Ewha-Water - RESEARCH

한국연구재단 중견연구사업 / 2025.03.01-2028.02.29 (36 months) / 705,786,000 KRW

세탁과정 발생 나노플라스틱 저감 필터 및 포집 업사이클링 기술 개발
Development of micro/nano-plastic filters for laundry wastewater and upcycling technologies of collected materials

한국연구재단 나노 및 소재기술개발사업 (선도형) / 2024.07.01-2028.12.31 (54 months) / 4,550,000,000 KRW

신산업 폐수로부터 공공안전 및 자원회수를 위한 환경나노소재 기반 세라믹 분리막 제조 기술 개발
Development of environmental nanomaterial-based ceramic membranes for public safety and resource recovery from emerging industrial wastewater

The primary objectives of this project are to ensure public safety and recover valuable resources from wastewater generated by emerging industries. The newly developed mult-channel ceramic nanofiltration membrane aims to achieve divalent ion removal rates that surpass the performance of polymer membranes. Additionally, the project seeks to develop specialized ceramic membranes tailored for various types of semiconductor wastewater by integrating surface charge control technologies. Globally, there are no existing cases of ceramic nanofiltration membranes specifically designed for treating wastewater from emerging industries, nor are there any commercailly available products. Therefore, the final outcomes of this research and development project—focused on the treatment of unregulated hazardous substances and resource recovery—represent a pioneering and innovative endeavor.

중소기업기술정보진흥원 산학연 Collabo R&D 사업 / 2023.05.01-2023.12.31 (8 months) / 25,000,000 KRW

세라믹-PES 복합소재 기반 세탁폐수 미세플라스틱 저감 필터 개발
Development of ceramic-PES composite material-based washing wastewater microplastic reduction filter

Several countries worldwide, including France, have proposed bills to mandate the installation of microplastic filters on all new washing machine models manufactured from 2025 onwards. The development of effective, commercially available microplastic filters has become more important due to the steady increase in microplastic emissions from laundry washing cycles and the stringent regulations enforced in many countries. Microplastic filters have proven to effectively capture microplastic fibers released from synthetic clothing during washing cycles, but they also need to reduce organic contaminants from detergents and softeners. A systematic comparison of polymeric and ceramic membranes with smaller pores was thus conducted to explore the potential of ceramic membranes as an effective microplastic filter for household washing machines. While both membranes effectively retained microplastic fibers and organic contaminants, the ceramic membrane was less susceptible to fouling due to its relatively hydrophobic surface, and it also removed a significant proportion of hydrophobic compounds from real laundry wastewater, improving its organic retention.

한국연구재단 차세대 유망 Seed 기술실용화 패스트트랙 / 2023.04.01-2025.03.31 (24 months) / 920,000,000 KRW

반도체 폐수처리를 위한 나노여과급 세라믹 분리막 기술고도화 및 실용화
Technology advancement and practical application of ceramic nanofiltration membranes for the treatment of semiconductor wastewater

Ceramic membranes, known for their exceptional chemical stability, have found practical applications in the treatment of semiconductor wastewater. In this study, we have developed an innovative hollow-fiber ceramic nanofiltration (NF) membrane featuring a nanochannel network created by two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, enabling high-performance separation and permeation. This accomplishment is realized through precise control of the size and thickness of nanomaterials such as boron nitride, MXene, bismuth oxide, and molybdenum disulfide, which can be tailored using various coating conditions. The repeated stacking of nanosheets onto the ceramic membrane substrate resulted in the formation of additional nanochannels and surface chemistry modifications, leading to significant enhancements in pollutant removal. These hollow-fiber ceramic NF membranes significantly improved the removal efficiency of representative organic contaminants in semiconductor wastewater when compared to the pristine ceramic membrane. Furthermore, the hollow-fiber ceramic NF membrane exhibited exceptional fluoride removal capability, in addition to organic solvents. These findings not only help meet regulatory standards for wastewater discharge but also provide valuable insights into the transport behaviors of contaminants and their separation mechanisms. This innovative approach brings us one step closer to efficient and sustainable solutions for semiconductor wastewater treatment.

