• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.135-142
• /
• 1980

The process of biological treatment of organic wastewater is principally associated with those of self-purification in the natural water environment. The treatment system has e intensive function of stabilizing wastewater more effectively than in natural water, which is like natural water concentrated in a small space. Biological treatment of wastewater involves activated sludge and various modified process, trickling filter, rotating disk, oxidation ditch, etc. for aerobic decomposition and anaerobic processes such as anaerobic decomposition and methane fermentation. The basic characteristic of these processes is the use of mixed culture for the conversion of pollutants. This review forcuses on the various kinds of microorganisms related to each treatment processes. Kinetic analysis of the activated sludge process is discussed in order to understand the basis of control and maintenance of the biological treatment process.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.297-297
• /
• 1987

A $C_{1}$ enriched cellulase fraction was separated from culture filtrate of anaerobic Clostridium thermocellum by hydroxyapatite column chromatography. The separated fraction showed strong synergistic action with $C_{x}$ component (endo-$\beta$-1, 4-glucanase) in digestion of crystalline cellulose, similar to the other aerobic cellulolytic microorganisms. Unlike the $C_{x}$ component the $C_{1}$ enriched fraction was rapidly inactivated by oxidation at the atmospheric condition. The enzyme activity was significantly enhanced by the addition of reducing agents, especially $\beta$-mercaptoethanol, which indicates that a $C_{1}$ component has a lot of sulfhydryl groups essential for the enzyme activity. The effect of metal ions on $C_{1}$ activity was also investigated. The $C_{1}$ fraction was found to be thermally stable compare to endo-$\beta$-1,4-glucanase. Optimal temperature and pH were found to be 60.deg.C and 6.0, respectively.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.210-215
• /
• 2008

The present study investigates the effect of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and organic compounds on specific anaerobic ammonium oxidation activity (SAA) using batch experiments. The batch tests were based on the measurement of nitrogen gas production. The relationship between ORP and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was found to be ORP (mV) = 160.38 + 68 log [$O_2$], where [$O_2$] is the DO concentration in mg/L. The linear relationship obtained between ORP and SAA ($R^2$ = 0.99) clearly demonstrated that ORP can be employed as an operational parameter in the Anammox process. At ORP value of -110 mV, the SAA was $0.272{\pm}0.03\;g\;N_2-N\;(g\;VSS)^{-1}\;d^{-1}$. The investigation also revealed inhibitory effect of glucose on the SAA while acetate concentration up to 640 mg COD/L (corresponding to 10 mM) had stimulating effect on the SAA. However, acetate concentration beyond 640 mg COD/L had inhibitory effect on the Anammox activity. The results indicated that nitrogen rich wastewaters containing low level organic matter could be better treated by Anammox microorganisms in real-world conditions after some acidification process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.757-762
• /
• 2016

The group of Fe(III) oxide-reducing bacteria includes exoelectrogenic bacteria, and they possess similar properties of transferring electrons to extracellular insoluble-electron acceptors. The exoelectrogenic bacteria can use the anode in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as the terminal electron acceptor in anaerobic acetate oxidation. In the present study, the anodic community was compared with the community using Fe(III) oxide (ferrihydrite) as the electron acceptor coupled with acetate oxidation. To precisely analyze the structures, the community was established by enrichment cultures using the same inoculum used for the MFCs. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed considerable differences between the structure of the anodic communities and that of the Fe(III) oxide-reducing community. Geobacter species were predominantly detected (>46%) in the anodic communities. In contrast, Pseudomonas (70%) and Desulfosporosinus (16%) were predominant in the Fe(III) oxide-reducing community. These results demonstrated that Geobacter species are the most specialized among Fe(III)-reducing bacteria for electron transfer to the anode in MFCs. In addition, the present study indicates the presence of a novel lineage of bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas that highly prefers ferrihydrite as the terminal electron acceptor in acetate oxidation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.324-334
• /
• 2020

