• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1024-1030
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• 2006

Genus Nitrospira and Nitrobacter species are the key nitrite-oxidizing bacteria(NOB) in nitrifying wastewater treatment plants. It has been hypothesized that genus Nitrospira are K-strategists(low $K_6$ value) that can exploit low amounts of nitrite more efficiently than Nitrobacter. In contrast, Nitrobacter species are r-strategists(high $V_{max}$) that can grow faster than Nitrospira. It has also been known that the availability of organic compounds and dissolved oxygen as well as nitrite affects the distribution of NOB. In this study, we determined the distribution and competition of NOB in wastewater nitrification systems where nitrite, organic compounds, and dissolved oxygen concentrations were compositively varied. For the purpose, several compounds of the laboratory-scale nitrificaiion bioreactor and full-scale $A_2O$ wastewater treatment plant and their distribution of NOB were analyzed and compared. The analysis showed that Nitrobacter was the dominant NOB in nitrification bioreactor where average nitrite was maintained at 5 mg-N/L with very low organic concentration in aerobic condition, whereas Nitrospira was the dominant NOB in full-scale $A_2O$ plant where nitrite was maintained very low and organic compounds were maintained relatively high in alternating aerobic-anoxic condition. The result indicates that nitrite concentration is more critical factor than organics and dissolved oxygen which determines the dominant NOB in nitrification system and it is confirmed that Nitrospira and Nitrobacter showed the characteristics of r-strategist and K-strategist, respectively.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.4B
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• pp.427-432
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• 2006

The effects of free ammonia (FA) concentration and temperature on nitrite accumulation were studied. To estimate the most effective ammonium oxidation and nitrite build-up condition, nitrification tests were conducted in batch conditions at various FA concentrations, and at different ammonium concentration and temperature. The activation energies of ammonium oxidizer were 81.7 KJ/mol below $20^{\circ}C$, and 32.5 KJ/mol over $20^{\circ}C$, while that of nitrite oxidizer was 35.5 KJ/mol irrespective of temperature variations. The results of nitrification tests conducted at different FA concentrations and temperatures showed that temperature strongly affects nitrite accumulation, while effects due to FA concentrations were found negligible.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.294-300
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• 2013

In this study, major parameter of partial nitritation was investigated for the stable operation. In order to establish partial nitritation system, prevailing parameters such as temperature, BA (bicarbonate alkalinity) and pH were evaluated. As a result, it is inferred that appropriate bicarbonate alkalinity ratio (mg $NaHCO_3{\cdot}L^{-1}/mg$ Inf. $NH_4{^+}-N{\cdot}L^{-1}$) drives stable 50% partial nitritation at $32^{\circ}C$ and ambient temperature, respectively. Alkalinity ratio was proposed as new strategy for 50% partial nitritation without pH control in both temperature regimes. Because of the results, it was added amound of BA required only for 50% nitritation to inhibit nitratation. The effluent $NO_2{^-}-N/NH_4{^+}-N$ ratio reached almost 100% when initial bicarbonate alkalinity ratios (mg $NaHCO_3{\cdot}L^{-1}/mg$ Inf. $NH_4{^+}-N{\cdot}L^{-1}$) were 6.8 (R1) and 6.7 (R2), respectively. Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) results demonstrated that AOB was the dominant nitrifying bacteria and NOB was negligible after adopting process control.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.700-704
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• 2008

Nitrite and free ammonia have been known as substrate inhibitors in anaerobic ammonium oxidation. To reduce inhibitory effect of these substrates, the NH$_3$-N/NO$_2$-N ratio in the influent could be properly controlled in anaerobic ammonium oxidation process. Five kinds of NH$_3$-N/NO$_2$-N ratio were assayed in batch to find optimum NH$_3$-N/NO$_2$-N ratio, curtailing substrate inhibition. As the results of batch test, the highest T-N removal efficiency of 88% was obtained at 1.00 : 1.30 of NH$_3$-N/NO$_2$-N ratio. In addition, rate constants for ammonium and nitrite in zero-order kinetics were found to be the highest values as 7.66 mg/L$\cdot$hr and 11.89 mg/L$\cdot$hr at 1.00 : 1.30 ratio, respectively. However, as for the specific anammox activity, the ratio of NH$_3$-N/NO$_2$-N ratio was recommended as 1 : 1.15 which can maintain the highest SAA during continuous operation and preclude the accumulation of nitrite in the reactor.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 1988

This study was made to investigate the effect of pesticides on microflora to nitrogen metabolism, nitrification and nitrogen fixing activity in the submerged soil. The results are summarized as follows; Pesticides treatment leaded to the inhibition of $NH_4{^-}$-oxdizers, $NO_3{^-}$-reducer, and denitrifying bacteria population. $NO_2{^-}$-oxdizers were inhibited by cabamate compounds, carbofuran and MIPC. Simetryne seemed to stimulate the denitrifying bacteria at 60 days after incubation. Generally, formation of $NO_2{^-}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ tended to decrease by pesticides application. Pesticides application stimulated Azotobacter and Clostridia populations, while simetryne inhibited Athiorhodaceae and Thiorhodaceae. However acephate seemed to be stimulatory to blue-geen algae. $C_2H_2$-reducing activity by acephate was clearly appeared. The change of $C_2H_2$-reducing activity did not seems to be affected by pesticides application.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 1984

