<address>
We recently discovered activated carbon (AC) modification by anionic surfactants can substantially improve the ammonium adsorption capacity. We have further found that the used adsorbent can be easily reused after backwashing by brine. Current research is focused on separating ammonium ion from the bachwash brine using a porous hydrophobic membrane to obtain a product that can be directly utilized as a resource. In contrary to the conventional biological processes that consume energy to convert a useful nitrogen resource (NH4+) into nitrogen gas (N2), the process we are developing is intended to recover ammonium as a fertilizer or as an ammonia fuel with minimal resource and energy consumption.
</address> <address>
We develop a novel approach to enrich soluble and biodegradable organic matter in wastewater using sorbents and then utilize the used sorbents to generate biogas by anaerobic digestion. This new concept of chemical energy recovery from wastewater is expected to improve the sustainability of wastewater treatment of which current practice is to “consume energy to dissipate chemical energy in wastewater”. Currently we are focusing on enriching organics to a reasonable level using activated carbon and optimizing the biogas production using the exhausted adsorent.
</address> <address>
We develop novel sorbents originating from biomass for environmental applications. The sorbents currently under development is biochar and algae-based biosorbents. Biochar is a carbonaceous matter produced by pyrolyzing by biomass. Depending on pyrolysis conditions, biochars with various physicochemical properties – surface area, porosity, surface functional groups - can be obtained, making it possible to tailor the production for its usage. We optimize the biochar pyrolysis condition to produce sorbents with best performance for heavy metal adsorption. We also study freshwater micro-algae C. vulgaris for utilization as a biosorbent. By optimizing the micro-algae growth conditions and chemical modification of the harvested bimass, we have shown that the biosorbent surface characteristics can be optimized for heavy metal adsorption.
</address> <address>
Nuclear power plant sites are contaminated by radioactive compounds after its long term operation. Soil washing to remove those contaminants is a way of treating and restore the sites. Generated from the treatment process is the discharge water containing the soil-originated radioactive compounds, which should be removed. Our research aims to treat the contaminated water using modified sorbents. Adsorbents including immobilized Prussian blue and modified zeolite are tested to assess the effectiveness.
Title: Development of contaminated soil decontamination technology for dismantled NPP’s using selective nuclide adsorption technique and microbubble vortex breakdown based on high pressure cleaning
Supported by: 한국에너지기술평가원(KETEP, Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning), 산업통상자원부(Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)
Duration: 2018.05.01~2021.04.30.
</address>
<address>
Thermal treatment can effectively remove petroleum hydrocarbons in polluted sediment. By optimizing the thermal treatment, char can be formed from natural organic matter and petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment. The chars formed exhibit stabilization effect to toxic heavy metals present in sediment. In addition, by using relatively low temperature for char formation, the sediment physicochemical properties can be conserved through the treatment process. Consequently, the product of our treatment process possesses an enhanced ecological function so that it can be utilized as a high quality soil.
Title: Pyrolytic treatment of petroleum-impacted dredged sediment for the production of soil with high ecological value
Supported by: 과학기술정보통신부(Ministry of Science and ICT), 한국연구재단(National Research Foundation of Korea)
Duration: 2018. 03. 01. - 2021. 02. 28.
</address> <address>
Granular materials such as dredged sediment, coal ash, and slag are massively generated byproducts, which, if properly reused, can be valuable resources. The reuse of the granular materials (e.g., as structural fill) requires environmental assessments to minimize hazardous impacts to the surrounding environments or verify the suitability as ecological medium. Our current studies focus on 1) development of numerical models for long term leaching prediction of trace constituents from granular materials reused as structural fill; 2) ecotoxicological effect of residual salts with different ionic compositions.
Lee, H, Yu, G, Choi, Y, Jho, E.H, and Nam, K (2017) Long-term leaching prediction of constituents in coal bottom ash used as a structural fill material. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17(12), 2742-2751.
