• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.149-156
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to investigate microbial removal using layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and iron (hydr)oxides (IHs) immobilized onto granular media. Column experiments were performed using calcium alginate beads (CA beads), LDHs entrapped in CA beads (LDH beads), quartz sand (QS), iron hydroxide-coated sand (IHCS) and hematite-coated sand (HCS). Microbial breakthrough curves were obtained by monitoring the effluent, with the percentage of microbial removal and collector efficiency then quantified from these curves. The results showed that the LDH beads were ineffective for the removal of the negatively-charged microbes (27.7% at 1 mM solution), even though the positively-charged LDHs were contained on the beads. The above could be related to the immobilization method, where LDH powders were immobilized inside CA beads with nano-sized pores (about 10 nm); therefore, micro-sized microbes (E. coli = 1.21 ${\mu}m$) could not diffuse through the pores to come into contact with the LDHs in the beads, but adhere only to the exterior surface of the beads via polymeric interaction. IHCS was the most effective in the microbial removal (86.0% at 1 mM solution), which could be attributed to the iron hydroxide coated onto the exterior surface of QS had a positive surface charge and, therefore, effectively attracted the negatively-charged microbes via electrostatic interactions. Meanwhile, HCS was far less effective (35.6% at 1 mM solution) than IHCS because the hematite coated onto the external surface of QS is a crystallized iron oxide with a negative surface charge. This study has helped to improve our knowledge on the potential application of functional granular media for microbial removal.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.279-283
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• 1998

To investigate the feasibility of the microbial process for removal of heavy metals from the high solid content sludge, the effect of sludge concentration on the solubilization of heavy metals by an iron oxidizing bacterium Thiolbacillus ferrooxidans was examined. With increasing the sludge concentration, the removal efficiency of heavy metals and the oxidation rate of iron were inhibited. Especially, when the sludge concentration is over 5% (w/v), the activity of T. ferrooxidans was remarkably inhibited. This inhibition is considered to occur due to the dissolved inhibitory materials such as organic compounds, heavy metals, and others which were extracted from the sludge during incubation period. In conclusion, the microbial process by T. ferrooxidans is only effectively used in ranges of 1.3 to 4.0% (w/v) sludge concentration.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.667-676
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• 2012

This research investigated to reduce mass of heavy metals in AMD(acid mine drainage) by microbial mats formed on the channel bed. As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn components were monitored in water and microbial mats, at three points (AMD1, AMD2 and AMD3), in a total of six times. Average daily discharge mass of heavy metals was highest in July, Fe component contained more than 76% of total discharge mass. Discharge mass of heavy metals of AMD and heavy metal contents in microbial mats decreased with downstream at channel. Heavy metal components that average daily discharge mass is over 0.5 kg were Fe, Cu and Zn, and they were highest in July. Average removal efficiency of heavy metals in AMD was highest about 21% in Fe, this microbial mats were due to form from precipitation of Fe component in AMD by aerobic iron bacteria. Relative content for As component in microbial mats than AMD was over 16 times, this As components were due to absorb at iron oxide and iron hydroxide on the surface of microbial mats.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2011

Removal of dissolved selenium by D. michiganensis, a iron-reducing bacterium, and effects of dissolved metal elements such as iron, sulfate, and copper were investigated. Selenide that was reduced from selenite (2 mM) by D. michiganensis was gradually removed from the aqueous medium. As the reduced selenide was combined with aqueous iron, it was precipitated as a nanoparticulate iron-selenide. Sulfate and copper negatively affected the microbial selenite reduction, and the copper was especially toxic to the bacterium, inhibiting a microbial removal of dissolved selenite. These results show that it should be carefully biotreated for a selenium-contaminated site considering in situ sulfate or copper distribution and concentration. Consequently, the formation of iron-selenide by bacteria will be an important measure for preventing a long-distance migration of selenium in the subsurface environments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2005

In situ permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technologies have been proposed to reductively remove organic contaminants from the subsurface environment. The major reactive material, zero valent iron ($Fe^0$), is oxidized to ferrous iron or ferric iron in the barriers, resulting in the decreased reactivity. Iron-reducing bacteria can reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron and iron reduced by these bacteria can be applied to dechlorinate chlorinated organic contaminants. Iron reduction by iron reducing bacteria, Shewanella algae BrY, was observed both in aqueous and solid phase and the enhancement of TCE removal by reduced iron was examined in this study. S. algae BrY preferentially reduced Fe(III) in ferric citrate medium and secondly used Fe(III) on the surface of iron oxides as an electron acceptor. Reduced iron formed reactive materials such as green rust ferrihydrite, and biochemical precipitation. These reactive materials formed by the bacteria can enhance TCE removal rate and removal capacity of the reactive barrier in the field.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.552-559
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• 1997

