• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.431-437
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• 2005

Molecular methods were employed to investigate microorganisms in a thermophilic continuous stirred tank reactor(CSTR) used for continuous $H_2$ production. The reactor was inoculated with heat-treated anaerobic sludge and fed with a glucose-based medium. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed dynamic changes of bacterial populations in the reactor during 43 days of operation. Gas composition was constant from approximately 14 days but population shift still occurred. Populations affiliated with Fervidobactrium gondwanens and Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum were dominant on 21 and 41 days, respectively. Keeping pH of the medium at 5.0 could suppress methanogenic activity that was detected during initial operation period. $CH_4$ and mcrA detected in the samples obtained from the reactor or inoculum suggested the heat treatment condition employed in this study is not enough to remove methanogens in the inoculum. PCR using primer sets specific to 4 main orders of methanogens suggested that major $H_2$-consuming methanogens in the CSTR belong to the order Methanobacteriales.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.41-49
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• 2019

Livestock manure is a significant source for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and a huge amount of GHG emission is generated during its storage. In the present work, lowering temperature was attempted to mitigate methane ($CH_4$) emission from cattle manure (CM) with high solid content. CM was stored for 60 d at $15-35^{\circ}C$ ($5^{\circ}C$ interval). $CH_4$ emission reached $63.6{\pm}3.6kg\;CO_2\;eq./ton\;CM$ at $35^{\circ}C$, which was reduced to $51.6{\pm}1.8$, $24.1{\pm}4.4$, $14.9{\pm}0.5$, and $3.7{\pm}0.1kg\;CO_2\;eq./ton\;CM$ at 30, 25, 20, and $15^{\circ}C$, respectively. After storage, 30% of COD reduction was observed in the CM stored at $35^{\circ}C$, while the COD removal decreased to only 6% at $15^{\circ}C$. It was found that only 3-11% of COD removal was done by anaerobic process, while the rest of COD removal was done by aerobic biological process. Methanobrevibacter and Methanolobus were found to be the dominant species in the CM, and the dominance of Methanolobus psychrophilus increased at lower storage temperature. Specific methanogenic activity test results showed that the inhibition by low temperature was temporal.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2019

This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial communities in coupled system of a microbial electrolysis cell and an anaerobic digestion. Glucose, butyric acid, propionic acid and acetic acid were used as substrates. The maximum methane production and methane production rate of propionic acid respectively were $327.9{\pm}6.7mL\;CH_4/g\;COD$ and $28.3{\pm}3.1mL\;CH_4/g\;COD{\cdot}d$, which were higher than others. Microbial communities' analyses indicated that acetoclastic methangens were predominant in all systems. But the proportion of hydrogenotrophic methanogens was higher in the system using propionic acid as a substrate when compared to others. In coupled system of a microbial electrolysis cell and anaerobic digestion, the methane production was higher as the distribution of hydrogen, which was generated by substrate degradation, and proportion of hydrogenotrophic methanogens was higher.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6B
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• pp.683-687
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• 2006

This research investigated the effect of aeration pretreatment for anaerobic seed sludge on hydrogen production. Aeration time for anaerobic sludge was maintained at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours in batch tests. Two continuous anaerobic reactors (aerated and non-aerated) were also operated. All experiments were conducted at $35^{\circ}C$ using mineral salts-glucose (20 g/l) medium. Methane production decreased with the increase in aeration time. Aeration for 6 hours was determined as an optimum from the amount of hydrogen produced. Hydrogen was steadily produced in the continuous reactor seeded with aerated sludge while no methane production was observed. However, small amount of hydrogen was produced in the non-aerated reactor for short period of time from the start even though short HRT (2 days) and low pH (5.5) were maintained.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.347-354
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• 2013

This study was carried out to examine different mole ratio of $H_2/CO_2$ and EBCT using the continuous system in the lab scale throughout biological methods with accumulated hydrogenotrophic methanogen that can convert $CO_2$ to $CH_4$. The experimental-based results with various gas mixtures of mole ratio of 4:1($H_2/CO_2$) and 5:1($H_2/CO_2$), $H_2$ was converted more than 99% conversion rate. In case of $CO_2$, 4:1($H_2/CO_2$) and 5:1($H_2/CO_2$) were $74.45{\pm}0.33%$, $95.8{\pm}10.7%$, respectively, in addition, the study was confirmed that the amount of $H_2$ was more needed than stoichiometric equations, where approach methods are empirical versus theoretical frameworks, for converting total $CO_2$. As such, we have noticed that $H_2$ was used for energy source of hydrogenotrophic methanogen for maintaining life. Regarding the results of the ratio of treatment by retention time, limitation of treatment capacity showed that $H_2$(99.9%) and $CO_2$(96.23%) at EBCT 3.3 hrs indicated stable conversion ratio, as well as appeared that methane production rate and $CO_2$ fixation rate were investigated $1.15{\pm}0.02m^3{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}day^{-1}$ and $2.01{\pm}0.04kg{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}day^{-1}$, respectively.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.425-430
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• 2005

Thermophilic $H_2$ was produced for 1 year using a bench-scale continuous stirred tank reactor(CSTR). The CSTR was inoculated with anaerobically digested sludge after heat treatment and fed with a glucose-based medium. The reactor showed relatively short start-up period(30 days) and high maximal $H_2$ yield(2.4 mol $H_2/mol$ glucose). Keeping pH 5.0 or less suppressed methanogenic activity. Bacteria affiliated with Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum kept being dominant from approximately 40 days as determined by DGGE. Environmental perturbation(pH or temperature) caused the decrease of biomass concentration in the reactor and the instability of reactor performance, $H_2$ production rate and $H_2$ yield. The unstable performance was accompanied with high concentration of lactate in the effluent. Taken together, the poor recovery of CSTR after perturbations could be partly explained by low biomass concentration and/or metabolic shift of the major population in the CSTR.