• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.277-285
• /
• 2014

The usage of efficient microorganism (EM) is increasing in concern for server purposes including odor removal during carcasses degradation. In this study, we have studied the type of soil and its effect on efficient microorganisms for the removal of odorous gases during buried carcasses degradation in lab-scale reactor. The carcasses are buried in the reactor with various soil types such as normal soil, 20% sandy and 20% clay soil with the efficient microorganism KEM. The efficient microorganisms KEM have the ability to stabilize the degradation of carcasses of the burial site. We have focused on the analysis of odorous gases such tri-methylamine (TMA), hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$), methyl mercaptan (MM), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), and methane ($CH_4$) along with the changes of microbial community changed during complete degradation of buried carcasses for a year. The results suggested that the 20% sandy soil contain lesser level of $H_2S$ and MM (0.09 and 0.35 mg) but 20% clay has higher nitrogen compound removing effect and leave only less amount of ammonia and TMA (0.31 and 2.06 mg). The 20% sandy soil also has the ability to breakdown the carcasses more quality compared with other types of soil. Based on the data obtained in this study suggesting that, the use of 20% sandy soil can effectively control sulfur compounds whereas 20% clay soil controls nitrogen compounds in the buried soil. Depending on the type of the soil, the dominant of microbial communities and the distribution was change.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.396-401
• /
• 2010

Tolclofos-methyl is one of the most widely used organophosphorous pesticides in control of soil-borne diseases in ginseng field. In Korea, residues of tolclofosmethyl in ginseng and cultivation soil is quite often detecting. The objective of this study was to know the possibility for the accelerated degradation of tolclofos-methyl by various chemical treatment under soil slurry condition. The degradation of tolclofos-methyl was accelerated by zerovalent metals treatment in soil slurry. The degradation rate of tolclofos-methyl was found to be at higher zerovalent zinc than unannealed zerovalent and annealed zerovalent iron. The effect of different sizes of zerovalent iron on tolclofos-methyl degradation was showed that the smaller size of zerovalent iron, the greater the degradation rate. In aqueous solution of pH 4.0 below the degradation rate of tolclofos-methyl was very high. Under this experimental condition, tolclofos-methyl degradation was the greatest at 2% (w/v) of ZVI under 0.1 N of HCl in 24 hours, the degradation rate was 94.4%. By testing various chemicals, it was found that $Fe_2(SO_4)_3$ as iron source showed better for degrading tolclofos-methyl in $H_2O_2$ 500 mM treatment and sodium sulfite also showed the degradable possibility tolclofos-methyl in soil slurry.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.182-189
• /
• 1986

Alachlor, 2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-N-(methoxymethyl) acetanilide produced four major degradation products, when incubated under an upland soil condition for 80 days. They include 8-ethyl-2-hydroxy-N-(methoxymethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (m/z 221), N-hydroxyacetyl-2,3-dihydro-7-ethylindole (m/z 205), 2-hydroxy-2',6'-diethyl-N-(methoxymethyl) acetanilide (m/z 251), and 9-ethyl-1,5-dihydrol-(methoxymethyl)-5-methyl-4,1-benzoxazepin-2 (3H)-one (m/z 249). The products turned out to be a little different from those obtained under the flooded paddy soil condition used in the previous paper. The plausible pathways for the degradation were proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.337-345
• /
• 2005

The degradation of phenanthrene, a model PAH compound, by microorganisms either in the mixed culture or individual strain, isolated from oil-contaminated soil in oil refmery vicinity sites, was examined. The effects of pH, temperature, initial concentration of phenanthrene, and the addition of carbon sources on biodegradation potential were also investigated. Results showed that soil samples collected from four oil refinery sites in Korea had different degrees of PAH contamination and different indigenous phenanthrene-degrading microorganisms. The optimal conditions for phenanthrene biodegradation were determined to be 30$^{circ}C$ and pH 7.0. A significantly positive relationship was observed between the microbial growth and the rate of phenanthrene degradation. However, the phenanthrene biodegradation capability of the mixed culture was not related to the degree of PAH contamination in soil. In low phenanthrene concentration, the growth and biodegradation rates of the mixed cultures did not increase over those of the individual strain, especially IC10. High concentration of phenanthrene inhibited the growth of microbial strains and biodegradation of phenanthrene, but was less inhibitory on the mixed culture. Finally, when non-ionic surfactants such as Brij 30 and Brij 35 were present at the level above critical micelle concentrations (CMCs), phenanthrene degradation was completely inhibited and delayed by the addition of Triton X100 and Triton N101.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 1997

