• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.160-163
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• 1998

In this study, the compostable household wastes from a house were composted in a home composter without adding any bulking agent and microorganisms. Every day wastes of 1kg were added to the composter during the experimental period. The following results were obtained : 1. Each component of the compostable household wastes generated every day showed very difference. 2. While composting proceeded at room temperature by suppling 1,1322 l air per hour, the composting material maintained the water content of 74.36 ${\sim}$ 85.14%, whereas while composting proceeded at $45^{\circ}C$ by suppling 427 l air per hour, the compost had optimal water content. The electric power of 132kwh a month was required by operating the composting unit at $45^{\circ}C$. 3. During 20 day, decomposition of 28% at room temperature and 44% at $45^{\circ}C$ were obtained respectively. 4. The accumulation of inorganic compound contents were not shown during the composting period, However, the content of salt and Cd was very high. Therefore, using the compost for agriculture has to be careful. 5. The biofilter removed the odorous substants efficiently at the room temperature due to increasing surface loading.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.spc
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• pp.61-67
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• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate filtering rate (FR) and pseudofeces production (PFP) of a freshwater filter-feeding bivalve, Unio douglasiae, on a toxic cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa). The experiments were conducted under the various conditions of water temperature $(5{\sim}35^{\circ}C)$, mussel size $(5.6{\sim}13.3cm)$ and food con centrations $(49{\sim}491{\mu}g\;Chl-{\alpha}L^{-1})$. Among the applied temperature, the maximum FR $(0.41L\;gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1})$ and PFP (0.47mg $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}$) were observed at 15 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. Both weight-based FR and PFP were not correlated with the mussel size, and the values lied in a limited range with some degree of variation. Likewise, no significant relations between FR and PFP was observed in the mussel size. The FR values were negatively correlated with food concentration, while PFP showed positive correlation. Among the applied food concentrations, the maximum FR (0.34L $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}$) and PFP (0.06mg $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}$) appeared in $113{\mu}g\;Chl-{\alpha}L^{-1}$ and $491{\mu}g\;Chl-{\alpha}L^{-1}$, respectively. These results indicate that the grazing of Unio douglasiae are affected by various parameters, and it may be applied as an effective biofilter to inhibit Microcystis bloom under appropriate application. However, further studies on the fate of excreted pseudofeces are needed to understand their possibility of stimulating nuisant algal growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.412-420
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• 2005

In order to investigate factors affecting the denitrification in the F-STEP PROCESS using a loess ball as support media and Pseudomonas DWC 17-8, calcining temperature, loess ball size, pH, nitrate concentration, working temperature, and inhibitor were studied in batch mode using synthetic sludge. A 5- 10 mm of loess ball (960$^{circ}$ of calcining temperature) was the most suitable for denitrification. When the initial pH was increased from 3.0 to 7.0, the removal efficiency of nitrate was increased. Specifically, at initial pH of 7.0, the maximum removal efficiency of nitrate was 5.0 mg/min. When the initial concentration of nitrate was increased from 100 to 400 mg/l, the removal efficiency of nitrate was proportional to the concentration of nitrate. The maximum removal efficiency of nitrate was 5.72 mg/min at 400 mg/l of initial concentration. When the operating temperature was increased from 10 to 30$^{circ}$, the removal efficiency of nitrate was increased from 0.76 to 6.15 mg/min, and at above 40$^{circ}$ of operating temperature, it was decreased from 4.0 to 2.0 mg/min. Among the various inhibitors, higher than 10$^{-1}$ M of sodium azide abolished this reaction completely. When the KCN concentration was above 10$^{-1}$ M, the reaction was inhibited completely. In the case of 2,4-dinitrophenol and sodium sulphide, it was inhibited at above 10$^{-2}$ M completely. For testing the various flow orders of the F-STEP PROCESS for effective denitrification using practical wastewater, continuous experiments under the optimum conditions were carried out for 60 days. Among the various processes, the PROCESS A gave the highest efficiencies of denitrification, nitrification, and total nitrogen (TN) removal with 86.5, 89.5, and $90\%$, respectively. For scale-up in the PROCESS A, real farm wastewater was used and pilot tests carried out for 90 days. The denitrification efficiency was $97.5\%$, which was increased by $12.7\%$. The efficiencies of TN removal and nitrification were 96.6 and $70.0\%$, respectively. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was $63.7\%$, which was increased by $20\%$.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.474-484
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• 2005

Biological treatment 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 volatile organic compounds 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 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 bioreactor, in particular biotrickling filters. 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. While the level of understanding of biotrickling filtration process for VOCs still remains limited, the evident success of biotreatment of VOC in air stimulated the pursue of acitve research. This paper presents fundamental and theoretical/practical aspect of air pollution control in biotrickling filter. Special emphasis is given to the operating parameters and the factors influencing performance for air pollution control in biotrickling filter.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.554-566
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• 2018

