• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.351-359
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• 2015

The study on the improvement of discharge water quality from domestic wastewater treatment plant (DWTP) was performed in a filter type bioelectrochemical system. The COD removal efficiency for a synthetic discharge water was about 88%, and the effluent COD was less than 5mg/L. The nitrification efficiency of the bioelectrochemical system was over 97%, but a considerable amount of the nitrogen was remained as nitrate form in the effluent. The total nitrogen removal efficiency was only around 30%. There are no significant differences in the removal of COD and nitrogen at 0.6 and 0.8V of the applied voltages between anode and cathode. The removal of COD and nitrogen in the system were quite stable when the HRT ranged from 60 to 15 minutes, and at 10 minutes of HRT, the nitrification efficiency was slightly decreased. The performance of the bioelectrochemical system has quickly recovered from the shocks in the influent due to high concentration of COD and nitrogen. For the effluent that discharged from the DWTP, the removal efficiencies of COD and total nitrogen from the bioelectrochemical system were 50 and 30%, respectively. Thus the bioelectrochemical system was a feasible process for further polishing the effluent quality from DWTP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.1221-1228
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• 2005

Carbon electrode was applied to a wastewater treatment system as biofilm media. The spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria in aerobic wastewater biofilm grown on carbon electrode was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and biomass measurement. Five volts of electric oxidation and reduction potential were charged to the carbon anode and cathode of the bioelectrochemical system, respectively, but were not charged to electrodes of a conventional system. To correlate the biofilm architecture of bacterial populations with their activity, the bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons was measured in the bioelectrochemical system and compared with that in the conventional system. In the SEM image, the biofilm on the anodic medium of the bioelectrochemical system looked intact and active; however, that on the carbon medium of the conventional system appeared to be shrinking or damaging. In the AFM image, the thickness of biofilm formed on the carbon medium was about two times of those on the anodic medium. The bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons in the bioelectrochemical system was about 1.5 times higher than that in the conventional system. Some denitrifying bacteria can metabolically oxidize $H_{2}$, coupled to reduction of $NO_{3}^{-}\;to\;N_{2}$. $H_{2}$ was produced from the cathode in the bioelectrochemical system by electrolysis of water but was not so in the conventional system. The denitrification efficiency was less than $22\%$ in the conventional system and more than $77\%$ in the bioelectrochemical system. From these results, we found that the electrochemical coupling reactions between aerobic and anaerobic reactors may be a useful tool for improvement of wastewater treatment and denitrification efficiency, without special manipulations such as bacterial growth condition control, C/N ratio (the ratio of carbon to nitrogen) control, MLSS returning, or biofilm refreshing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.678-682
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• 2006

To remove nitrate from wastewater, a novel bioelectrochemical denitrification system is introduced. In this proposed system, biological reactions are coupled with reactions on the electrode, whereby the electrons are transferred to the bacterial enzymes via a mediator as an electron carrier. The denitrification reaction was achieved with permeabilized Ochrobactrum anthropi SY509 containing denitrifying enzymes, such as nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and nitrous oxide reductase, and methyl viologen was used as the mediator. The electron transfer from the electrode to the enzymes in the bacterial cells was confirmed using cyclic voltammetry. A high removal efficiency of nitrate was achieved when the bioelectrochemical system was used with the permeabilized cells. Furthermore, when the permeabilized cells were immobilized to a graphite felt electrode using a calcium alginate matrix containing graphite powder, a high removal efficiency was achieved (4.38 nmol/min mg cell) that was comparable to the result when using the free permeabilized cells.

• 신재생에너지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.58-67
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• 2020

Microbial electrosynthesis has recently been considered a potentially sustainable biotechnology for converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable biochemicals. In this study, bioelectrochemical acetate production from CO₂ was studied in an H-type two-chambered reactor system with an anaerobic microbial consortium. Metal-rich mud flat was used as the inoculum and incubated electrochemically for 90 days under a cathode potential of -1.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Four consecutive batch cultivations resulted in a high acetate concentration and productivity of 93 mmol/L and 7.35 mmol/L/day, respectively. The maximal coulombic efficiency (rate of recovered acetate from supplied electrons) was estimated to be 64%. Cyclic voltammetry showed a characteristic reduction peak at -0.2~-0.4 V, implying reductive acetate generation on the cathode electrode. Furthermore, several electroactive acetate-producing microorganisms were identified based on denaturing- gradient-gel-electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA sequence analyses. These results suggest that the mud flat can be used effectively as a microbial source for bioelectrochemical CO₂ conversion.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2003년도 생물공학의 동향(XIII)
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• pp.208-208
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• 2003

