본 연구에서는 하수처리 과정에서 분리된 항생제 내성균(Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, ARB)을 제거하기 위해 박테리오파지와 차아염소산 나트륨(NaClO)을 결합한 병용 처리 기술을 응용하였다. ARB를 감염시키는 용균성 박테리오파지는 폐수 샘플에서 성공적으로 분리되었다. 이러한 박테리오파지와 NaClO를 순차적으로 적용한 결과, 5시간 이내에 ARB를 상당히 감소시킬 수 있었다. 환경 안정성 평가에서는 분리된 박테리오파지가 온도, pH, 독성 물질에 대한 노출 등 다양한 조건에서도 효과를 유지하는 것으로 나타냈다. 또한, 실험실 규모의 반응기 실험을 통해 단독 염소 소독과 비교했을 때, 결합 처리가 ARB를 효과적으로 억제하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 박테리오파지와 차아염소산 병용 처리는 유기물, 질소(N), 인(P)과 같은 영양소 제거 효율에 영향을 미치지 않았다. 이러한 결과는 박테리오파지를 기반으로 한 생물학적 제어법과 기존의 소독 방식을 결합하여 폐수 처리 공정(Wastewater treatment plant, WWTP)에서 효과적인 항생제 내성 박테리아 제어 방안을 제시할 가능성을 시사한다.

A total of 10,977 individual sewage treatment facilities(ISTFs) have been installed and operated on Jeju island as of 2022. The number of ISTFs has increased rapidly in the hillside area, where the elevation is above 200 m and is recognized as a major area for groundwater recharge. A total of 80 ISTFs were selected for this study, with a particular focus on their management status and effluent water quality. This was carried out in two areas, Aewol-eup and Jocheon-eup, which are known to have the highest density of ISTFs in Jeju island. Consequently, 23.9% of ISTFs failed to remove sludge regularly, and 41.3% of ISTFs did not run the blower. The effluent water quality revealed that violating percentage of the legal standards for BOD, SS, T-N, and T-P were 75.0%, 62.5%, 100%, and 86%, respectively. To assess the efficiency of effluent quality by management, an independent t-test and ANOVA were conducted. The BOD and TOC differed significantly according to the building usage. Therefore, it can be concluded that the effluent from ISTFs should be managed according to the building usage. Furthermore, no distinction was observed in contamination components due to blower operation, with the exception of DO. However, the mean value of the NH4 +-N/T-N ratio was found to decrease with DO, indicating that blower operation may potentially reduce the contamination burden of ammonium in groundwater.

2021년 기준 4,339개소의 공공하수처리시설에서 발생하는 하수찌꺼기는 년간 4,271,110톤으로 하수처리장 신·증설 등으로 인해 매년 증가하고 있다. 하수찌꺼기 등 유기성폐자원의 처리를 위해서 퇴비화, 혐기성 소화, 열분해, 소각, 매립 등 다양한 방법이 적용되고 있다. 특히 혐기성 소화는 잔류고형물 저감, 자본비와 운영비 절감, 바이오에너지 생산 및 환경에 대한 영향 최소화 등의 장점을 지니고 있어 실행 가능한 방법 중의 하나로 간주되고 있다. 그러나 하수찌꺼기 등과 같이 고형물을 함유한 유기성폐자원의 혐기성 소화 시 가수분해 반응은 율속단계로 알려져 있다. 따라서 혐기성 소화 시 가수분해 효율을 증진하기 위하여 초음파, 마이크로웨이브, 화학적 전처리, 열가수분해 등의 방법이 적용되고 있다. 특히 열가수분해의 경우 지난 20년간 관련 연구가 꾸준히 이루어져 많은 수의 실 규모 시설이 현장에 적용되었다. 그럼에도 불구하고 높은 에너지 소비, 혐기성 소화 저해물질 생성 및 색도로 인한 자외선 소독 효율 저감 등으로 인해 아직도 관련 연구가 지속적으로 진행 중이다 따라서 본 논문에서는 하수찌꺼기의 안정화와 혐기성 소화조의 효율 향상을 위해 가용화 기술 중 대표적이고 상용화가 가장 많이 이루어진 열가수분해에 대해 고찰하고자 한다. 특히 하수처리시설에서 열가수분해와 혐기성 소화조를 연계 하는 경우 예상되는 문제점과 해결방안에 대한 제시를 통해 혐기성 소화조의 안정성 및 메탄 발생량 향상, 하수처리시설 찌꺼기의 효율적 저감 및 에너지 자립화에 기여하고자 한다.

