Recently, separation membranes have been applied to fields such as water supply, sewage treatment, gray water reuse, and air pollution control. Chemical cleaning technology is attracting attention among the methods of reusing these expensive separation membranes. It was found that the separation membrane could be regenerated using chemical cleaning. Specifically, it was found that the use time of the separation membranes regenerated by chemical cleaning was sustainable for more than 1,700 hours. Additionally, it was found that the flux recovery ratio after chemical cleaning was maintained at least 60%. In addition, the flux recovery ratio of HYDREX 4710, an organic membrane cleaner, and 4703, an inorganic membrane cleaner, was 76% and 62%, respectively, showing the highest flux recovery ratio among the chemicals used. Considering that the target raw water of this study is biological secondary treatment water, it was suggested that chemical cleaning could be actively used to regenerate separation membranes in future water treatment.

At Pyropia farms, organic acid treatments have enhanced productivity and quality by removing pest algae (such as Ulva spp. and diatoms) and reducing the occurrence of diseases. Ulva spp. attaches to the Pyropia nets competing for inorganic nutrients & space and diminishing productivity. Additionally, the presence of attached contaminants (such as diatoms and middy particles) on the Pyropia nets negatively affects the quality of Pyropia. This study investigated the effects of removing Ulva linza and washing the Pyropia yezoensis nets using an activating treatment agent (organic acid and highly saline solution) with an air bubble device. The results of measuring the dead cell ratios after treatment under different conditions showed that the dead cell ratio of U. linza did not significantly increase when the air bubble device combined the activating treatment agent with the activating treatment agent alone. When washing the P. yezoensis nets, the air bubble device was about 19-37% more effective than the activating treatment agent alone. The findings of this study suggest that the air bubble device enhances the efficacy of the activating treatment agent, resulting in the effective cleaning of the Pyropia nets.

Peanut is a well-known food allergen that causes adverse reactions ranging from mild urticaria to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Consumers suffering from peanut allergies should thus avoid consuming undeclared peanuts in processed foods. Therefore, effective cleaning methods are needed to remove food allergens from manufacturing facilities. To address this, wet cleaning methods with washing water at different temperatures, abstergents (peracetic acid, sodium bicarbonate, dilute sodium hypochlorite, detergent), and cleaning tools (brush, sponge, paper towel, and cotton) were investigated to remove peanuts from materials used in food manufacture, including plastics, wood, glass, and stainless steel. Peanut butter was coated on the surface of the glass, wood, stainless steel, and plastic for 30 min and cleaned using wet cleaning. The peanut residue on the cleaned surfaces was swabbed and determined using an optimized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cleaning using a brush and hot water above 50oC showed an effective reduction of peanut residue from the surface. However, removing peanuts from wooden surfaces was complicated. These results provide information for selecting appropriate materials in food manufacturing facilities and cleaning methods to remove food allergens. Additionally, the cleaning methods developed in this study can be applied to further research on removing other food allergens.

In this study, we compared the microbial reduction effects of drying, hot water, and microwave sterilization in scourers and dishcloths to suggest a most suitable sterilization method. Three scourer types (silver, copper, and mesh) were used, and three dishcloth types (silver, bamboo, and cotton) were used. Drying time dependent reduction in Escherichia coli was high in silver and copper scourers, but minimal bacterial reduction was obtained against Bacillus cereus in all scourers and dishcloths. In scourers, E. coli was not detected after ≥30 s of hot water sterilization at 77oC, and B. cereus was not detected after ≥60 s of hot water sterilization at 100oC. In dishcloths, E. coli was not detected after hot water sterilization at 77oC for ≥30 s, but B. cereus was detected after hot water sterilization at 100oC for ≥60 s. In scourers, E. coli was not detected after microwave sterilization at 700 W for 3 min, but B. cereus was detected. In dishcloths, E. coli was not detected after microwave sterilization with 700 W for ≥1 min, but B. cereus was detected in the cotton dishcloth even after sterilization for 3 min. In conclusion, the use of antimicrobial scourers (silver and copper) and dishcloths (silver and bamboo) are not sufficient to reduce the microbial contamination. The guideline provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety suggesting dishcloth sterilization via hot water at 100oC for 30 s was also found to be insufficient. Based on our research, we suggest that the most effective methods of microbial management are submerging scourers in hot water at 100oC for ≥1 min, and sterilizing dishcloths for ≥3 min using a 700 W microwave.

