• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 1996

A bacterium, capable of the degradation of trimethylamine(TMA), dimethylamine, and methylamine, was isolated from an enrichment culture on TMA basal mineral medium. The isolate was identified as Methylobacterium some carbon-carbon bonds compounds like malate, succinate, betaine. When the strain was immobilized to earthworm cast, the biofilter could remove the gaseous TMA of SV $30h^{-1}$, concentration of 120ppm, continuously.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2002

Four inorganic packing materials (zeocarbon, porous celite, porous glass, zeolite) and a earthworm cast were compared with regard to the removal of ammonia in a biofilter inoculated with earthworm cast. Physical adsorption of ammonia on packing materials were negligible except zeocarbon (23.5 g-$NH_3$/kg), and cell immobilization capacity have similar values irrespective of packing materials. Pressure drops of the packed bed were in order of earthworm cast zeocarbon zeolite porous glass porous. The maximum elimination capacity ($g-Nkg^{-1}$ $d^{-1}$ ) of ammonia, which were based on a unit volume of packing material, were in order of zeocarbon (526) earthworm cast (220) porous celite (93) > zeolite (68) > porous glass (53). By using kinetic analysis, the maximum removal rates ($V_{m}$ ) and the saturation constant ($K_{s}$ ) for ammonia were determined, and zeocarbon showed superior performance among the five materials.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.265-270
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• 2004

To select a promising technologies for removal of odorous gases emitted from a wastewater pump station, four methods such as activated carbon (A/C) adsorption, chemical absorption (acid and alkali scrubber), and two biofilters (polyurethane (PU) and worm cast) were investigated. The average odor removal efficiencies in the PU biofilter and A/C column was over 98%, but in a worm cast biofilter and chemical absorption were below 60-80%. The removal efficiency of PU biofilter was very stable (about 98-99%) in the range of retention times of 4-36s, and a maximum elimination capacity was $1.6${\times}$10^{ 7}$ $OUm^{-3}$$h^{-1}$ Deodorization costs for an activated carbon adsorption and a biofiltration method were investigated. With increasing odor intensity, the operating cost of the A/C column increased linearly, but the operating cost of the biofilteration increased slightly. The capital cost in a biofilter is about two times higher than that in an A/C column, but the operating cost is very lower than that of in A/C column. In conclusion, the biofiltration was evaluated one of the most promising technologies to control odor in a wastewater pump station.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.820-825
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• 2007

Earthworm casting was the natural fertilizer that contained high concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium and of over $10^8$ CFU/ml of microorganisms. Greater than 80% of feed was excreted through the fermentation by the intestinal enzyme, after worm had eaten feeds such as fallen leaves and rotten roots under the ground. Also, the soil structure of casting was known to be very efficient in the aspects of the porosity, the water permeability, and deodorizing activities. In this research, the biofilter packed with a biomedia made of casting and waste polyurethane foam, a binder, which helped to improve the durability and perpetuity of casting, was investigated to degrade malodorous hydrogen sulfide gas. The biomedia had no need of extra supply of nutrients and of microbial inoculations. On the beginning of the operations, it showed 100% removal of hydrogen sulfide gas without lag phase. At SV of 50 $h^{-1}$, hydrogen sulfide gas from the outlet of the biofilter was not detected, when inlet concentration increased to 450 ppmv. After that, removal efficiency decreased as increasing inlet hydrogen sulfide concentration. Hydrogen sulfide removal was maintained at almost 93% until inlet concentration was increased up to 950 ppmv, at which the elimination capacity of $H_2S$ was 61.2 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$. Maximum elimination capacity guaranteing 90% removal was 61.2, 65.9, 84.7, 89.4 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ at SV ranging from 50 $h^{-1}$ to 300 $h^{-1}$, but was 59.3 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ at SV of 400 $h^{-1}$. The results calculated from Michaelis-Menten equation revealed that $V_m$ increased from 66.04, 88.96, 117.35, 224.15, to 227.54 g $S{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ with increasing space velocity in the range of 50 $h^{-1}$ to 400 $h^{-1}$. However, saturation constant$(K_s)$ decreased from 79.97 ppmv to 64.95 and 65.37 ppmv, and then increased to 127.72 and 157.43 ppmv.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.293-305
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• 2009

Methane, as a greenhouse gas, is some 21~25 times more detrimental to the environmental than carbon dioxide. Landfills generally constitute the most important anthropogenic source, and methane emission from landfill was estimated as 35~73 Tg per year. Biological approaches using biocover (open system) and biofilter (closed system) can be a promising solution for older and/or smaller landfills where the methane production is too low for energy recovery or flaring and installation of a gas extraction system is inefficient. Methanotrophic bacteria, utilizing methane as a sole carbon and energy source, are responsible for the aerobic degradation (oxidation) of methane in the biological systems. Many bench-scale studies have demonstrated a high oxidation capacity in diverse filter bed materials such as soil, compost, earthworm cast and etc. Compost had been most often employed in the biological systems, and the methane oxidation rates in compost biocovers/boifilters ranged from 50 to $700\;g-CH_4\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$. Some preliminary field trials have showed the suitability of biocovers/biofilters for practical application and their satisfactory performance in mitigation methane emissions. Since the reduction of landfill methane emissions has been linked to carbon credits and trading schemes, the verified quantification of mitigated emissions through biocovers/biofilters is very important. Therefore, the assessment of in situ biocovers/biofilters performance should be standardized, and the reliable quantification methods of methane reduction is necessary.

• Clean Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.122-126
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• 2007

When ammonia ($NH_3$) gas was supplied to a biofilter packed with bio-carrier made of waste polyurthane and worm cast. No odor gases were detected at the outlet of the biofilter when $NH_3$ gas was supplied to the biofilter at the space velocity(SV) of $50\;h^{-1}$ until the inlet $NH_3$ concentration increased to $4\;{\sim}\;454\;ppmv$. The gradual inlet $NH_3$ concentration was set and the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ gas was measured at each condition, while the SV of $NH_3$ increased step by step from 100 to $400\;h^{-1}$. The maximum possible inlet $NH_3$ loading was $11.38\;g-NH_3{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ and $34.42\;g-NH_3{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ while maintaining the removal efficiency of 100% when the SV was $50\;h^{-1}$ and $100 \;h^{-1}$, respectively. The maximum $NH_3$ loading was $71.28 \;g-NH_3{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ with the $NH_3$ removal efficiency of 99.85% at SV $300\;h^{-1}$.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2000

Removal of ammonia using the porous ceramic biofilter inoculated with earthworm casts was characterized. By assuming a plug air flow in the biofilter and applying the Michaelis-Menten equation, the maximum removal rate of $NH_3$ was $280.7g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.0g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $30^{\circ}C$. $NH_3$ removal rate was increased as temperature increases from $15^{\circ}C$ to $35^{\circ}C$. The maximum removal rate was $285.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.8g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $35^{\circ}C$. At $15^{\circ}C$, the $NH_3$ removal rate was $122.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($8.1g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$). When 210 ppm $NH_3$ was supplied to the biofilter at space velocity of $220h^{-1}$, the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ at 15, 25, 30 and $35^{\circ}C$ was 80, 90, 95, and 96%, respectively. The removal rate of the ceramic biofilter was 3 to 15 times higher than other biofilters comparing the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ per unit volume of carrier. This result indicates that earthworm casts and porous ceramics are very good inoculum source and carrier, respectively, for the $NH_3$-degrading biofilter.