The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between ecotoxicity and water quality items using Daphnia magna in public sewage treatment plant process and to obtain operational data to control ecotoxicity through research on removal efficiency. The average value of ecotoxicity was 1.39 TU in the influent, 1.50 TU in the grit chamber, and 0.84 TU in the primary settling tank and it was found that most organic matters, nitrogen, and phosphorus were removed through biological treatment in the bioreactor. Using Pearson’s correlation analysis, the positive correlation was confirmed in the order of ecotoxicity and water quality items TOC, BOD, T-N, NH3-N, SS, EC, and Cu. As a result of conducting a multilinear regression analysis with items representing positive correlation as independent variables, the regression model was found to be statistically significant, and the explanatory power of the regression model was about 81.6%. TOC was found to have a significant effect on ecotoxicity with B=0.009 (p<.001) and Cu with B=16.670 (p<.001), and since the B sign is positive (+), an increase of 1 in TOC increases the value of ecotoxicity by 0.009 and an increase in Cu by 1 increases the value of ecotoxicity by 16.670. TOC (β=0.789, p<.001) and Cu (β=0.209, p<.001) were found to have a significant positive effect on ecotoxicity. TOC and Cu have a great effect on ecotoxicity in the sewage treatment plant process, and it is judged that TOC and Cu should be considered preferentially and controlled in order to efficiently control ecotoxicity.

In the context of the Ministry of Environment’s 2022 Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Public Institutions, public sewage treatment plants are one of the important targets for climate change response aimed at sustainable water management. In this study, it is applied a modified methodology to four water regeneration centers (public sewage treatment facilities) in charge of sewage treatment in Seoul to analyze the impacts and risks of climate change and discuss priorities for adaptation measures. The results of the study showed that heavy rains, heat waves, and droughts will be the key impacts of climate change, and highlighted the need for measures to mitigate these risks, especially for facility managers.

The object of this study is to feasibility assesment for co-digestion efficiency of food waste recycling wastewater(FWR) with thermal hydrolysis process dehydration cake (THP Sludge). As a result of THP pre-treatment experimental conditions to 160oC and 30 minutes, the solubility rate(conversion rate of TCOD to SCOD) of the THP sludge increased by 34%. And the bio-methane potential in the THP sludge increased by about 1.42 times from 0.230 to 0.328 m3 CH4/kg VS compared to the non-pre-treatment. The substrates of the co-digestion reactor were FWR and THP sludge at a 1:1 ratio. Whereas, only FWR was used as a substrate in the digestion reactor as a control group. The experimental conditions are 28.5 days of hydraulic retention time(HRT) and 3.5 kg VS/m3-day of organic loading rate(OLR). During the 120 days operation period, the co-digestion reactor was able to operate stably in terms of water quality and methane production, but the FWR digestion reactor deteriorated after 90 days, and methane production decreased to 0.233 m3 CH4/kg VS, which is 67% of normal condition. After 120 days of the experiment, organic loading rate(OLR) of co-digestion reactor was gradually increased to 4.5 kg VS/m3-day and operated for 80 days. Methane production during 80 days was evaluated to be good at the level of 0.349 m3 CH4/kg VS. As a result of evaluating the dehydration efficiency of the sludge before/after 150-180oC THP using a filter press, it was confirmed that the moisture content of the sludge treated before THP at 180oC was 75% and improved by 8% from 83-85% level. Therefore, it is expected that the co-digestion reactor of FWR and THP sludge will ensure stable treatment water quality and increase bio-methane production and reduction effect of dehydration sludge volume.

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) do not fully remove micropollutants. Enhanced treatment of sewage effluents is being considered or implemented in some countries to minimize the discharge of problematic micropollutants from WWTPs. Representative enhanced sewage treatment technologies for micropollutant removal were reviewed, including their current status of research and development. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as ozonation and UV/H2O2 and adsorption processes using powdered (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were mainly discussed with focusing on process principles for the micropollutant removal, effect of process operation and water matrix factors, and technical and economic feasibility. Pilot- and full-scale studies have shown that ozonation, PAC, and GAC can achieve significant elimination of various micropollutants at economically feasible costs(0.16-0.29 €/m3). Considering the current status of domestic WWTPs, ozonation and PAC were found to be the most feasible options for the enhanced sewage effluent treatment. Although ozonation and PAC are all mature technologies, a range of technical aspects should be considered for their successful application, such as energy consumption, CO2 emission, byproduct or waste generation, and ease of system construction/operation/maintenance. More feasibility studies considering domestic wastewater characteristics and WWTP conditions are required to apply ozonation or PAC/GAC adsorption process to enhance sewage effluent treatment in Korea.