김기범, 남경필, 강완협, 최용주* (2018) 준설토 유효활용을 위한 환경위해성평가 및 특성분석 기반 의사결정모델 (Decision making framework for beneficial use of dredged sediment based on environmental risk assessment and sediment characterization) 대한환경공학회지40(6), 227-228
주권호, 김기범, 남경필, 정재웅, 문세흠, 최용주* (2018) 건설폐기물을 성토재로 사용한 산업단지에서의 중금속 오염 원인 규명 (Source Identification of Heavy Metal Contamination at an Industrial Complex Established Using Construction Wastes) 지하수토양환경공학회지23(1), 54-62
김문경, 김기범, 최용주, 남경필* (2016) 중금속 오염 준설토의 토양으로서의 유효활용을 위한 선별수준 생태위해도평가 (Screening-level ecological risk assessment for beneficial reuse as soil of dredged sediment contaminated with heavy metals) 대한환경공학회지 38(5), 236-241
Title: Development of risk management technology and decision making support system for contaminated Sites
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute), 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018.06.01. - 2020.12.31.
국문명: 복합오염 준설토 생물학적 정화공정 및 정화토의 환경위해성 평가
Title: iological remediation process of petroleum & heavy metal contaminated sediment and environmental risk assesment of remediated sediment
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute)
Duration: 2015.04.01.-2018.03.31.
</address>
<address>
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have attracted increasing global attention as emerging contaminants that threaten the aquatic environment due to their toxicity and persistence. We have recently studied the occurrence, temporal variation, sources, and fate of PFCs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. Further, we are developing a novel analytical method to determine the potential of PFC production in wastewater by advanced chemical oxidation techniques. Various poly- and perfluorinated substances act as PFC precursors, which are transformed in WWTPs and the environment to form PFCs as end products. The oxidation technique is expected to transform any potential precursors into their end product PFCs, which allows us to quantify the amount of precursors in wastewater.
Title: Development of oxidization technology for measuring polyfluorinated compounds in wastewater treatment plant
Supported by: 중소벤처기업부(Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
Duration: 2018. 08. 01. - 2019. 03. 31.
</address> <address>
More than 25 cases of toxic chemical spill accidents occur annually in Korea including the disastrous phenol spill accident in Gimcheon in 2008. Identification of the toxic chemical source should be done as soon as possible after the accident is acknowledged, which requires an ability to chemical fate during transport. We work with the hydro-engineering group in our department to develop a modeling framework that can track the toxic chemical source using observations at the downstream. The task of our group is to develop methods to best address volatilization, biochemical reaction, and sorption mechanisms of the chemicals in the master model for overall chemical fate.
Title: Development of technology of Tracing toxic chemical substances in water environment
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute), 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018. 06. 19. - 2020. 12. 31.
</address> <address>
Passive samplers are gaining popularity for easy and accurate determination of freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of organic pollutants in the water column and sediment pore-water. We advance the sampling technique by critically assessing uncertainties involved in the sampling and calculation of Cfree and developing methodologies minimize the uncertainties. Our works include experimental observation as well as numerical simulation of pollutant exchange kinetics between the sampler and the environmental media.
Y. Choi, Y. Wu, R.G. Luthy, S. Kang (2016) Non-equilibrium passive sampling of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediment pore-water: PCB exchange kinetics. J. Hazard. Mater. 318, 579-586.
</address>
<address>
Sorbent amendment to contaminated soil and sediment reduces the bioavailability of organic or inorganic contaminants as the contaminants are released from soil/sediment to be adsorbed to the sorbent. Sediment amendment of activated carbon for hydrophobic organic contaminants or soil amendment of iron oxides for arsenic have been shown to be effective in field demonstrations. Our current focus on this tecnnology is two-fold; 1) laboratory experiments and field monitoring to identify potential mechanisms that affects the effectiveness and 2) advancing a formerly described numerical model that predicts the treatment effectiveness by addressing the homogeneity of sorbent mixing, bioturbation by sediment-dwelling organisms, etc.
Lee, H, Yu, G, Choi, Y, Jho, E.H, and Nam, K (2017) Long-term leaching prediction of constituents in coal bottom ash used as a structural fill material. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17(12), 2742-2751.
Y. Choi, Y. Wu, B. Sani, R.G. Luthy, S. Kang (2016) Performance of retrievable activated carbons to treat sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. J. Hazard. Mater. 320, 359-367.
Y. Choi, Y.-M. Cho, W.R. Gala, T.P. Hoelen, D. Werner, R.G. Luthy (2016) Decision-making framework for preliminary assessment of in-situ activated carbon treatment to sediment. J. Hazard. Mater. 306, 184-192.
