• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제6권6호
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• pp.501-512
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• 2015

A laboratory-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) was continuously operated for 100 d at an infinite sludge retention time (SRT) with the aim of identifying possible relation between the filterability of mixed liquor and sludge properties, such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), viscosity of mixed liquor, zeta potential of flocs and particle size distributions (PSD). Research results confirmed that MBR can operate with a complete sludge retention ensuring good treatment performances for COD and $NH_3-N$. However, the long term operation (about 40 d) of MBR with no sludge discharge had a negative influence on sludge filterability, and an increase in membrane fouling rates with the time was observed. There as a strong correlation between the sludge filterability and the fouling rate. Among the different sludge properties parameters, the concentration SMP and EPS had a more closely correlation with the sludge filterability. The concentrations of SMP, especially SMP with MW above 10 kDa, had a strong direct correlation to the filterability of mixed sludge. The protein fractions in EPS were biodegradable and available for microorganism metabolism after about 60 days, and the carbohydrates in EPS had a significantly negative effect on sludge filterability in MBR at an infinite SRT.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제21권11호
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• pp.1184-1192
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• 2011

A bacterial isolate (strain JS-2) characterized as Bacillus sp. was challenged with high concentrations of toxic selenite ions. The microbe was found to transform the toxic, soluble, colorless selenite (${SeO_3}^{2-}$) oxyions to nontoxic, insoluble, red elemental selenium ($Se^0$). This process of biotransformation was accompanied by cytoplasmic and surface accumulation of electron dense selenium ($Se^0$) granules, as revealed in electron micrographs. The cells grown in the presence of selenite oxyions secreted large quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). There were quantitative and qualitative differences in the cell wall fatty acids of the culture grown in the presence of selenite ions. The relative percentage of total saturated fatty acid and cyclic fatty acid increased significantly, whereas the amount of total unsaturated fatty acids decreased when the cells were exposed to selenite stress. All these physiological adaptive responses evidently indicate a potentially important role of cell wall fatty acids and extracellular polymeric substances in determining bacterial adaptation towards selenite-induced toxicity, which thereby explains the remarkable competitiveness and ability of this microbe to survive the environmental stress.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.337-353
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• 2017

Membrane fouling at different solids retention times (SRT) (7, 12 and 20 days) was studied under well-controlled conditions in a laboratory-scale aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor under constant biomass concentration using a synthetic high strength wastewater. An increase in SRT was found to improve membrane performance and this correlated to changes in the total production of bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the composition and properties of bound EPS using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and floc sizes. A larger amount of total bound EPS was found at the lowest SRT (7 days) tested but the ratio of proteins (PN) to carbohydrates (CH) in bound EPS increased with an increase in SRT. Similarly, the quantity of soluble microbial products (SMP) decreased with an increase in SRT and the SMP PN/CH ratio increased with an increase in SRT. SMP concentrations positively correlated to the percentage of membrane pore blocking resistance. The quantity of total bound EPS and total SMP positively corresponded to the membrane fouling rate, while the PN/CH ratio in the bound EPS and SMP negatively correlated to the membrane fouling rate. The results show that both the quantity and composition of bound EPS and SMP and floc sizes are important in controlling membrane fouling.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제28권8호
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• pp.677-687
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• 2019

This study evaluated the biosorption properties of calcium ion using Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS). A sequencing batch reactor was used to induce the production of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) through salinity injection, and the calcium ion adsorption efficiency was analyzed by a batch test. The EPS contents showed significant changes (104-136 mg/g MLVSS) at different salinity concentrations. The calcium ion adsorption efficiency was highest for AGS collected at 5.0% salinity, and it was confirmed that the biosorption efficiency of AGS was increased owing to the increase in EPS content. The results of the Freundlich isotherms showed that the ion binding strength (1/n) was 0.3941-0.7242 and the adsorption capacity ($K_f$) was 2.4082-3.3312. The specific surface area and the pore size of the AGS were $586.1m^2/g$ and 0.7547 nm, respectively, which were not significantly different from each other. It was confirmed that the influence of biological properties, such as EPS content, was relatively large among the factors affecting calcium ion adsorption.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제28권9호
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• pp.719-727
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• 2019

In this study, the effect on the stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) with different Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratios was investigated. The C/N ratios were controlled to 10.0, 7.5, 5.0, and 2.5 using the sequencing batch reactor, and the results showed that the removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen decreased simultaneously with the decrease of C/N ratio. The removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen at C/N ratio of 2.5 was 70.7% and 52.3% respectively. In addition, the AGS/mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) ratio showed a tendency to decrease from 85.7% to 73.7%, while the sludge volume index showed a tendency to increase from 82 mL/g to 102 mL/g as the C/N ratio decreased. At the same time, the apparent deviation of polysaccharide (PS) content in extracellular polymeric substances was observed, and polysaccharides/protein (PS/PN) ratio decreased from 0.62 to 0.31 as the C/N ratio decreased. Optical microscope observations showed that the reduction in C/N ratio caused the growth of filamentous bacteria and significantly affected the stability of AGS.

