• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2005

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an environmental contaminant provoking genetic mutation and damages to liver and central nerve system even at low concentrations. A practical scheme is reported using toluene as a primary substrate to revitalize the biofilter column for an extended period of TCE degradation. The rate of trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation by Pseudomonas putida F1 at $25^{\circ}C$ decreased exponentially with time, without toluene feeding to a biofilter column ($11\;cm\;I.D.{\times}95\;cm$ height). The rate of decrease was 2.5 times faster at a TCE concentration of $970\;{\mu}g/L$ compared to a TCE concentration of $110\;{\mu}g/L$. The TCE itself was not toxic to the cells, but the metabolic intermediates of the TCE degradation were apparently responsible for the decrease in the TCE degradation rate. A short-term (2 h) supply of toluene ($2,200\;{\mu}g/L$) at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 6.4 min recovered the relative column activity by $43\%$ when the TCE removal efficiency at the time of toluene feeding was $58\%$. The recovery of the TCE removal efficiency increased at higher incoming toluene concentrations and longer toluene supply durations according to the Monod type of kinetic expressions. A longer duration ($1.4{\sim}2.4$ times) of toluene supply increased the recovery of the TCE removal efficiency by $20\%$ for the same toluene load.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.135-146
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• 1998

In this study, we investigated to measured concentration, seasonal characteristics and load quantity of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) for 11 sites in the main stream and 8 sites in the branch stream of Kumho river, during from October 1995 to April 1997. As a results, the small amount of volatile compounds, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, toluene, benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, p-xylene and 1,3,5-trimethyl-benzene were detected from the main stream of Kumho river. Also detected to dichloromethene, chloroform, toluene, benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbebzene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene in the branch stream, and dichloromerhane, chloroform and toluene were detected to all site of sampling. And seasonal variation of volatile organic compounds showed higher concentration in the July 1996 as a winter season than January 1997 as a summer season in most places. Also the load quantity of volatile organic compound at Gangchang site in the last downstream of Kumho river, was in order of chloroform > dichloromethane > toluene > trichloroethene.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.287-292
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• 2005

Transient behavior of biofilter/photo-catalytic reactor system was observed to eliminate both hydrogen sulfide and toluene from waste air at its four sampling ports. The biofilter was packed with a equivolume mixture of granular activated carbon(GAC) and compost as packing media on which Thiobacillus sp. IW and Burkholderia cepacia G4 were inoculated and were fixed. The biofilter/photo-catalytic reactor system was run for eight stages of operation under various operating conditions. As a result the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene began to decrease from 100% after the inlet loads of hydrogen sulfide and toluene surpassed ca. 100 $S-g/m^{3}/h$ and $161g/m^{3}/h$, respectively, and were rapidly decreased to 60% after the inlet loads of hydrogen sulfide and toluene were increased to 200 $S-g/m^{3}/h$ and $644g/m^{3}/h$, respectively.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.519-525
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• 2008

Biodegradation of toluene, styrene and hydrogen sulfide as model compounds of volatile organic compounds and odor from waste gas was investigated experimentally in a biotrickling filter. This study focussed on the description of experimental results with regard to operating conditions. The effect of varying $H_2S$ load rate and inlet concentration was investigated under autotropic and mixotropic environmental conditions. The $H_2S$ removal efficiencies of greater than 99% were achieved at $H_2S$ loads below $10g/m^3{\cdot}hr$ for each environment. It was observed that the maximum elimination capacity of mixotrophic filter was achieved a little greater than the one of autotrophic filter. The biofiltration of toluene and styrene in trickling bed was examined under different gas flow rates, load rates, and inlet concentrations. Below $40g/m^3{\cdot}hr$ of toluene loading, the elimination capacity and loading were identical and it was completely destroyed. In high loading of toluene, the biotrickling filter was operated at its maximum elimination capacity. In the inlet concentration of 0.2, 0.5, and $1.0g/m^3$, the maximum elimination capacity of toluene showed 40, 45, and $60g/m^3{\cdot}hr$, respectively. After a short adaptation period, it was demonstrated that the results of styrene in originally toluene adapted bioreactor was similar with the ones of toluene. However, the performance of filer for styrene is generally a little lower than for toluene. The operating conditions (including liquid flow rate etc.) allowing the highest removal efficiency should be determined experimentally for each specific case.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.469-473
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• 2000