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권11호
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• pp.1760-1768
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• 2019

The use of lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw can help subsidize the cost of producing value-added chemicals. However, inhibitory compounds, such as phenolics, produced during the pre-treatment of biomass, hamper the saccharification process. Laccase and electrochemical stimuli are both well known to reduce phenolic compounds. Therefore, in this study, we implemented a bioelectrochemical detoxification system (BEDS), a consolidated electrochemical and enzymatic process involving laccase, to enhance the detoxification of phenolics, and thus achieve a higher saccharification efficiency. Saccharification of pretreated rice straw using BEDS at 1.5 V showed 90% phenolic reduction (Ph_r), thereby resulting in a maximum saccharification yield of 85%. In addition, the specific power consumption when using BEDS (2.2 W/Kg Ph_r) was noted to be 24% lower than by the electrochemical process alone (2.89 W/kg Ph_r). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to implement BEDS for reduction of phenolic compounds in pretreated biomass.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.47-51
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• 2005

The bioelectrochemical reduction of nitrate in the presence of various mediators including methyl viologen and azure A was studied using a 3-electrode voltammetric system. The catalytic potential for the reduction of the mediators was observed in the reactor, which for methyl viologen and azure A were -0.74 V and -0.32 V, respectively, with respect to the potential of Ag/AgCl reference electrode. This potential was then applied to a working electrode to reduce each mediator for enzymatic nitrate reduction. Nitrite, the product of the reaction, was measured to observe the enzymatic nitrate reduction in the reaction media. Methyl viologen was observed as the most efficient mediator among those tested, while azure A showed the highest electron efficiency at the intrinsic reduction potential when the mediated enzyme reactions were carried out with the freely solubilized mediator. The electron transfer of azure A with respect to time was due to the adhesion of azure A to the hydrophilic surface during the reduction. In addition, the use of the adsorbed mediator on conductive activated carbon was proposed to inhibit the change in the electron transfer rate during the reaction by maintaining a constant mediator concentration and active surface area of the electrode. Azure A showed better than nitrite formation than methyl viologen when used with activated carbon.

• 대한환경공학회지
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.304-311
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• 2012

산업용제로 널리 이용되고 있는 PCE (Perchloroethylene)나 TCE (Trichloroethylene)와 같은 염화에틸렌화합물은 안정된 세정력을 가지고 있어 널리 이용되고 있지만 무분별한 사용과 부주의한 취급으로 인해 최근 토양 및 지하수 오염지역이 늘어나고 있다. 본 연구에서는 퇴적토, 슬러지, 토양, 지하수 등 다양한 지역에서 총 10개의 시료를 식종원으로 이용하여 생물학적 PCE 탈염소화 가능성을 평가하고, 가장 우수한 탈염소화 능력을 보인 낙동강 퇴적토 시료를 대상으로 PCE를 에틸렌까지 안정적으로 탈염소화 가능한 혼합미생물을 농화배양하였다. 농화배양된 탈염소화 미생물을 생물전기화학시스템(Bioelectrochemical System, BES)의 환원부에 식종하여 전극을 전자공급원으로 이용한 탈염소화 가능성을 평가한 결과, PCE가 TCE, cis-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride를 거쳐 최종산물인 에틸렌으로 탈염소화됨을 확인할 수 있었다. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE)를 이용한 미생물군집 분석결과, 농화배양액에서 구축된 탈염소 미생물 군집과 BES 환원전극부내 미생물 군집 구조는 다르게 나타났으며, 전기화학적 활성을 지닌 다양한 미생물이 존재함을 확인할 수 있었다. BES 환원전극부에서 부유성장하는 미생물과 전극에 생물막을 형성하는 미생물 군집구조에도 큰 차이가 있었으며, 이는 탈염소화 메커니즘의 차이에 기인하는 것으로 판단된다. 추가적인 연구를 통해서 자세한 생물전기화학적 탈염소화 메커니즘을 밝혀낸다면 생물전기화학적 탈염소화 기술은 염화에틸렌 오염 토양/지하수의 획기적인 생물정화기술로 자리잡게 될 것이다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권10호
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• pp.1607-1623
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• 2019