In this study, a two-stage electrostatic precipitator (ESP) was developed using a novel automatic dry cleaning device to reduce the ultrafine particles in subway stations. Collection efficiency was evaluated with a pilot scale ESP (1.2m× 1.2m) and the scale of the test duct was half of the subway air handling unit. The maximum collection efficiency for 0.3 μm particles was 96.9%. In addition, we studied a method of automatic dry cleaning for maintenance of the ESP. The cleaning efficiency was analyzed according to the cleaning flow rate for each particle loading amount to achieve a recovery rate over 90%. In addition, we derived the equation to estimate the reduction in collection efficiency according to the particle loading amount. It was confirmed that the performance of the contaminated ESP was restored to the initial state by the automatic dry cleaning in this study and that the electrical energy consumption was 5 times lower compared to utilizing conventional water cleaning.

In this study, chemically enhanced steam cleaning(CESC) was applied as a novel and efficient method for the control of organic and inorganic fouling in ceramic membrane filtration. The constant filtration regression model and the resistance in series model(RISM) were used to investigate the membrane fouling mechanisms. For total filtration, the coefficient of determination(R2) with an approximate value of 1 was obtained in the intermediate blocking model which is considered as the dominant contamination mechanism. In addition, most of the coefficient values showed similar values and this means that the complex fouling was formed during the filtration period. In the RISM, Rc/Rf increased about 4.37 times in chemically enhanced steam cleaning compared to physical backwashing, which implies that the internal fouling resistance was converted to cake layer resistance, so that the membrane fouling hardly to be removed by physical backwashing could be efficiently removed by chemically enhanced steam cleaning. The results of flux recovery rate showed that high-temperature steam may loosen the structure of the membrane cake layer due to the increase in diffusivity and solubility of chemicals and finally enhance the cleaning effect. As a consequence, it is expected that chemically enhanced steam cleaning can drastically improve the efficiency of membrane filtration process when the characteristics of the foulant are identified.

부식은 환경과의 반응에 의한 금속의 열화이다. 이는 완전히 제거하기가 어렵다. 부식은 보호 장벽이 파괴 된 후 빠르게 진행되며 매트릭스로의 금속 양이온 확산, 산화물 형성과 국소 pH 변화 같은 금속 표면과 국소 환경의 조성과 특성을 변경하는 여러 반응이 일어난다. 강과 철의 부식에 대한 연구는 이론적, 실제적 관심사이며 상당한 관심을 받고 있다. 산업용 산세척, 산 스케일 제거, 세척 및 유정 산성화에 널리 사용되는 산 용액은 금속 재료에 대한 부식 공격을 억제하기 위해 부식 억제제를 사용해야한다. 녹을 물리적으로 제거하려면 고가의 특수 장비가 필요하며 이를 화학적으로 제거하면 부식을 유발하거나 금속의 수명을 단축 할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 퍼머 환원제와 킬레이트 개념을 적용하여 화장품 및 식품 소재를 이용한 친환경 녹 세정제를 개발하였고 산업 및 온수 관, 각종 산업 기기의 녹을 제거하기 위해 적용하여 보았다. 그 결과, 녹 세정제는 기존 처리 방식에 비해 녹을 더 효과적이고 안전하게 제거하는 것으로 나타났다. 동일한 시간에서 녹 제거 효율은 기존의 방법보다 공업용 배관의 경우 1.75 ~ 2.5 배, 보일러 온수용 배관의 경우 1.56 ~ 2.2 배 우수하였다.

The surface of silicon dummy wafers is contaminated with metallic impurities owing to the reaction with and adhesion of chemicals during the oxidation process. These metallic impurities negatively affect the device performance, reliability, and yield. To solve this problem, a wafer-cleaning process that removes metallic impurities is essential. RCA (Radio Corporation of America) cleaning is commonly used, but there are problems such as increased surface roughness and formation of metal hydroxides. Herein, we attempt to use a chelating agent (EDTA) to reduce the surface roughness, improve the stability of cleaning solutions, and prevent the re-adsorption of impurities. The bonding between the cleaning solution and metal powder is analyzed by referring to the Pourbaix diagram. The changes in the ionic conductivity, H2O2 decomposition behavior, and degree of dissolution are checked with a conductivity meter, and the changes in the absorbance and particle size before and after the reaction are confirmed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses. Thus, the addition of a chelating agent prevents the decomposition of H2O2 and improves the life of the silicon wafer cleaning solution, allowing it to react smoothly with metallic impurities.