Tannery wastewater is known to contain high concentrations of organic compounds, pathogens, and other toxic inorganic elements such as heavy metals, nitrogen, sulfur, etc. Biological methods such as aerobic and anaerobic processes are unsuitable for tannery wastewater treatment due to its high salinity, and electrochemical oxidation offers a promising method to solve this problem. In this study, raw tannery wastewater treatment using DSA® Ti/RuO₂, Ti/IrO₂ and Ti/BDD electrodes with continuous flow systems was examined. Effects of current densities and electrolysis times were investigated, to evaluate the process performance and energy consumption. The results showed that a Ti/BDD electrode is able to reach higher treatment efficiency than Ti/IrO₂, and Ti/RuO₂ electrodes across all parameters, excluding Total Nitrogen. The main mechanism of tannery wastewater oxidation at a Ti/BDD electrode is based on direct oxidation on the electrode surface combined with the generation of oxidants such as °OH and Cl₂, while at DSA® Ti/RuO₂ and Ti/IrO₂ electrodes, the oxidation mechanisms are based on the generation of chlorine. After treatment, the effluents can be discharged to the environment after 6-12 h of electrolysis. Electrooxidation thus offers a promising method for removing the nutrients and non-biodegradable organic compounds in tannery wastewater.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.223-230
• /
• 2011

An electrolytic oxidation process was applied to remove odorous compounds from non-point odor sources including wastewater pipelines and manholes. In this study, a distance between the anode and the cathode of the electrolytic process was varied as a system operating parameters, and its effects on odor removal efficiencies and reaction characteristics were investigated. Odor precursors such as sediment organic matters and reduced sulfur/nitrogen compounds were effectively oxidized in the electrolytic process, and a change in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) indicated that an stringent anaerobic condition shifted to a mild anoxic condition rapidly. At an electrode distance of 1 cm and an applied voltage of 30 V, a system current was maintained at 1 A, and the current density was 23.1 $mA/cm^{2}$. Under the condition, the removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide in gas phase was found to be 100%, and 93% of ammonium ion was removed from the liquid phase during the 120 minute operating period. Moreover, the sulfate ion (${SO_4}^{2-}$) concentration increased about three times from its initial value due to the active oxidation. As the specific power consumption (i.e., the energy input normalized by the effective volume) increased, the oxidation progressed rapidly, however, the oxidation rate was varied depending on target compounds. Consequently, a threshold power consumption for each odorous compound needs to be experimentally determined for an effective application of the electrolytic oxidation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2019

Recently, groundwater contamination by mixed occurrence of arsenic (As) and nitrate ($NO_3{^-}$) has been a serious environmental issue all around world. In this study, we investigated the microbial As(III) oxidation characteristic under denitrification process to examine the feasibility of the microbial consortia in wetland sediment to simultaneously treat these two contaminants. The detail objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of $NO_3{^-}$ on the oxidation of As(III) in anaerobic environments and observe the microbial community change during the As oxidation under denitrification process. Results showed that the As(III) was completely and simultaneously oxidized to As(V) under denitrification process, however, it occurred to a much less extent in the absence of sediment or $NO_3{^-}$. In addition, the significant increase of As(III) oxidation rate in the presence of $NO_3{^-}$ suggested the potential of As oxidation under denitrification by indigenous microorganisms in wetland sediment. Genera Pseudogulbenkiania, and Flavisolibacter were identified as predominant microbial species driving the redox process. Conclusively, this study can provide useful information on As(III) oxidation under denitrifying environment and contribute to develop an effective technology for simultaneous removal of As(III) and $NO_3{^-}$ in groundwater.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2015