Sediment bioelectrochemical systems (SBESs) can be integrated into brackish aquaculture ponds for in-situ bioremediation of the pond water and sediment. Such an in-situ system offers advantages including reduced treatment cost, reusability and simple handling. In order to realize such an application potential of the SBES, in this laboratory-scale study we investigated the effect of several controllable and uncontrollable operational factors on the in-situ bioremediation performance of a tank model of a brackish aquaculture pond, into which a SBES was integrated, in comparison with a natural degradation control model. The performance was evaluated in terms of electricity generation by the SBES, Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and nitrogen removal of both the tank water and the tank sediment. Real-life conditions of the operational parameters were also experimented to understand the most close-to-practice responses of the system to their changes. Predictable effects of controllable parameters including external resistance and electrode spacing, similar to those reported previously for the BESs, were shown by the results but exceptions were observed. Accordingly, while increasing the electrode spacing reduced the current densities but generally improved COD and nitrogen removal, increasing the external resistance could result in decreased COD removal but also increased nitrogen removal and decreased current densities. However, maximum electricity generation and COD removal efficiency difference of the SBES (versus the control) could be reached with an external resistance of $100{\Omega}$, not with the lowest one of $10{\Omega}$. The effects of uncontrollable parameters such as ambient temperature, salinity and pH of the pond (tank) water were rather unpredictable. Temperatures higher than $35^{\circ}C$ seemed to have more accelaration effect on natural degradation than on bioelectrochemical processes. Changing salinity seriously changed the electricity generation but did not clearly affect the bioremediation performance of the SBES, although at 2.5% salinity the SBES displayed a significantly more efficient removal of nitrogen in the water, compared to the control. Variation of pH to practically extreme levels (5.5 and 8.8) led to increased electricity generations but poorer performances of the SBES (vs. the control) in removing COD and nitrogen. Altogether, the results suggest some distinct responses of the SBES under brackish conditions and imply that COD removal and nitrogen removal in the system are not completely linked to bioelectrochemical processes but electrochemically enriched bacteria can still perform non-bioelectrochemical COD and nitrogen removals more efficiently than natural ones. The results confirm the application potential of the SBES in brackish aquaculture bioremediation and help propose efficient practices to warrant the success of such application in real-life scenarios.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권7호
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• pp.1104-1116
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• 2019

In this study, we investigated the potential of using sediment bioelectrochemical systems (SBESs) for in situ treatment of the water and sediment in brackish aquaculture ponds polluted with uneaten feed. An SBES integrated into a laboratory-scale tank simulating a brackish aquaculture pond was established. This test tank and the control (not containing the SBES) were fed with shrimp feed in a scheme that mimics a situation where 50% of feed is uneaten. After the SBES was inoculated with microbial sources from actual shrimp pond sediments, electricity generation was well observed from the first experimental week, indicating successful enrichment of electrochemically active bacteria in the test tank sediment. The electricity generation became steady after 3 weeks of operation, with an average current density of $2.3mA/m^2$ anode surface and an average power density of $0.05mW/m^2$ anode surface. The SBES removed 20-30% more COD of the tank water, compared to the control. After 1 year, the SBES also reduced the amount of sediment in the tank by 40% and thus could remove approximately 40% more COD and approximately 52% more nitrogen from the sediment, compared to the control. Insignificant amounts of nitrite and nitrate were detected, suggesting complete removal of nitrogen by the system. PCR-DGGE-based analyses revealed the dominant presence of Methylophilus rhizosphaerae, Desulfatitalea tepidiphila and Thiothrix eikelboomii, which have not been found in bioelectrochemical systems before, in the bacterial community in the sediment of the SBES-containing tank. The results of this research demonstrate the potential application of SBESs in helping to reduce water pollution threats, fish and shrimp disease risks, and thus farmers' losses.