There is a need for a method that can effectively remove wastewater containing small-sized particles such as TiO2. In this study, we attempted to remove TiO2 wastewater using electrocoagulation-electroflotation two-step separation. The TiO2 wastewater was effectively removed via batch electrocoagulation-electroflotation separation. However, in the batch process, the simultaneous operation of electrocoagulation and electoflotation was challenging due to the high residual turbidity. In the continuous operation, electrocoagulation and electoflotation reactors were kept separate. The turbidity removal in continuous operation was similar to that in the batch process, nevertheless, the residual Al concentration was high, leading to the conclusion that counterterm ensures against residual Al were necessary.

This study aims to inactivate Artemia sp. (Zooplankton) in ballast water through the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma process. The DBD plasma process has the advantage of enabling direct electric discharge in water and utilizing chemically active species generated by the plasma reaction. The experimental conditions for plasma reaction are as follows; high voltage of 9-22 kV, plasma reaction time of 15-600 s, and air flow rate of 0.5-5.5 L/min. The results showed that the optimal experimental conditions for Artemia sp inactivation were 16 kV, 60 s, 2.5 L/min, respectively. The concentrations of total residual oxidants and ozone generated by plasma reaction increased with an increase of in voltage and reaction time, and the concentration of generated air did not increase above a certain amount.

This study investigated the treatment of acetaminophen in municipal wastewater by conventional ozonation, ozone-based advanced oxidation, ozone/UV, and the electro-peroxone process. The ozone/UV process and electro-peroxone process of electric power consumption increased 1.25 and 2.04 times, respectively, compared to the ozone process. The pseudo-steady OH radical concentration was the greatest in the　electro-peroxone process and lowest in the ozone process. The specific energy consumption for TOC decomposition of the ozone/UV process and electro-peroxone process were 22.8% and 15.5% of the ozone process, respectively. Results suggest that it is advantageous in terms of degradation performance and energy consumption to use a combination of processes in municipal wastewater treatment, rather than an ozone process alone. In combination with the ozone process, the electrolysis process was found to be more advantageous than the UV process.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) ballast water management agreement (International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments) came into force on September 8, 2017. This study evaluated the disinfection performance of electrolysis, UV treatment, and electrolysis + UV combined, to improve the treatment of zooplankton (size ≥ 50 μm), which is expected to strengthen the standards for biodegradation efficiency. Among the methods used, the disinfection time leading to 100% death was in the order: electrolysis > electrolysis + UV > UV process. For the same level of disinfection performance, the amount of electricity required for the electrolysis, UV, and electrolysis + UV processes were 1,300 W.s, 8,400 W.S, and 4,500 W.s, respectively. The combination of electrolysis + UV process for inactivation of zooplankton in ballast water did not show a synergic effect owing to the slow disinfection time and high power consumption.

The dissolution of ionized gas in dielectric barrier plasma, similar to the principle of ozone generation, is a major performance-affecting factor. In this study, the plasma gas dissolving performance of a gas mixing-circulation plasma process was evaluated using an experimental design methodology. The plasma reaction is a function of four parameters [electric current (X1), gas flow rate (X2), liquid flow rate (X3) and reaction time (X4)] modeled by the Box-Behnken design. RNO (N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline), an indictor of OH radical formation, was evaluated using a quadratic response surface model. The model prediction equation derived for RNO degradation was shown as a second-order polynomial. By pooling the terms with poor explanatory power as error terms and performing ANOVA, results showed high significance, with an adjusted R2 value of 0.9386; this indicate that the model adequately satisfies the polynomial fit. For the RNO degradation, the measured value and the predicted values by the model equation agreed relatively well. The optimum current, gas flow rate, liquid flow rate and reaction time were obtained for the highest desirability for RNO degradation at 0.21 A, 2.65 L/min, 0.75 L/min and 6.5 min, respectively.

