90% Purification of Industrial Waste Leachate Contaminants Using Microorganisms

Nuclear Research Institute Transfers 'Intermittent Venting Leachate Purification Technology' to Hansu Entec

The research team led by Senior Researcher Seungju Lim at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has developed a leachate purification technology for industrial waste landfills using the intermittent aeration method. (Photo by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] A technology that activates microorganisms to purify 90% of pollutants in industrial waste leachate has been developed. Domestic researchers have developed a purification technology about twice as efficient as existing technologies and are moving toward commercialization.

On the 10th, the Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced that it developed a 'microbial leachate purification technology using intermittent aeration method' and transferred the technology to Hansuentec, a wastewater treatment specialist company.

The terms include a lump-sum technology fee of 75 million KRW and a 1% royalty on sales as a running royalty.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute explained that if industrial waste leachate is not properly purified, it can cause environmental pollution as well as deteriorate the residential environment in surrounding areas.

Accordingly, a new technology was developed to purify refractory leachate generated from industrial waste landfills by combining intermittent aeration technology and inorganic ion separation technology for the first time in the world.

Leachate from industrial waste landfills contains various organic compounds and inorganic ions mixed together, classified as refractory leachate that is more difficult to decompose than general wastewater.

The technology widely used currently for purifying industrial waste leachate does not separate substances in the wastewater but purifies by simultaneously introducing various microorganisms.

Purification is done by passing through a primary treatment tank blocking oxygen and a secondary treatment tank supplying oxygen, considering the activation conditions of different microorganisms, but the activation rate of microorganisms is low, resulting in reduced purification efficiency.

The newly developed technology separates inorganic ions that interfere with microorganisms and then maximizes the activation rate of microorganisms using the intermittent aeration method.

As a result, a groundbreaking effect of purifying 90% of pollutants in the final effluent was confirmed. This is about twice the purification effect compared to existing technologies.

Hansuentec is a company specializing in the design and construction of wastewater treatment facilities for industrial waste landfills and industrial complexes, and plans to actively utilize the transferred technology in landfill leachate treatment processes.

Seungju Lim, the lead researcher of the study, said, "Initially, the technology was developed by combining radiation irradiation to decompose organic compounds, but it was separated to make it easier for companies in the field to use," adding, "We plan to supplement the technology to expand its application to leachate from food waste or municipal waste landfills and livestock wastewater in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.