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전북대학교 수처리 공학 연구실
JBNU Water Treatment Engineering Research Lab.
JBNU WaTER Lab's Research Focus
The JBNU WaTER Lab conducts research on various water treatment technologies, focusing on chemical oxidation strategies to enhance water quality and treatment efficiency. Our group's current interests can be broadly categorized into three areas: (i) Fundamental investigation of chemical kinetics and mechanisms involved in degradation of emerging micropollutants using conventional and advanced oxidants, (ii) development of algorithms for determining the optimal oxidant dose in chemical oxidation processes, (iii) design of an on-site, small-scale chemical oxidation system for applications where conventional treatment methods are not feasible.
I. Investigation on the reactions between emerging micropollutants and oxidants
In South Korea, approximately 60 aqueous pollutants are regulated in drinking water treatment plants. However, considering that more than fifty million chemicals are registered in the CAS, these 60 pollutants represent only tip of the iceberg. Since we cannot predict which chemicals will pose future risks, it is crucial to response promptly to newly identified contaminants (e.g., pesticides, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, algal toxins, perfluorinated compounds, microplastics, etc.). To effectively address these emerging pollutants, research should comprehensively examine their kinetics, degradation mechanisms, and changes in toxicity upon various oxidants.
II. Development of algorithm for optimal oxidant dose
In chemical oxidation processes, determining the optimal oxidant dose is important, as both underdose and overdose can lead to undesirable outcomes. Underdose may result in insufficient removal of target micropollutants, while overdose can cause excessive formation of harmful by-products and unnecessary costs. The degradation of micropollutants by oxidants can be predicted using a kinetic equation incorporating the second-order rate constants (kmp,ox) and the oxidant exposure. While the kmp,ox values are available for numerous compounds, oxidant exposure varies depending on water characteristics, requiring experimental determination for different water sources. This presents a major limitation in applying the kinetic equation broadly. To address this, our group is developing an algorithm that includes a universal model capable of accurately predicting oxidant exposure values based on a few simple water quality parameters.
III. Design of an on-site small-scale chemical oxidation system
Implementing large-scale drinking water treatment processes in isolated regions is often impractical. In such cases, on-site small-scale chemical oxidation systems offer a viable alternative. Many studies have explored oxidation technologies using newly developed heterogeneous catalysts, but their real-world applicability remains limited due to low catalytic efficiency or poor production yield. Given this challenge, our research focuses on oxidation systems based on Fenton (-like) reactions. Previous studies in our group have demonstrated that high-valent metal ions generated via Fenton (-like) reactions exhibit strong selectivity in controlling specific target pollutants. If we can further modulate the reactivity of high-valent metal ions (e.g., ferryl ions) while maintaining high selectivity, it may possible to achieve effective and targeted pollutant removal. To this end, our group is actively investigating the fundamental chemistry of Fenton (-like) reactions and developing highly efficient, practical Fenton (-like) oxidation systems for real-world applications.
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