In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of membrane fouling caused by water temperature in the Membrane bioreactor(MBR) process and try to derive the membrane fouling control by chemical enhanced backwashing(CEB). The extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) concentration was analyzed according to the water temperature in the MBR, and the membrane fouling characteristics were investigated according to the conditions, with sludge & without sludge, through a lab-scale reactor. As shown in the existing literature the fouling resistance rate was increased within sludge with the water temperature was lowered. However, in the lab-scale test using the synthetic wastewater, the fouling resistance increased with the water temperature. This is because that the protein of the EPS was more easily adsorbed on the membrane surface due to the increase of entropy due to the structural rearrangement of the protein inside the protein as the water temperature increases. In order to control membrane fouling, we tried to derive the cleaning characteristics of CEB by using sodium hypochlorite(NaOCl). We selected the condition with the chemicals and the retention time, and the higher the water temperature and the chemical concentration are the higher the efficiencies. It is considered that the increasing temperature accelerated the chemical reaction such as protein peptide binding and hydrolysis, so that the attached proteinaceous structure was dissolved and the frequency of the reaction collision with the protein with the chemical agent becomes higher. These results suggest that the MBRs operation focus on the fouling control of cake layer on membrane surface in low temperatures. On the other hand, the higher the water temperature is the more the operation strategies of fouling control by soluble EPS adsorption are needed.

해수담수화는 최근 전 세계적으로 대두되고 있는 물부족 현상을 해결하기 위한 최적 기술 중 하나이다. 막분리 및 투과 현상의 근본적인 이해는 차후의 막여과 기술의 발전을 위해서 뿐만 아니라, 현재 막기술 증진을 위한 통합적 디자인, 최적화 제어법, 그리고 중장기적 유지관리를 위해서도 매우 중요하다. 이에, 본 연구는 물질 전달 및 여과 현상에 대한 기존 의 주요 모델들을 상세히 재검토하고, 통계물리학에 근간하여 주요 막분리 현상들을 이론적으로 분석하며, 원천적 모델에 기 초한 물리적 의미와 그들이 실제 막공정에서 미치는 영향들에 대해서 함축적으로 토의하고자 한다. 이론적 재검토의 과정에 서 새로이 유도된 복합적 막오염도(Combined Fouling Index (CFI))의 소개도 포함한다.

Recently EC-MBR (Elctrocoagulation - Membrane Bio Reactor) has been suggested as one of alternative processes to overcome membrane fouling problems. Most important operational parameters in the EC-MBR are known to current density and contact time. Their effect on membrane filtration performances has been reported well, however, quantitative interrelationship between both parameters not been investigated yet. The purpose of this study is to give a kinetic model suggesting the current density and the contact time required to reduce the membrane fouling. The 4 different set of current densities (2.5, 6, 12 and 24 A/m2) and contact times (0, 2, 6 and 12 hr) were selected as operational parameters. After each electro-coagulation under the 16 different conditions, a series of membrane filtration was carried out. The membrane fouling decreased as the current density and contact time increased, Total fouling resistances under different conditions, Rt(=Rc+Rf) were calculated and compared to those of the controls (R0), which were calculated from the data of experiments without electro-coagulation. A kinetic approach for the fouling reduction rate (Rt / R0) was carried out and the equation ρi0.46t=7.0 was obtained, which means that the product of current density and the contact time needed to reduce the fouling in certain amounts (in this study, 10% of fouling reduction) is always constant.

분리막 장치는 액체, 기체의 물질분리를 위해 다양한 산업분야에 적용되어 왔다. 특히 액체 분리에 적용되는 분리막 장치는 수처리분야, 화학산업공정, 바이오산업공정, 의약분야 등으로 확장되면서 분리정제 공정에 보편적인 기술로 자리잡았다. 분리막 공정은 막 특성상 분리되는 물질에 따라 다양한 막힘현상이 발생하는데, 이러한 막힘현상을 방지하기 위해 막과 시스템이 발전하여왔고, 시스템 분야에서는 막힘현상을 방지하기 위해 진동, 회전, 와류 등을 이용하여 막표면에 발생하는 막힘현상을 억제하는 모듈들이 개발되어 상용화되고 있고, 이런 설비들을 Dynamic filtration 설비로 구분하고 있다. Dynamic filtration 설비들 중에서 특히, 와류를 이용하는 Anti-Fouling Membrane System(FMX)은 고농도 고점도 특성을 갖는 용액에서 물질을 분리하는 성능이 우수하여, 최근 급성장하는 바이오산업분야의 생산공정에 다양하게 적용되고 있다.

