• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.115-121
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• 2007

A novel hydrogen fermentation technique by using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel beads as a biomass carrier was investigated. The hydrogen gas was stably produced throughout the experimental period in a continuous reactor. Even though the hydrogen productivity was suddenly decrease by experimental troubles, the bacteria attached to the PVA gel beads played as an inoculum, it was promptly recovered. The hydrogen yield per glucose was not very high ($1.0-1.2mol-H_2/mol-glucose$), thus the optimization of the experimental conditions such as ORP and HRT should be considered to improve the hydrogen productivity. Bacterial community was stable during experimental period after the PVA gel beads applying, which indicated that applying of biomass carrier was specific to keep not only the biomass but also the bacteria commonly. Clostridium species were phylogenetically detected, which suggested that these bacteria contributed to the hydrogen production in the biofilm attached to the PVA gel beads.

• Clean Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.251-255
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• 2014

PVA gel beads were made by immobilization of thenoyltrifluoroacetone (HTTA) and trioctylphoshineoxide (TOPO) with poly vinyl alcohol (PVA). The prepared PVA gel beads were used for the removal of $Cu^{2+}$ from aqueous solution. The removal characteristics of $Cu^{2+}$ by PVA gel beads was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The maximum removal capacity calculated from Langmuir isotherm equation was 9.59 mg/g. The optimal pH was in the range of 3.5~6. Even when the PVA gel beads were reused 5 times, the leakage of extractant and the damage of PVA gel beads was not observed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.756-762
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• 2001

As a component for a recirculating aquaculture system, a new strain of denitrifying bacterium was isolated from municipal sewage. The isolate was motile by means of one polar flagellum, catalase-positive, and a Gram-negative rod-shaped cell measuring $0.5-0.6{\mu}m$ in width and $1.3-1.9{\mu}m$ in length. The isolate was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens and produced dinitrogen gas via the reduction of nitrate. The optimal growth conditions (pH, temperature, carbon source, and C/N ratio) of the isolate were found to be 6.8, $30^{\circ}C$, malate, and 3, respectively. Under optimal growth conditions of P. fluorescens, dinitrogen gas was first detected in the exponential growth phase, then a small amount of nitrite was developed and converted to dinitrogen gas in the stationary phase. Pseudomonas fluorescens cells were immobilized in modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel beads, and the maximum denitrification rate was measured as $36.6 {\mu}lN_2h^-1$ per bead with an optimum cell loading of $20mg {\mu}l^-1$ and $2\%$ sodium alginate added to the PVA gel. The operating stability of the modified PVA gel beads remained unchanged for up to 43 repeated batches.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.171-176
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• 2022

Recently, an autotrophic single-stage nitrogen removal (ASSNR) process based on the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) reaction has been proven as an economical ammonia treatment. It is highly evident that double-layered gel beads are a promising alternative to the natural biofilm for ASSNR because of the high mechanical strength of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/alginate structure and efficient protection of ANAMMOX bacteria from dissolved oxygen (DO) due to the thick outer layer. However, the thick outer layer results in severe mass transport limitation and consequent lowered bacterial activity. Therefore, the effects of the thickness of the outer layer on the overall reaction rate were tested in the biofilm model using AQUASIM for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and ANAMMOX bacteria. A thickness of 0.5~1.0 mm is preferred for the maximum total nitrogen (TN) removal. In addition, a DO of 0.5 mg/L resulted in the best total nitrogen removal. A higher DO induces NOB activity and consequent lower TN removal efficiency. The optimal density of AO B and NO B density was 1~10% for a 10% ANAMMOX bacterial in the double-layered PVA/alginate gel beads. The real effects of operating parameters of the thickness of the outer layer, DO and concentrations of biomass balance should be intensively investigated in the controlled experiments in batch and continuous modes.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.326-332
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• 2018