Y. Choi, J.M. Thompson, D. Lin, Y.-M. Cho, N.S. Ismail, C.-H. Hsieh, R.G. Luthy (2016) Secondary environmental impacts of remedial alternatives for sediment contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants. J. Hazard. Mater. 304, 352-359.
Y. Choi, Y.-M. Cho, R.G. Luthy, D. Werner (2016) Predicted effectiveness of in-situ activated carbon amendment for field sediment sites with variable site- and compound-specific characteristics. J. Hazard. Mater. 301, 424-432.
</address> <address>
Sediment acts as a repository of pollutants that enter the aquatic environment and also as a steady source of the pollutants to the aquatic ecosystem. Source identification of the sediment pollutants is necessary to manage the source and to properly impose the responsibility for treatment. From a case study site impacted by heavy metals, we develop a source tracking technique that utilizes multiple lines of evidence including spatial distribution of heavy metals, relative concentrations among metallic elements, and stable isotope fractionation.
Title: Investigation of water and sediment quality at the upstream of Andong Dam, Phase I
Supported by: 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018. 08. 28. - 2019. 08. 23.
</address>
<address>
Decentralization is proposed as a key paradigm of the urban water management infrastructure in the next generation that should account for sustainability and resilience. At a system level, we work with other scholars in Korea to develop design principles of decentralized water systems and to persuade the stakeholders to consider decentralization in future works. At a technology level, we develop trap-and-recover-type processes that accomplishes on-site pollutant removal from wastewater by physicochemical approaches and energy/resource generation from the exhausted adsorbents by biological and chemical approaches. Some of the sorbent works described above adopt this trap-and-recover concept.
최용주 등 (2018) 분산형 물 인프라의 시범연구 사례 고찰(Case study on the decentralized water infrastructure. Water4Future(한국물환경학회 이슈레터) 4호, 6월.
정지현, 이창민, 안진성, 김재영, 최용주* (2016) 도시 물 문제 저감을 위한 회복탄력적 사회기반시설 구축 전략: 2. 수질 오염 문제 구조적 대안의 내구성 평가 (Establishment of Resilient Infrastructures for the Mitigation of an Urban Water Problem: 2. Robustness Assessment of Structural Alternatives for the Problems of Water Quality) 응용생태공학회지3(3), 182-188
이창민, 정지현, 안진성, 김재영, 최용주* (2016) 도시 물 문제 저감을 위한 회복탄력적 사회기반시설 구축 전략: 1. 도시 홍수 문제를 중심으로 (Establishment of Resilient Infrastructures for the Mitigation of an Urban Water Problem: 1. Robustness Assessment of Structural Alternatives for the Problem of Urban Floods) 응용생태공학회지 3(2), 117-125
</address> <address>
We develop a process for production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a microbiogenic polymer, via anaerobic digestion of rice straw. We optimize the pretreatment conditions of the raw biomass and mixing intensity of anaerobic digesters for most efficient production of biogas. The biogas produced from an anaerobic digester is fed to PHA-accumulating microorganisms Methylocystis parvus MK and Massilia putida MK1 which enables conversion of the two main components of the biogas, CH4 and CO2, to biodegradable and biocompatible plastics.
Moonkyung Kim, Byung-Chul Kim, Kyoungphile Nam, Yongju Choi, 2018, Effect of pretreatment solutions and conditions on depolymerization and anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass in rice straw, Biochemical Engineering Journal, 140, 108-114.
</address> <address>
In biological wastewater treatment process, a sudden inhibition on microbial activity often occurs due to toxic substance inflow, limited supply of nutrients, and inadequate operating conditions. As nitrifiers are highly sensitive to those unfavorable conditions, a biological nitrogen removal process often fails to exhibit its desired performance. In order to solve these problems, bio-accelerator that helps recover from the reactor failure and enhance the microbial activity is studied. We are analyzing the main factors that inhibit nitrification activity in a currently operating industrial wastewater plant and developing a cost-effective bio-accelerator using a laboratory scale bioreactor.
Title: Stabilization of wastewater treatment system through development of Bio-accelerator
Supported by: 삼성전자(Samsung Electronics)
Duration: 2018. 07. 01. - 2019. 06. 30.