In this study, the two-stage electroflotation-rising process was investigated with the aim of improving the performance of the conventional one-stage electroflotation process. A total of 32 min (the electroflotation and rising times were 30 min and 2 min, respectively,) was required when a current of 0.35 A was applied in the one-stage electroflotation-rising experiment. The amount of electric power required to treat 1 m3 of water was 1.75 kWh/m3. For the two- stage system, the time required to achieve a turbidity removal rate of over 95% was 16 min (50% of the one-stage system). The amount of electric power required to treat 1 m3 of water was 0.59 kWh/m3, which was only 33.7% of that required for the one-stage process. The total treatment time and electric power were excellent in case of the two-stage system in comparison with those of the one-stage process. The rate of turbidity removal for the horizontal electrode arrangement is 9.3% higher than that of vertical electrode arrangement. When Na2SO4 was used as the electrolyte, the optimum electrolyte concentration was 1.0 g/L.

The conventional development of multi-component electrodes is based on the researcher's experience and is based on trial and error. Therefore, there is a need for a scientific method to reduce the time and economic losses thereof and systematize the mixing of electrode components. In this study, we use design of mixture experiments (DOME)- in particular a simplex lattice design with Design Expert◯R program- to attempt to find an optimum mixing ratio for a three-component electrode for the high RNO degradation; RNO is an indictor of OH radical formation. The experiment included 12 experimental points with 2 center replicates for 3 different independent variables (with the molar ratio of Ru, Ti, Ir). As the Prob > F value of the ‘Quadratic’ model is 0.0026, the secondary model was found to be suitable. Applying the molar ratio of the electrode components to the corrected response model results is an RNO removal efficiency (%) = 59.89 × [Ru] + 9.78 × [Ti] + 67.03 × [Ir] + 66.38 × [Ru] × [Ir] + 132.86 × [Ti] × [Ir]. The R2 value of the equation is 0.9374 after the error term is excluded. The optimized formulation of the ternary electrode for an high RNO degradation was acquired when the molar ratio of Ru 0.100, Ti 0.200, Ir 0.700 (desirability d value, 1).

To increase electrolysis performance, the applicability of seawater to the iron-fed electro-Fenton process was considered. Three kinds of graphite electrodes (activated carbon fiber-ACF, carbon felt, graphite) and dimensionally stable anode (DSA) electrode were used to select a cathode having excellent hydrogen peroxide generation and organic decomposition ability. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced by ACF was 11.2 mg/L and those of DSA, graphite, and carbon felt cathodes were 12.9 ~ 13.9 mg/L. In consideration of durability, the DSA electrode was selected as the cathode. The optimum current density was found to be 0.11 A/cm2, the optimal Fe2+ dose was 10 mg/L, and the optimal ratio of Fe2+ dose and hydrogen peroxide was determined to be 1:1. The optimum air supply for hydrogen peroxide production and Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation was determined to be 1 L/min. The electro-Fenton process of adding iron salt to the electrolysis reaction may be shown to be more advantageous for RhB degradation than when using iron electrode to produce hydrogen peroxide and iron ion, or electro-Fenton reaction with DSA electrode after generating iron ions using an iron electrode.