Fe (III) impurities in clay could be microbially removed by inhabitant dissimilatory Fe (III) reducing microorganisms. Insoluble Fe (III) in clay particles was leached out as soluble reductive form, Fe (II). The microorganisms removed from 10 to 45% of the initial Fe (III) when each sugar was supplemented to be in ranges of 1 - 5 % (w/w; sugar/clay). The microorganisms reduced 2.1 - 12.8 mol of Fe (III) per 100 mol of carbon in sugars metabolized when sugars such as glucose, maltose, and sucrose were used as sole carbon source. Bacillus sp. IRB-W and Pseudomonas sp. IRB-Y were isolated from the enrichment culture of the clay. The isolates were considered to participate in metabolizing organic compounds to fermentative intermediates with relatively little Fe (III) reduction at initial Fe (III) reduction process. By the microbial treatment, the whiteness of the clay was increased form 63.20 to 79.64, whereas the redness was obviously decreased form 13.47 to 3.55. This treatment did not cause any unfavorable modifications in mineralogical compositions of the clay.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.58-65
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• 2011

The bacterial uranium(VI) reduction and its resultant low solubility make this process an attractive option for removing U from groundwater. An impact of aqueous suspending iron phase, which is redox sensitive and ubiquitous in subsurface groundwater, on the U(VI) bioreduction by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was investigated. In our batch experiment, the U(VI) concentration ($5{\times}10^5M$) gradually decreased to a non-detectable level during the microbial respiration. However, when Fe(III) phase was suspended in solution, bioreduction of U(VI) was significantly suppressed due to a preferred reduction of Fe(III) instead of U(VI). This shows that the suspending amorphous Fe(III) phase can be a strong inhibitor to the U(VI) bioreduction. On the contrary, when iron was present as a soluble Fe(II) in the solution, the U(VI) removal was largely enhanced. The microbially-catalyzed U(VI) reduction resulted in an accumulation of solid-type U particles in and around the cells. Electron elemental investigations for the precipitates show that some background cations such as Ca and P were favorably coprecipitated with U. This implies that aqueous U tends to be stabilized by complexing with Ca or P ions, which easily diffuse and coprecipitate with U in and around the microbial cell.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.243-247
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• 2003

The microbial immobilization media with curdlan and activated carbon which has great immobilization capacity has been developed. Characteristics of porosity and mechanical strength of this support media are dependent on manufacturing method. The support media showed the best cell immobilization performance when the ratio of curdlan and activated carbon was 30 g/L to 6 g/L in this study. The immobilization of iron-oxidizing bacteria on the supporting particles was photographed with a scanning electron microscope. Since cell concentration on the surface of supporting particle increased with the reaction time, the iron oxidation rate also increased.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.444-450
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• 2011

Perchlorate ($ClO_4^-$) is a contaminant found in surface water and soil/ground water. Autotrophic perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) use hydrogen gas ($H_2$) as an electron donor to remove perchlorate. Since iron corrosion can produce $H_2$, feasibility of autotrophic perchlorate-removal using zero-valent iron (ZVI) was examined in this study using activated sludge that is easily available from a wastewater treatment plant. Batch test showed that activated sludge microorganisms could successfully degrade perchlorate in the presence of ZVI. The perchlorate biodegradation was confirmed by molar yield of $Cl^-$ as perchlorate was degraded. Scanning electron microscope revealed that rod-shaped microorganisms on the surface of iron particles used for the autotrophic perchlorate-removal, suggesting that iron particles could serve as supporting media for the formation of biofilm as well. DGGE analyses revealed that microbial profile of the inoculum (activated sludge) was different from that of biofilm sample obtained from the ZVI-added enrichment culture used for $ClO_4^-$-degradation. A major band of the biofilm sample was most closely related to the class Clostridia.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.124-130
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• 1999

To evaluate the technical of microbial coal desulfurization during the storage in coal dumps, microbial pyrite oxidation in a packed column reactor with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has been investigated. For microbial desulfurization in a packed reactor system, coal particle size over 1.0 mm with uniform size distribution seems to be most suitable as fas as drainage behavior and accessability of pyrite are concerned. When coal samples of 1∼2 and 2∼4 mm particle size were size were used, about 32∼42% of pyritic sulfur was removed within 70 days. The rate of pyritic sulfur oxidation was in the range of 348∼803 mg S/kg coal ·d, and the sulfur removal rates in packed columns were about 15∼25% of those in suspension cultures. Without any circulation of liquid medium, microbial coal desulfurization could be possible by the inoculation of T. ferrooxidans along on the coal dump. It was concluded that a microbial percolation process is one of possible processes for the desulfurization of high sulfur coal during a long-term storage.