• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.843-849
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• 2007

Monitoring of NOM characteristics is important for improving removal efficiency of natural organic matter (NOM) in water treatment processes. In this study, several NOM characteristics, which include specific UV absorbance (SUVA), total carbonate content, molecular weight distribution, and fluorescence properties, were measured using samples collected from a pilot-scale water treatment plant consisting of coagulation/flocculation (C/F), filtration, ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC) processes. The highest removal of NOM was observed in C/F and filtration processes as demonstrated by the reduction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 25% and 21%, respectively. Despite nearly no change in DOC, however, the lowest SUVA value and the highest total carbohydrate content were observed in the sample from ozonation process. This indicates that non-degradable aromatic compounds become depleted and biodegradable organic compounds are enriched during the process. Comparison of synchronous fluorescence spectra of the samples showed that ozoation process increased protein-like fluorescence while it decreased fulvic-like and terrestrial humic-like fluorescence. Consistently, a slight peak of protein-like fluorescence was observed in the sample from ozonation process. The greatest change in molecular weight distributions of the samples was observed in C/F process. Comparison of size exclusion chromatogram of the samples revealed that NOM fractions with the molecular weight greater than 2000 Da were reduced by over 90% after C/F process. SUVA values and total carbohydrate content of the samples were well correlated with a ratio of protein-like fluorescence and terrestrial humic-like fluorescence intensities with the correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.91, respectively. This suggests that synchronous fluorescence properties of NOM could be used as useful tolls for monitoring changes of some NOM characteristics during water treatment processes.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.29-36
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• 1999

The leaching behaviour of $^{14}C$-paraquat in soil was investigated using soil columns (5 cm I.D. ${\times}$ 30 cm H.) parked with two soils of different physicochemical properties. $^{14}C$-Activities leached from the soil A (loam) columns with and without rice plants for 117 days were 0.42 and 0.54% of the originally applied, whereas those from the soil B (sandy loam) were 0.21 and 0.31%, respectively. $^{14}C$-Activities absorbed by rice plants from soil A and B were 3.87 and 2.79%, respectively, most of which remained in the root. Irrespective of soil types, more than 96% of the total $^{14}C$ resided in soil, mostly in the depth of $0{\sim}5$ cm. The water-extractable $^{14}C$ in soil was in the range of $6.10{\sim}9.01%$ of the total $^{14}C$ applied. The rest of $^{14}C$, which corresponds to non-extractable soil residues of [$^{14}C$]paraquat, was distributed in humic substances in the decreasing order of humin>humic acid>fulvic acid. The soil pH of the columns without rice plants increased after the leaching experiment due to the flooded anaerobic condition resulting in the reduction of the $H^{+}$ concentration, whereas that of the columns with rice plants did not increase by the offsetting effect of the acidic exudates from the roots. Low mobility of paraquat in soil strongly indicates that no contamination of ground water would be caused by paraquat residues in paddy soils under normal precipitation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2006년도 총회 및 춘계학술발표회
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• pp.49-53
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• 2006

The possibility of removal of PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) in soil was studied using biological method. The effects of soil and co-substrate on both PCBs reduction rate and chloride ion concentration in soil were investigated. It was shown that PCBs concentration of all the soils used in this study were reduced from 5ppm to below 1ppm after 60days, also chloride ion concentration in slurry increased, Results showed that leaf mold and humic acid as co-substrate do not seem to be effective for biological treatment of PCBs in soil,

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.34-38
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• 1993

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of chlorine dioxide and ozone on reduction of THM(trihalomethane) formation. Precursor concentration, chlorine concentration, reaction time, pH, and temperature were governing compornents of THM formation. When other conditions are constant, THM formation increased linearly with precursor concentration increased. THM formation increased when pH increased from 5 to 9. In combined treatment with chlorine and chlorine dioxide, chlorine treatment after chlorine dioxide treatment made less THM than any other case does. Ozonation reduced THMFP(THM formation potential) of THM precursor. THMFP decreased exponentially with reaction time increased. Also biodegradability of humic acid was enhanced by ozonation.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.133-138
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• 2002

