• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2003.09a
• /
• pp.326-329
• /
• 2003

When an electrokinetic process is applied to a HOC-contaminated soil, hybrid types combined with soil flushing, chemical oxidation, and bioremediation are generally used. Especially when the electrokinetic process is combined with bioremediation, the hybrid technology can solve several limits of bioremediation such as low microbial mobility, low soil temperature, and shortage of nutrients in subsurface circumstance. Because microbial surface is charged negatively, the microorganism moves from cathode to anode under electrical field. In this study, mixed culture mainly-consisted by Pseudomonas sp. was applied to remediate pentadecane-contaminated kaolinite with particle size less than 300${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. This remediation system was named ‘electrokinetic bioaugmentation’ and consisted of model aquifer, electrode reservoirs, bioreactor, power supply, and pump. The mixed culture above 0.5 of optical density in bioreactor was supplied to two reservoirs and penetrated soil when the electric current was applied. To enhance the removal efficiency, the optimal medium composition, electric current, and voltage were investigated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2004.09a
• /
• pp.269-272
• /
• 2004

The use of colloidal gas aphron (CGA), as an external oxygen carrier, provides a promising alternative to promote aerobic bioremediation of BTEX in the subsurface environment. CGA is a stable bubble supported by three surfactant layers and can supply oxygen below the soil surface uniformly due to its plug-flow characteristic. Since CGA has a hydrophobic layer that can act as a partitioning medium for hydrophobic contaminants it is known to facilitate desorption of soil-sorbed contaminants. In addition, bioaugmentation and biostimulation are possibly achieved by using CGA when generated from a solution containing BTEX-degrading microorganisms and appropriate nutrients. In this study, we presented the physico-chemical characteristics of CGA generated from a solution composed of microorganisms and nutrients. The applicability of CGA as an in situ aerobic bioremediation technology of BTEX will be further evaluated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2005.04a
• /
• pp.211-214
• /
• 2005

Bench-scale experiments conducted to evaluation of the biostimulation and bioaugmentation techniques in treatment of petroleum contaminated soil. The soil bioreactors were operated for a 52 day-period. PDB population in the stimulated treatments increased from $7{\times}10^4MPN/g$ soil in zero day to $7{\times}10^7MPN/g$ soil after 23 days. However, despite the initially higher PDB population in the augmented treatments, it was decreased PDB population with respect to time. The average biodegradation rate in the augmented treatments were greater than of the stimulated treatment in the early stage, but the average biodegradation rate in the latter stage were calculated $3{\sim}5mg/kg-day$ in the augmented treatments and 10.38mg/kg-day in the stimulated treatments. The TPH removal rate was calculated $20{\sim}30%$ in the augmented treatments and 53% in the stimulated treatments.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.96-102
• /
• 2004

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.12-20
• /
• 2003

This study presents a mathematical model for simulating the fate and transport of a reactive organic contaminant, TCE, degraded by cometabolism in dual-porosity soils during the installation of in situ biobarrier. To investigate the effect of dual-porosity on transport and biodegradation of organic hydrocarbons, a bimodal approach was incorporated into the model. Modified Monod kinetics and a microcolony concept were employed to represent the effects of biodegrading microbes on the transport and biodegradation of an organic contaminant. The effect of permeability reduction in biobarrier due to biomass accumulation on the flow field were examined in the simulation of a hypothetical field-scale in situ bioaugmentation. Simulation results indicate that the presence of the immobile region can decrease the bioavailability of biodegradable contaminants and that the placement of microbes and nutrients injection wells should be considered for an effective installation of biobarrier during in situ bioaugmentation scheme.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.67-73
• /
• 2007

The present study compared the microbial diversity and activity during the application of various bioremediation processes to crude oil-contaminated soil. Five different treatments, including natural attenuation (NA), biostimulation (BS), biosurfactant addition (BE), bioaugmentation (BA), and a combined treatment (CT) of biostimulation, biosurfactant addition, and bioaugmentation, were used to analyze the degradation rate and microbial communities. After 120 days, the level of remaining hydrocarbons after all the treatments was similar, however, the highest rate (k) of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation was observed with the CT treatment (P<0.05). The total bacterial counts increased during the first 2 weeks with all the treatments, and then remained stable. The bacterial communities and alkane monooxygenase gene fragment, alkB, were compared by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE analyses of the BA and CT treatments, which included Nocardia sp. H17-1, revealed a simple dominant population structure, compared with the other treatments. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H') and Simpson dominance index (D), calculated from the DGGE profiles using 16S rDNA, showed considerable qualitative differences in the community structure before and after the bioremediation treatment as well as between treatment conditions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.114-121
• /
• 2010

Oxygen sensitivity and substrate requirement have been known as possible reasons for the intricate growth of Dehalococcoides spp. and limiting factors of for routinely applying bioaugmentation using anaerobic Dehalococcoides-containing microbes for remediating chlorinated organic compounds. To explore the effect of the short-term exposure of the short-term exposure of oxygen on Dehalococcoides capability, dechlorination performance, and hydrogen production fermentation from formate, an anaerobic reductive dechlorination mixed-culture (Evanite culture) including dehalococcoides spp. was in this study. In the results, once the mixed-culture were exposed to oxygen, trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation rate decreased and it was not fully recovered even addition of excess formate for 40 days. In contrast, hydrogen was continuously produced by hydrogen-fermentation process even under oxygen presence. The results indicate that although the oxygen-exposed cells cannot completely dechlorinate TCE to ethylene (ETH), hydrogen fermentation process was not affected by oxygen presence. These results suggest that dechlorinating microbes may more sensitive to oxygen than fermenting microbes, and monitoring dechlorinators activity may be critical to achieve an successful remediation of a TCE contaminated-aquifer through bioaugmentation using Dehalococcoides spp..