To remove phosphorus from the effluent of public wastewater treatment facilities, hundreds of enhanced phosphorus treatment processes have been introduced nationwide. However, these processes have a few problems including excessive maintenance cost and sludge production caused by inappropriate coagulant injection. Therefore, the optimal decision of coagulant dosage and automatic control of coagulant injection are essential. To overcome the drawbacks of conventional phosphorus removal processes, the integrated sedimentation and dissolved air flotation(SeDAF) process has been developed and a demonstration plant(capacity: 100 m3/d) has also been installed. In this study, various jar-tests(sedimentation and / or sedimentation·flotation) and multiple regression analyses have been performed. Particularly, we have highlighted the decision–making algorithms of optimal coagulant dosage to improve the applicability of the SeDAF process. As a result, the sedimentation jar-test could be a simple and reliable method for the decision of appropriate coagulant dosage in field condition of the SeDAF process. And, we have found that the SeDAF process can save 30 – 40% of coagulant dosage compared with conventional sedimentation processes to achieve total phosphorus (T-P) concentration below 0.2 mg/L of treated water, and it can also reduce same portion of sludge production.

In order to determine the location of average concentration and distribution status of dissolved oxygen in the rectangular aeration tank of the sewage treatment plant was analyzed and the difference of dissolved oxygen concentration was remarkable at each location. Compared with the computational fluid dynamics analysis, it was found that the results were consistent with the measurement results by showing the difference of dissolved oxygen concentration between the locations. Based on the measured data, the representative location of dissolved oxygen in aeration tank was selected by using statistical analysis method and the representative location was expressed in three-dimensional coordinates(LWH : 25%, 50%, 33%) from flow direction and left wall. Also the difference between the dissolved oxygen concentration at the actual measurement location and the average concentration value of the entire aeration tank was founded, and the equations for calibrating the automatic measurement data considering the actual measurement location were calculated.

In this study, the fate and removal of 15 pharmaceuticals (including stimulants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, etc.) in unit processes of a sewage treatment plant (STP) were investigated. Mass loads of pharmaceuticals were 2,598 g/d in the influent, 2,745 g/d in the primary effluent, 143 g/d in the secondary effluent, and 134 g/d in the effluent. The mass loads were reduced by 95% in the biological treatment process, but total phosphorous treatment did not show a significant effect on the removal of most pharmaceuticals. Also, mass balance analysis was performed to evaluate removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals in the biological treatment process. Acetaminophen, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, cefradine, and naproxen were efficiently removed in the biological treatment process mainly due to biodegradation. Removal efficiencies of gemfibrozil, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were not high, but their removal was related to sorption onto sludge. This study provides useful information on understanding removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals in unit processes in the STP.

Total organic carbon (TOC) will replace chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) as an effluent water quality standard in public sewage treatment works (PSTWs) from 2021 in Korea. To ensure effective control of TOC in the effluent, investigation was carried out into TOC levels and sewage treatment operation factors in five target PSTWs using anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A2O) processes, media, membrane, and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technologies. TOC removal efficiencies appeared to be 93-96% on average. As a fraction of TOC, biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) was reduced from 64% in the influent to 9% in the effluent in these PSTWs. During the investigation, biological treatment processes were applied flexibly for operation factors such as HRT, SRT, MLSS, F/M ratios and BOD volume loads, based on the influent characteristics and design conditions. As a result, we suggest efficient operating conditions in PSTWs by evaluating relationships between TOC removal and operation factors.

본 사례는 최근 준공된 “구미하수처리장 하수처리수를 이용한 재이용시설”에 대한 것으로 이 시설은 구미하수처리장의 2차 처리수를 원수로, 응집침전시설, 전처리시설, 주처리시설과 재이용수 공급시설로 구성되어 있으며, 설비의 성능 확인을 위한 시운전을 완료하였다. 주처리시설로는 역삼투막(RO Membrane)을 적용하였으며, 하수처리수 내 잔류물질로 인한 역삼투막 성능저하방지와 수요처의 요구수질 충족을 위해 활성탄 주입을 포함한 응집침전공정과 정밀여과막(Micro Filter)을 전처리시설로 구성하였다. 사업 초기단계에 현재 시공된 것과 동일한 공정으로 구성된 Pilot Plant를 건설, 운영하여, 반영된 각 단계별 공정의 적정성과 주요 설계 인자를 확인하였으며, 일부 확인된 개선 사항은 실시설계시 반영하였다.

Sludge transporting pipes in wastewater treatment plant are easy to be clogged with struvite when the digested sludge and dehydrated filtrate are transported through the pipes, which lowers the efficiency of sludge treatment system in a WWTP. pH is one of the most important factors in struvite formation, and carbon dioxide separated from biogas can be used to control pH and struvite formation. By controlling pH, the amount of dehydrating agent can be reduced by about 10%, which saves the budget for facility maintenance. As CO2 is reused and dehydrating chemicals are saved, the approach can contribute to global warming gas reduction.

Two sewage treatment facilities were selected to identify odor emission characteristics, focusing on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. The complex odor, 5 kinds of sulfur compounds and 23 kinds of VOCs were analyzed from gas and sludge storages. Hydrogen sulfide was detected in the highest concentration and had the highest odor quotient among the odorous compounds monitored in this study, demonstrating that the contribution of hydrogen sulfide to the complex odor reached up to 90%. For VOCs, the overall contribution to the complex odor was not critical but VOCs can sufficiently trigger an odorous sensation because the sum of the odor quotient reached up to 2.89.