A study on the denitrification of reverse osmosis(RO) concentrated wastewater from sewage reuse treatment plant in P city was conducted using waste desulfurization agent obtained from desulfurization process. Sulfur-based autotrophic denitrifying carrier comprises the predetermined amount of waste iron sulfide (FeS, Fe2S3), mine drainage sludge and elemental sulfur showing mesoporisity with 9.9 nm (99 Å) of average pore size. Sulfur denitrifying bacteria and sulfur reducing bacteria were implanted into the pores of sulfur denitrifying carrier. Nitrate was not affected by empty bed contact time (EBCT). It is probably due to larger reducing capacity of the carrier than the concentration of nitrate in RO concentrated wastewater. Total nitrogen (T-N) removal efficiency exhibited about 90% after 4 days. Sulfate ion was surprisingly decreased with sulfur autotropic process due to the reduction of sulfate ion to HS- and S2- by sulfur reducing bacteria. Sulfide and hydrogen sulfide ions were then taken by Fe(OH)3, main component of mine drainage sludge, releasing OH-. Alkalinity was therefore maintained between 7.5 and 8.5 in pH by the released OH-. Also, it had the effect of suppressing the production of H2S, which causes bad odor.

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.

Due to the large-scale production and use of synthetic chemicals in industralized countries, various chemicals are found in the aquatic environment, which are often termed as micropollutants. Effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as one of the major sources of these micropollutants. In this article, the current status of occurrence and removal of micropollutants in WWTPs and their management policies and options in domestic and foregin countries were critically reviewed. A large number of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial chemicals are found in WWTPs’ influent, and are only partially removed by current biological wastewater treatment processes. As a result, some micropollutants are present in WWTPs’ effluents, which can negatively affect receiving water quality or drinking water source. To better understand and assess the potential risk of micropollutants, a systematic monitoring framework including advanced analytical tools such as high resolution mass spectrometry and bioanalytical methods is needed. Some Western European countries are taking proactive approach to controlling the micropollutants by upgrading WWTP with enahnced effluent treatment processes. While this enahnced WWTP effluent treatment appears to be a viable option for controlling micropollutant, its implementation requires careful consideration of the technical, economical, political, and cultural issues of all stakeholders.

The 37 indicators for performance evaluation of public sewage management agencies are divided into four major categories (agency manpower management ability, wastewater treatment plant operation and management, sludge and water reuse, service quality) in the first stage, and the necessity and score acquisition for the detailed indicators by each major category in the second stages. Priority was investigated through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis technique for ease and relevance of company efforts. Also, based on the results of this analysis, integrated type weighting and relative importance were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, the weight and relative importance of the first stage classification were in the order of wastewater treatment plant operation and maintenance, operation agency manpower management ability, sludge and water reuse, and service quality. As a result of analyzing the weights and priorities of the detailed performance indicators in the second stage, it was found that operator’s career years, the percentage of certification holding rate in operators, compliance with the effluent water quality standards, training times for operators, and efforts to manage hazardous chemicals were important. Some of the indicators of operation agency performance evaluation may include indicators in which the performance of the company's efforts is underestimated or overestimated. In order to improve this, it is necessary to give weights in consideration of the necessity of the indicator, the relevance of the company's efforts, and the ease of obtaining scores.

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.