1. Novel sorbents and innovation in their environmental applications
</address> <address>Anionic surfactant modified activated carbon for
nitrogen recovery from wastewater
We recently discovered activated carbon (AC) modification by anionic surfactants can substantially improve the ammonium adsorption capacity. We have further found that the used adsorbent can be easily reused after backwashing by brine. Current research is focused on separating ammonium ion from the bachwash brine using a porous hydrophobic membrane to obtain a product that can be directly utilized as a resource. In contrary to the conventional biological processes that consume energy to convert a useful nitrogen resource (NH4+) into nitrogen gas (N2), the process we are developing is intended to recover ammonium as a fertilizer or as an ammonia fuel with minimal resource and energy consumption.
Related publications
W. Lee, S. Yoon, J. K. Choe, Y. Choi (2018) Anionic surfactant modification of activated carbon for enhancing adsorption of ammonium ion from aqueous solution. Sci. Total Environ. 140, 108-114.
Patents
이우람, 최용주, 암모늄 흡착제 및 이의 제조방법. 출원번호 10-2018-0103835, 출원일자: 2018. 8. 31.
Participants
Wooram Lee
</address> <address>
Energy production via sorptive enrichment of soluble
biodegradable organic carbons in wastewater
followed by anaerobic digestion
We develop a novel approach to enrich soluble and biodegradable organic matter in wastewater using sorbents and then utilize the used sorbents to generate biogas by anaerobic digestion. This new concept of chemical energy recovery from wastewater is expected to improve the sustainability of wastewater treatment of which current practice is to “consume energy to dissipate chemical energy in wastewater”. Currently we are focusing on enriching organics to a reasonable level using activated carbon and optimizing the biogas production using the exhausted adsorent.
Participants
Sangwon Yoon
</address> <address>
Development of bio-based sorbents for heavy metal and hydrophobic organic compound removal
We develop novel sorbents originating from biomass for environmental applications. The sorbents currently under development is biochar and algae-based biosorbents. Biochar is a carbonaceous matter produced by pyrolyzing by biomass. Depending on pyrolysis conditions, biochars with various physicochemical properties – surface area, porosity, surface functional groups - can be obtained, making it possible to tailor the production for its usage. We optimize the biochar pyrolysis condition to produce sorbents with best performance for heavy metal adsorption. We also study freshwater micro-algae C. vulgaris for utilization as a biosorbent. By optimizing the micro-algae growth conditions and chemical modification of the harvested bimass, we have shown that the biosorbent surface characteristics can be optimized for heavy metal adsorption.
Related publications
S. Kang, J. Jeong, J. K. Choe, Y. Ok, Y. Choi (2018) Effect of biochar particle size on hydrophobic organic compound sorption kinetics: applicability of using representative size. Sci. Total Environ. 619, 410-418.
Participants
Geunyoung Kim, Gwonho Joo
</address> <address>
Development of novel adsorbent to sorb radionuclide from water
Nuclear power plant sites are contaminated by radioactive compounds after its long term operation. Soil washing to remove those contaminants is a way of treating and restore the sites. Generated from the treatment process is the discharge water containing the soil-originated radioactive compounds, which should be removed. Our research aims to treat the contaminated water using modified sorbents. Adsorbents including immobilized Prussian blue and modified zeolite are tested to assess the effectiveness.
Related projects
국문명: 고압세척공정 기반의 초미세기포 복합공정과 선택적 핵종 흡착기술을 이용한 해체원전 오염토양 제염기술 개발Title: Development of contaminated soil decontamination technology for dismantled NPP’s using selective nuclide adsorption technique and microbubble vortex breakdown based on high pressure cleaning
Supported by: 한국에너지기술평가원(KETEP, Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning), 산업통상자원부(Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)
Duration: 2018.05.01~2021.04.30.
Participants
Jihyeun Jung
</address>
<address>
2. Granular byproduct management for reuse
</address> <address>Thermal treatment of petroleum-impacted dredged sediment for the sediment reuse as soil with high ecological value
Thermal treatment can effectively remove petroleum hydrocarbons in polluted sediment. By optimizing the thermal treatment, char can be formed from natural organic matter and petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment. The chars formed exhibit stabilization effect to toxic heavy metals present in sediment. In addition, by using relatively low temperature for char formation, the sediment physicochemical properties can be conserved through the treatment process. Consequently, the product of our treatment process possesses an enhanced ecological function so that it can be utilized as a high quality soil.