This study was conducted to investigated the possibility of inactivating wilt germs (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici) using Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma in a hydroponic system. Recirculating hydroponic cultivation system for inactivation was consisted of planting port, LED lamp, water tank, and circulating pump for hydroponic and DBD plasma reactor. Two experiments were conducted: batch and intermittent continuous process. The effect of plasma treatment on Total Residual Oxidants (TRO) concentration change, Fusarium inactivation and growth of lettuce were investigated. In the batch experiment, most of the Fusarium was inactivated at a TRO concentration of 0.15 mg/L or more at four-day intervals. There was no change in lettuce growth after two times of plasma treatment for one week. The intermittent continuous experiment consisted of 30-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute plasma treatment in 2 day intervals and 30-minute treatment a one-day; most of the Fusarium was inactivated only by treatment for 30-minute every two days. However, if inactivation under 101 CFU/mL is required, it will be necessary to treat for 60 minutes in 2 day intervals. The plasma treatment caused no damage to the lettuce, except the 30 min plasma treatment ay the one-day interval. It was considered that the residual TRO concentration was higher than that of the other treatments.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of salt concentration and turbidity on the inactivation of Artemia sp. by electrolysis, UV photolysis, electrolysis+UV process to treat ballast water in the presence of brackish water or muddy water caused by rainfall. The inactivation at different salt concentrations (30 g/L and 3 g/L) and turbidity levels (0, 156, 779 NTU) was compared. A decrease in salt concentration reduced RNO (OH radical generation index) degradation and TRO (Total Residual Oxidant) production, indicating that a longer electrolysis time is required to achieve a 100% inactivation rate in electrolysis process. In the UV process, the higher turbidity results in lower UV transmittance and lower inactivation efficiency of Artemia sp. Higher the turbidity resulted in lower ultraviolet transmittance in the UV process and lower inactivation efficiency of Artemia sp. A UV　exposure time of over 30 seconds was required for 100% inactivation. Factors affecting inactivation efficiency of Artemia sp. in low salt concentration are in the order: electrolysis+UV > electrolysis > UV process. In the case of electrolysis+UV process, TRO is lower than the electrolysis process, but RNO is more decomposed, indicating that the OH radical has a greater effect on the inactivation effect. In low salt concentrations and high turbidity conditions, factors affecting Artemia sp. inactivation were in the order electrolysis > electrolysis+UV > UV process. When the salt concentration is low and the turbidity is high, the electrolysis process is affected by the salt concentration and the UV process is affected by turbidity. Therefore, the synergy due to the combination of the electrolysis process and the UV process was small, and the inactivation was lower than that of the single electrolysis process only affected by the salt concentration.

Many chemically active species such as ·H, ·OH, O3, H2O2, hydrated e-, as well as ultraviolet rays, are produced by Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma in water and are widely use to remove non-biodegradable materials and deactivate microorganisms. As the plasma gas containing chemically active species that is generated from the plasma reaction has a short lifetime and low solubility in water, increasing the dissolution rate of this gas is an important challenge. To this end, the plasma gas and water within reactor were mixed using the air-automizing nozzle, and then, water-gas mixture was injected into water. The dissolving effect of plasma gas was indirectly confirmed by measuring the RNO (N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline, indicator of the formation of OH radical) solution. The plasma system consisted of an oxygen generator, a high-voltage power supply, a plasma generator and a liquid-gas mixing reactor. Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of location of air-automizing nozzle, flow rate of plasma gas, water circulation rate, and high-voltage on RNO degradation. The experimental results showed that the RNO removal efficiency of the air-automizing nozzle is 29.8% higher than the conventional diffuser. The nozzle position from water surface was not considered to be a major factor in the design and operation of the plasma reactor. The plasma gas flow rate and water circulation rate with the highest RNO removal rate were 3.5 L/min and 1.5 L/min, respectively. The ratio of the plasma gas flow rate to the water circulation rate for obtaining an RNO removal rate of over 95% was 1.67 ~ 4.00.

The lifetime of the electrode is one of the most important factors on the stability of the electrode. Since the lifetime of the DSA (Dimensionally stable anode) electrode is long, an accelerated lifetime test is required to reduce the test time. Beacuse there is no basis or standard method for accelerated lifetime testing, many researchers use different methods. Therefore, there is a need for basis and methods for accelerated lifetime testing that other researchers can follow. We designed a reactor system for accelerated lifetime testing and planned specific methods. Reactor system was circulating batch reactor. Reactor volume and cooling water tank were 12.5 L and 100 L, respectively. Electrode size was 2 cm x 3 cm (real electrolysis area, 5 cm2). In order to maintain the harsh conditions, accelerated lifetime test was carried out in a high current density (0.6 A/cm2) and low electrolyte concentration (NaCl, 0.068 mol/L). Maintaining a constant temperature was an important operation parameter for exact accelerated lifetime test. As the accelerated lifetime test progressed, the active component of electrode surface was consumed and desorption occurred. At the point of 5 V rise, corrosion of the surface of the base material(titanium) also started.