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.290-298
• /
• 2020

A large residual fraction of aliphatic components of diesel prevails in soil, which has adverse effects on the environment. This study identified the most bio-recalcitrant aliphatic residual fraction of diesel through total petroleum-hydrocarbon fractional analysis. For this, the strain Acinetobacter sp. K-6 was isolated, identified, and characterized and investigated its ability to degrade diesel and n-alkanes (C₁₈, C₂₀, and C₂₂). The removal efficiency was analysed after treatment with bacteria and nutrients in various soil microcosms. The fractional analysis of diesel degradation after treatment with the bacterial strains identified C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons as the most bio-recalcitrant aliphatic fraction of diesel oil. Acinetobacter sp. K-6 degraded 59.2% of diesel oil and 56.4% of C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons in the contaminated soil. The degradation efficiency was further improved using a combinatorial approach of biostimulation and bioaugmentation, which resulted in 76.7% and 73.7% higher degradation of diesel oil and C₁₈-C₂₂ hydrocarbons, respectively. The findings of this study suggest that the removal of mid-length, non-volatile hydrocarbons is affected by the population of bio-degraders and the nutrients used in the process of remediation. A combinatorial approach, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation, could be used to effectively remove large quantities of aliphatic hydrocarbons persisting for a longer period in the soil.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.681-695
• /
• 2014

In a pilot-scale dyeing wastewater treatment using two-type fluidizing media, each thickness of biofilm was 15 and 30 ${\mu}m$, respectively. The numbers of protozoa inhabited in small-size (PEMT A) and big-size (PEMT B) media were $7.5{\times}10^4$ and $1.25{\times}10^5$ cells/ml, respectively, and dominant species were Entosiphon sulcatus var sulcatus in PEMT A and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in PEMT B, respectively. Flask experiments using the two media revealed that the percentages of color removal were 25.8% in PEMT A and 27.1% in PEMT B after 72-h cultivation, indicating the necessity of bioaugmentation. Experiments for bioaugmentation effect on color removal were carried out in the pilot-scale treatment for 75 d by three-step operation under the control of wastewater loading rate and microbial input rate. Dye degradation occurred mainly in the second reaction tank, and the attachment of augmented dye-degrading microorganisms to media took at least 35 d. Final value of chromaticity in effluent was 227, meeting the required standard. Therefore bioaugmentation onto media was good for color treatment. In summary, thickness of biofilm formed on the media depended upon the size of media, resulting in different ecosystem inside the media. Hence, this affected microbial community and color treatment further. Accordingly, the reduction of operation cost is expected by efficient color-treatment process using bioaugmented media.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.83-96
• /
• 2017

A constructed sea stream in Yeongdo, Busan, Republic of Korea is mostly static due to the lifted stream bed and tidal characters, and receives domestic wastewater nearby, causing a consistent odor production and water quality degradation. Bioaugmentation of a microbial consortium was proposed as an effective and economical restoration technology to restore the polluted stream. The microbial consortium activated on site was augmented on a periodic basis (7~10 days) into the most polluted site (Site 2) which was chosen considering the pollution level and tidal movement. Physicochemical parameters of water qualities were monitored including pH, temperature, DO, ORP, SS, COD, T-N, and T-P. COD and microbial community analyses of the sediments were also performed. A significant reduction in SS, COD, T-N, and COD (sediment) at Site 2 occurred showing their removal rates 51%, 58% and 27% and 35%, respectively, in 13 months while T-P increased by 47%. In most of the test sites, population densities of sulfate reducing bacterial (SRB) groups (Desulfobacteraceae_uc_s, Desulfobacterales_uc_s, Desulfuromonadaceae_uc_s, Desulfuromonas_g1_uc, and Desulfobacter postgatei) and Anaerolinaeles was observed to generally decrease after the bioaugmentation while those of Gamma-proteobacteria (NOR5-6B_s and NOR5-6A_s), Bacteroidales_uc_s, and Flavobacteriales_uc_s appeared to generally increase. Aerobic microbial communities (Flavobacteriaceae_uc_s) were dominant in St. 4 that showed the highest level of DO and least level of COD. These microbial communities could be used as an indicator organism to monitor the restoration process. The alpha diversity indices (OTUs, Chao1, and Shannon) of microbial communities generally decreased after the augmentation. Fast uniFrac analysis of all the samples of different sites and dates showed that there was a similarity in the microbial community structures regardless of samples as the augmentation advanced in comparison with before- and early bioaugmentation event, indicating occurrence of changing of the indigenous microbial community structures. It was concluded that the bioaugmentation could improve the polluted water quality and simultaneously change the microbial community structures via their niche changes. This in situ remediation technology will contribute to an eco-friendly and economically cleaning up of polluted streams of brine water and freshwater.