Need of Effluent Treatment Plant in South Korea

The Effluent Treatment Plant in South Korea is a facility where wastewater is collected and treated, reducing the amount of pollutants that enter the environment. This is an important project, as industrial complexes are a major contributor to the environment. The following article will discuss some of the major impacts that an industrial complex has on the environment, including the removal of Veterinary antibiotics from the waste stream.

What is the Need of Effluent Treatment Plant in South Korea?

The South Korean government recently adopted a new policy on waste management. This policy aims to reduce general waste and end the practice of dumping non-biodegradable garbage in the world. This includes plastic, which is the second largest waste producer in the world.

The Seoul Government is planning to construct a new wastewater treatment plant that will serve 700,000 residents.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also exploring energy recovery from the sewage treatment process. This is part of an effort to make Seoul a carbon neutral city by 2050.

The combined treatment method is a common method used by wastewater treatment plants in Korea. It can help lower costs and improve operations. The effluents of this process have also been tested for their ability to remove nitrogen, phosphorus, and other conventional pollutants. The primary effluent is diluted with a secondary effluent containing natural organic materials.

Other advanced treatment methods include bioreactor plus ultrafiltration and membrane bioreactor. In the end, it is the combination of these techniques that will deliver a higher quality water. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also upgrading pumping stations and constructing drainage basins. This will ensure that stormwater management in Seoul is effective and efficient.

Other measures include subsidizing rainwater harvesting and installing solar arrays. These initiatives will not only benefit the environment, they will also improve the city’s infrastructure. The city is also planning to introduce the newest technology, the Water Quality Tele-Monitoring System (Water TMS), to help prevent water pollution incidents.

How is Long-term Monitoring of Effluent being done in Korea?

The Water Quality Monitoring Program operated by the Ministry of Environment, Korea has been assessing effluent water quality at industrial complexes for more than 20 years. The monitoring program was designed to measure effluent water quality at three types of locations: upstream, downstream and point sources.

To evaluate changes in water quality over a 20-year period, 61 monitoring sites located near industrial complexes in Korea were studied. Nine priority pollutants were chosen as indicators of the changes in effluent quality. The results showed that overall improvements in effluent quality were noted at the monitoring sites. The study also evaluated spatial trends in effluent quality.

For the purposes of the study, the self-organizing map (SOM) was used to demonstrate spatial differences in the water quality of industrial complexes. The SOM results indicated that a large proportion of samples from an industrial complex were located in cluster 1. This result indicated that there were significant changes in the water quality of the industrial complexes during the years.

The Self-Organizing Map provided a good representation of the trends in effluent quality. It showed that different types of effluent were associated with distinct bacterial taxa. The results also showed that physico-chemical factors such as alkalinity and dissolved oxygen were relatively improved at the monitoring sites.

Another indicator of the improvement in water quality was the Mann-Kendall test. This test showed that there was a continuous increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen. However, a decrease in other water quality factors was observed.

The significant study found that the spatial differences in the water quality of industrial complexes were mainly determined by the presence of a number of priority pollutants. The SOM identified these nine pollutants. These were classified into eight clusters using Ward’s linkage method. These clusters were assigned a letter to indicate the significance of the differences between them.

What is the Impact of Industrial Complexes on the Environment?

Banwol-Sihwa national industrial complex is one of South Korea’s largest industrial clusters. It is located in the mid-western coastal region of the Korean peninsula. It consists of a variety of industries, including the textile dyeing, printing, and telecommunication equipment sectors.

Water quality was monitored in each sampling site from 1989 to 2008 by the Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMN). The physico-chemical factors and priority pollutants showed improvement at monitoring sites, while the Mann-Kendall test indicated a continuous increase in dissolved oxygen and other water quality factors.

A Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis performed on the WQMN datasets showed spatial differences in effluent water quality. However, water quality was largely determined by ordination locations of the sampling sites. The ordination locations changed from one sampling site to another as the industrial complexes underwent different changes. The SOM analysis provided a good representation of the temporal trends in water quality.