Sulfide dissolved in wastewater is a potential source of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is an odorous substance that causes civil complaints and is a dangerous substance that threatens the corrosion of structures and the safety and health of workers. The removal efficiencies of the chemical oxidant and the coagulants were compared to evaluate the removal of dissolved sulfide. Since the effectiveness may vary depending on the characteristics of the wastewater, water was used as a control, and 5 mg/L of dissolved sulfide was dissolved in water and sewage wastewater. When oxidant was used, the results showed a high sulfide removal rate in sewage wastewater than water, and the removal efficiency was enhanced with increasing oxidant concentration. Sulfide removal efficiencies after one hour after injecting oxidants H2O2, NaOCl, NaClO2 to sewage wastewater were 70%, 90%, and 100%, respectively. After the oxidants were administered four times, the removal was 90%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. In the case of sulfide removal with the oxidizing agent, the removal efficiency was NaClO2, NaOCl, H2O2 (highest - lowest). NaClO2 showed 100% removal efficiency within 10 minutes under all conditions (A condition, B condition), making it the most sewage effective agent in this study. In the case of the coagulants, 100% of the sulfides dissolved in water were removed in the first 10 minutes under all conditions. In sewage wastewater, FeCl2 and FeSO4 also showed 100% removal efficiency under all conditions after one hour, and FeCl3 showed 90% and 99% removal rates under A and B conditions, respectively. That is, the monovalent iron coagulants (FeCl2, FeSO4) were found to be somewhat more effective in the removal of sulfides in sewage wastewater than the divalent iron (FeCl3) coagulants. When the sulfides were removed with coagulants, FeCl2 had the highest removal efficiency followed by FeSO4 and FeCl3. Moreover, it was found that NaClO2 has the best reaction efficiency at the minimum reaction time and the reaction concentration.

본 연구는 퇴적물이 소모하는 산소량(SOD)과 환경 인자가 서로 미치는 영향을 파악하기 위해 퇴적물 배양실험을 수행하였다. 이를 위해 실험실에서 용출 반응조를 설치하여 20일간 배양하였으며, 퇴적물에 존재하는 물질 중 P 및 Fe와의 관계를 중점적으로 연구하였다. 분석 결과, 수층의 용존 산소는 시간의 경과에 따라 감소하는 경향을 나타냈으며, 퇴적물의 산화환원전위 또한 음의 방향으로 진행되어 혐기적 환원환경이 조성되었다. 퇴적물 산소요구량(SOD)은 배양 초기 0.05mg/g로 측정되었 으며, 20일차 0.09mg/g으로 퇴적물이 소모하는 산소량이 증가하는 경향을 관찰하였다. 이는 chl-a의 증가로 퇴적물 표층에 축적된 유기물의 분해에 의한 산소 소모(Biological-SOD), 그리고 환원반응에 의해 생성된 금속 환원물이 재산화 할 경우 소모되는 산소(Chemical-SOD)에 의한 것으로 보인다. 퇴적물에서 추출한 존재형태별 인과 SOD의 상관관계를 살펴보면 Ex-P, Org-P의 경우 양의 상관관계, Fe-P의 경우 음의 상관관계를 나타내었다. 또한, 실험 20일차 퇴적물의 미생물 군집을 분석한 결과 혐기성 철 환원균(FeRB)이 우점종으로 검출되었다. 따라서, 철 산화물과 결합한 인산염이 환원반응에 의해 분리될 경우 인산염은 수중으로 용출되어 일차생산력을 증가시키며, 환원물은 재산화 하여 퇴적물 산소 소모량에 기여하므로 본 연구는 산소 수지의 개선을 위한 기초 자료로 이용될 것으로 기대된다.

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.

As the pollution from waste marine emissions becomes serious, the government's regulations are becoming more stringent. In addition to sewage sludge, manure sludge and waste sludge were included in the prohibition of off-shore sewage treatment and the allowable standard value of pollutants for the water quality discharged by the companies was increased. The difficulties of the enterprises due to the increase of the wastewater treatment costs are increasing. In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to reduce wastewater treatment costs and the processing burden of the consigned waste processing companies by constructing wastewater pretreatment facilities of their own waste. Therefore, it is urgent to develop low cost wastewater pretreatment or treatment facilities and technologies to meet the situation of wastewater discharge companies. In this study, a low cost system has been developed for filtering sludge in the wastewater by modifying the structure of drum screen and adopting the impact separation method. Using this system, the procedure and cost for purification and subsequent retreatment of a highly concentrated wastewater can be significantly reduced.