These studies were carried out to investigate the effects of rice straw on microflora in relation to nitrogen metabolism in submerged soil. Rice plants were cultured in submerged soil to which rice straw was applied. In the submerged soil applied with rice straw the value of Eh lowered. pH was higher in the upper layer than in the lower. The content of iron(II) in submerged soil increased, while that of ammonium nitrogen decreased when rice straw was applied and nitrate-nitrogen was hardly detected during the rice cultivation period Under application of rice straw the number of denitrifying bacteria observed to increase at the early growing stage of rice plant and to decrease thereafter, and that of nitrate reducing bacteria increased at the late growing stage. The number of ammonium oxidizing bacteria and that of nitrite oxidizing bacteria decreased continually but the latter were rather sharply decreased.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2006

An aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating ammonium wastewater was studied in respect of nitrification characteristics and distribution of nitrification bacteria over a period of 350 days. MBR was fed with ammonium concentration of 500-1000 mg $NH_4-N/L$ at a nitrogen load of $1-2kg\;N/m^3{\cdot}d$. Overall ammonium oxidation rate increased with dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, temperature, and sludge retention time (SRT). Under a higher concentration of free ammonia ($NH_3-N$) due to the decrease of ammonium oxidation rate, the nitrite ratio ($NO_2-N/NO_x-N$) in the effluent increased. The sudden collapse of nitrification efficiency accompanied by sludge foaming and the increase of sludge volume index (SVI) was observed unexpectedly during the operation. At the later stage of operation, additional carbon source was fed to the MBR and resulted in twice higher value of SVI and the decrease of ammonium oxidation rate. In fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, genus Nitrosomonas which is specifically hybridized with probe NSM156 was initially the dominant ammonia oxidizing bacteria and the amount of Nitrosospira gradually increased. Nitrospira was the dominant nitrite oxidizing bacteria during whole operational period. Significant amount of Nitrobacter was also detected which might due to the high concentration of nitrite maintained in the reactor.

• Clean Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.398-403
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• 2012

Selective nitrification and granulation have been carried out in a pilot scale air-lift sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for stable and economical nitrogen removal from wastewater. The SBR showed about 100% nitrification efficiency up to 1.0 kg ${NH_4}^+-N/m^3{\cdot}d$, about 90% efficiency at 1.0-2.0 kg ${NH_4}^+-N/m^3{\cdot}d$, and it was less than 90% when the load was higher than 2.0 kg ${NH_4}^+-N/m^3{\cdot}d$. Nitrite accumulation was induced by selective inhibition of nitrite oxidizing bacteria by free ammonia inhibition and dissolved oxygen limitation. For the purpose, high nitrite ratio (> 0.95) was obtained by keeping the pH higher than 8.0 and dissolved oxygen lower than 1.5 mg/L. In addition, sludge granulation was achieved by keeping reactor settling time to 5 minutes to wash out poor settling sludge and to promote the growth of granulation sludge. The operation accelerated sludge granulation and the sludge volume index (SVI) decreased and stably maintained to less than 75 in 60 days.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2002

Laboratory scale aerobicfanaerobic biofilm reactor was used for simultaneous and stable removal of organics, N and P components to investigate optimum design and operation parameters and to analyze the microbial distribution and consortium structure of nitrification and denitrification bacteria in aerobic and anaerobic biofilm systems. The biofilm reactor was successfully operated for 143 days to show $COD_{cr},\;BOD_5$, SS removal efficiencies of 88, 88, and 97%, respectively. During the experiment period, almost complete nitrification efficiency of 96% was achieved. Denitrification efficiency was about 45% without addition of any external carbon sources. In case of total phosphorus removal, 74% of the inlet phosphorus was removed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results showed that most of the ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the aerobic nitrification zone was found to be Nitrosomonas species while Nitrospira was the representative nitrite oxidizing bacteria. For the denitrification, Rhodobacter, Rhodovulum, Roseebacter and Paracouus were the dominant denitrification bacteria which was 10 to 20% of the total bacteria in numbers.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 1997

In order to evaluate the soil microbiological characteristics of paddy fields in Korea, surface soils were sampled from 63 sites in different agroclimatic zones before submersion of the fields. The distribution of microorganisms and the microbial diversity indices were examined. Soil microbial populations were generally higher in southern area than in northern area. The colony forming units(cfus) of fluorescence Pseudomonas sp. showed the greatest regional differences, among the microbes investigated. On the topographical differences, the cfus of aerobic bacteria, fluorescence Pseudomonas sp. and Azotobacter sp. maintained high level in coastal plains; and on the sail textural difference, fungus was the highest in clay soil, but Bacillus sp., Azotobacter sp and denitrifiers were the highest in silty clay loam soil at 0.05 probability level based on the multiple range test. The numbers of ammonium oxidizers and Azotobacter sp. were increased with soil pH. Microbial diversity indices of paddy fields which calculated from the percentages of Bacillus sp. fluorescence Pseudomonas sp. Azotobacter sp. denitrifiers, ammonium oxidizers, nitrite oxidizers, actinomycetes and fungus to these total microbial numbers were between 0.109 and 0.661. On the soil textures, the microbial diversity indices of sandy, sandy loam, silty clay loam, clay loam and clay soil were 0.443, 0.427, 0.414, 0.405 and 0.362 respectively.