The rice husk contains nutrients which can be easily utilized by microorganisms, and also has a water retaining ability, which played a crucial part in enabling it to become a biofilter media. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of rice husk pellet bio-scrubber as a microbiological carrier. The pelletization experiment of rice husk as a biological media was performed using PVA and EVA binder. Also, the feasibility tests of rice husk as a biological media for odor removal were carried out in order to know whether rice-husk contains useful components as a media for microbiological growth or not. Lastly, a combined test for odor gas absorption and biological oxidation was conducted using a lab scale bio-filter set-up packed with rice-husk pellets as wet-scrubber. The major components of the rice husk were carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, while carbon acted as the main ingredient which comprised up to 23.00%. The C : N : P ratio was calculated as 45 : 1 : 2. Oxygen uptake rate, yield and decay rate of the rice husk eluent was calculated to be $0.0049mgO_2/L/sec$, 0.24 mgSS/mgCOD and 0.004 respectively. The most stable form of rice husk pellets was produced when the weight of the rice husk, EVAc, PVAc, and distilled water was 10 : 2 : 0.2 : 10. The prepared rice husk pellets had an apparent density of 368 g/L and a porosity of 59.00% upon filling. Dry rice husks showed high adsorption capacity for ammonia gas but low adsorption capacity for hydrogen sulfide. The bio-filter odor removal column filled with rice husk pellets showed more than 99.50% removal efficiency for NH3 and H2S gas. Through the analysis of circulation water, the prime removal mechanism is assumed to be the dissolution by water, microbial nitrification, and sulfation. Finally, it was confirmed that the microorganisms could survive well on the rice husk pellets, which provided them a stable supply of nutrients for their activity in this long-term experiment. This adequate supply of nutrients from the rice husk enabled high removal efficiency by the microorganisms.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 2012

In this study, a 3-stage biological aerated filter (BAF) system was proposed to enhance nitrogen removal in the treatment of low carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) municipal wastewater. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dynamic-flow at the HRT of 6 h. Results of the long-term operation of 3-stage BAF systems showed that the dynamic-flow enabled the total nitrogen removal (T-N) removal efficiency of the system to be about 7 % higher than that of non-dynamic-flow system in treating domestic wastewater due to the more efficient use of organic substrates. The overall $NH_4$-N removal performance was stable during the operational period due to the unique system configuration where independent nitrification occurred. It was concluded that the 3-stage BAF system proposed in this study provided excellent performance in the removal of nitrogen by employing dynamic-flow and three columns functioning as sorption, denitrification and nitrification, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.200-206
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• 1998

The distributions and characteristics of bacteria on the deodorizing biofilters were studied as a part of biofiltration research for odor gas removal. The odor gas originated from a currently operating nightsoil treatment plant were mainly nitrogenous compounds of ammonia and amines. The filter media were consisted various ratio of pine bark, nightsoil cast and compost, and were sampled before and after operation of 153 days. Before operation, the level of bacteria on nitrification agar medium, nutrient agar medium and thiosulfate agar medium were around $10^7{\sim}10^8cfu/g$ media. After operation, the level decreased but still high as $10^5{\sim}10^7cfu/g$ media. The bacteria from reactors before and after operations were either rod or coccus after growth on nitrification agar media. The 45 isolated heterotrophic bacteria were further characterized and Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes were dominant genera. Genus Alcaligenes was particularly dominant when the isolates were incubated on nitrification agar media first and then transfered to nutrient media. The portion of Alcaligenes in the biofilter increased after operation, and was higher in the media contained nightsoil cast, which showed better treatment than the media with pine bark only.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 1977

Rainbow trout were reared in a small indoor aquarium which was equipped with a simple recirculating biofilter combined with a small amount of inflowing water for 199 days from April 25 to November 10, 1977 in Busan where very hot summer air temperature is encountered, and results obtained were promissing as following; 1. The aquarium has dimensions of $1m\;\times\;1m\;\times\;67cm(depth)$, and a bottom center sedimentation chamber of conical type through which out-flowing water is pushing fecal matter and other detritus outward. The conical sedimentation chamber measures 20 cm depth and 20 cm diameter at its upper mouth and tapers to the bottom end which is connected to 4 cm diameter draining pipe. The draining pipe goes through under the tank and then is elevated on the side. The water depth was maintained at about 40 cm depth by adjusting the heigh of draining pipe. The filter bed contained 16 l of $3\~5\;mm$ zeolite gravels, and water circulation rate was about 1030 l/hr. 2. Continuous inflowing water resulted in a good elimination of waste materials through its outflowing water thus reducing waste loading in the filter. 3. Mean temperature of water in the rearing aquarium containing about 400 l water volume was maintained at around 20 to $22^{\circ}C$ by 0.59 l/min of the inflowing well water which usually maintained the temperature of $17^{\circ}C$ during the hot summer season from the first of July to the first of October when the 10-days-mean air temperature ranged from $20^{\circ}\;to\;27.3^{\circ}C$ $(total\;mean\;24.6^{\circ}C) $ and under this condition the fish continued normal growth. 4. The production per 1 l/min of inflowing water with this simple biofilteration reached 30 hg. 5. The total cost including all feed and power during this experimental rearing period fell well within the economic establishment and if the feed and filteration system are improved the benefit-cost ratio will be much increased.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3 s.104
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• pp.356-368
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• 2003

