• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2013

The diversity and distribution of methanogenic archaea in a four-compartment anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) treating sugar refinery wastewater were investigated by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). At an organic loading rate of 5.33 kg $COD/m^3{\cdot}day$, the ABR could perform steadily with the mean chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 94.8% and the specific $CH_4$ yield of 0.21 l/g $COD_{removed}$. The $CH_4$ content in the biogas was increased along the compartments, whereas the percentage of $H_2$ was decreased, indicating the distribution characteristics of the methanogens occurred longitudinally down the ABR. A high phylogenetic and ecological diversity of methanogens was found in the ABR, and all the detected methanogens were classified into six groups, including Methanomicrobiales, Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales, Crenarchaeota, Arc I, and Unidentified. Among the methanogenic population, the acid-tolerant hydrogenotrophic methanogens including Methanoregula and Methanosphaerula dominated the first two compartments. In the last two compartments, the dominant methanogenic population was Methanosaeta, which was the major acetate oxidizer under methanogenic conditions and could promote the formation of granular sludge. The distribution of the hydrogenotrophic (acid-tolerant) and acetotrophic methanogens in sequence along the compartments allowed the ABR to perform more efficiently and steadily.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.571-578
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• 2013

In this study, the performance and microbial community of anaerobic digestion fed by food waste leachate at low organic loading rate were investigated with and without internal pH control. Experimental results show that similar biogas yield was achieved in both reactors regardless of increase in pH, the concentrations of free ammonia and volatile fatty acids in case of without internal pH controlled one. The results of a methanogenic community analysis by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis revealed that the apparent preponderance of Methanosarcina sp. could be one of reasons for the maintenance of reactor stability.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.662-669
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• 2019

Anaerobic digestion is a popular sewage sludge (Ss) treatment method as it provides significant pollution control and energy recovery. However, the low C/N ratio and poor biodegradability of Ss necessitate pretreatment methods that improve solubilization under anaerobic conditions in addition to anaerobic co-digestion with other substrates to improve the process efficiency. In this study, three pretreatment methods, namely microwave irradiation, ultrasonication, and heat treatment, were investigated, and the corresponding improvement in methane production was assessed. Additionally, the simplex centroid design method was utilized to determine the optimum mixture ratio of food waste (Fw), livestock manure (Lm), and Ss for maximum methane yield. Microwave irradiation at 700 W for 6 min yielded the highest biodegradability (62.0%), solubilization efficiency (59.7%), and methane production (329 mL/g VS). The optimum mixture ratio following pretreatment was 61.3% pretreated Ss, 28.6% Fw, and 10.1% Lm. The optimum mixture ratio without pretreatment was 33.6% un-pretreated Ss, 46.0% Fw, and 20.4% Lm. These results indicate that the choice of pretreatment method plays an important role in efficient anaerobic digestion and can be applied in operational plants to enhance methane production. Co-digestion of Ss with Fw and Lm was also beneficial.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2014

Percolation is the important process of extracting the soluble constituents of a fine mesh, porous substance by passage of a liquid through it. In this study, bio-wastes were percolated under various conditions through continuous percolation processes, and the energy potential of percolate was evaluated. The representative bio-wastes from the K composting plant in Darmstadt, Germany were used as the sample for percolation. The central objective of this study was to determine the optimal amount of process water and the optimum duration of percolation through the bio-wastes. For economic reasons, the retention time of the percolation medium should be as long as necessary and as short as possible. For the percolation of the bio-wastes, the optimal percolation time was 2 hr and maximum percolation time was 4 hr. After 2 hr, more than two-thirds of the organic substances from the input material were percolated. In the first percolation process, the highest yields of organic substance were achieved. The best percolation of the bio-wastes was achieved when the process water of 2 L for the first percolation procedure and then the process water of 1.5 L for each further percolation procedure for a total 8 L for all five procedures were used on 1,000 g fresh bio-waste. The gas formation potentials of 0.83 and $0.96Nm^3/ton$ fresh matter (FM) were obtained based on the percolate from 1 hr percolation of 1,000 g bio-waste with the process water of 2 L according to the measurement of the gas formation in 21 days (GB21). This method can potentially contribute to reducing fossil fuel consumption and thus combating climate change.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2017

This study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of a single stage anaerobic co-biogasification of food waste and primary sewage sludge mixture (1 : 5 V/V%) according to mixing ratio (0% : CAP0, 0.5% : CAP0.5, 1%: CAP1.0) in red pepper powder, which was reported as the material anti-bacterial and anti-fungi, under mesophilic condition ($35^{\circ}C$). during 31 days. It showed that red pepper powder effected anaerobic bacteria, Especially, Hydrolytic bacteria and methanogenic bacteria was inhibited much more than Acetogenic bacteria with red pepper powder. at CAP0, Experimental cumulative methane yield (ECMY) and Experimental bio-energy production (EBEP) were 0.17 L $CH_4/g$ $VS_{fed}$ and 1,465 cal/g $VS_{fed}$ individually as the highest value during 31 days.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.997-1006
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• 2009

