• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2006

Comparative analysis of microbial communities in a sequencing batch reactor which performed enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was carried out using a cultivation-based technique and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. A standard PCR protocol and a modified PCR protocol with low PCR cycle was applied to the two clone libraries of the 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from EBPR sludge, respectively, and the resulting 424 clones were analyzed using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) on 16S rRNA gene inserts. Comparison of two clone libraries showed that the modified PCR protocol decreased the incidence of distinct fragment patterns from about 63 % (137 of 217) in the standard PCR method to about 34 % (70 of 207) under the modified protocol, suggesting that just a low level of PCR cycling (5 cycles after 15 cycles) can significantly reduce the formation of chimeric DNA in the final PCR products. Phylogenetic analysis of 81 groups with distinct RFLP patterns that were obtained using the modified PCR method revealed that the clones were affiliated with at least 11 phyla or classes of the domain Bacteria. However, the analyses of 327 colonies, which were grouped into just 41 distinct types by RFLP analysis, showed that they could be classified into five major bacterial lineages: ${\alpha},\;{\beta},\;{\gamma}-$ Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and the phylum Bacteroidetes, which indicated that the microbial community yielded from the cultivation-based method was still much simpler than that yielded from the PCR-based molecular method. In this study, the discrepancy observed between the communities obtained from PCR-based and cultivation-based methods seems to result from low culturabilities of bacteria or PCR bias even though modified culture and PCR methods were used. Therefore, continuous development of PCR protocol and cultivation techniques is needed to reduce this discrepancy.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.329-334
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• 2009

Bacterial numbers, such as endospore-formers, and treatment efficiencies were investigated for Rotating Activated Bacillus Contactors (RABC) and other advanced wastewater treatment processes including anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A2O), sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and biological aerated filter (BAF). Endospore-forming bacterial numbers in the RABC showed 129-fold higher levels than those of the existing advanced systems. RABC process demonstrated the highest bacterial numbers in its bioreactors (paired t-test, p<0.01). RBC biofilms and aeration tanks of the RABC system showed 131- and 476-fold higher than other existing advanced processes, respectively. Mean treatment efficiencies of the existing systems were 83.5% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 59.1% for total nitrogen (TN) and 76.8% for total phosphorus (TP). However, RABC process removed 96.9% for COD, 96.9% for TN and 91.9% for TP for highly concentrated food wastewater (COD>1,500 mg/L, TN>150 mg/L, TP>50 mg/L). Treatment efficiency was significantly reduced when the numbers of Bacillus genus in the bioreactors decreased below $10^6CFU/mL$. The automated RABC (A-RABC), in which dissolved oxygen concentrations are automatically controlled, showed higher treatment efficiencies compared to the RABC process. The RABC system maintained sufficient bacterial numbers for the effective treatment of highly concentrated food wastewater. Moreover, final effluent was in agreement to water quality standards.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2008

Nitrogen is one of the major pollutants that should be removed by wastewater treatment systems. Biological nitrogen removal (BNR) is a key technology in advanced wastewater treatment systems operated by bacterial populations. Nitrification is the first step of microbiological processes in BNR system. Ammonia is oxidized to nitrite by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and then nitrite is subsequently oxidized to nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). The diversity of NOB in nitrification reactors of 3 BNR systems, Edited biological aerated filter system, Nutrient removal laboratory system, and the Rumination type sequencing batch reactor system, was investigated by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Cluster analysis of T-RF profiles showed that communities of Nitrobacter group in each system were different depending upon the process of systems. However, the clusters of Nitrospira group were divided by the habitat of aqueous and solid samples.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.535-550
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• 2018

Total organic carbon (TOC) will replace chemical oxygen demand ($COD_{Mn}$) as an effluent water quality standard in public sewage treatment works (PSTWs) from 2021 in Korea. To ensure effective control of TOC in the effluent, investigation was carried out into TOC levels and sewage treatment operation factors in five target PSTWs using anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic ($A_2O$) processes, media, membrane, and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technologies. TOC removal efficiencies appeared to be 93-96% on average. As a fraction of TOC, biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) was reduced from 64% in the influent to 9% in the effluent in these PSTWs. During the investigation, biological treatment processes were applied flexibly for operation factors such as HRT, SRT, MLSS, F/M ratios and BOD volume loads, based on the influent characteristics and design conditions. As a result, we suggest efficient operating conditions in PSTWs by evaluating relationships between TOC removal and operation factors.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.279-286
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• 2007

