Electro-coagulation experiments were conducted with aluminum (Al) or iron (Fe) electrode in order to determine the optimal electrode material and operation conditions for algae removal. Al electrode showed higher removal rate of algae than Fe electrode because Al flocs have positive surface charges which electrostatically attract algae species having negative surface charges. Removal rate of algae and total phosphorous (T-P) was increased as current density and electrode area increases. It was also found that initial pH with neutral range was optimum for T-P removal by electro-coagulation. Bench-scale continuous flow experiments consisted of electro-coagulation reactor, agitation tank and settling tank were conducted. In electro-coagulation reactor, a large fraction of Al flocs were distributed to scum layer, due to the gas bubbles generated by electrolysis reaction. In agitation tank, most of Al flocs were settled and the optimal mixing intensity was found to be 50 rpm to achieve good settleability. The removal rate of algae was about 90-95%. Additionally, the removal rate of the T-P and COD was observed to be 73.8±8.0% and 75.0±3.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the removal rate of total nitrogen (T-N) was relatively low at only 24%.

Cavitation generated by ultrasonic irradiation can enhance the diffusional transport of organic contaminants from soil surfaces or pores. Therefore, ultrasound soil washing can be an alternative of traditional soil washing process. In this study, soil was artificially contaminated with n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and phenanthrene. A plate type ultrasonic reactor at 25 kHz frequency and 1000 W power was used for laboratory soil washing experiments. Ultrasonic soil washing efficiency was compared with those of traditional soil washing using mechanical mixing. Various operational parameter such as soil/liquid ratio, irradiation time, particle size, and soil organic matter content was tested to find out the optimum condition. It was found that ultrasonic soil washing demonstrates better performance than mechanical soil washing. Optimum soil:liquid ratio for ultrasonic soil washing was 1 : 5. Desorption of organic contaminants from soils by ultrasonic irradiation was relatively fast and reached equilibrium within 10 minute. However, decrease in the soil particle sizes by ultrasonic irradiation results in re-adsorption of contaminants to soil phase. It was also observed that soil particle size distribution and soil organic matter content have significant effects on the efficiency of ultrasonic soil washing.