In this study,the result shows that polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate (PVA-SA) gel bead crosslinked with sodium sulfate are better among the different methods by comparing the relative mechanical strength, mechanical strength swelling and expansion coefficient of beads in water. Subsequently, anammox biomass entrapment by PVA-SA gel was introduced into continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). After 24 operation days, the nitrogen removal efficiency achieved 60%, while the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) was $0.14kgN/m^3/d$ and the experiment data indicated that PVA-SA gel bead crosslinked with sodium sulfate can be used to initiate anammox process. Furthermore, it is an alternative for culturing anammox in a long-term operation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.376-381
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• 2019

In this study, a poly(vinyl) alcohol/sodium alginate (PVA/SA) mixture was used to fabricate core-shell structured gel beads for autotrophic single-stage nitrogen removal (ASNR) using aerobic and anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AAOB and AnAOB, respectively). For stable ASNR process, the mechanical strength and oxygen penetration depth of the shell layer entrapping the AAOB are critical properties. The shell layer was constructed by an interfacial gelling reaction yielding thickness in the range of 2.01-3.63 mm, and a high PVA concentration of 12.5% resulted in the best mechanical strength of the shell layer. It was found that oxygen penetrated the shell layer at different depths depending on the PVA concentration, oxygen concentration in the bulk phase, and free ammonia concentration. The oxygen penetration depth was around $1,000{\mu}m$ when 8.0 mg/L dissolved oxygen was supplied from the bulk phase. This study reveals that the shell layer effectively protects the AnAOB from oxygen inhibition under the aerobic conditions because of the respiratory activity of the AAOB.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.698-703
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• 1999

For the nitrate removal in recirculating aquaculture system, a denitrifying bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, was isolated from municipal sewage and the cells were immobilized in modified-polyvinly alchol (PVA) gel beads. The immobilized cells in both the fixed-and fluidized-bed reactors showed 98% of denitrification efficiency with 6hr HRT, and the removal efficiency of total organic carbon (TOC) was above 90%. Form scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation, it was known that biofilm formed in fixed-bed reactor was thicker than that formed in fluidized-bed reactor as operation time passed.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.227-238
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• 2005

The characteristics of nitrogen removal by the free cell and the immobilized cell of R. capsulatus were investigated. Denitrification by R. capsulatus cells resulted in reduction of ORP with the rapid depletion of DO and the increase of pH. Without accumulation of nitrite, the removal efficiencies of ${NO_3}^-$-N for the free cell and the immobilized cell were 99.1 and 99.3%, respectively. During the three-month experiment of goldfish breeding equipped with a water-purification biofilter, the average values of pH and total cell numbers present in an aquarium were not significantly different between water-purification system and the control. The average concentrations of ${NH_4}^+$-N and ${PO_4}^{2-}$-P in water-purification system were relatively low, compared to that in the control. Goldfish died at $11^{th}$, $16^{th}$, $43^{rd}$, and $67^{th}$ days in the control, while goldfish died at $10^{th}$, $20^{th}$, and $39^{th}$ days in the water-purification system. On the days of goldfish's death, the total concentrations of nitrogenous compounds except for ${NO_2}^--N$ were higher than those on the other days of the experiment, especially with the concentrations of ${NH_4}^+$-N ranging from 7.4 to 13.5 mg/L. The water-purification system also showed the less turbidity of water with more active movement of goldfish than the control. PVA gel beads showed almost the full denitrifying ability even after the long-term experiment. As a result, the water-purification system was effective to remove nitrogenous compounds with better survival of goldfish.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.327-330
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• 2003

The denitrification characteristics of free- and gel- D photosynthetic bacteria were studied. At various salt concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3.5%), the maximum specific growth rates were found to be 0.22, 0.22, 0.20 and 0.11 $h^{-1}$, respectively. At lower pH, pH affected the growth significantly. In experiments of PVA beads, the maximum $N_2$ production rate $(dN_2/dt)$ were calculated to be 0.09-0.10 (D= 0.7cm) and 0.09-0.11(D= 1.0cm) ml/h, respectively, and those per bead were 5 and $5.5\;{\mu}l$/h/bead.