This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of utilizing various types of nozzles and gas-liquid mixers to increase the dissolution rate of plasma gas containing ozone generated in a dielectric barrier plasma reactor. After selecting the air atomizing nozzle with the highest gas dissolution rate among the 13 types of test equipment, we investigated the influence of the operating factors on the air atomizing nozzle to determine the optimal plasma gas dissolution method. The gas dissolution rate was measured by a simple and indirect method, specifically, the measurement of KLa instead of direct measurement of ozone concentration, which requires a longer analysis time. The results showed that the KLa value of the simple mix of air and water was 0.372 min-1, Which is 1.44 times higher than that (0.258 min-1) of gas emitted from a normal diffuser. Among the nozzles of the same type, the KLa value was highest for the nozzle having the smallest orifice diameter. Among the 13 types of devices tested, the nozzle with highest KLa value was the M22M nozzle, which is a gas-liquid spray nozzle. The relationship between water circulation flow rate and KLa value in the experimental range was linear. The air supply flow rate and KLa value showed a parabolic-type correlation, while the optimum air supply flow rate for the water circulation flow rate of 1.8 L / min is 1.38 times.

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma is a new technique for use in environmental pollutant degradation, which is characterized by the production of hydroxyl radicals as the primary degradation species. Due to the short lifetime of the chemically active species generated during the plasma reaction, the dissolution of the plasma gas has a significant effect on the reaction performance. The plasma reaction performance can be enhanced by combining the basic plasma reactor with a homogenizer system in which the bubbles are destroyed and turned into micro-bubbles. For this purpose, the improvement of the dissolution of plasma gas was evaluated by measuring the RNO (N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline, an indicator of the generation of OH radicals). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of the diameter, rotation speed, and height of the homogenizer, pore size, and number of the diffuser and the applied voltage on the plasma reaction. The results showed that the RNO removal efficiency of the plasma reactor combined with a homogenizer is two times higher than that of the conventional one. The optimum rotor size and rotation speed of the homogenizer were 15.1 mm, and 19,700 rpm, respectively. Except for the lowest pore size distribution of 10-16 μm, the pore size of the diffuser showed little effect on RNO removal.

The Electrocoagulation-Flotation (ECF) process has great potential in wastewater treatment. ECF technology is effective in the removal of colloidal particles, oil-water emulsion, organic pollutants such as microalgae, and heavy metals. Numerous studies have been conducted on ECF; however, many of them used a conventional plate-type aluminum anode. In this study, we determined the effect of changing operational parameters such as power supply time, applied current, NaCl concentration, and pH on the turbidity removal efficiency of kaoline. We also determined the effects of different electrolyte types (NaCl, MgSO4, CaCl2, Na2SO4, and tap water), as well as the differences caused by using a plate-type and mesh-type aluminum anode, on the turbidity removal efficiency. The results showed that the optimal values of ECF time, applied current, NaCl concentration, and pH were 5 min, 0.35 A, 0.4 g/L NaCl in distilled water, and pH 7, respectively. The results also revealed that the turbidity removal efficiency of kaoline in different electrolytes decreased in the following sequence, given the same conductivity: tap water > CaCl2 > MgSO4 > NaCl > Na2SO4. The turbidity removal efficiency of the mesh-type aluminum anode was significantly greater than the plate-type aluminum anode.

In this study, we examined the suitability of ten disinfection models for predicting the inactivation of Artemia sp. via single or combined physical and chemical treatments. The effect of Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) on the inactivation of Artemia sp. was examined experimentally. Disinfection models were fitted to the experimental data by using the GInaFiT plug-in for Microsoft Excel. The inactivation model were evaluated on the basis of RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), SSE (mean Sum Square Error) and r2. An inactivation model with the lowest RMSE, SSE and r2 close to 1 was considered the best. The Weibull+Tail model was found to be the most appropriate for predicting the inactivation of Artemia sp. via electrolytic treatment and electrolytic-ultrasonic combined treatment. The Log-linear+Tail model was the most appropriate for modeling inactivation via homogenization and combined electrolytic-homogenization treatment. The double Weibull disinfection model was the most suitable for the predicting inactivation via ultrasonic treatment.

