Cho-Hee Yoon

Effect of Food Waste Mixing on Hydrogen Gas Production in Anaerobic Digestion of Brown Water from Urine Diversion Toilet

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of addition of food waste in brown water for anaerobic hydrogen production. Batch experiment was carried out to determine appropriate food waste to brown water mixing ratio. Maximum hydrogen yield of 6.92 mmol H2/g CODremoved was obtained at 70% food waste and 30% brown water. Semi-pilot scale reactor was operated based on result of batch experiment. Semi-pilot reactor operated, mixing 70% food waste and 30% brown water showed significant increment in butyric acid concentration. B/P (Butyric to propionic acid ratio) which is considered as governing factor for hydrogen production was found high (52.64). Maximum hydrogen yield of 25.03 mmol H2/g CODremoved was obtained. Result of this study concluded that mixing of food waste to brown water at appropriate ratio assists in enhanced hydrogen fermentation.

Comparison of saline wastewater treatment performance of SBR with repeated starvation under aerobic and non-aerobic conditions.

This study investigated the effects of repeated starvation and feeding on the performance of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) used for treating saline wastewater. The effects of aerobic and non-aerobic conditions on the sludge during starvation were evaluated to recover the performance of the SBR in terms of floc size and pollutant removal after resuming wastewater feeding. The floc size, fractal dimension, sludge volume index (SVI), specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), and pollutant removal efficiency were monitored. Experiment results revealed that the floc size and fractal dimensions decreased during starvation under both aerobic and non-aerobic conditions and increased after re-feeding wastewater. However, the difference in floc physical characteristics and performance depended on the starvation condition and was pronounced as starvation and re-feeding were repeated. The floc size and fractal dimensions decreased from 152.7 to 72.2 and 1.98 to 1.79 at the end of the fourth starvation period, resulting in deterioration of the sludge settleability and effluent quality. On the other hand, the floc size and fractal dimensions decreased from 158.7 to 135.7 and 1.95 to 1.81 at the end of the fourth starvation period but remained relatively constant after sludge adaptation. Some correlations were observed between the parameters monitored in this study. The results showed that maintaining the sludge under non-aerobic conditions was an effective strategy for reducing the effects of repeated starvation.

Effects of Fill Time on the Fractal Dimension and Size of Floc for SBR Treating Low C/N Ratio Wastewater

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fill time of influent on the physical characteristics of biological floc for sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating low C/N ratio wastewater. The fractal dimension and size of floc were measured for characterizing floc. The fractal dimension of floc was analyzed by using Small Angle Laser Light Scattering (SALLS) method. SBR with short fill time showed higher removal efficiencies of COD, BOD, T-N, and T-P than with long fill time. Larger floc size and fractal dimension were generated at SBR with short fill time. Short fill time generated the sludge with better settling and thickening properties. Alternating anaerobic and aerobic condition in the cycle also affected the floc size and fractal dimension. The floc size decreased under anaerobic phase, and floc size increased under aerobic phase. During fill time, the fractal dimension of floc decreased. As the fill stop, the fractal dimension of floc increased. Therefore, the fill time condition more affected the fractal dimension of floc. More efficient nitrification and phosphorus release were observed during a cycle with short fill time operation.