Microbial Fe (III) reduction is important for the biogeochemical cycle in the sediment of freshwater system. Also, the Fe (III) reducing mechanism make a model of oxidizing organic compounds and reducing toxic heavy metals, such as chrome or uranium. Thirty-seven strains which have Fe (III) reducing activity were isolated from sediments in lake Soyang and Chunho reservoir. The initial concentration of Fe (II) was the highest in sediments of lake Soyang. However, the highest Fe (III) reducing activity was shown in Chunho reservoir. All isolates were tested for Fe (III) reducing activity. Strains C2 and C3, which were isolated from sediments of Chunho reservoir, showed the highest activity. These strains were tested to see if they utilize various electron donors such as glucose, yeast extract, acetate, ethanol and toluene. Significantly, glucose and yeast extract were used as electron donors. Also these strains were conformed to use humid acid and nitrate as electron accepters. The 16S rRNA sequences of strains C2 and C3 were closely related to Aeromonas hydrophila with 95% similarity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2003년도 International Symposium
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• pp.111-124
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• 2003

Processes that cause immobilization of contaminants in soil are of great environmental importance because they may lead to a considerable reduction in the bioavailability of contaminants and they may restrict their leaching into groundwater. Previous investigations demonstrated that pollutants can be bound to soil constituents by either chemical or physical interactions. From an environmental point of view, chemical interactions are preferred, because they frequently lead to the formation of strong covalent bonds that are difficult to disrupt by microbial activity or chemical treatments. Humic substances resulting from lignin decomposition appear to be the major binding ligands involved in the incorporation of contaminants into the soil matrix through stable chemical linkages. Chemical bonds may be formed through oxidative coupling reactions catalyzed either biologically by polyphenol oxidases and peroxidases, or abiotically by certain clays and metal oxides. These naturally occurring processes are believed to result in the detoxification of contaminants. While indigenous enzymes are usually not likely to provide satisfactory decontamination of polluted sites, amending soil with enzymes derived from specific microbial cultures or plant materials may enhance incorporation processes. The catalytic effect of enzymes was evaluated by determining the extent of contaminants binding to humic material, and - whenever possible - by structural analyses of the resulting complexes. Previous research on xenobiotic immobilization was mostly based on the application of $^{14}$ C-labeled contaminants and radiocounting. Several recent studies demonstrated, however, that the evaluation of binding can be better achieved by applying $^{13}$ C-, $^{15}$ N- or $^{19}$ F-labeled xenobiotics in combination with $^{13}$ C-, $^{15}$ N- or $^{19}$ F-NMR spectroscopy. The rationale behind the NMR approach was that any binding-related modification in the initial arrangement of the labeled atoms automatically induced changes in the position of the corresponding signals in the NMR spectra. The delocalization of the signals exhibited a high degree of specificity, indicating whether or not covalent binding had occurred and, if so, what type of covalent bond had been formed. The results obtained confirmed the view that binding of contaminants to soil organic matter has important environmental consequences. In particular, now it is more evident than ever that as a result of binding, (a) the amount of contaminants available to interact with the biota is reduced; (b) the complexed products are less toxic than their parent compounds; and (c) groundwater pollution is reduced because of restricted contaminant mobility.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.97-104
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• 2022

With a small particle size, specific surface area and chemical nature, Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites can efficiently remove the organic compounds. In order to understand the applicability for in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater, the degradation of p-nitrophenol by Pd/Cu-Fe nanoparticles was investigated. The degradation results demonstrated that these nanoparticles could effectively degrade p-nitrophenol and near 90% of degradation efficiency was achieved by Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites for 120 min treatment. The efficiency of degradation increased significantly when the Pd content increased from 0.05 wt.% and 0.10 wt.% to 0.20 wt.%. Meanwhile, the removal percentage of p-nitrophenol increased from 75.4% and 81.7% to 89.2% within 120 min. Studies on the kinetics of p-nitrophenol that reacts with Pd/Cu-Fe nanocomposites implied that their behaviors followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Furthermore, the batch experiment data suggested that some factors, including Pd/Cu-Fe availability, temperature, pH, different ions (SO42-, PO43-, NO3-) and humic acid content in water, also have significant impacts on p-nitrophenol degradation efficiency. The recyclability of the material was evaluated. The results showed that the Pd/Cu-Fe nanoparticles have good recycle performance, and after three cycles, the removal rate of p-nitrophenol is still more than 83%.