Organic removal efficiency and methane production rate, a feasibility of power generation from biogas, and the optimum conditions for membrane operation were evaluated for the pilot scale (5 tons/day) two-phase anaerobic digestion coupled with ultra filtration (TPADUF) system fed with garbage leachate. The TPADUF system is consisted of a thermophilic acidogenic reactor, a mesophilic methanogenic reactor, and an UF membrane. When garbage leachate with 150 g/L of TCOD was fed to the TPADUF up to organic loading rate (OLR) of 11.1 g COD/L/d, the effluent TCOD was lower than 6 g/L and the average removal efficiencies of TCOD and SCOD were higher than 95%. The methane composition of the gas was 65%, and the methane yield was 39 $m^3/m^3$ garbage leachatefed, 260 $m^3$/tons $COD_{added}$, or 270 $m^3$/tons $COD_{removed}$, even there was some gas leak. The power production per consumed gas was 0.96 kWh/$m^3$ gas or 1.49 kWh/$m^3$ methane. This lower power production efficiency mainly due to the small capacity of gas engine (15 kW class). The membrane was operated at the average flux of 10 L/$m^2$/hr. When the flux decreased, washing with water and chemical (NaOCl) was conducted to restore the flux. In the TPADUF system, optimum pH could be maintained without alkali addition by recycling the membrane concentrate or mixed liquor of the methanogenic digester to the acidogenic reactor. Also, partial production of methane in the acidogenic reactor had a positive effect on lowering the OLR of the methanogenic reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1113-1122
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• 2009

In order to find the way to solve the problem of sewage sludge discharge into the ocean, the sludge solubilization by ultrasonic and the improvement methods of wastewater treatment process were studied. In the membrane bioreactor the sludge retention time was stepwise increased from 5.1 day to 442 days where the biomass average concentration has been increased from $c_B$=3.4 $gTSSL^{-1}$ to $c_B$=14.5 $gTSSL^{-1}$ respectively. At the same time, the biomass yield coefficients were reduced from 0.5-0.7 at SRT=5.1 day to 0.005-0.007 at SRT=442 days which means the reduction of sludge production. Oxygen mass transfer coefficients and ${\alpha}$-factor were investigated with changing stirrer speed to find the relation between the high biomass concentration and aeration efficiency in the propeller loop reactor. As a result of sludge solubilization, the solubilization of sludge by ultrasound was increased with increasing energy input and it led to improved anaerobic digestion rate with more biogas production than that of nonsolubilized sewage sludge.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.401-407
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• 2005

Optimum culture conditions and medium composition for hydrogen production by Clostridium beijerinckii KCTC 1785 were investigated. Initial pH and temperature for growth were 7.0 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively. Agitation accelerated the hydrogen production. Although C. beijerinckii KCTC 1785 could grow up to 6%(w/v) glucose in the medium, the optimum glucose concentration for hydrogen production was 4% and hydrogen content in the biogas was 37%(v/v). However, the economical glucose concentration for hydrogen production was 1% regarding to the residual glucose which was not used in the medium. During hydrogen fermentation, acetic and butyric acid were produced simultaneously. High concentrations of acetic(>5,000 mg/L) or butyric(>3,000 mg/L) acid inhibited hydrogen production. When pH was maintained at 5.5 in the batch fermentation, 1,728 mL of hydrogen was produced from 0.5% glucose within 15 hr. $H_2$ yield was estimated to be 1.23 mol $H_2/mol$ glucose. It was found that yeast extract or tryptose in the medium was essential for hydrogen production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.279-290
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• 2016

The performance of upflow anaerobic bioelectrochemical reactor (UABE), equipped with electrodes (anode and cathode) inside the upflow anaerobic reactor, was compared to that of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor for the treatment of acidic distillery wastewater. The UASB was stable in pH, alkalinity and VFAs until the organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.0 g COD/L.d, but it became unstable over 4.0 g COD/L.d. As a response to the abrupt doubling in OLR, the perturbation in the state variables for the UABE was smaller, compared to the UASB, and quickly recovered. The UABE stability was better than the UASB at higher OLR of 4.0-8.0 g COD/L.d, and the UABE showed better performance in specific methane production rate (2,076mL $CH_4/L.d$), methane content in biogas (66.8%), and COD removal efficiency (82.3%) at 8.0 g COD/L.d than the UASB. The maximum methane yield in UABE was about 407mL/g $COD_r$ at 4.0 g COD/L.d, which was considerably higher than about $282mL/g\;COD_r$ in UASB. The rate limiting step for the bioelectrochemical reaction in UABE was the oxidation of organic matter on the anode surface, and the electrode reactions were considerably affected by the pH at 8.0 g COD/L.d of high OLR. The maximum energy efficiency of UABE was 99.5%, at 4.0 g COD/L.d of OLR. The UABE can be an advanced high rate anaerobic process for the treatment of acidic distillery wastewater.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.123-130
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• 2011

Objectives of this study were to compare the environmental effects of digestates produced in bioenergy village on the rice paddy field for recycling. Digestates were applied to the soils and the soil properties and the crop responses were analyzed according to the standard methods of soil evaluation. Plant height and the number of tiller showed similar results in both the conventional and digestate treated field, and the yield of rough rice was higher in the field treated with digestates than that with chemical fertilizer. The amounts of nitrogen absorbed in straw and grain were larger in the digestates-treated field than chemical fertilizer-treated one, and efficiency of nitrogen applied was shown to be the highest in 100% treated digestate of the pig manure. Exchangeable cation and pH increased in the soil treated with digestate after harvesting, but salt was not accumulated. With these results, it was concluded that resource recycling in green town can be facilitated through the securement of arable lands for the application of digestates and the proper use of these fertilizers. Long-term effects of digestate application on the soil environment should be sustainingly studied.