• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.136-140
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• 1997

Direct membrane separation using nonwoven fabric was applied to saline wastewater treatment by an activated sludge process. A nonwoven fabric module was immersed in an aeration tank. The part of treated was filtered through the module by suction and the rest of that was separated by a settling tank. Various F/M ratios and salt concentrations were applied to investigate stable flux as well as pollutant removal. The pollutant removal efficiencies of nonwoven fabric separation was not affected by F/M ratios and salt concentrations and was higher than that of settling tank separation. The decline in flux was seemed to be caused by the biofilm on nonwoven fabric surface.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.291-304
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• 2023

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become an increasing concern in terms of human health risks as well as aesthetic impairment due to their toxicity. The reduction of water pollutants, especially nutrients from non-point sources in a reservoir watershed, is fundamental for HABs prevention. We investigated the pollutant removal efficiencies of a constructed wetland to evaluate its feasibility as a method for controlling non-point sources located in the Annaecheon stream within the Daecheong Reservoir watershed. The overall removal efficiencies of pollutants were as follows: BOD 14.3%, COD 17.9%, SS 50.0%, T-N 19.0%, and T-P 35.4%. These results indicate that constructed wetlands are effective in controlling pollutants from non-point sources. The seasonal variation in removal efficiency depended on the specific pollutants. The removal efficiencies of BOD, COD, and T-N were stable throughout the year, except during winter, which might have been influenced by lower microorganism activity. In contrast, T-P showed a consistent removal efficiency even during the winter season, suggesting that the wetland can reduce external phosphorus loading to the reservoir. Regarding the effects of pollutant loadings on removal efficiency, the effluent concentrations of all pollutants were significantly decreased compared to those in the influent in case of middle and high loadings. This demonstrates that constructed wetlands can handle high pollutant loads, including the initial runoff during rainfall, to prevent reservoir eutrophication. Despite the various strengths of wetland water purification, there are limitations as passive treatment. Therefore, more case studies should be conducted to suggest optimum operational conditions for constructed wetlands, taking into consideration reservoir-specific characteristics.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1495-1501
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• 2012

In this study, an experiment was conducted on influent water with low concentrations of organic matter, such as river water or secondary treatment water of a sewage treatment plant, according to HRT changes by using aerobic biofilm. In the biofilm process, as the biofilm increases in thickness, the inner membrane can be low in oxygen transfer rate and become anaerobic conditions, while the detachment of biomass from biofilm occurs. To overcome these limitations in the detachment of microorganisms in biofilm, the yarn, which was made from poly propylene(PP), was weaved and manufactured into a tube. Then, a test was carried out by injecting air so that the interior of the biofilm could create aerobic conditions. The results of the experiment showed that the removal efficiency of $TCOD_{cr}$ reached 66.1~81.2% by HRT 2hr, and 50.9 ~61.8% after HRT 1 hr. The removal efficiency of $SCOD_{cr}$ was 45.9 to 55.1% by HRT 1hr, and 26.1% in HRT 0.5hr, showing the highest removal efficiency in HRT 1hr. The SS removal efficiency was at 81.8 to 94.6%, and the effluent SS concentration was very low, indicating less than 2.2 mg/L in all HRT's. As a result, the $SCOD_{cr}$ and $NH_4{^+}$-N that were removed per specific surface area and attached to microbial biofilm showed the highest efficiency in HRT 1hr with 8.37 $gSCOD_{cr}/m^2{\cdot}d$, 2.93 $gNH_4{^+}-N/m^2{\cdot}d$. From the result of reviewing the characteristics of biofilm growth, microorganisms were found to be attached, and increased by 36 days. Later, they decreased in number through detachment, but showed a tendency to increase again 41 days later due to microbial reproduction.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.283-296
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• 2010

During the disinfection of potable water, humic substances present in the solution react with chlorine to form potential carcinogenic compounds. This study evaluates the feasibility of using a submerged membrane photocatalysis reactor (SMPR) process for treatment of humic substances through the characterization of both organic removal efficiency and membrane hydraulic performance. A simple SMPR was operated and led to the removal of up to 83% of the polluting humic matters. Temporal rates of organic removal and membrane fouling were found to decrease with filtration time. Using tighter membrane in the hybrid process resulted in not only higher organic removal, but also more significant membrane fouling. Under the experimental conditions tested, optimum $TiO_2$ concentration for humic removal was found to be 0.6 g/L, and increasing initial pollutant concentration expectedly resulted in a more substantial membrane fouling. The importance of the influent nature and pollutant characteristics in this type of treatment was also assessed as various water sources were tested (model humic acid solution vs. local water containing natural organic matters). Results from this study revealed the promising nature of the SMPR process as an alternative technique for organic removal in the existing water treatment system.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.363-368
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• 2021

On the assessment results of the non-point source pollutant removability of bio-block using waste sewage sludge, at the reactor's initial operation stage, the removal efficiency of COD was slightly unstable. However, after the reactor was stabilized, the COD removal efficiency was higher in the reactor filled with bio-blocks compared to the reactor filled with broken stones. In terms of nitrogen and phosphorus, their removal efficiency was unstable at the initial stage of the reactor operation. This phenomenon was investigated through the bio-block elution experiments. Results indicated that nitrogen and phosphorus were eluted from the bio-blocks affecting their removal at the initial operation. Furthermore, based on elution tests conducted after the dry ashing of the waste sewage sludge, part of the nitrogen and phosphorus was eluted similar to the bio-block elution test results, although considerable amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus were reduced compared to the sludge cake. Prior to the use of the waste sewage sludge bio-blocks as a filter medium to remove non-point source pollutants, a stabilization period of 10 days was required. After the stabilization process, results showed similar characteristics as general aggregates. Moreover, to use the bio-block as a filter medium for the non-point pollutant removal, the filling ratio of 75% was the most suitable as it resulted in the highest nitrogen removal efficiency after the stabilization. The results of this study suggested that waste sewage sludge can be suitably recycled as a mixed raw material for the bio-blocks, with satisfactory application as a filter medium in artificial wetlands, stormwater runoff problems, stream water pollutants to eliminate non-point source pollutants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.113-124
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• 2006

