Abstract Recently, the circular economy aiming at elimination of waste and the continual use of resources has attracted a lot of attentions. In the circular system, the resource recovery uses the recycled wastes as the raw material to manufacture new valuable products. This work focuses on a low-cost process, in which an activated carbon (AC) adsorbent was prepared from waste cation exchange resin by calcination and HNO3 activation hydrothermal method. Surface structure and chemistry of AC were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR and Boehm titration. It was found that the acid treatment could increase the number of pores and the content of oxygen-containing functional groups on AC surface. In the adsorption experiment, Methylene blue (MB) was used to assess the adsorption capacity of AC. Experimental results showed that the highest efficiency of MB removal was achieved by AC with modification of 4M HNO3, showing the acidification effect on the adsorption capacity of AC. Adsorption isotherms of Langmuir and Freundlich were employed to fit the experimental data. It was shown that MB adsorption on AC is more consistent with Langmuir model that assumes a homogeneous adsorption. In the adsorption kinetic analysis, the adsorption was found to follow the pseudo-second-order model, indicating that adsorption of MB on acidified AC is dominated by chemical adsorption. The study revealed that the waste ion-exchange resin is a proper precursor of carbon adsorbent for MB dye. This low-cost method would specifically reduce the environmental cost of waste disposal.

현재 우리 산업의 가속화된 발전으로 인해 다양하고 많은 양의 오염이 만들어지기 시작하고 있다. 특히 폐수의 경우 석유, 금속 및 유기물로 오염되는 강과 바다가 늘고 있으며, 빠른 조치가 필요해 보인다. 이러한 오염에 대응하기 위해 폐수에서 분리막을 이용한 깨끗한 물의 여과가 비용적으로 유리하고 친환경적인 기술로 떠오르고 있다. 재생 자원으로 만들 어진 막여과 기법들이 환경오염의 원인 중 하나인 합성고분자 분리막들을 대체하기 위해 많이 사용되고 있다. 박테리아 셀룰 로오스(Bacterial Cellulose / BC)는 순수하고 뚜렷한 형태의 셀룰로오스 나노섬유(Cellulose nanofibrils / CNF)이다. CNF에서 제조된 나노페이퍼는 각기 다른 용도로 한외여과막과 나노여과막으로 사용된다. BC의 높은 결정성으로 인해 폐수 처리 막의 필수 기준인 우수한 기계적 성질을 가질 수 있다. 본 리뷰 논문에서는 염료, 오일 및 중금속 등 폐수의 오염물질들을 걸러내기 위해 사용될 수 있는 BC 기반 분리막들에 대해 논의한다.

The quantified analysis of damages to wastewater treatment plants by natural disasters is essential to maintain the stability of wastewater treatment systems. However, studies on the quantified analysis of natural disaster effects on wastewater treatment systems are very rare. In this study, a total disaster index (DI) was developed to quantify the various damages to wastewater treatment systems from natural disasters using two statistical methods (i.e., AHP: analytic hierarchy process and PCA: principal component analysis). Typhoons, heavy rain, and earthquakes are considered as three major natural disasters for the development of the DI. A total of 15 input variables from public open-source data (e.g., statistical yearbook of wastewater treatment system, meteorological data and financial status in local governments) were used for the development of a DI for 199 wastewater treatment plants in Korea. The total DI was calculated from the weighted sum of the disaster indices of the three natural disasters (i.e., TI for typhoon, RI for heavy rain, and EI for earthquake). The three disaster indices of each natural disaster were determined from four components, such as possibility of occurrence and expected damages. The relative weights of the four components to calculate the disaster indices (TI, RI and EI) for each of the three natural disasters were also determined from AHP. PCA was used to determine the relative weights of the input variables to calculate the four components. The relative weights of TI, RI and EI to calculate total DI were determined as 0.547, 0.306, and 0.147 respectively.

Industrial wastewater often contains a number of recalcitrant organic contaminants. These contaminants are hardly degradable by biological wastewater treatment processes, which requires a more powerful treatment method based on chemical oxidation. Advanced oxidation technology (AOT) has been extensively studied for the treatment of nonbiodegradable organics in water and wastewater. Among different AOTs developed up to date, ozonation and the Fenton process are the representative technologies that widely used in the field. Based on the traditional ozonation and the Fenton process, several modified processes have been also developed to accelerate the production of reactive radicals. This article reviews the chemistry of ozonation and the Fenton process as well as the cases of application of these two AOTs to industrial wastewater treatment. In addition, research needs to improve the cost efficiency of ozonation and the Fenton process were discussed.