Related projects
국문명: 열분해 처리를 이용한 유류오염 준설토의 생태가치가 높은 토양으로의 재활용 기술 개발Title: Pyrolytic treatment of petroleum-impacted dredged sediment for the production of soil with high ecological value
Supported by: 과학기술정보통신부(Ministry of Science and ICT), 한국연구재단(National Research Foundation of Korea)
Duration: 2018. 03. 01. - 2021. 02. 28.
Participants
Kibeum Kim
</address> <address>
Environmental assessment of granular materials for beneficial reuse
Granular materials such as dredged sediment, coal ash, and slag are massively generated byproducts, which, if properly reused, can be valuable resources. The reuse of the granular materials (e.g., as structural fill) requires environmental assessments to minimize hazardous impacts to the surrounding environments or verify the suitability as ecological medium. Our current studies focus on 1) development of numerical models for long term leaching prediction of trace constituents from granular materials reused as structural fill; 2) ecotoxicological effect of residual salts with different ionic compositions.
Related publications
Kim, K, Yang, W, Nam, K, Choe, J.K, Cheong, J, Choi, Y (2018) Prediction of long-term heavy metal leaching from dredged marine sediment applied inland as a construction material. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(27), 27352-27361.Lee, H, Yu, G, Choi, Y, Jho, E.H, and Nam, K (2017) Long-term leaching prediction of constituents in coal bottom ash used as a structural fill material. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17(12), 2742-2751.
김기범, 남경필, 강완협, 최용주* (2018) 준설토 유효활용을 위한 환경위해성평가 및 특성분석 기반 의사결정모델 (Decision making framework for beneficial use of dredged sediment based on environmental risk assessment and sediment characterization) 대한환경공학회지40(6), 227-228
주권호, 김기범, 남경필, 정재웅, 문세흠, 최용주* (2018) 건설폐기물을 성토재로 사용한 산업단지에서의 중금속 오염 원인 규명 (Source Identification of Heavy Metal Contamination at an Industrial Complex Established Using Construction Wastes) 지하수토양환경공학회지23(1), 54-62
김문경, 김기범, 최용주, 남경필* (2016) 중금속 오염 준설토의 토양으로서의 유효활용을 위한 선별수준 생태위해도평가 (Screening-level ecological risk assessment for beneficial reuse as soil of dredged sediment contaminated with heavy metals) 대한환경공학회지 38(5), 236-241
Related projects
국문명: 오염부지 위해관리기술 및 의사결정지원시스템 개발Title: Development of risk management technology and decision making support system for contaminated Sites
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute), 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018.06.01. - 2020.12.31.
국문명: 복합오염 준설토 생물학적 정화공정 및 정화토의 환경위해성 평가
Title: iological remediation process of petroleum & heavy metal contaminated sediment and environmental risk assesment of remediated sediment
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute)
Duration: 2015.04.01.-2018.03.31.
Participants
Kibeum Kim
</address>
<address>
3. Monitoring and fate of micropollutants in water
</address> <address>Monitoring PFCs in wastewater treatment plants
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have attracted increasing global attention as emerging contaminants that threaten the aquatic environment due to their toxicity and persistence. We have recently studied the occurrence, temporal variation, sources, and fate of PFCs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. Further, we are developing a novel analytical method to determine the potential of PFC production in wastewater by advanced chemical oxidation techniques. Various poly- and perfluorinated substances act as PFC precursors, which are transformed in WWTPs and the environment to form PFCs as end products. The oxidation technique is expected to transform any potential precursors into their end product PFCs, which allows us to quantify the amount of precursors in wastewater.
Related projects
국문명: 하·폐수처리시설 polyfluorinated compounds의 통합정량평가를 위한 화학적 산화기술 개발Title: Development of oxidization technology for measuring polyfluorinated compounds in wastewater treatment plant
Supported by: 중소벤처기업부(Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
Duration: 2018. 08. 01. - 2019. 03. 31.
Participants
Geunyoung Kim, Gwonho Joo
</address> <address>
Source tracking of toxic chemicals in streams at accidental spill events
More than 25 cases of toxic chemical spill accidents occur annually in Korea including the disastrous phenol spill accident in Gimcheon in 2008. Identification of the toxic chemical source should be done as soon as possible after the accident is acknowledged, which requires an ability to chemical fate during transport. We work with the hydro-engineering group in our department to develop a modeling framework that can track the toxic chemical source using observations at the downstream. The task of our group is to develop methods to best address volatilization, biochemical reaction, and sorption mechanisms of the chemicals in the master model for overall chemical fate.