The feasibility of the up- and down-flow constructed wetland was examined fur rural wastewater treatment in Korea. Many constructed wetland process was suffered from substrate clogging and high plant stresses because of long term operation. The up- and down-flow constructed wetland process used porous granule materials (charcoal pumice : SSR=10:20:70) for promoting intake rate of nutrient to plant, and especially flow type was designed continuously repeating from up-flow to down-flow. $BOD_5$ and SS was removed effectively by the process with the average removal rate being about 75% respectively. The wetland process was effective in treating nutrient as well as organic pollutant. Removal of TN and TP were more effective than other wetland system and mean effluent concentrations were approximately 7.5 and $0.4mg\;L^{-1}$ which satisfied the water quality standard for WWTPs. The treatment system did not experience any clogging or accumulations of pollutants and reduction of treatment efficiency during winter period because constructed polycarbonate glass structure prevented temperature drop. Considering stable performance and effective removal of pollutant in wastewater, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness, the up- and down-flow constructed wetland was thought to be an effective and feasible alternative in rural area.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2019

Apparent changes in the natural hydrologic cycle causing more frequent floods in urban areas and surface water quality impairment have led stormwater management solutions towards the use of green and sustainable practices that aims to replicate pre-urbanization hydrology. Among the widely documented applications are infiltration techniques that temporarily store rainfall runoff while promoting evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge through infiltration, and diffuse pollutant reduction. In this study, a laboratory-scale infiltration device was built to be able to observe and determine the factors affecting flow variations and corresponding solids removal through a series of experiments employing semi-synthetic stormwater runoff. Results reveal that runoff and solids reduction is greatly influenced by the infiltration capability of the underlying soil which is also affected by rainfall intensity and the available depth for water storage. For gravel-filled structures, a depth of at least 1 m and subsoil infiltration rates of not more than 200 mm/h are suggested for optimum volume reduction and pollutant removal. Moreover, it was found that the length of the structure is more critical than the depth for applications in low infiltration soils. These findings provide a contribution to existing guidelines and current understanding in design and applicability of infiltration systems.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.340-347
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• 2021

The aim of this research is to assess the use of high purity potassium ferrate (VI) for the efficient removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), one of the potential micro-pollutant found in aqueous waste. In addition, various parametric studies have enabled us to deduce the mechanism in the degradation process. The pH and concentration of sulfamethoxazole enable the degradation of pollutants. Moreover, the time-dependent degradation nature of sulfamethoxazole showed that the degradation of ferrate (VI) in presence of sulfamethoxazole followed the pseudo-second order kinetics and the value of rate constant increased with an increase in the SMX concentration. The stoichiometry of SMX and ferrate (VI) was found to be 2 : 1 and the overall rate constant was estimated to be 4559 L²/mmol²/min. On the other hand, the increase in pH from 8.0 to 5.0 had catalyzed the degradation of SMX. Similarly, a significant percentage in mineralization of SMX increased with a decrease in pH and concentration. The presence of co-existing ions and SMS spiked real water samples was extensively analyzed in the removal of SMX using ferrate (VI) to simulate studies on real matrix implication of ferrate (VI) technology.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.87-94
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• 2009

The objectives of this paper were to estimate cell based pollutant loadings for total maximum daily load (TMDL) programs and to evaluate the applicability of the agricultural nonpoint source (AGNPS) model for an intensive agricultural watershed in Korea. The model was calibrated and validated at a watershed of 384.8 ha of drainage area using the observed data from 1996 through 2000 in terms of runoff, suspended solid, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus on a hourly basis. Analysis of spatial variations of pollutant loadings for rainfall frequencies of various intensities and durations were conducted. In addition, the validated model was applied to estimated the TMDL removal efficiency for best management practices (BMPs) scenarios which were selected by taking into account the pollutant characteristics of the study watershed. The model can help to understand the problems and to find solutions through landuse changes and BMPs. Thus, the method used for this study was able to identify TMDL quantitatively as well as qualitatively for various sources pollution that are spatially dispersed. Also it provides an assessment of the impact of BMPs on the water bodies studied, allowing the TMDL programs to be complemented more effectively.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.39-47
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• 2010

Annually, the scale of agricultural areas in Korea were being reduced as the lands were converted to other land uses. While the rate of productivity were either being maintained or increased, the pollution load from these areas were still greater in magnitude. Although the levels of pollutant concentration released in the agricultural watersheds were minimal, the combined quantities mostly from diffuse sources were high. As a consequence, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Korea adopted the use of free water surface (FWS) flow constructed wetlands to reduce the pollutant loadings emitted from agricultural watersheds for the improvement of water quality and protection of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, a constructed wetland treating stream water in an agricultural watershed was monitored since April 2009 subsequent to its completion in December 2008. Satisfactory performance was achieved for TSS, BOD and TP with 26%, 28% and 39% pollutant removal rates, respectively. In addition, the effluent water quality was improved and achieved compliance the national water quality criteria. Results of this study can be useful to establish design parameters and employ proper removal techniques of similar natural treatment systems for future implementation in the country.