본 연구는 점오염원인 하수종말처리장으로부터 배출되는 물의 수질을 분석하고 배출수의 영향을 받는 어류 중 지점들에서 공통적으로 출현하는 어종인 피라미 (Z. platypus) 를 선택하여 조직학적 변화를 참조하천 지점의 수질과 어류 조직을 비교·분석하였다. 2019년 6월 27~28일 하수종 말처리장 4곳 (대전, 전주, 청주, 익산)의 채집 결과, 참조하 천에서 22종 450개체로 가장 많은 종수 및 개체수가 확인 되었다. 지점별로 5개체씩 2~3년생 피라미의 조직표본을 제작하여 아가미와 근육조직 (피부조직)을 관찰한 결과, 참조하천을 제외한 나머지 지점의 조직은 병리적인 양상을 나타내었다. 수질분석 결과, 각 WTP에서는 배출수질 기준을 준수 혹은 더 좋은 수질로 방류하고 있었다. 그러나 하수종말처리수 배출수 및 방류수계 수질에서 오염도지표를 나타내는 항목인 BOD, COD, TP, TN, SS 값이 참조하천에 비해 높은 것으로 나타났다. 빈약한 어류상과 바이오마커로 이용된 종의 조직병리학적 상태는 참조하천에 비해 낮은 수질에서 기인한 것으로 추측되며, 따라서 원인이 되는 하수종말처리장 배출수 수질개선이 이루어져야 할 것으로 사료된다.

The removal of organic carbon and nutrients (i.e. N and P) from wastewater is essential for the protection of the water environment. Especially, nitrogen compounds cause eutrophication in the water environment, resulting in bad water quality. Conventional nitrogen removal systems require high aeration costs and additional organic carbon. Microbial electrochemical system (MES) is a sustainable environmental system that treats wastewater and produces energy or valuable chemicals by using microbial electrochemical reaction. Innovative and cost-effective nitrogen removal is feasible by using MESs and increasing attention has been given to the MES development. In this review, recent trends of MESs for nitrogen removal and their mechanism were conclusively reviewed and future research outlooks were also introduced.

In this study, a pilot-scale (3 m3/day) membrane distillation (MD) process was operated to treat digestate produced from anaerobic digestion of livestock wastewater. In order to evaluate the performance and energy cost of MD process, it was compared with the pilot scale (10 m3/day) reverse osmosis (RO) process, expected competitive process, under same feed condition. As results, MD process shows stable permeate flux (average 10.1 L/m2/hr) until 150 hours, whereas permeate flux of RO process was decreased from 5.3 to 1.5 L/m2/hr within 24 hours. In the case of removal of COD, TN, and TP, MD process shows a high removal rate (98.7, 93.7, and 99% respectively) stably until 150 hours. However, in the case of RO process, removal rate was decreased from 91.6 to 69.5% in COD and from 93.7 to 76.0% in TP during 100 hours of operation. Removal rate of TN in RO process was fluctuated in the range of 34.5-62.9% (average 44.6%) during the operation. As a result of energy cost analysis, MD process using waste heat for heating the feed shows 18% lower cost compare with RO process. Thus, overall efficiency of the MD process is higher then that of the RO process in terms of permeate flux, removal rate of salts, and operating cost (in the case of using waste heat) in treating the anaerobic digestate of livestock wastewater.

축산 폐수는 고농도의 영양염류와 중금속을 함유하고 있어, 배출될 때 수질을 악화시킨다. 기존 처리 기술과 비교하여 bioremediation은 축산 폐수 처리에 유능하다. 특히, 미세조류는 오염물질 제거에 잠재력을 가지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 Ankistrodesmus bibraianus를 이용하여 축산 폐수 내 영양염류 (질소 (N), 인 (P))와 중금속 (구리 (Cu), 아연 (Zn))의 제거 가능성을 평가하고, A. bibraianus의 최적배양조건을 확립하였다. 연구결과, 최적 배양조건은 28°C, pH 7, 광주기는 14 : 10 h로 설정되었다. N과 P의 단일 처리구 (500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 mg L-1)에서 제거효율은 각각 22.9~80.6%와 11.9~50.0%였다. 또한, N과 P의 복합 처리구에서 제거효율은 각각 16.4~58.3%와 7.80~49.8%였다. Cu와 Zn의 단일 처리구 (10, 30, 50 mg L-1)에서 제거효율은 각각 15.5~81.5%와 6.28~34.3%였다. 유사하게, Cu와 Zn의 복합 처리구에서 제거효율은 각각 16.7~74.5%와 5.58~27.5%였다. 또한 영양염류 (N 및 P)와 중금속 (Cu 및 Zn)의 성장 및 제거효율을 축산 폐수에 적용할 수 있음을 나타냈다. 본 연구의 결과에 따르면 A. bibraianus는 축산 폐수 내 영양염류와 중금속 제거에 이용할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