Water quality of effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPS) was reviewed to examine the feasibility of agricultural reuse using USEPA and WHO guidelines. It might meet the guidelines for BOD and SS, however, the most critical microbiological concentration was too high and further treatment is required. The pilot study of three treatments were performed to reduce microbiological concentrations. The UV irradiation was proved to be very effective in disinfection of secondary level effluent, and about 30 mW ${\cdot}$ s/$cm^2$ of dose was suggested to meet the even most stringent USEPA guidelines. Slow sand filter demonstrated effective removal of bacteria, and effluent concentration of total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli. dropped from about 10,000/100 mL to 300, 200, and 150 MPN/100 mL, respectively, showing over 95% removal. These level of bacterial concentration sufficiently meet the WHO guidelines ($10^3\;{\sim}\;10^5$ FC/100 mL), and could meet the more stringent USEPA guidelines (200 FC/100 mL) if properly applied. Slow sand filter also provided about 50% removal of SS, turbidity, and BOD in addition to bacterial removal. The removal efficiency of pond system was relatively poor, but still showed over 85% removal and effluent concentration of TC, FC, and E. coli was all below 10,000/100 mL. The pond system alone could meet the WHO guidelines, but hardly meet the USEPA guidelines and further treatment might be necessary. Overall, three methods evaluated in the study treat the effluent to meet the WHO microbiological guidelines for agricultural reuse. The UV disinfection and slow sand filter might also could the USEPA guidelines, while the pond system can hardly meet the USEPA guidelines if applied alone. The WHO and USEPA guidelines were made based on data from upland field agricultural system and may not be directly applicable to the paddy field agricultural system. Therefore, national standards for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water should be made considering domestic agricultural systems as well as international guidelines. Also, further investigation is recommended to develop optimum and feasible treatment measures for agricultural reuse of effluent from WWTPs.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2001

Composting of livestock feces is economic and safe process to decrease the possibility of direct leakage of organic pollutants to ecosystem from commercial and environmental point of view. This study was conducted with three different experiments related to composting of livestock feces. The purpose of experiment 1 was to investigate changes of characteristic of compost pile during composting period by low temperature in cold season. To compare composting effect of experimental compost pile and control pile exposed in cold air, experimental compost piles were warmed up by hot air until their temperatures were reached at $35^{\circ}C$. Sawdust, Ricehull and Ricestraw were mixed with livestock feces as bulking agent. The highest temperatures of compost pile during composting period were in sawdust, rice hull, rice straw, and control were $75^{\circ}C$, $76^{\circ}C$, $68^{\circ}C$, $45^{\circ}C$ respectively. Moisture content, pH, C/N and volume of compost were decreased during composting period. Experiment 2 was carried out to study utilization effect of compost by plant. A corn was cultivated for 3 years on fertilized land with compost and chemical fertilizer. The amount of harvest and nutrition value of corn were analyzed. In first year of trial, the amount of harvest of corn on land treated with compost was lower by 20% than that of land treated with chemical fertilizer. In second year, there was no difference in yield of com between compost and chemical fertilizer. In third year, the yield of com on land fertilized with compost was much more than that of land fertilized with chemical fertilizer. The purpose of experiment 3 was to estimate the decrease of malodorous gas originating from livestock feces by bio-filter. Four types of bio-filters filled with saw dust, night soil, fermented compost and leaf mold were manufactured and tested. Each bio-filter achieved 87-95% $NH_3$ removal efficiency. This performance was maintained for 10 days. The highest $NH_3$ removal efficiency was achieved by leaf mold on the first day of operation period. It reduced the concentration of $NH_3$ by about 95%. Night soil and fermented compost showed nearly equal performance of 93 to 94% for 10 days from the beginning of operation. The concentration of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan originating for compost were equal to or less than $3mg/{\ell}$ and $2mg/{\ell}$, respectively. After passing throughout the bio-filter, hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan were not detected.