• Advances in environmental research
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.59-86
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• 2021

Landfilling is the most commonly adopted method for a large quantity of waste disposal. But, the main concern related to landfills is the generation of leachate. The leachate is high strength wastewater that is usually characterized by the presence of high molecular recalcitrant organics. Several conventional methods are adopted for leachate treatment. However, these methods are only suitable for young leachate, having high biodegradability and low toxicity levels. The mature and stabilized leachate needs advanced technologies for its effective treatment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are very suitable for such complex wastewater treatment as reported in the literature. After going through the literature survey, it can be concluded that Fenton-based approaches are effective for the treatment of various high/low strength wastewaters treatment. The applications of the Fenton-based approaches are widely adopted and well recognized due to their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and reliability for the reduction of high chemical oxygen demand (COD) as reported in several studies. Besides, the process is relatively economical due to fewer chemical, non-sophisticated instruments, and low energy requirements. In this review, the conventional and advanced Fenton's approaches are explained with their detailed reaction mechanisms and applications for landfill leachate treatment. The effect of influencing factors like pH, the dosage of chemicals, nature of reaction matrix, and reagent ratio on the treatment efficiencies are also emphasized. Furthermore, the discussion regarding the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color, increase in biodegradability, removal of humic acids from leachate, combined processes, and the pre/post-treatment options are highlighted. The scope of future studies is summarized to attain sustainable solutions for restrictions associated with these methods for effective leachate treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.123-128
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• 2008

The Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) existing in a water includes both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances however, most of the discussion focuses on hydrophobic substances. The hydrophobic fraction was easily removed by absorption or coagulation more than hydrophilic fraction. Therefore, control of the hydrophilic fraction is very important in water treatment process. This study is to determine the variation of DOC, the removal efficiency of DOC, and Trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) after each stage of water treatment process by fractionating Natural Organic Matters (NOM) into hydrophobic and hydrophilic substance. DOC from raw water was fractionated at acidic pH (pH<2) using XAD 8 resin column, into two fraction : hydrophobic substance (i.e. humic substance) adsorbed on XAD 8 and hydrophilic substance which represent the organics contained in the final effluent. THMFP was carried out according to the following set condition: Cl2/DOC=4 mg/mg, incubation at $25^{\circ}C$ in darkness, pH 7 adjust with HCl or NaOH as necessary, and 72hour-contact time. THMs analyzed in this study were chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethan, and bromoform. Sewage was almost evenly split between the hydrophobic (56%) and hydrophilic fraction (44%). But, Aldrich humic substance (AHS) was found to contain less hydrophilics (14%) than hydrophobics (86%). The formation of THMs may depend on the source which is characterized by the composition of organic matters such as AHS and sewage. The THMFP yield of sewage and AHS were assessed as follows. The value of the THMFP reaction yield, AHS $172.65{\mu}g/mg$, is much higher than that of sewage $41.68{\mu}g/mg$. This illustrates possible significant difference in THMFP according to the component type and the proportion of organic matter existing in water source. Apparently AHS react with chlorine to produce more THMFP than do the smaller molecules found in sewage. Water treatment process may reduce THMFP, nevertheless residual DOC (the more hydrophilic substance) has significant THMFP. Further reduction in organic halide precursors requires application of alternative treatment techniques.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.588-597
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• 2004

In this research, we investigated the variation of transmembrane pressure and permeate water quality with pre coagulation and sedimentation with iron based coagulant and chlorination of feed water for PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) based MF membrane filtration. NaCIO was fed to the membrane module with dosage of 0.5mg/L and maintained during filtration. To observe the effect of raw water, three types of raw and processed waters, including river surface water, coagulated water and coagulated-settled water, were applied. In case of river surface water, the transmembrane pressure increased drastically in 500 hours of operation. On the contrary, no significant increase in transmembrane pressure was observed for 1,200 hours of operation for coagulated water and coagulated-settled waters. The turbidity of permeate was lower than a detection limit of equipment for all raw waters. The removal efficiency of humic substances of coagulated water and coagulated-settled water was approximate ten times of that of surface river water. And, the removal efficiency of TOC and DOC was approximate two times of that of surface river water. From the results of plant operation, stable operation was maintained at $0.9m^3/m^2{\cdot}day$ filtration flux through the combination of pre-coagulation and pre-chlorination. However, the water quality of permeate was the best when pre-coagulation-sedimentation process was combined with pre-chlorination.