Related projects
국문명: 모바일 기반 수환경 유출 유해화학물질 추적 및 발생원 역추적 기술개발Title: Development of technology of Tracing toxic chemical substances in water environment
Supported by: 한국환경산업기술원(Korea Environmental Industry Technology Institute), 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018. 06. 19. - 2020. 12. 31.
Participants
Geunyoung Kim
</address> <address>
Advancing the passive sampling technique to monitor organic pollutants in water environment
Passive samplers are gaining popularity for easy and accurate determination of freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of organic pollutants in the water column and sediment pore-water. We advance the sampling technique by critically assessing uncertainties involved in the sampling and calculation of Cfree and developing methodologies minimize the uncertainties. Our works include experimental observation as well as numerical simulation of pollutant exchange kinetics between the sampler and the environmental media.
Related publications
M.T.O. Jonker, ... Y. Choi et al. (2018) Advancing the use of passive sampling in risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments: Results of an international passive sampling inter-laboratory comparison. Environ. Sci. Technol. 52(6), 3574-3582.Y. Choi, Y. Wu, R.G. Luthy, S. Kang (2016) Non-equilibrium passive sampling of hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediment pore-water: PCB exchange kinetics. J. Hazard. Mater. 318, 579-586.
Participants
Yongju Choi
</address>
<address>
4. Contaminated sediment management
</address> <address>In-situ stabilization of activated carbon treatment to sequester hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments
Sorbent amendment to contaminated soil and sediment reduces the bioavailability of organic or inorganic contaminants as the contaminants are released from soil/sediment to be adsorbed to the sorbent. Sediment amendment of activated carbon for hydrophobic organic contaminants or soil amendment of iron oxides for arsenic have been shown to be effective in field demonstrations. Our current focus on this tecnnology is two-fold; 1) laboratory experiments and field monitoring to identify potential mechanisms that affects the effectiveness and 2) advancing a formerly described numerical model that predicts the treatment effectiveness by addressing the homogeneity of sorbent mixing, bioturbation by sediment-dwelling organisms, etc.
Related publications
Y. Wu, Y.-M. Cho, R.G. Luthy, K. Kim, J. Jung, W.R. Gala, Y. Choi (2017) Assessment of hydrophobic organic contaminant availability in sediments after sorbent amendment and its selective removal. Environ. Pollut. 231, 1380-1387.Lee, H, Yu, G, Choi, Y, Jho, E.H, and Nam, K (2017) Long-term leaching prediction of constituents in coal bottom ash used as a structural fill material. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17(12), 2742-2751.
Y. Choi, Y. Wu, B. Sani, R.G. Luthy, S. Kang (2016) Performance of retrievable activated carbons to treat sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. J. Hazard. Mater. 320, 359-367.
Y. Choi, Y.-M. Cho, W.R. Gala, T.P. Hoelen, D. Werner, R.G. Luthy (2016) Decision-making framework for preliminary assessment of in-situ activated carbon treatment to sediment. J. Hazard. Mater. 306, 184-192.
Y. Choi, J.M. Thompson, D. Lin, Y.-M. Cho, N.S. Ismail, C.-H. Hsieh, R.G. Luthy (2016) Secondary environmental impacts of remedial alternatives for sediment contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants. J. Hazard. Mater. 304, 352-359.
Y. Choi, Y.-M. Cho, R.G. Luthy, D. Werner (2016) Predicted effectiveness of in-situ activated carbon amendment for field sediment sites with variable site- and compound-specific characteristics. J. Hazard. Mater. 301, 424-432.
Participants
Yongju Choi, Kibum Kim
</address> <address>
Source tracking of heavy metals in contaminated sediments
Sediment acts as a repository of pollutants that enter the aquatic environment and also as a steady source of the pollutants to the aquatic ecosystem. Source identification of the sediment pollutants is necessary to manage the source and to properly impose the responsibility for treatment. From a case study site impacted by heavy metals, we develop a source tracking technique that utilizes multiple lines of evidence including spatial distribution of heavy metals, relative concentrations among metallic elements, and stable isotope fractionation.
Related projects
국문명: 안동댐 상류 수질, 퇴적물 조사연구(I)Title: Investigation of water and sediment quality at the upstream of Andong Dam, Phase I
Supported by: 환경부(Ministry of Environment)
Duration: 2018. 08. 28. - 2019. 08. 23.
