In this study, in order to develop a method to efficiently inject essential nutrients necessary for plant growth into wood chips, which are simply used as soil covering materials in the agriculture, landscaping and horticultural industries, the atmospheric pressure dipping method and the vacuum pressure impregnating method are used to improve the plant nutrients injectability and impregnation amount were comparatively analyzed. Nutrient ingredients and 8 major heavy metal contents of wood chips injected with nutrients were analyzed, and soil covering effects were examined by covering wood chips injected with nutrients on soil. Comparing the dipping method and the vacuum pressure impregnation method, it took about 48 hours or more to inject 1,500 g or more of the nutrient aqueous solution into 1 kg of wood chips in the dipping method, but the vacuum pressure impregnation method could be impregnated in about 5 minutes. Components of the impregnated nutrients were detected in proportion to the diluted concentration. As a result of covering the wood chips developed in this study on soil, they showed weakly acidic pH, and the heat insulation and moisturizing effects during the winter season were evaluated to be superior to those of uncovered soil. In the future, wood chips impregnated with nutrients are expected to contribute to the more efficient use of waste wood resources and the long-term supply of nutrients essential for plant growth, reducing excessive use of chemical fertilizers and reducing costs.

양액재배용 배지의 국산화필요성과 양액재배에 이용된 폐암면 슬래브(PURS)를 재활용한 배지의 개발을 위하여 PURS 입자와 밤나무 파쇄 입자(CW)를 혼합한 배지에서 고추 플러그묘를 재배하여 배지로써의 효과를 알아보고자 본 실험을 수행하였다. 1 차 실험은 소독한 PURS 입자와 파쇄기로 파쇄한 후 6개월 동안 후숙한 뒤 2.8mm 또는 5.6mm 체로 친 CW를 100:0, 75:25, 50:30, 25:75, 또는 0:100 비율 (%, v/v)로 조합한 혼합배지에 고추묘의 생육을 조사하였다. 그리고 2차 실험은 소독한 PURS에 4 mm CW, 4 mm 소나무 파쇄 입자(PW), 코이어, 피트모스 그리고 펄라이트(소립)를 조합하여 20 가지로 조합한 혼합배지에서 실험식물의 생육을 조사하였다. 고추묘의 생육을 조사한 결과 1차 실험에서는 CW의 크기에 따른 생육은 유의적인 차이가 없었고, 대조구와 100% PURS 처리구에서 생육이 좋았다. 2차 실험에서는 PURS 100%나 이것에 피트모스, 코이어, 또는 펄라이트를 혼합한 구에서 대조구보다 양호한 생육을 보였다. 반대로 PURS와 피트모스나 코이어의 혼합비율이 낮고 CW의 혼합비율이 높아질수록 생육이 좋지 않았다. PURS 100% 처리구나 PURS에 코이어를 혼합했을 경우보다 피트모스를 혼합했을 경우가 더 양호했고, 목재입자의 경우는 피트모스보다 코이어를 혼합했을 경우가 더 좋은 결과를 보였다.

Biofilters are widely used for treating various types of wastewater and also recently in controlling non-point source (NPS) pollution including piggery stormwater. Gravels are common substrates employed in this type of biofilters. In this study, three parallel woodchip based biofilters with different thickness of woodchip layer were constructed and operated for about 300 days in 2013. Sampling was conducted every 2 days. The water temperature, pH, electric conductivity (EC), turbidity and DO were measured in situ. Other water quality parameters were analyzed in accordance with the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA et al. 1995). On one hand, with less woodchip media packed in the biofilter, better removal of TN, TP, NH4-N, TCOD was achieved. On the other hand, almost all NO3-N were removed regardless of the thickness of woodchip. In addition, with deeper thickness of woodchip media in the biofilter, more increased alkalinity and released organic matters were observed at the effluent. Alkalinity is important in biological nitrogen processes, especially in the reactions of ammonia transformation into nitrate (nitrification). Organic matters released from woodchip served as the carbon source to derive denitrification. It seems that only small amount of the woodchip were sufficient to achieve nice removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. Therefore, the amount of the woodchip could be a key in designing a woodchip biofilter.