• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.22 no.12
• /
• pp.65-70
• /
• 2021

River-side Embankment collapse involves various causes. The embankment collapse due to internal erosion around embedded structures reaches up to more than 10% in Korea. Many studies are being attempted to prevent from the collapse of the embankment rooted from overtopping and instability as well as internal erosion. One of them is the study on the application of biopolymers. The application of biopolymers to soils are divided into enhancing strength, vegetation and erosion resistance. This study investigated the effect of biopolymer treated soil on erosion resistance. The main goal of the study is to obtain basic data for real-scale experiments to verify the effectiveness of biopolymer treated soil embankment including a review of the collapse pattern in the model embankment with various test conditions. The optimized experimental conditions were selected by examining the erosion patterns according to each induction path with three compaction degree of the model embankment. As a result of the experiment, the internal erosion rate in the embankment to which the biopolymer treated soil was applied is greatly reduced, and it could be concluded that it might be applied to the actual embankment. However, in this study, the conclusion was drawn only within the scaled-down model embankment. In order to practically apply the biopolymer treated soil to the embankment, the study considering the scale effect would be needed.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.11-22
• /
• 2024

A fishway is an artificial waterway or device used to resolve difficulties in the movement of fish in a river. Most existing fishways are made of concrete and emit toxic substances, which has a negative impact on the river environment. Accordingly, there is a need to develop fishway construction technology that is eco-friendly and can increase movement efficiency. The technology presented in this study is an integrated porous structure that combines the aggregate with a biopolymer material extracted from castor oil, a non-toxic material. It is a fishway construction technology using eco-friendly materials that can allow vegetation to grow on the surface. In this study, an eco-friendly fishway mixed with biopolymer and aggregate was built on a real scale and the fish movement efficiency was tested and analyzed. As a result of the experiment, a total of 201 fish of 14 species were released with tags inserted, and the detection rate of released fish was confirmed to be 82.6% on average. A total of 40 fish of 6 species were transported upstream through the fishway, and the average passage rate was confirmed to be 21.7%. As a result of checking the circadian migration pattern, it was found that all fish mainly migrate during the day. It was confirmed that there was no significant functional difference between a fishway using biopolymer and a concrete fishway. It is believed that a fishway using biopolymer can be used as a replacement for a concrete fishway.

• The Microorganisms and Industry
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.17-21
• /
• 1988

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.214-222
• /
• 2003

The microorganism isolated from soil was identified as Bacillus coagulans by morphological and biochemical analyses and API-50CH/B kit, which was an identification kit for Bacillus species, and named as B. coagulans DL-1. It produced an extracellular biopolymer. Maximum production of biopolymer was 5.00 $\pm$0.15 g/$\ell$ in a $7\ell$bioreactor with an aeration rate of 1.0 vvm and an agitation speed of 500 rpm when concentrations of glucose and yeast as the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources were 2.0% (w/v) and 0.25% (w/v), which were optimized with a flask scale. Gas chromatographic analysis showed that the biopolymer producded by B. coagulans DL-1 consisted of glucose and rhanmose and their molar ratios was about 9 : 1. Its average molecular weight was 2.80$\times$$10^5$ with gel permeation chromatographic (GPC) analysis.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.167-179
• /
• 2020

Recently, new levee material has been developed to enhance natural soil strength and vegetation growth using biopolymer. In the study, critical tractive force of vegetated mats mixed with biopolymer mixed soil has been evaluated to apply the mixed soil to levee construction material. The mixed soil has been produced by mixing beta-glucan, clay, and sand. Full scale test bodies have been constructed with 3 cm thick of the mixed soil. Total 4 test bodies have been constructed and experimented. Critical tractive forces have been evaluated by observation and measurement of failure conditions and soil loss. Although performance of the vegetated revetments are affected by vegetation coverage conditions, the critical tractive forces are shown about 40 N/㎡ and the critical velocities are shown about 4 m/sec by full scale experiment. Erosion resistance is also enhanced by combination of root and net with mat materials.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.632-643
• /
• 2022

Although probiotics have been shown to improve health when consumed, recent studies have reported that they can cause unwanted side effects due to bacterial-human interactions. Therefore, the importance of prebiotics that can form beneficial microbiome in the gut has been emphasized. This study isolated and identified bacteria capable of producing biopoymer as a candidate prebiotic from traditional fermented foods. The isolated and identified strain was named WCYSK01 (Wissella sp. strain YSK01). The composition of the medium for culturing this strain was prepared by dissolving 3 g K₂HPO₄, 0.2 g MgSO₄, 0.05 g CaCl₂, 0.1 g NaCl in 1 L of distilled water. The LMBP(low molecular weight biopoymers) produced when fermentation was performed with sucrose and maltose as substrates were mainly consisted of DP3 (degree of polymer; isomaltotriose), DP4 (isomaltotetraose), DP5 (isomaltopentaose), and DP6 (isomaltoheptaose). The optimization of LMBP (low molecular weight of biopolymer) production was performed using the response surface methodology. The fermentation process temperature range of 18 to 32℃, the fermentation medium pH in the range of 5.1 to 7.9. The yield of LMBP production by the strain was found to be significantly affected by q fermentation temperature and pH. The optimal fermentation conditions were found at the normal point, and the production yield was more than 75% at pH 7.5 and temperature of 23℃.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.208-217
• /
• 2020