The proper operation and safety management of water and wastewater treatment systems are essential for providing stable water service to the public. However, various natural disasters including floods, large storms, volcano eruptions and earthquakes threaten public water services by causing serious damage to water and wastewater treatment plants and pipeline systems. Korea is known as a country that is relatively safe from earthquakes, but the recent increase in the frequency of earthquakes has increased the need for a proper earthquake management system. Interest in research and the establishment of legal regulations has increased, especially since the large earthquake in Gyeongju in 2016. Currently, earthquakes in Korea are managed by legal regulations and guidelines integrated with other disasters such as floods and large storms. The legal system has long been controlled and relatively well managed, but technical research has made limited progress since it was considered in the past that Korea is safe from earthquake damage. Various technologies, including seismic design and earthquake forecasting, are required to minimize possible damages from earthquakes, so proper research is essential. This paper reviews the current state of technology development and legal management systems to prevent damages and restore water and wastewater treatment systems after earthquakes in Korea and other countries. High technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles, wireless networks and real-time monitoring systems are already being applied to water and wastewater treatment processes, and to further establish the optimal system for earthquake response in water and wastewater treatment facilities, continuous research in connection with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including information and communications technologies, is essential.

The physical treatment such as chemical precipitation or adsorption was usually added after biological treatment in wastewater treatment process since it was enforced to reduce the concentration of phosphate for wastewater effluent to 0.2 mg/L as P which was well known as one of main nutrient causing eutrophication in waterbody. Therefore, the new material functioned for both adsorption and disinfection was prepared with Fe and Cu, and TiO2, respectively, by changing the ratio of concentration referred to tri-metal (TM). According to SEM-EDS, TiO2 was 30~40% composition for any TM regardless of any synthesis condition. However, the ratio of composition for Fe and Cu was dependent on the initial Fe and Cu concentration, respectively. The removal efficiency of phosphate was obtained to 15% at low initial concentration and the maximum uptake (Q) was calculated to ~11 mg/g through Langmuir isotherm model using TM1 which was synthesized at 1000 mg/L, 1000 mg/L, and 2 g (10 g/L) for Fe(NO3)3, Cu(NO3)2, TiO2, respectively. In disinfection test, the efficiency of virus removal using TM was increased with increase of dosage of TM and can be reached 98% at 0.2 g.

전기화학적 처리를 통해 합성폐수 내의 질산성 질소, 인을 제거하는 새로운 폐수처리 공정 시스템 개발을 위한 연구를 수행하였다. 전류밀도에 따른 제거율은 전류밀도가 높아질수록 질산성 질소의 높은 제거효율을 얻었고, 전극 스위칭시간에 따른 N03-제거율은 스위칭 간격이 1 min일 때 높은 질산성 질소 제거효율을 얻었다. 전류밀도에 따른 총인 제거율은 전류밀도와 간격의 변화에 크게 영향을 받지 않으면서 90%이상 처리되는 것으로 나타났고, 스위칭시간(1 min간격)의 증가에 따른 총인 제거율은 증가 한 것으로 나타났다. 반면 COD의 경우는 전기화학적 처리를 통해서는 처리되지 않는 것으로 나타났으며 오히려 전극이 용출되면서 증가하는 결과를 얻었다. 또한, 전극의 소모율은 스위칭 간격이 짧을수록 적은 것으로 나타났다. 최종적으로 전기화학적 처리(전류밀도 50 mA/cm2, 스위칭 간격 1 min, 유량 540 mL/min)를 통해 질소 98.1%, 인 90% 이상의 제거 효율을 얻을 수 있었다.

Large amounts of oily wastewater discharged from various industrial operations (petroleum refining, machinery industries and chemical industries) cause serious pollution in the aquatic environment. Although dissolved air flotation (DAF) separating oil pollutants using microbubbles represents current practice, bubble size cannot be selectively controlled, and lots of power is required to generate microbubbles. Therefore, to investigate performance of the DAF process, this study examined the distribution of different sizes of microbubbles resulting from changes in physical shear force via modifying shapes of a slit-nozzle without an additional power supply. Three types of slit-nozzles (different angle, shape and length of the slit-nozzle) were used to analyze the distribution of bubble size. At a slit angle of 60°, shear force was 4.29 times higher than a conventional slit, and particle size distribution (PSD) in the range between 2 and 20 μm more than doubled. Treatment efficiency of synthetic oily wastewater through the coagulation-DAF process achieved 90% removal of COD by injecting FeCl3 and PACl of 250 mg/L and 100 mg/L, respectively, and the same performance resulted using FeCl3 of 200 mg/L and PACl of 80 mg/L employing a slit-nozzle angle of 60°. This study shows that a coagulation-DAF process using a modified slit-nozzle can improve the pre-treatment of oily wastewater.