A submerged biofilm sequencing batch reactor (SBSBR) process, which liquor was internally circulated through sandfilter, was designed, and performances in swine wastewater treatment was evaluated under a condition of no external carbon source addition. Denitrification of NOx-N with loading rate in vertical and slope type of sandfilter was 19% and 3.8%, respectively, showing approximately 5 times difference, and so vertical type sandfilter was chosen for the combination with SBSBR. When the process was operated under 15 days HRT, 105L/hr.m3 of internal circulation rate and 54g/m3.d of NH4-N loading rate, treatment efficiencies of STOC, NH4-N and TN (as NH4-N plus NOx-N) was 75%, 97% and 85%, respectively. By conducting internal circulation through sandfilter, removal performances of TN were enhanced by 14%, and the elevation of nitrogen removal was mainly attributed to occurrence of denitrification in sandfilter. Also, approximately 57% of phosphorus was removed with the conduction of internal circulation through sandfilter, meanwhile phosphorus concentration in final effluent rather increased when the internal circulation was not performed. Therefore, It was quite sure that the continuous internal circulation of liquor through sandfilter could contribute to enhancement of biological nutrient removal. Under 60g/m3.d of NH4-N loading rate, the NH4-N level in final effluent was relatively low and constant(below 20mg/L) and over 80% of nitrogen removal was maintained in spite of loading rate increase up to 100g/m3.d. However, the treatment efficiency of nitrogen was deteriorated with further increase of loading rate. Based on this result, an optimum loading rate of nitrogen for the process would be 100g/m3.d.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.200-207
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• 2017

A new approach to the solubilization of waste activated sludge (WAS) using alginate-quaternary ammonium complex beads was investigated under controlled mild alkaline conditions. The complex beads were prepared by the reaction of sodium alginate (SA) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl-octadecyldimethylammonium chloride (TSA) in acid solution, followed by crosslinking with $CaCl_2$. Treatment of WAS with SA-TSA complex beads was effective for enhancing the efficacy of WAS solubilization. The highest value of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) concentration (3,900 mg/L) was achieved after 10 days of treatment with 30% (v/v) SA-TSA complex beads. The WAS solubilization efficacy of the complex beads was also evaluated by estimating the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The maximum value of VFAs was 2,961 mg/L, and the overall proportions of VFAs were more than 75% of SCOD. The main components of VFAs were acetic, propionic, iso-butyric, and butyric acids. These results suggest that SA-TSA complex beads might be useful for enhancing the solubilization of WAS. The potential use of VFAs as the external carbon substrate for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by a mixed microbial culture (MMC) was also examined. The enrichment of PHA-accumulating MMC could be achieved by periodic feeding of VFAs generated from WAS in a sequencing batch reactor. The composition of PHA synthesized from VFAs mainly consisted of 3-hydroxybutyrate. The maximum PHA content accounted for 25.9% of dry cell weight. PHA production by this process is considered to be promising since it has a doubly beneficial effect on the environment by reducing the amount of WAS and concomitantly producing an eco-friendly biopolymer.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1281-1286
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• 2008

Nitrous oxide(N$_2$O) is well known as a greenhouse gas that contributes to the global warming (310 times more per molecule than carbon dioxide) and to the destruction of the ozone layer. The objective of this study is to estimate N$_2$O emission factor using an emission isolation flux chamber from municipal wastewater treatment plants. N$_2$O gas was analysed by GC/ECD with 6 port gas sampling valve. The results of this study were as follows. N$_2$O emission factor of 5-Stage process from Y wastewater treatment plants was lowest as 0.94 g-N$_2$O/kg-TN. And that of other processes were 2.65 g-N$_2$O/kg-TN for Activated sludge process, 9.30 g-N$_2$O/kg-TN for Denipho process, and 26.73 g-N$_2$O/kg-TN for Sequencing Batch Reactor process. We have known that 5-Stage process is most appropriate process to reduce greenhouse for municipal wastewater treatment plants.