• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.354-359
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• 2006

This study examined the capacity of immobilized bacteria to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. A mixture of hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains was immobilized in alginate and incubated in crude oil-contaminated artificial seawater (ASW). Analysis of hydrocarbon residues following a 30-day incubation period demonstrated that the biodegradation capacity of the microorganisms was not compromised by the immobilization. Removal of n-alkanes was similar in immobilized cells and control cells. To test reusability, the immobilized bacteria were incubated for sequential increments of 30 days. No decline in biodegradation capacity of the immobilized consortium of bacterial cells was noted over its repeated use. We conclude that immobilized hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria represent a promising application in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated areas.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.527-537
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• 2012

The increasing consumption of pseudo-petroleum products (PPP) has been disturbing the national petroleum market. The use of PPP lead to tax evasion, disturbance of sound trading principles, component corrosion of cars, and explosion accident. Also, PPP have emitted hazardous air pollutants (HAP) including the carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs and aldehydes more than regular-petroleum products. It thus has potentials to cause many environmental and health care problems. In this study, benzene, toluene and xylene emissions from road transport vehicles due to the use of pseudo-gasoline are estimated for the year 2008. The results of our study provide emission estimates of benzene, toluene and xylene for the year as 405, 1,711, 717 tonne/yr, respectively for regular-gasoline. BTX emissions are calculated as 452~515, 1,882~2,264 and 732~752 tonne/yr when the amount of pseudo-gasoline is estimated to account for 6~13% for regular-gasoline consumption. BTX emissions increased as much as 12~27, 10~32, 2~5% by using pseudo-gasoline. It is found that the pseudo-gasoline should be the key component to produce HAP in urban area.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.726-739
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• 2013

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) converts synthesis gas (CO and $H_2$) into longer chain hydrocarbons by a surface polymerization reaction. Cobalt- or iron-based catalysts normally show excellent activity for syngas conversion to petroleum products leading to super clean diesel fuels. The catalytic activities of the catalysts in FTS depend on the number of active sites on the surface. The number of active site was determined by the active metal particle size, loading amount, reduction degree and support-active metal interaction. The investigation adopts new methodology in preparing FT catalyst, which contains the controlled synthesis of active metal. The main focus of this paper is to give an overview of the types of catalysts, also including their preparation and reduction; the types of FT reactors; and also including the reaction conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.152-157
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• 2003

Diesel-contaminated soils were ozonated for different times (0 - 900 min) and incubated for 9 wk to monitor petroleum hydrocarbons (PH)-degradative potential of indigenous microorganisms in the soils. Increased ozonation time decreased not only concentration of PH but also number of microorganisms in the soils. Microorganisms in the ozonated soils increased during 9-wk incubation as monitored by culture- and nonculture-based methods. Higher (1-2 orders of magnitude) cell number was observed by quantitative analysis of soil DNA using probes detecting genes encoding 165 rRNA(rrn), naphthalene dioxygenase (nahA), toluene dioxygenase (todC), and alkane hydroxylase (alkB) than microbial abundance estimated by culture-based methods. Such PH-degraders were relatively a few or under detection limit in 900-min ozonated soil. Further PH-removal observed during the incubation period supported the presence of PH-degraders in ozonated soils. Highest reduction (25.4%) of total PH (TPH) was observed in 180-min ozonated soil white negligible reduction was shown in 900-min ozonated soil during the period, resulting in lowest TPH-concentration in 180-min ozonated soil among the ozonated soils. Microbial community composition in 9-wk incubated soils revealed slight difference between 900-min ozonated and unozonated soils as analyzed by whole cell hybridization using group-specific rRNA-targeted oligonucleotides. Results of this study suggest that appropriate ozonation and subsequent biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms may be a cost-effective and successful remediation strategy for PH-contaminated soils.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.32-38
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• 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate the slurping process affecting the variation of free product and VOCs concentration and the bioaugmentation effect on bioremediation process. Free products and soil gas were extracted from 30 extraction wells installed in a petroleum contaminated area. The extraction system was operated for 10 hours per day with 1 hour on-and-off mode. The thickness of free product in extraction well was decreased from 11.7 cm to 4.5 cm and the VOCs concentration was increased from 10.37 ppm to 30.78 ppm during the operation period. After the slurping process for 2 months, contaminated soil was treated with bioremediation process in 2 cells, $15{\times}40$ m, biologically enhanced with adjusting oxygen, moisture and nutrients concentration. Total 1,400 L of microbial inoculant, Naturesys. (Dong Myung Ent. Co.) was added to the pile B, which has an outstanding ability for degrading petroleum hydrocarbons. The results showed that bioremediaton effect in soil with the microorganisms solution is 33% higher than that in soil with only residual bacteria.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 1997

