• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권9호
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• pp.1593-1604
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• 2016

Recently, bacterial quorum quenching (QQ) has been proven to have potential as an innovative approach for biofouling control in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for advanced wastewater treatment. Although information regarding the microbial community is crucial for the development of QQ strategies, little information exists on the microbial ecology in QQ-MBRs. In this study, the microbial communities of biofilm were investigated in relation to the effect of QQ on anoxic/oxic MBRs. Two laboratory-scale MBRs were operated with and without QQ-beads (QQ-bacteria entrapped in beads). The transmembrane pressure increase in the QQ-MBRs was delayed by approximately 100-110% compared with conventional- and vacant-MBRs (beads without QQ-bacteria) at 45 kPa. In terms of the microbial community, QQ gradually favored the development of a diverse and even community. QQ had an effect on both the bacterial composition and change rate of the bacterial composition. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the most dominant phyla in the biofilm, and the average relative composition of Proteobacteria was low in the QQ-MBR. Thiothrix sp. was the dominant bacterium in the biofilm. The relative composition of Thiothrix sp. was low in the QQ-MBR. These findings provide useful information that can inform the development of a new QQ strategy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.552-560
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• 2017

Quorum quenching (QQ) bacteria entrapped in a polymeric composite hydrogel (QQ medium) have been successfully applied in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for effective biofouling control. However, in order to bring QQ technology closer to practice, the physical strength and lifetime of QQ media should be improved. In this study, enforcement of physical strength, as well as an extension of the lifetime of a previously reported QQ bacteria entrapping hollow cylinder (QQ-HC), was sought by adding a dehydration procedure following the cross-linking of the polymeric hydrogel by inorganic compounds like $Ca^{2+}$ and boric acid. Such prepared medium demonstrated enhanced physical strength possibly through an increased degree of physical cross-linking. As a result, a longer lifetime of QQ-HCs was confirmed, which led to improved biofouling mitigation performance of QQ-HC in an MBR. Furthermore, QQ-HCs stored under dehydrated condition showed higher QQ activity when the storage time lasted more than 90 days owing to enhanced cell viability. In addition, the dormant QQ activity after the dehydration step could be easily restored through reactivation with real wastewater, and the reduced weight of the dehydrated media is expected to make handling and transportation of QQ media highly convenient and economical in practice.

• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

In this study, five commercially available fouling resistant low-pressure RO membranes were investigated for the treatment of seasonally brackish surface water with high organic content (${\approx}24mg/L$). The membranes investigated are LFC-1 (Hydranautics), X20 (Trisep), BW30FR1 (FilmTec), SG (Osmonics), and BE-FR (Saehan). The results of surface characterization revealed that each of these membranes has one or two unique surface characteristics to minimize the adherence of the fouling materials to the membrane. Specifically, the LFC1 membrane features a neutral or low negative surface to minimize electrostatic interactions with charged foulants. The X20, on the other hand, shows a highly negatively charged surface, and thus, is expected to perform well with feed waters containing negatively charged organics and colloids. The BW30FR1 exhibits a relatively neutral and hydrophilic surface, which could be beneficial for lessening organic and/or biofouling. The SG membrane has a smooth surface that makes it quite resistant to fouling, particularly for colloidal deposition. Lastly, BE-FR membrane demonstrated a medium surface charge and a slightly higher hydrophobicity. In the pilot study, all of the four membranes experienced a gradual increase in MTC (water mass transfer coefficient or specific flux) over time, indicating no fouling occurred during the pilot study. The deterioration of permeate water quality such as TDS was also observed over time, suggesting that the integrity of the membranes was compromised by the monochloramine used for biofouling control.

• 해양환경안전학회지
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.1078-1085
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• 2022

선박에 부착된 수중생물은 선체에서 성장하면서 선박의 저항을 크게 증가시킬 뿐만 아니라 부착생물이 배와 함께 이동하면서 지역의 해양 생태계 교란을 야기시키기도 한다. 이에 따라 국제해사기구에서는 선체부착생물의 이동을 막기 위해 선체부착생물 제거 및 청소성능 평가 논의를 시작해 오고 있다. 본 연구에서는 소형선박에 사용되는 FRP(Fiber Reinforced Plastic), HDPE((High Density Polyethylene), CFRP(Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) 재료의 시편을 격포항(전락북도)에 약 80일간 양생시킨 후 물 제트 노즐을 이용하여 부착생물 제거실험을 수행하였다. 그 결과 김과 같은 해조류는 노즐과 시편과의 거리가 1.8cm, 100bar 일 때 제거되었지만, 따개비의 경우 200 bar 이상은 되어야 청소가 되는 것을 확인하였다.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.108-115
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• 2017