2012년부터 강화된 총인의 농도를 준수하기 위해서는 응집에 의한 물리화학적 처리가 필수적인 후단공정이 되었으며, 현재 국내 하수처리시설 중 약 60%의 처리시설에서 총인처리시설이 설치되었다. 하지만 총인처리시설 운전에 따른 응집제 사용량이 증가하게 되었고, 이에 따라 약품 비용 및 슬러지 처리비 증가 등의 운영비가 상승하였다. 특히 분리막 공법(MBR)의 경우 막 투과수의 응집액 부족으로 인한 응집효율 저하 및 응집제의 과다 주입으로 인한 처리수질 악화 등의 문제가 발생하는 경우도 있다. 본 연구에서는 MBR 공법내에서 별도의 총인처리시설 필요 없이 생물학적 인제거를 극대화 하는 동시에 응집제 사용량을 최소화하면서 처리수의 인농도를 0.2 mg/L 이하로 유지할 수 있는 방안을 도출하고자 하였다.

This study is to conduct the optimal design of the fluid mixing blades in the test fluid tank for sewage treatment process. The design was made with various shapes and angles of mixing blades. Fluid mixing blades in the tank are numerically analyzed with FLUENT V.13.0. Blade1 and Blade4 had the biggest fluid pressure difference of 8.1% around the blades. And, Blade1 and Blade3 had the least fluid pressure difference of 2.55%. The biggest turbulence kinetic energy of 12.5% existed around Blade1 and Blade4. Blade1 and Blade3 had the least turbulent kinetic energy difference of 4.8%. Blade4 is the optimal design shape due to the highest turbulent kinetic energy around the blades in comparison to the other cases.

The small-scale sewage treatement system with A2/O process was applied to evaluate applicability for Mongolian sewage, It was designed to have 10 m3/d flowrate and installed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. During over 6month operation BOD, COD, TN, TP removal efficiency were measured and operation condition was optimized. In addition, MLSS concentration its internal circulation rate and DO were adjusted properly. BOD, COD showed average 88 perecent of removal and TN and TP achieved 81 percent and 88 percent removal efficency, respectively. Maxium influent concentration of BOD, COD, TN and TP was 214 mg/L, 300 mg/L, 24.3 mg/L and 5 mg/L respectively, which were decreased to 4.1 mg/L, 5.6 mg/L, 1.3 mg/L and 0.15 mg/L by the test system. This study show possibility tham small-scale sewage treatment system could be a useful system for scattered sewage wastewater treatment.

In this study, we investigated influent and effluent water pollutants in 53 Public Sewage Treatment Works (PSTWs) where industrial wastewater or landfill leachate is combined four times for two years from 2014 to 2015. Also, we analyzed the characteristics of heavy metals and volatile organic carbons at influent and effluent of these PSTWs caused by sewage treatment combined with industrial wastewater or landfill leachate. As a result, six heavy metals such as barium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc, and four volatile organic carbons (VOCs) including phenols, di(2-)ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), formaldehyde and toluene were observed above detection limits in most of PSTWs. Also, it was revealed that six heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nickel and selenium, and four VOCs including 1,1-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, naphthalene, and epichlorohydrin were observed more frequently according to precipitation. As a result of reviewing the monitoring data on “Water Quality Monitoring Networks” in lower watersheds of PSTWs, both heavy metals and VOCs were below detection limits, indicating that the effluent water had little influence on the watershed. Nevertheless for the better management of influent and effluent pollutants in PSTWs, it is necessary to establish the advanced management plans for water pollutants in PSTWs, which include a list of priority substances management, monitoring plans, and guidelines for industrial wastewater and landfill leachate combined in PSTWs.

담체가 투여된 침지형 막결합 연속회분식 반응기(SMSBR)를 사용한 하수의 고도처리에서 담체가 여과성능과 제 거효율에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. 담체는 반응기 부피 기준으로 10% 투여하였고, 담체와 분말활성탄을 첨가하지 않은 반 응기, 분말활성탄(10 g/L)만을 첨가한 반응기 및 담체와 분말활성탄을 모두 첨가한 반응기를 대조군으로 하였다. COD, T-N 및 T-P에 대한 제거효율은 담체 및 분말활성탄 첨가 유무에 따라 큰 차이가 없었다. 그러나 담체를 첨가하지 않은 경우 막간 차압(TMP)은 급격히 증가하였으나, 담체를 첨가한 경우에 막간차압은 매우 서서히 증가하였다. 담체를 투여한 SMSBR를 사 용하여 하수를 고도처리 할 때, 91일 이상의 운전기간 동안 막 세정 없이 운전이 가능하였다. 담체만을 투여한 경우, 운전 80 일 경과 이후의 COD, T-N 및 T-P 평균 제거율은 각각 95.0, 69.3% 및 51.4%이었다.