To lower the operational cost of microbubble generation by electrolysis, optimization of parameters limiting the process must be carried out for the process to be fully adopted in environmental and industrial settings. In this study, four test electrodes were used namely aluminum, iron, stainless steel, and Dimensionally Sable Anode (DSA). We identified the effects and optimized each operational parameter including NaCl concentration, current density, pH, and electrode distance to reduce the operational cost of microbubble generation. The experimental results showed that was directly related to the rate and cost of microbubble generation. Adding NaCl and narrowing the distance between electrodes caused no substantial changes to the generation rate but greatly decreased the power requirement of the process, thus reducing operational cost. Moreover, comparison among the four electrodes operating under optimum conditions revealed that aluminum was the most efficient electrode in terms of generation rate and operational cost. This study therefore presents significant data on performing costefficient microbubble generation, which can be used in various environmental and industrial applications.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of intermittent plasma and electrolysis treatments on lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. oak-leaf.), nutrient solution components (NO3- -N, NH4 +-N, PO4 3--P, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and environmental parameters (electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and pH). The recirculating hydroponic cultivation system consisted of planting port, LED lamp, water reservoir and circulating pump. Nutrient solution was circulated in the following order: reservoir→ filtration-plasma or filtration-electrolysis→ planting port → reservoir. The results showed that nutrient solution components and environmental parameters were changed by plasma or electrolysis treatment. Lettuce growth was not affected by the intermittent plasma or electrolysis treatment with 30 minutes or 90 minutes, respectively. The roots of the lettuce was damaged by excessive plasma and electrolysis treatment. Electrolysis treatment had greater effect on than plasma treatment because of the accumulation of high levels of TRO (Total Residual Oxidants).

Despite the low removal efficiencies reported by previous studies, electro-flotation still stands out among other microalgae removal methods for its economical and environmental benefits. To enhance removal efficiency, the important factors that limit the performance of this method must be investigated. In this study, the possible ways of increasing the removal efficiency of microalgae have been explored by investigating the effects of several important variables in electro-flotation. Eight parameters, namely flotation time, rising time, current density, pH, conductivity, electrode distance, temperature and initial concentration were evaluated using a one-parameter-at-a-time approach. Results revealed that the operational parameters that greatly affected the removal efficiency of microalgae were electro-flotation time, current density, pH, and initial concentration. The effect of conductivity, electrode distance, and temperature on removal efficiency were insignificant. However, they exhibited positive an indirect positive effect on power demand, which is nowadays considered an equally important aspect in the running of a feasible and economically efficient electro-flotation process.

The characteristics of phenol removal and UV254 matters variance were investigated and compared by the variation of operating factors (NaCl concentration, air flow rate, initial phenol concentration) in electrochemical reaction (ER) and dielectric barrier discharge plasma reaction (DBDPR), respectively. The phenol removal rate was shown as 1st order both in ER and DBDPR. Also, the absorbance of UV254 matters which means aromatic intermediates was analyzed to investigate the complete phenol degradation process. In ER, the phenol degradation and aromatic intermediates production rates increased by the increase of NaCl concentration. However, in DBDPR, the variation of NaCl concentration had no effect on the degradation of phenol and UV254 matters. Air flow rate had a little effect on the removal of phenol and the variation of UV254 matters in ER. The phenol removal rate in ER was a little higher than that in DBDPR. The produced H2O2 and O3 amounts in ER were 2 times and 10 times higher than those in DBDPR. The chlorine intermediates (ClO2 and free chlorine) were produced in ER, however, they were not produced in DBDPR.