To elucidate the microbial consortia responsible for the anaerobic methane oxidation in the methane hydrate bearing sediments, we compared the geochemical constituents of the sediment, the rate of sulfate reduction, and microbial biomass and diversity using an analysis of functional genes associated with the anaerobic methane oxidation and sulfate reduction between chimney site (UBGH2-3) on the continental slope and non-chimney site (UBGH2-10) on the basin of the Ulleung Basin. From the vertical profiles of geochemical constituents, sulfate and methane transition zone (SMTZ) was clearly defined between 0.5 and 1.5 mbsf (meters below seafloor) in the UBGH2-3, and between 6 and 7 mbsf at the UBGH2-10. At the UBGH2-3, the sulfate reduction rate (SRR) in the SMTZ exhibited was appeared to be $1.82nmol\;cm^{-3}d^{-1}$ at the depth of 1.15 mbsf. The SRR in the UBHG2-10 showed a highest value ($4.29nmol\;cm^{-3}d^{-1}$) at the SMTZ. The 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of total Prokaryotes, mcrA, (methyl coenzyme M reductase subunit A), and dsrA (dissimilatory sulfite reductase subunit A) showed the peaks in the SMTZ at both sites, but the maximum mcrA gene copy number of the UBGH2-10 appeared below the SMTZ (9.8 mbsf). ANME-1 was a predominant ANME (Anaerobic MEthanotroph) group in both SMTZs of the UBGH2-3 and -10. However, The sequences of ANME-2 were detected only at 2.2 mbsf of the UBGH2-3 where high methane flux was observed because of massive amount of gas hydrate at shallow depth. And Desulfosarcina-Desulfococcus (DSS) that is associated with ANME-2 was detected in 2.2 mbsf of the UBHG2-3. Overall results demonstrate that ANME-1 and ANME-2 are considered as significant archaeal groups related to methane cycle in the subsurface sediment of the East Sea, and ANME-2/DSS consortia might be more responsible for methane oxidation in the methane seeping region than in non-seeping region.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.60-66
• /
• 2021

As the concentration of nitrogen in the sewage flowing into the sewage treatment plant increases due to urbanization and industrialization, the degree of adverse effects such as eutrophication and toxicity to the aquatic ecosystem is also increasing. In order to treat sewage containing high concentration of nitrogen, various studies on the biological nitrogen removal process are being conducted. Existing biological nitrogen removal processes require significant costs for supplying oxygen and supplementing external carbon sources. In this respect, as a high-level nitrogen removal process with economic improvement is required, an anaerobic ammonium oxidation process (ANAMMOX), which is more efficient and economical than the existing nitrification and denitrification processes, has been proposed. The purpose of this study is to confirm the stability of the ANAMMOX process in the water treatment process and to derive the ratio of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+) to nitrite nitrogen (NO2-) for the implementation of the mainstream ANAMMOX process. A laboratory-scale Mainstream ANAMMOX reactor was operated by applying the ratio calculated based on the substrate ratio suggested in the previous study. In the initial range, the removal efficiency of NH4+ was 58~86%, and the average removal efficiency was 70%. In the advanced range, the removal efficiency of NH4+ was 94~99%, and the average removal efficiency was 95%. As a result of the study, as the NH4+/NO2- ratio increased, the stability of the mainstream ANAMMOX process was secured, and it was confirmed that the NH4+ removal efficiency and the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency increased. As a result, the results of this study are expected to be used as basic data in the application of the ANAMMOX process in the mainstream.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.191-200
• /
• 2014

Gas hydrates play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and climate change because methane, a greenhouse gas, can be released from the dissociation of gas hydrate. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an important process that consumes more than 90% of the methane released into the hydrosphere and atmosphere. In this study, the microbial community associated with the methane gas hydrate sediment in the Ulleung basin, East Sea of Korea (UBGH) was analyzed by phylogenetic analysis of the mcrA and 16S rRNA gene libraries. A vertical stratification of the dominating anaerobic methane oxidizer (ANME)-1 group was observed at the surface and the sulfate methane transition zone (SMTZ). The ANME-2c group was found to be dominant in the high methane layer. The archaea of marine benthic group B, which is commonly observed in the AOM region, accounted for more than 50% of the identifications in all sediments. Nitrate reducing bacteria were predominant at SMTZ (Halomonas: 56.5%) and high methane layer (Achromobacter: 52.6%), while sulfate reducing bacteria were not found in UBGH sediments. These results suggest that the AOM process may be carried out by a syntrophic consortium of ANME and nitrate reducing bacteria in the gas hydrates of the Ulleung Basin of the East Sea.