During the early 1990s, the key industries in the region were the computer industry and the semiconductor industry. During the late 1990s, the semiconductor industry and the telecommunications equipment industry were the main industries. In the latter decade, the electronics industry shifted from the manufacturing sector to the information-knowledge-based industry.

During the early 2000s, the Seoul Digital industrial complex began to increase its electronics and high-tech industries.

The occurrence of priority pollutants was reduced in the SOM results. However, the amount of effluent per factory continuously increased despite low effluent levels.

Effluent Quality Criteria for BOD, COD, and SS

A reliable study was conducted to characterize spatial and temporal changes of water quality in South Korea. A total of 61 monitoring sites were used to collect effluent water quality data. The study also investigated the effects of the monsoon season on water quality. The study focused on determining the concentrations and fractions of COD, BOD and SS in wastewater.

The results showed a gradual increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen and other factors. These results were compared with those obtained in ASM models. The study also assessed changes in the water quality over a 20-year period. The results showed a decrease in the proportion of priority pollutants. The mean concentrations of these factors in raw effluent were also found to be low.

Moreover, the Mann-Kendall test indicated a continuous rise in the proportion of dissolved oxygen. This result was similar to the results of the SOM, which revealed a decreasing trend in the proportion of the most important pollutants.

Despite the increase in the level of BOD5, performance was not affected by the increasing organic load. The removal performances were very high, with ninety-eight percent of COD and eighty-two percent of SS. Nevertheless, the concentration of TCB was also found to be increasing, 1.29-fold in Yeongsan River.

Among the industrial complexes, Banwol industrial complex had a high ratio of electrical and electronic industries, along with a high proportion of machinery industry. Since 1985, the discharge of this complex has slightly decreased. However, intensive management is still necessary to control pollution sources.

Seoul Digital industrial complex had a lower annual change of discharge. A self-organizing map was also compiled, showing the occurrence of the most important pollutants. It was observed that CHL-a-TN/TP ratio was a better indicator of algal growth during the premonsoon season.

Veterinary Antibiotics Removal at an Effluent Treatment Plant

A recent study conducted in South Korea examined the effectiveness of veterinary antibiotics removal at an effluent treatment plant. The results showed that a high level of efficiency was achieved by using a combination of the following: hydroclone, electrocoagulation, flotation, bio-ceramic sequencing batch reactor and ultrafiltration. The effectiveness of each of the five treatments was determined, and compared to conventional contaminants.

The study investigated the concentration of four types of veterinary antibiotics in influent and effluent. The highest detection was for sulfamethazine, and a lower concentration was found for chlortetracycline.

The study also evaluated the concentration of antibiotics in soil and sediment. The results showed that antibiotic concentrations in soil were significantly higher than those in water. The highest was in soil located at the bottom of the water stream. A new material was developed that could remove environmental toxins.

The reliable study also evaluated the performance of three laboratory-scale A2O reactors. The effectiveness of the Biobest Bacillus was noted. The effluent containing the antibiotic oxytetracycline was also tested. The efficiency was 82.8%. The removal rate of oxytetracycline was found to be low, but it was still a laudable achievement.

Another study assessed the toxicity of a number of antibiotics in solutions after electrocoagulation. The effluent concentrations of tylosin, ampicillin and doxycycline were all reduced by over three percent after electrocoagulation.

Although the study showed that a high level of veterinary antibiotics removal was achievable by the combined treatment method, the sulfamethazine and sulfathiazole had the highest efficiency. These compounds were also detected at the highest concentrations. The effluent containing the oxytetracycline was also found to be the most efficient, but it was not clear which treatment process was responsible for the high level of effluent efficiency.

The Bottom Line

Effluent may also be referred to as untreated or partially treated waste water that drains from a sewage or industrial outflow.

Therefore, with the aid of an effluent treatment plant, or sewage treatment plant, waste water, or untreated effluent, is converted into treated effluent. Using a variety of techniques, wastewater is cleaned in an effluent treatment facility so that it may be safely recycled or disposed of in the environment. While maintaining environmental cleanliness, this procedure lowers the need for fresh water.