Participants
Jihyeun Jung
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5. Innovations in water infrastructure
</address> <address>Decentralization as a novel paradigm of urban water infrastructure
Decentralization is proposed as a key paradigm of the urban water management infrastructure in the next generation that should account for sustainability and resilience. At a system level, we work with other scholars in Korea to develop design principles of decentralized water systems and to persuade the stakeholders to consider decentralization in future works. At a technology level, we develop trap-and-recover-type processes that accomplishes on-site pollutant removal from wastewater by physicochemical approaches and energy/resource generation from the exhausted adsorbents by biological and chemical approaches. Some of the sorbent works described above adopt this trap-and-recover concept.
Related publications
최용주 등 (2017) 차세대 도시 물 인프라로서 분산형 시스템 도입의 필요성 및 극복과제(Decentralized systems as a next-generation urban water infrastructure: the necessity and challenges). Water4Future(한국물환경학회 이슈레터) 2호, 12월.최용주 등 (2018) 분산형 물 인프라의 시범연구 사례 고찰(Case study on the decentralized water infrastructure. Water4Future(한국물환경학회 이슈레터) 4호, 6월.
정지현, 이창민, 안진성, 김재영, 최용주* (2016) 도시 물 문제 저감을 위한 회복탄력적 사회기반시설 구축 전략: 2. 수질 오염 문제 구조적 대안의 내구성 평가 (Establishment of Resilient Infrastructures for the Mitigation of an Urban Water Problem: 2. Robustness Assessment of Structural Alternatives for the Problems of Water Quality) 응용생태공학회지3(3), 182-188
이창민, 정지현, 안진성, 김재영, 최용주* (2016) 도시 물 문제 저감을 위한 회복탄력적 사회기반시설 구축 전략: 1. 도시 홍수 문제를 중심으로 (Establishment of Resilient Infrastructures for the Mitigation of an Urban Water Problem: 1. Robustness Assessment of Structural Alternatives for the Problem of Urban Floods) 응용생태공학회지 3(2), 117-125
Participants
Yongju Choi
</address> <address>
Proposal of optimized process for bacterial PHA production from rice straw anaerobic digestion
We develop a process for production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a microbiogenic polymer, via anaerobic digestion of rice straw. We optimize the pretreatment conditions of the raw biomass and mixing intensity of anaerobic digesters for most efficient production of biogas. The biogas produced from an anaerobic digester is fed to PHA-accumulating microorganisms Methylocystis parvus MK and Massilia putida MK1 which enables conversion of the two main components of the biogas, CH4 and CO2, to biodegradable and biocompatible plastics.
Related publications
Moonkyung Kim, Byung-Chul Kim, Yongju Choi, Kyoungphile Nam, 2017, Minimizing mixing intensity to improve the performance of rice straw anaerobic digestion via enhanced development of microbe-substrate aggregates, Bioresource Technology, 245(A): 590-597.Moonkyung Kim, Byung-Chul Kim, Kyoungphile Nam, Yongju Choi, 2018, Effect of pretreatment solutions and conditions on depolymerization and anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass in rice straw, Biochemical Engineering Journal, 140, 108-114.
Participants
Moonkyung Kim, Byung-Chul Kim, Yongju Choi
</address> <address>
Developing a bio-accelerator for enhancing biological nitrification activity and recovering bioreactor failure
In biological wastewater treatment process, a sudden inhibition on microbial activity often occurs due to toxic substance inflow, limited supply of nutrients, and inadequate operating conditions. As nitrifiers are highly sensitive to those unfavorable conditions, a biological nitrogen removal process often fails to exhibit its desired performance. In order to solve these problems, bio-accelerator that helps recover from the reactor failure and enhance the microbial activity is studied. We are analyzing the main factors that inhibit nitrification activity in a currently operating industrial wastewater plant and developing a cost-effective bio-accelerator using a laboratory scale bioreactor.
Related projects
국문명: 미생물 촉진제(Bio-accelerator) 개발 통한 폐수처리 시스템 안정화 구축Title: Stabilization of wastewater treatment system through development of Bio-accelerator
Supported by: 삼성전자(Samsung Electronics)
Duration: 2018. 07. 01. - 2019. 06. 30.
Participants
Wooram Lee, Sangwon Yoon</address>