A series of short (8 hours) and long term (96 hours) exposure studies was conducted on a laboratory scale to evaluation (1) the threshold concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbon in seawater which can lead to tainting problems in yellow tail (Seriola quinqueradiata) and (2) the time to recover (depuration period) once the tainting has occurred. The water-soluble fraction (WSF) of crude oil was prepared by stirring the oil with cold seawater. The main component of the WSF were low-boiling aromatics, although these were only al small proportion of the starting oil. From the sencory evaluation it was concluded that the threshold hydrocarbon levels in seawater which will impart a taint in yellow tail fillets within a 8-hour exposure period (short exposure period) are in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 ppm and within a 96-hour exposure period (long exposure period) are in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 ppm. Depuration trials were carried out with WSF from crude oil. The fish were exposed for 48 hours to concentration of 2.5 ppm hydrocarbons. After 48-hour exposure period, the fish were allowed to depurate in fresh, uncontaminated seawater. Depuration time for these fish was 10 days. The taste panelists were able to detect the contaminated fillets very easily while the depurated fish could not be distiguished from the control.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.647-651
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• 2014

Handling of the large quantity of oil, generation of heavy metals at the military blasting range and outworn facilities could cause the environmental accidents. Pollution levels of the former five U.S military bases located in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do were measured. Soil contamination by TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons), BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene), and heavy metals and groundwater contamination were detected. In order to purify contaminated soil, a variety of technologies including soil vapor extraction, slurping, landfarming and soil washing were applied. Contaminated soils of five target bases were purified and the results were suitable for the legal standards.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1672-1678
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• 2009

We studied the effects of aged total petroleum hydrocarbons (aged TPH) on the survival of allochthonous diesel-degrading Rhodococcus sp. strain YS-7 in both laboratory and field investigations. The aged TPH extracted from a crude-oil-contaminated site were fractionized by thin-layer chromatography/flame ionization detection (TLC/FID). The three fractions identified were saturated aliphatic (SA), aromatic hydrocarbon (AH), and asphaltene-resin (AR). The ratio and composition of the separated fractions in the aged TPH were quite different from the crude-oil fractions. In the aged TPH, the SA and AH fractions were reduced and the AR fraction was dramatically increased compared with crude oil. The SA and AH fractions (2 mg/l each) of the aged TPH inhibited the growth of strain YS-7. Unexpectedly, the AR fraction had no effect on the survival of strain YS-7. However, crude oil (1,000 mg/l) did not inhibit the growth of strain YS-7. When strain YS-7 was inoculated into an aged crude-oil-contaminated field and its presence was monitored by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), we discovered that it had disappeared on 36 days after the inoculation. For the first time, this study has demonstrated that the SA and AH fractions in aged TPH are more toxic to an allochthonous diesel-degrading strain than the AR fraction.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.590-598
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• 2006

In-situ Air sparging (IAS) is a groundwater remediation technique, in which organic contaminants volatilize into air form the saturated to vadose zone. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of sludge and soil microbial community structure on air sparging of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) contaminated groundwater soils. In the laboratory, diesel (10,000 mg TPH/kg) contaminated saturated soil. The Air was injected in intermittent (Q=1500 mL/min, 10 minute injection and 10 minute idle) modes. For Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of eubacterial communities in sludge of wastewater treatment plants and soil of experiment site, the 16S rDNA was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) from the sludge and the soil. The obtained 16S rDNA fragments were digested with Msp I and separated by electrophoresis gel. We found various sequence types for experiment with sludge soil samples that were closely related to Agrococcus, Flavobacterium, Thermoanaerobacter, Flexibacter and Shewanella, etc, in the clone library. The results of the present study suggests that T-RFLP method may be applied as a useful tool for the monitoring in the TPH contaminated soil the fate of microorganisms in natural microbial community.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.59-66
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• 2008

A biological study was conducted to evaluate the enhancement of landfarming of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) applying organic composite nutrients and a chemical oxidation during bioremediation. The target value of soil TPH after treatment was 500 mg/kg TPH. Addition of an organic compost and liquid swine manure for the removal of soil THP showed higher efficiency as 84.4% and 92.2% respectively than inorganic nutrients of 80.2%. In addition to the removal of non-biodegradable portion of residual hydrocarbons in soil, a chemical oxidation was applied during tailing period of the biological remediation, which showed high remediation efficiency as 98.1% compared with single bioremediation efficiency of 84.7%.