Chlorination has been the most common antifouling method, but alternatives are under searching. In this article, we report how the hydrogen peroxide could enhance the effect of chlorination to prevent fouling by inhibiting larvae settlement and abatement of mussel colonization or by extinct of them; through marine mussel Mytilus edulis. The addition of hydrogen peroxide shows synergic effect on the veliger larvae (up to 19 folds) and effectively reduces required time of mussel mortality by 8-22%. For resolution of micro- and macro-fouling caused by the marine mussel, as well as diminishing of time and conventional chlorine dose could be important factor in favour of environment and economics.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제8권5호
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• pp.463-481
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• 2017

Bacteria have been considered as a major foulant that initiates the formation of biofilm on the polymeric membrane surface. Some polymeric membranes are naturally antibacterial and have low fouling properties, however, numerous efforts have been devoted to improve their antibacterial performance. These modifications are mostly carried out through blending the membrane with an antibacterial agent or introducing the antibacterial agent on the membrane surface by chemical grafting. Currently, a significant number of researches have reported nanocomposite membrane as a new approach to fabricate an excellent antibacterial membrane. The antibacterial nanoparticles are dispersed homogenously in membrane structure by blending method or coating onto the membrane surface. Aim of the modifications is to prevent the initial attachment of bacteria to membrane surface and kill bacteria when attached on the membrane surface. In this paper, several studies on antibacterial modified membranes, particularly for water treatment, will be reviewed comprehensively. Special attention will be given on polymeric membrane modifications by introducing antibacterial agents through different methods, such as blending, grafting, and coating.

• 한국표면공학회지
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.11-20
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• 2018

Hydrophobic and Superhydrophobic surfaces are promising technology for the surface finishing of metallic materials due to its water-repellency. Realization of highly water-repellent surface on aluminum and its alloys provides various functionalities for real application fields. In order to realize the hydrophobic/superhydrophobic surfaces on aluminum and its alloys, various technologies have been demonstrated. Especially, traditional anodic oxidation for aluminum has been widely employed for the morphological texturing of surfaces, which is essential to enhance the hydrophobic efficiency. De-wetting superhydrophobic surface on aluminum provides various exceptional properties, such as anti-corrosion, anti-/de-icing, anti-biofouling, drag reduction, self-cleaning and liquid separation. Nevertheless, the durability and stability of superhydrophobic surfaces still remain challenges for their actual applications in engineering systems and industry. In this review, the theoretical/experimental studies and current technical limitations on the hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surface using anodic oxidation of aluminum have been summarized.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제25권10호
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• pp.1397-1405
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• 2016

Mussels are stubborn organism attached to solid substrate by byssus threads and caused operational problems in utility of power generating stations. Sole and combined usage of ultrasonic (28 kHz- and 42 kHz- frequencies) and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) has studied for control of blue mussel larvae and adult stage in seawater condition. A theoretical wo rking model using disinfection (Chick and Watson type) approaches is presented based on helpful results of experiments. This study also demonstrate that the combined treatment (ultra-sonication with $H_2O_2$) is overall highly efficient than individual treatment would, but on the basis of exposure time, the ultra-sonication was the most efficient among them. Therefore the development of sole and combined technique might be effective practical mitigation strategy against mussel attachment for water handling facilities.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.259-290
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• 2022

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), due to their excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties and their ability to prepare new membranes with attractive properties, have found applications in water and wastewater technology. CNT functionalization, which involves the introduction of different types of functional groups into pure CNTs, improves the capabilities of CNT membranes for water and wastewater treatment. It turns out that CNT-based membranes have many advantages, including enhanced water permeability, high selectivity and anti-fouling properties. However, their full-scale application is still limited by their high cost. With their tremendous separation efficiency, low biofouling potential and ultra-high water flux, CNT membranes have the potential to be a leading technology in water treatment in the future, especially in desalination.

• 한국방송∙미디어공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방송∙미디어공학회 2021년도 하계학술대회
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• pp.283-285
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• 2021

본 논문에서는 수중에서 선박 하부에 붙은 오손생물(fouling organism)을 탐지하고 격자지도(grid map)로 나타내는 시스템을 제안한다. 제안하는 시스템은 소나(sound navigation and ranging: SONAR) 센서와 오손생물사이의 시간 데이터를 수집한 후, 라즈베리 파이 4(raspberry pi 4)에서 수집된 데이터를 이용해 격자지도에 맵핑(mapping)함으로써, 선저하부의 상태를 파악하는데 도움을 줄 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 제안된 지도 시스템을 이용하여 선박 하부에 붙은 오손생물의 분포를 확인할 수 있다.