly attractive in intensive recirculating fish culture system. It was further observed that certain parasites such as Trichodina sp. and Costia sp. could easily be controled by appling 4 ppm of $KMNO_4$.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.306-312
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• 2006

Disposal of food garbage in most large cities is very troublesome task. To date, microbiological treatment has been received an attention as a garbage decomposition process. In this study, the inoculation effect of some cellulase, amylase and protease-producing bacteria and photosynthetic bacteria on food garbage treatment was examined. They were added into a treatment reactor specially designed in this study together with food garbage and incubated in various conditions for 15 days and the removals of food garbage and foul smell produced during the treatment were analyzed. Average decomposition percentages of the inoculated food garbage in treatment reactor were 11 and 18.8% under intermittent aeration (once in a day) and continuous aeration conditions (2 L/min), respectively, and these were higher than removal percentages in the corresponding uninoculated reactors,3.4 and 13.8%. Optimal pH and temperature for food garbage decomposition by inoculated bacteria were pH 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$. Maximal decomposition percentage in the inoculated food garbage was 35% under the optimal condition (pH 7, $30^{\circ}C$, and continuous aeration). The malodor compounds generated from food garbage treatment such as complex foul smell and sulfur compounds were effectively reduced about 84% and 25.5%, respectively, with a biofilter composed of purple nonsulfur bacteria trapped in sponge. This decomposing capability of food garbage by these bacteria can be utilized for the rapid and efficient treatment of food garbage.

• Clean Technology
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• v.13 no.1 s.36
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• pp.1-15
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• 2007

Biological treatment is a relatively recent air pollution control technology in which off-gases containing biodegradable odors and volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are vented through microbes. It is a promising alternative to conventional air pollution control methods. Bioreactors for air pollution control have found most of their success in the treatment of dilute and high flow waste air streams containing VOCs and odor compounds. They offer several advantages over traditional technologies such as incineration or adsorption. These include lower treatment costs, absence of formation of secondary pollutants, no spent chemicals, low energy demand and low temperature treatment. The three most widely used technologies are described, namely biofiltration, biotrickling filtration, bioscrubbing. The most widely used bioreactor for air pollution control is biofilter, but it has several limitations. In the past years major progress has been accomplished in the development of vapor phase bioreaction systems, for solving problems of biofilter. Biotrickling filters are more complex than biofilters, but are usually more effective, especially for the treatment of compounds which are difficult to degrade or compounds that generate acidic by-products. This, paper reviews fundamental and theoretical/practical aspect of air pollution control in biofilter, biotrickling filter and bioscrubber, focusing more extensively on biotrickling filtration. Special emphasis is given to the operating parameters and the factors influencing performance for air pollution control, and cost estimation in biotreatment technologies.