막여과 수처리 공정에서 막오염은 플럭스 감소나 막간차압 증가를 야기하는 중요한 문제로 남아있다. 막오염을 저감하는 여러 가지 방법 중, 막의 표면에 패턴을 입혀 그 패턴의 형상에 따라 유체의 이동을 변화시킴으로써 막오염을 저감시키는 방법이 연구되어 왔다. 특히 45° 회전된 피라미드 패턴은 피라미드 패턴에 비해 막오염 저감 효과가 크다는 연구결과가 있었다. 본 연구에서는 비용매상분리법과 소프트리소그래피(soft-lithograhy)를 이용하여 막의 표면에 45° 회전된 피라미드 패턴을 입히고, 크기가 다른 입자를 포함한 원수를 여과하면서 막오염 저감 효과를 비교해 보았다.

This study applied microbubbles to reduce membrane fouling in wastewater reuse membrane processes, evaluated and compared the transmembrane pressure with or without the application of microbubbles and the cleaning efficiency with the application of aeration and microbubbles. In addition, this study analyzed foulants removed from the membrane surface. Changes in the transmembrane pressure of membranes with the presence or absence of microbubbles were observed. As a result, transmembrane pressure (TMP) increasing rate decreased twofold when applying microbubbles to realize stable operations. This study compared and evaluated cleaning efficiency applying aeration and microbubbles. As a result, the cleaning efficiency was 5% higher on average when applying microbubbles. In turbidity and total organic carbon (TOC), foulants were discharged when applying microbubbles twice as much as applying aeration. It is thought that particulate foulants precipitated on the membrane surface were more likely to desorb because the adhesion between the membrane surface and particle was weakened by microbubbles. Therefore, it is considered possible to effectively control membrane fouling because of the increase in cleaning efficiency when applying microbubbles to wastewater reuse membrane processes.

Microfiltration (MF) and Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane processes capable of producing highly purified water have been extensively applied as a pretreatment process in the wastewater reuse field with the improvement of membrane properties and resistance, development of operating protocols, and improvement of technologies of backwashing and physicochemical cleaning, and improvement of scale and antifoulants. However, despite of the development of membrane production and process technologies, fouling still remains unresolved. This study confirmed that foulants such as polysaccharides, proteins and humic substances existed in final treated effluent (secondary effluent) by fluorescence excitation emission matrix (FEEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. In addition, when constructing ozone oxidation and coagulation processes as a hybrid process, the removal efficiency was 5.8%, 6.9%, 5.9%, and 28.2% higher than that of the single process using coagulation in turbidity, color, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and UV254, respectively. The reversible and irreversible resistances in applying the hybrid process consisting of ozone oxidation and coagulation processes were lower than those in applying ozone oxidation and coagulation processes separately in UF membrane process. Therefore, it is considered possible to apply ozonation/coagulation as a pretreatment process for stable wastewater reuse by and then contributing to the reduction of fouling when calculating the optimal conditions for ozone oxidation and coagulation and then to applying them to membrane processes.

무기실리카 입자로 구성된 고탁도 원수를 처리하는 침지식 정밀여과 운전에서 휴민산과 2가 양이온의 존재유무에 따라 시간에 따른 파울링 저항을 관찰하였다. 공기폭기로 인한 무기실리카 입자의 파울링 감소효과는 휴민산과 칼슘이 혼합 으로 존재 시 감소하였다. 파울링층의 전자현미경 관찰결과 칼슘의 존재 시 휴민산의 무기실리카 입자 표면흡착이 관찰되었 다. 이는 멤브레인 표면에 조밀한 파울링층을 형성시켜 공기폭기 효과를 감소시킨 것으로 판단된다. 용액의 조성에 따른 고탁 도 원수의 탁도 제거율에는 큰 변화가 없었으나 공기폭기량에 따라 칼슘과 무기실리카 입자의 혼합 존재 시 유기물질의 제거 율은 80% 이상으로 증가하였다. 이는 공기폭기 하에 무기실리카 입자 표면에 흡착된 일부 휴민산들이 멤브레인 표면으로부 터 함께 역수송 되어 유기물질 제거율을 증가시킨 것으로 사료된다.