A biopolymer based on microorganism-derived β-glucan and xanthan gum is being studied as a new eco-friendly material that stabilizes the riverbank slope, and also promotes vegetation growth. However, it is still inconclusive whether biopolymers have a positive effect on plant performance in the riverbanks which are subjected to various climatic factors and plant competitions. For a practical ecological evaluation of the biopolymers, their effect on plant growth promotion was studied in a natural environment. Considering the relationship between competition and plant community formation, the effects of biopolymers on competition were also investigated. For four plant species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Leonurus japonicus, and Coreopsis lanceolata), the biopolymer effects under intra/interspecific competition were tested at the riverbank (20 m × 10 m) near Samjigyo Bridge in Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do. A biopolymer powder was mixed with water and commercial soil following the manufacturer's recommendations. The soil mixed with the biopolymer was filled in a pot or applied to the surface of the commercial soil with a thickness of 3 cm. Across the competition treatments, the biopolymer treatment promoted root growth of the target plant species and decreased the specific leaf area. The total biomass and shoot dry weight of P. alopecuroides increased in response to the biopolymer treatment. The competition treatment decreased the total biomass and shoot dry weight compared to the case without competition. Notably, such a competitive effect was similar in all the biopolymer treatments. Thus, biopolymers, when mixed with soil, promote the growth of some plant species, but do not appear to affect the competitive ability of plants.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.413-422
• /
• 2020

The choice of eco-friendly materials for ground improvement is a necessary way forward for sustainable development. Adapting naturally available biopolymers will render the process of soil stabilization carbon neutral. An attempt has been made to use β-glucan, a natural biopolymer for the stabilization of lean clay as a sustainable alternative with specific emphasis on comprehending the effect of confining stresses on lean clay through triaxial compression tests. A sequence of laboratory experiments was performed to examine the various physical and mechanical characteristics of β-glucan treated soil (BGTS). Micro-analysis through micrographs were used to understand the strengthening mechanism. Results of the study show that the deviatoric stress of 2% BGTS is 12 times higher than untreated soil (UTS). The micrographs from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the results of the Nitrogen-based Brunauer Emmett Teller (N₂-BET) analysis confirm the formation of new cementitious fibres and hydrogels within the soil matrix that tends to weld soil particles and reduce the pore spaces leading to an increase in strength. Hydraulic conductivity (HC) and compressibility reduced significantly with the biopolymer content and curing period. Results emphases that β-glucan is an efficient and sustainable alternative to the traditional stabilizers like cement, lime or bitumen.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.84-90
• /
• 2006

During our search for macrophage stimulating compounds from medicinal plants, we isolated biopolymers from Acanthopanax sessiliflorus. Isolated fraction AS-5 showed maximum potential, and stimulated lysosonal enzymatic activity by 230% at $300\;{\mu}g/ml$. The nitric oxide (NO) producing ability of AS-5 $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ was $58\;{\mu}M$ when treated with interferon-$\gamma$ and lipopolysaccharide $20\;{\mu}g/ml$. The lymphocyte proliferating effects of isolated biopolymer fractions were also investigated. Highest lymphoproliferative activity (a 2.8-fold enhancement compared to saline treated group was exhibited by AS-3 at $200\;{\mu}g/ml$ followed by AS-5 and AS-6. The AS-3 fraction stimulated only T-lymphocytes and had little or no effect on B-lymphocyte proliferation. Partially methylated alditol acetates were prepared to elucidate the glycosyl linkage-compositions of the AS-3 and AS-5 biopolymers, and were analyzed by GC-MS. The AS-3 and AS-5 biopolymer fractions were found to contain 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-glucitol, 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-galacitol 3,4,6-tri-O-methyl-galacitol, 2-O-methyl-arabinitol and 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucitol, 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-D-galacitol linkages, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.421-428
• /
• 1989

A soil bacterium synthesizing an extremely viscous biopolymer was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas delafieldii. The optimal pH and temperature for the growth were 6.5 and 3$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. Maximum specific growth rate was 0.24 h$^{-1}$. The specific polysaccharide productivity, growth yield and product yield were 6.25 mg/g-cell/h, 54.5% and 38.39%, respectively. The polysaccharide was presumed to be $\beta$-glucan containing glucose and gluconolactone (1.9：1.0 in molar ratio) and 1.35 % acetyl group, Element analysis showed that it contained carbon (31.85%) and hydrogen (5.15%). The weight average molecular weight by GPC was 5.64$\times$10$^7$. The intrinsic viscosity was 42.84 dl/g.