한국연구재단 신진연구지원사업 우수신진연구 / 2021.03.01-2025.02.28 (48 months) / 461,983,000 KRW
한국연구재단 우수신진연구 최초혁신실험실 / 2021.07.01-2022.02.28 (8 months) / 98,780,000 KRW

3차원 동적 이미지 입도 측정을 통한 세탁폐수 미세/나노플라스틱 특성분석 및 유출저감 최적화 기술 개발
A study on the characteristics of micro/nano-plastics by a 3-Dimension dynamic particle image analysis with the development of optimization technologies for reducing their discharge from laundry wastewater

Microplastics have recently been recognized as emerging contaminants in wastewater, however there is no standardized quantification protocol even though various microscopic approaches exist, many of which are not appropriate for fibrous particles. In this study, a fluid imaging flow cytometry was employed for the first time to quantify microplastic fibers by capturing images, extracting particle parameters, and justifying those parameters with high-speed measurements. We present preliminary results from the high-throughput analysis of microplastic fibers in real laundry wastewater produced at different laundry loads and chemical additives. A bench-scale filtration experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of silicon carbide and alumina ceramic membranes. Variation in the shape-based volumetric, morphological, and geometrical parameters of each microplastic fiber in the feed and permeate samples were comprehensively compared to evaluate their realistic transport through statistical analysis. These approaches provide valuable insights into the advantages and limitations of fluid imaging flow cytometry and represent a significant step in the quantification of microplastics and in clarifying their transport and retention in ceramic membrane-based wastewater treatment.

한국연구재단 국가핵심소재연구단 / 2020.08.24-2024.12.31 (54 months) / 399,094,000 KRW

고위험 폐수처리 성능 최적화를 위한 나노여과급 세라믹 필터 및 공정 기술 개발
Development and application of nano-sized ceramic filters for improving treatment performance of highly hazardous wastewater

The chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process for planarizing wafers requires an excessive amount of ultrapure water to remove particulate slurries and other contaminants. The CMP slurries are composed of highly alkaline silica, resulting in large volumes of silica-containing effluents, which can potentially lead to silica scaling in wastewater distribution systems. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials were used to improve the separation performance by modifying the surface chemistry and reducing membrane pores by creating more nanochannels with excellent chemical stability. Particularly, the 2D nanostructured material-coated ceramic NF membrane could be an attractive and promising approach for maintaining dissolved silica concentrations below the solubility limits because it possesses a smaller pore size and a more negatively charged surface compared to the pristine ceramic UF membrane.

SK 하이닉스 산학연구과제 / 2020.02.01-2022.1.31 (24 months) / 110,000,000 KRW

반도체 폐수 내 암모니아성 질소 제거를 위한 세라믹 나노멤브레인 공정 개발
Development of ceramic nano-filtration membrane processes for the removal of ammonia nitrogen in semiconductor wastewater

The advancement of membrane technology is severely hampered by the long-standing problem of fouling, which is caused by the accumulation of foreign substances on membrane surfaces or inside pores. Fouling can seriously deteriorate membrane performance by lowering water permeability, worsening product water quality, increasing energy consumption, shortening membrane life, increasing operating costs, and, in an unsustainable manner, releasing chemical wastes from mandated cleaning process into the environment. Therefore, membrane fouling is a major obstacle against the efficient use of membranes. To address this critical issue, we study foulant-membrane surface interactions in ceramic filtration systems, which cannot be fully understood by experimental approaches. This research provides the development of efficient fouling-mitigation strategies, resulting in creating exciting opportunities for the development of the next-generation ceramic membrane filtration systems for water and wastewater treatment.

한국연구재단 중견연구자지원사업 / 2018.09.01-2021.08.31 (36 months) / 300,000,000 KRW

저에너지 혐기성 그래뉼 분리막 생물반응조 개발을 통한 도시발생 하/폐수 미세플라스틱 제거기작 및 물환경-에너지화 융합 공정 연구
Rethinking Mainstream Domestic Wastewater Treatment with Anaerobic Technologies

Resource recovery is the trending technology on urban wastewater treatment. Using anaerobic technologies to treat domestic wastewater can significantly decrease energy use and increase biogas production when compared to conventional treatment schemes. The anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is an anaerobic technology that biologically converts organic matters to methane from domestic wastewater, especially when co-management with high-strength wastewater (e.g., food waste recycling wastewater). Current research efforts involve elucidating the fundamental processes and novel strategies that applies the future AnMBRs technology having a short hydraulic retention time with ceramic membranes. One strategy for implementing more sustainable wastewater treatment involves a reduction in energy consumption by moving towards treatment that minimizes the operational temperature. As we move toward low-temperature AnMBR treatment processes, there is a need for a better understanding of how these environments affect wastewater microbial communities to ensure stable performance. We lack a fundamental understanding of how anaerobic microbial communities in these low-temperatured operations differs from conventional, fully-aerobic treatment processes.

서울특별시 상수도사업본부 / 2019.06.20-2019.11.30 (5 months) / 15,675,000 KRW

건강하고 맛있는 물 가이드라인 적정성 조사연구
A Feasbility Study on the Guideline for the Healthy and Tasty Drinking Water