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes can be implemented on a number of water types, using different technologies and achieving various power outcomes. In this study, Sewage facility effluent was used for feed solution of PRO and synthetic NaCl water for draw solution. This study was conducted to investigate effect of water quality of pretreatment on power density and flux decline in PRO process. The results show that organic and particulate foulants have to be removed for more stable operation. Flourescence technique with EEM enables to investigate the chemical properties of aquatic organic matter by extracting spectral information. Humic/fulvic matters and soluble microbial by-products were analyzed as the most affecting factors on the PRO performance. As a result of analyzing the whole system based on the energy consumption of the unit process, specific energy consumption(SEC) of the applicable technology for PRO pre-treatment should be about 0.2 kWh/m3 or less.

A membrane module including grid was designed and introduced to MBR (membrane bio-reactor) for the purpose of better control of membrane fouling. It could be anticipated that the grid enhances the shear force of fluid-air mixture into the membrane surface by even-distributing the fluid-air to the membrane module. As MLSS concentration, packing density which is expressed in the ratio of the housing and the cross-sectional area of membrane fibers (Am/At) and air-flow rate were changed, membrane foulings were checked by monitoring fouling resistances. The total fouling resistance (Rc+Rf) without grid installation (i.e., control) was 2.13×1012 m-1 , whereas it was reduced to 1.69×1012 m-1 after the grid was installed. Regardless of the grid installation, the Rc+Rf increased as the packing density increased from 0.09 to 0.28, however, the increment of resistance for the grid installation was less than that of the control. Increase in the air flow rate did not always guarantee the reduction of fouling resistance, indicating that the higher air flow rate can partially de-flocculate the activated sludge flocs, which led to severer membrane fouling. Consequently, installation of grids inside the housing have brought a beneficial effect on membrane fouling and optimum air flow rate is important to keep the membrane lowering fouling.

수처리용 분리막 여과 공정에서 막오염의 문제는 여전히 해결해야 할 난제이다. 막오염 현상을 제어하기 위한 방안으로 막표면에 패턴을 도입하는 방법이 연구되어 왔다. 분리막의 패턴은, 막표면에서의 유체 흐름에 변화를 일으켜 오염물이 쌓이지 않게 하거나 쌓인 오염물이 일부 떨어져 나가는 효과를 주는 것 으로 보고된 바 있다. 본 연구에서는 수처리용 패턴 분리막을 제조하고, 패턴의 막오염 방지 효과를 평가하고자 하였다. 이를 위하여 CFD 기법을 이용하여 유 체 흐름을 시뮬레이션으로 분석하고, 시뮬레이션 결과와 실제 실험 결과를 비교 분석하기 위해 구형의 모델 입자로 막여과 실험을 수행하였다. 다양한 크기의 모델 입자를 이용함으로써 오염물의 크기에 따른 패턴의 막오염 방지 효과를 분석해 보고자 하였다.

새로운 알루미나 (Al2O3)와 실리카(SiO2)로 이루어진 규산알루미나질 납석광물을 적용하여 세라믹 지지체를 개발하고 수처리 적용가능성을 평가하였다. 납석 세라믹 지지체의 순수투과도는 약 1370 L/m2.hr.bar 였으며 지표수의 탁도 및 유기물의 제거율은 각각 98 %와 75 %였다. 실 하수처리장 MBR의 MLSS를 취수하여 실험한 결과 완벽한 SS 제거효율을 나타내었다. 모듈간격에 따른 납석지 지체 파울링 현상을 관찰한 결과 모듈간격이 증가할수록 파울링은 감소하였으나 일정 모듈간격(3.5 cm)이상인 경우 파울링은 증가하였고 이는 공기 폭기량이 증가할수록 증가하는 경향을 나타내었다.