We studied the removal of toluene vapors in a lab-scale biofiter. Biofiltration was performed in a column fed in a downflow manner with contaminated air at ambient conditions. The column was packed with a mixture of peat and calstone(5:3 vol. Ratio), which was inoculated with microbes of selected stains(Pseudomonas putida type A). The microorganisms were immobilized on the filter media and biofilms were formed. The fiofilter was operated at various inlet toluene concentrations for days, and treated up to a maximum elimination capacity of $20 g/m^3hr$ at an inlet load of $30 g/m^3hr$, which corresponds to removal efficiencies in the range 20∼90% and a gas retention time of 1 to 2 min. The pressure drop was almost negligible over the biofilter columns, amounting to only $1.062 cmH_2O/m$ and appreciably smaller than other studies. The effects of operating conditions such as flow rate, inlet toluene concentration and moisture content on the performance of the biofilter were sequentially investigated.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 2013

In this study, the photocatalytic reactor system equipped with photocatalyst-carrying-silica-media cartridges [photocatalytic reactor system (1)] was used to perform the treatment of waste air containing malodor and volatile organic compound (VOC). The result of its performance was evaluated and compared with that of the photocatalytic reactor system equipped with commercial photocatalyst-carrying-nonwoven filter-media cartridges [photocatalytic reactor system (2)]. In case of photocatalytic reactor system (1), at the 1st stage of run the removal efficiencies of ethanol and toluene continued to be 80% and 20%, respectively. However, unlike toluene, the removal efficiency of ethanol dropped to 40% at the end of the 1st stage of run. The removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide decreased from 100% to 90%. At the 2nd stage of its run the removal efficiency of ethanol decreased to 10% while the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene remained as same as 90% and 20%, respectively, even though the inlet load of toluene increased by factor of four. In the 3rd stage of its run, as the result of application of aluminium-coated reflector film to the inner wall of photocatalytic reactor system, the removal efficiencies of ethanol and toluene increased by 5% to be 15% and 25%, respectively. In case of photocatalytic reactor system (2), at the 1st stage of its run, the removal efficiencies of ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and toluene continued to be 10%, 97% and 100%, respectively. However, at 2nd stage of its run their removal efficiencies became 5%, 95% and 2~3%, respectively, which showed that the removal efficiencies of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide decreased insignificantly while the removal efficiency of toluene dropped significantly from the perfect elimination. Moreover, the reflector film did not affect the performance of photocatalytic reactor system (2) at all. Therefore the removal of ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and toluene by photocatalytic reactor system (2) was mainly attributed to hydrophobic adsorption of its nonwoven filter media and its extent of photocatalytic removal turned out to be negligible, compared to that of photocatalytic reactor system (1).

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.603-608
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• 2001

In this study, we studied on the remeval of toluene vapors in a lab-scale biofilter. Biofiltration was performed in a column fed downflow with contaminated air at ambient conditions. The column was packed with mixture of Peat and Calstene(5:3 vol. Ratio), Synthesized media, Bark and Wood chip, which were inoculated with microbial population of selected stains(Pseudomonas. putida, KCCM 11343, ATCC 12633). The microorganisms were immobilized on the bed medium and then biofilm were formed. The biofilter was operated under the conditions of various inlet toluene concentrations for 180 days and treated up to the elimination capacity of maximum 40 g/㎥hr at the inlet load of 30 g/㎥ hr with percentage removals of 20∼90% and gas retention times between 1 and 2 min. The pressure drop was very negligible through the biofilter columps because its value of 0.054 cmH$_2$O/m was much less than others. The effect of operating conditions such as flow rate, inlet toluene concentration and moisture contents on the performance of the biofilter was sequentially investigated in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.4 no.1 s.9
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• pp.9-15
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• 2000

In order to investigate the structural defects of a cylindrical-type toluene storage tank, we carried out the acoustic emissions. The storage tank was manufactured with high strength steel in 1978 and its's first and second courses from bottom were entirely repaired, recently. Acoustic emissions were monitored with real time according to load sequences in the $75{\~}84\%$ level range of maximum allowable load. Our results show a non-genuine acoustic emissions as well as a genuine characteristics. The pseudo emissions considered as valve noises were transiently occurred on shut-off processes of inlet valve regardless of water loading. The acoustic emission events occurred during water filling phase were estimated due to defects, and in the $75{\~}84\%$ test load level no evidences of defect growth were observed. Those defects were ascertained as weld cracks and porosities through the post radiography testing conducted near active sensors.