• 유기물자원화
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.35-40
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• 2021

초음파로 활성화된 과황산염을 이용한 슬러지의 가용화 정도를 확인하기 위하여 VSS 감량화율, 가용화율 및 체외고분자물질을 주요 지표로 측정하여 초음파 및 수산화나트륨을 이용한 알칼리·초음파 방법과 비교하였다. 과황산염·초음파 조건에서 VSS 감량화율은 27.6%, 가용화율은 58.9%로 증가하였고, TB-EPS as Carbohydrate와 Protein은 각각 770 mg/L, 2,162 mg/L 용출되었다. 초음파 및 알칼리·초음파 방법에 비하여 VSS감량화율 및 가용화율이 높았으며, TB-EPS지표로 볼 때 세포의 파괴 및 용출에서도 과황산염·초음파 조건에서 더 효율적이었다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.3726-3729
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• 2011

Biofilm formation is inevitable in a bioelectrochemical system in which microorganisms act as a sole biocatalyst. Cathodic biofilm (CBF) works as a double-edged sword in the performance of the air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Proton and oxygen crossover through the CBF are limited by the robust structure of extracellular polymeric substances, composition of available constituents and environmental condition from which the biofilm is formed. The MFC performance in terms of power, current and coulombic efficiency is influenced by the nature and origin of CBF. Development of CBF from different ecological environment while keeping the same anode inoculums, contributes additional charge transfer resistance to the total internal resistance, with increase in coulombic efficiency at the expense of power reduction. This study demonstrates that MFC operation conditions need to be optimized on the choice of initial inoculum medium that leads to the biofilm formation on the air cathode.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.77-86
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• 2018

The human pathogen and food spoiler Bacillus cereus can form biofilms that act as a persistent source of contamination, which is of public health concern. This study aimed to understand how the source of isolation might affect the behavior of biofilm formation. Biofilm formation abilities of 56 strains of B. cereus isolated from different environments, including human food poisoning, farm, and food, were determined. Crystal violet assay results revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in biofilm formation abilities among the strains isolated from different sources only at an early stage of incubation. However, strain origin showed no impact on later stage of biofilm formation. Next, correlation of the group of isolates on the basis of their biofilm-forming abilities with the number of sessile cells, sporulation, and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) formation was determined. The number of sessile cells and spores in biofilms was greatly influenced by the groups of isolates that formed dense, moderate, and weak biofilms. The contribution of extracellular DNA and/or proteins to EPS formation was also positively correlated with biofilm formation abilities. Our results that the source of isolation had significant impact on biofilm formation might provide important information to develop strategies to control B. cereus biofilm formation.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.223-233
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• 2010

세포외 중합체(EPS)의 존재 유무에 따라 Pseudomonas aeruginosa가 용존 비소, 크롬, 우라늄의 흡착 및 산화상태의 변화에 미치는 영향을 회분식 실험을 통해 조사하였다. 배양한 미생물의 표면을 세척한 것과 세척하지 않은 것으로 구분하여 무영양 상태에서 1.1 mg/L의 As(V)와 Cr(VI), 0.5 mg/L의 U(VI)와 반응시키며 시간에 따라 각각의 총 용존 함량과 산화상태 변화를 측정하였다. As(V)의 경우 EPS 존재 여부와 관계없이 흡착은 발생하지 않았으나 EPS가 보존된 박테리아는 As(V)의 약 60%를 As(III)로 환원하였다. 표면을 세척하지 않은 박테리아는 총 용존 크롬의 45%를 제거하였으며 잔류된 용존 크롬의 64%를 Cr(III)로 환원하였다. 우라늄의 경우, 박테리아 표면을 세척하지 않았을 때 U(VI)의 약 80% 이상이 용액으로부터 제거되었다. 이러한 원소 환원은 박테리아가 분비한 EPS 자체의 환원 능력 또는 EPS로부터 보호받아 생육성이 보존된 박테리아의 해독성 환원에 의한 것으로 여겨진다. 이 연구 결과는 자연 환경에서 대부분 바이오필름 상태로 존재하는 미생물이 비소, 크롬, 우라늄의 산화상태 및 이동도 조절에 지대한 영향을 미칠 수도 있음을 의미한다.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.63-69
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• 2021

Microalgae are primary producers of aquatic ecosystems, securing biodiversity and health of the ecosystem and contributing to reducing the impact of climate change through carbon dioxide fixation. Also, they are useful biomass that can be used as biological resources for producing valuable industrial products. However, harvesting process, which is the separation of microalgal biomass from mixed liquor, is an important bottleneck in use of valorization of microalgae as a bioresource accounting for 20 to 30% of the total production cost. This study investigates the applicability of sewage sludge-derived extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) as bioflucculant for harvesting microalgae. We compared the flocculation characteristics of microalgae using EPSs extracted from sewage sludge by three methods. The flocculation efficiency of microalgae is closely related to the carbohydrate and protein concentrations of EPS. Heat-extracted EPS contains the highest carbohydrate and protein concentrations and can be a best-suited bioflocculant for microalgae recovery with 87.2% flocculation efficiency. Injection of bioflocculant improved the flocculation efficiency of all three different algal strains, Chlorella Vulgaris, Chlamydomonas Asymmetrica, Scenedesmus sp., however the improvement was more significant when it was used for flocculation of Chlamydomonas Asymmetrica with flagella.