MBR공정에서 물리적 세정방법인 공기폭기(Aeration)는 장기간 막성능을 유지시키기 위한 주요 핵심 방법으로, 기존의 연구들은 산기관의 성능을 극대화시켜 공기세정을 최적화시키려 하였다. 분리막의 효율적인 슬러지 탈리를 위해 폭기위 치⋅시간⋅균일 배출성 및 데드존(Dead Zone) 감소 등에 대한 다양한 연구들이 진행되어 왔으나, 이를 통한 더 이상의 성능향상은 기대하기 어려운 상황이다. 본 연구에서는 기존의 분리막 모듈을 개량하여 공기폭기의 효과를 극대화 하는 연구를 진행하였다. 선행연구로 진행된 Lab-scale실험을 기반으로, Pilot-scale 장치를 세팅하여 장기평가 및 분석 등을 진행하였다. 동일 site에서 개량모듈한 것과 그렇지 아니한 것에 대하여 비교분석하였다.

기후 변화 및 상수원 오염 등으로 원수 내 조류 증식의 빈도가 높아짐에 따라 모래여과와 마찬가지로 막여과 정수처리 공정 운영에서도 문제를 유발할 수 있기 때문에 이에 대한 기술적 대응 방안이 수립되어야 한다. 특히 우리나라와 같이 계절적 구분이 뚜렷한 지역에서 조류는 수온에 따라 우점하는 조류의 종이 변화하여, 외형 적 형태 및 성상이 종별로 다른 조류의 특성을 감안한 대처 방안이 검토되어야 한 다. 본 연구는 낙동강 수계를 원수로 하는 500m3/d 규모의 파일럿 플랜트를 이용하여 계절별로 상이하게 유입되는 조류의 분류에 따라 겨울철 저수온 시기에 규조류가 번성할 경우 염기 역세정 방법을 적용하고, 여름철 시기에 남조류가 번성할 경우에는 분말활성탄으로 처리하는 조류 대응 막여과 운전 방법과 전처리 공정에 대해 검토하였다.

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) employ a process of biological treatment that is based on a membrane that has the advantages of producing high-quality treated water and possessing a compact footprint. However, despite these advantages, the occurrence of “fouling” during the operation of these reactors causes the difficulty of maintenance.Hence, in this study, three physical cleaning methods, namely, backwashing, air scrubbing, and mechanical cleaning ball was performed to identify optimum operating conditions through laboratory scale experiments, and apply them in a pilot plant. Further, the existing MBR process was compared with these methods, and the field applicability of a combination of these physical cleaning methods was investigated.Consequently, MCB, direct control of cake fouling on the membrane surface was found to be the most effective. Moreover, as a result of operating with combination of the physical cleaning process in a pilot plant, the TMP increasing rate was found to be – 0.00007 MPa/day, which was 185% higher than that obtained using the existing MBR process. Therefore, assuming fouling only by cake filtration, about one year of operation without chemical cleaning is considered to be feasible through the optimization of the physical cleaning methods.

This study compares characteristic of membrane fouling in MBR-RO systems. In lab. scale MBRs test, MBRs were operated at different Flux(10, 20, 30 & 40 LMH) and temperature(10, 15, 20, 25 & 30°C). The results show that MBR permeate was measured lower amounts of organic substances in Higher flux and lower temperature and led to lower RO fouling rates. The main cause was that due to cake fouling formed on membrane surfaces in MBRs. Under both cases, Cake layer of membrane surfaces formed in MBRs removed RO fouling factors, polysaccharide and protein, because of cake layer attached on membrane surfaces greater amounts of organic substances. This study implies that optimization of MBR with operating conditions is a crucial strategy to RO membrane fouling control.

Shale gas has become increasingly important as a viable alternative to conventional gas resources. However, one of the critical issues in the development of shale gas is the generation of produced water, which contains high concentration of ionic compounds (> TDS of 100,000 mg/L). Accordingly, membrane distillation (MD) was considered to treat such produced water. Experiments were carried out using a laboratory-scale direct contact MD (DCMD). Synthetic produced water was prepared to examine its fouling propensity in MD process. Antiscalants and in-line filtration were applied to control fouling by scale formation. Fouling rates (-dJ/dt) were calculated for in-depth analysis of fouling behaviors. Results showed that severe fouling occurred during the treatment of high range produced water (TDS of 308 g/L). Application of antiscalant was not effective to retard scale formation. On the other hand, in-line filtration increased the induction time and reduced fouling.