Although membrane bio-reactor (MBR) has been widely applied for wastewater treatment plants, the membrane fouling problems are still considered as an obstacle to overcome. Thus, many studies and commercial developments on mitigating membrane fouling in MBR have been carried out. Recently, high voltage impulse (HVI) has gained attention for a possible alternative technique for desalting, non-thermal sterilization, bromate-free disinfection and mitigation of membrane fouling. In this study, it was verified if the HVI could be used for mitigation of membrane fouling, particularly the internal pore fouling in MBR. The HVI was applied to the fouled membrane under different conditions of electric fields (E) and contact time (t) of HVI in order to investigate how much of internal pore fouling was reduced. The internal pore fouling resistance (Rf) after HVI induction was reduced as both E and t increased. For example, Rf decreased by 19% when the applied E was 5 kV/cm and t was 80 min. However, the Rf decreased by 71% as the E increased to 15 kV/cm under the same contact time. The correlation between E and t that needed for 20% of Rf reduction was modeled based on kinetics. The model equation, E1.54t = 1.2 × 103 was obtained by the membrane filtration data that were obtained with and without HVI induction. The equation states the products of En and t is always constant, which means that the required contact time can be reduced in accordance with the increase of E.

본 연구에서는 생활오수, 산업폐수, 축산폐수 등에서 발생하는 질산성화합물 및 난분해성 화합물을 효과적으로 처리하기 위해 막분리법과 다공 전극형 전기분해법을 조합한 하 폐수의 고도처리 기술을 제안하였고 제안 시스템의 효율성을 검토하였다. 제안하는 시스템은 활성슬러지 공정, 막분리 공정, 다공 전극형 전기분해공정의 3단계로 구성하였다. 본 연구에서 구성되는 막분리 공정은 부유물질을 제거해줌으로써 전기분해공정의 부하를 최소화할 수 있는 역할을 담당할 수 있게 하여 시스템을 안정하게 운전할 수 있도록 하였다. 전기분해 하이브리드 공정에 있어서는 다공성 전극으로 구성함으로써 비표면적의 확대로 인한 전극의 효율성을 높였다. 아울러 외부전압을 인가함에 따라 처리제의 공급 없이 장치에 유입된 물을 분해시킴으로써 산화 환원 반응을 유도하였다. 즉 중간체로서 수소 자유전자 라디칼과 산소원자 라디칼이 발생되어 난분해성 유기물을 산화 분해하는 역할을 담당하도록 하였다. 이는 전극 내에서 발생하는 중간체를 폐용질의 분해에 사용하기 때문에 친환경적 처리공법이었다. 실험결과들은 제안공정이 활성슬러지공법에 비하여 우수한 공정임을 보여 주었다. SS제거율은 제안공정, 막분리공정, 활성슬러지 단독공정에서 각각 약 100%, 약 100%, 약 90%였고 COD 제거효율은 제안공정 약 92%, 막분리공정 약 84%, 활성슬러지 단독공정 약 75%였으며 T-N의 제거효율은 제안공정 약 88%, 막분리공정 약 67% 활성슬러지 단독공정 약 58%였다. 이결과는 SS의 제거에 있어서 막분리 하이브리드 공정만으로도 부유물질이 충분히 제거됨을 나타내고 있었다. COD의 제거에 있어서 막분리 하이브리드 공정은 SS분의 제거를 통한 COD와 SS이외의 유기물질이 소량제거 되었음을 보였고 전기분해 하이브리드 공정에 있어서는 유기물질의 산화반응을 통한 분해로 높은 제거효율을 보였다. T-N의 제거에 있어서는 막분리 하이브리드 공정은 SS분에 포함된 부분과 소량의 유기물에 포함된 부분이 제거되고 있는 반면 전기분해 공정에 있어서는 유기물질의 산화분해반응으로 인한 높은 제거효율을 나타내고 있었다.

A mathematical model was written for simulating the removal of phenol from wastewater in enzyme-loaded membrane reactor (EMR). The numerical simulation program was developed so as to predict the degradation of phenol through an EMR. Numerical model proves to be effective in searching for optimal operating conditions and creating an optimal microenvironment for the biocatalyst in order to optimize productivity. In this study, several dimensionless parameters such as Thiele Modulus (Φ2, dimensionless Michaelis-Menten constant (ξ), Peclet number (Pe) were introduced to simplify their effects on system efficiency. In particular, the study of phenol conversion at different feed compositions shows that low phenol concentrations and high Thiele Modulus values lead to higher reactant degradation.

For a membrane bio-reactor, it is possible to filter and separate activated sludge and effluent by head loss of centimeters, if non-woven fabric material is used as filtration media. However, if non-woven fabric material is used to thicken high-concentration sludge, excessive sludge attachment causes the rapid decrease of flux. Mesh with pore sizes of 100μm, 150μm, and 200μm allows for easy separation of attached sludge. This study examined the possibility of mesh as filtration media. Existing close-flow filtration process, which requires maintaining sludge movement, makes it difficult to obtain high thickening rate. With a view of complementing this weakness, this study has made an experimental examination on how high-concentration sludge (about 3,000mg/L to 10,000mg/L) will be filtered and thickened when mesh module is submersed in the bio-reactor. Effluent flowed from the bottom of the bio-reactor by head loss of 65cm. In case of pore size of 100μm, SS showed high recovery of 80% to 96%; therefore, it has been decided that mesh can be used as filtration media. Filtration lasted for more than 9 hours, until sludge with 9,000mg/L in MLSS concentration was thickened 9 times as dense. In the range from 3,610mg/L to 9,060mg/L in MLSS concentration, it was possible to obtain effluent with less than 2mg/L in MLSS concentration within 10 minutes.