We investigated the influence of various known sterilization methods on atrazine assimilation. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of autoclaving, sodium azide and mercuric chloride treatment on the assimilation of atrazine in soil and sediment. The sterilization reactor treated with sodium azide resulted in $^{14}CO_2$ generation and atrazine was rapidly disappeared from reactor through chemical reaction with sodium azide. These findings seem to indicate that sodium azide sterilization is not recommended for atrazine studies. In sample reactors autoclaved or treated with mercuric chloride, $^{14}CO_2$ generation was not detected and most of the disappeared atrazine was found to exist as hydroxyatrazine. These results suggested that autoclaving or mercuric chloride treatment could be effective sterilization methods. However, chemical properties(pH and redox potential) of soil and sediment were altered by any of the sterilization methods applied. So it was suspected that these altered properties could affect distribution and mineralization of atrazine in soil and sediment. In addition, both autoclaving and mercuric chloride treatment have altered $K_d$ values of hydroxyatrazine more significantly than those of atrazine. Consequently, although autoclaving and mercuric chloride treatment are effective sterilization methods, one must be careful in using them in practice as these methods may cause chemical degradation of both of atrazine and its metabolites and changes in chemical properties of soil and sediment. In conclusion, careful assessment of sterilization methods must be made for the degradation studies of chemicals in soil and sediment in order to minimize possible undesirable chemical degradation of sample and/or changes in physico-chemical properties of soil and sediment by the selected sterilization methods.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.462-469
• /
• 2007

Isolation and application of oil-degradation microbes from the oil-contaminated soil and the determination of optimal operation conditions about the peat moss, the addition for the oil-biodegradation. After all experiments, we have acquired three important conclusions: First, we found out the 4 microbes, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruinosa, Kurtia sp., Bacillus ceres, with excellent capability for the oil-degradation; Second, the optimal operating conditions of the peat moss for TPH treatment were pH $7{\sim}8$, temperature $25{\sim}30^{\circ}C$, water content 20%, mixing 2 times/ day, addition volume 2%; Third, in case of the application to the oil-contaminated soil with 4 mixed microbes, the removal efficiency of TPH was increased from 54% to 83% in oil-contaminated soil and from 65% to 85% in oil-contaminated soil with the peat moss.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.56-65
• /
• 2014

Contamination of explosive compounds in the soils of military shooting range may pose risks to human and ecosystems. As shooting ranges are located at remote places, active remediation processes with hardwares and equipments are less practical to implement than natural solutions such as bioremediaton. In this study, a series of experiments was conducted to select a suitable carbon source and to optimize dosing rate for the enhanced bioremediation of explosive compounds in surface soils and sediments of shooting ranges with indigenous microorganisms activated by external carbon source. Treatability study using slurry phase reactors showed that the presence of indigenous microbial community capable of explosive compounds degradation in the shooting range soils, and starch was a more effective carbon source than glucose and acetic acid in the removal of TNT. However, at higher starch/soil ratio, i.e., 2.0, the acute toxicity of the liquid phase increased possibly due to transformation products of TNT. RDX degradation by indigenous microorganisms was also stimulated by the addition of starch but the acute toxicity of the liquid phase decreased with the increase of starch/soil ratio. Taken together, the optimum range of starch/soil ratio for the degradation of explosive compounds without significant increase in acute toxicity was found to be 0.2 of starch/soil.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.581-588
• /
• 2021

In this study, soil slurry bioreactors were used to treat soils containing 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for 35 days. Five different soil samples were taken from manufactured gas plant (MGP) and coal tar disposal sites. Soil properties, such as carbon content and particle distribution, were measured. These properties were significantly correlated with percent biodegradation and degradation rate. The cumulative amount of PAH degraded (P), degradation rate (K_m), and lag phase (𝜆) constants of PAHs in different MGP soils for 16 PAHs were successfully obtained from nonlinear regression analysis using the Gompertz equation, but only those of naphthalene, anthracene, acenaphthene, fluoranthene, chrysene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, and benzo(g,h,i)perylene are presented in this study. A comparison between total non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic PAHs indicated higher maximum amounts of PAH degraded in the former than that in the latter owing to lower partition coefficients and higher water solubilities (S). The degradation rates of total non-carcinogenic compounds for all soils were more than four times higher than those of total carcinogenic compounds. Carcinogenic PAHs have the highest partitioning coefficients (K_oc), resulting in lower bioavailability as the molecular weight (MW) increases. Good linear relationships of K_m, 𝜆, and P with the octanol-water partitioning coefficient (K_ow), MW, and S were used to estimate PAH remaining, lag time, and biodegradation rate for other PAHs.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.479-483
• /
• 2008

The environmental contamination by organic pollutants is a widespread problem. The most widely distributed pollution can be attributed to oil contamination. Bioremediation, the use of microorganism or microbial processes to degrade environmental contaminant, is one of the new technologies. The objective of the present study is to study the degradation of JP-8 in soil by microorganism. The degradation of JP-8 was analysed by TPH using gas chromatography. Rhodococcus fascians isolated from the petroleum contaminated site was applied for the degradation of JP-8 in the soil column system. Air flow rate of 30 ml/min was sufficient to degrade JP-8 in the soil column as much as 70% of JP-8 in the soil column. The addition of nitrogen source resulted in the increase in JP-8 degradability to 75% of JP-8 and the C:N ratio for JP-8 degradation was 100:10.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.154-162
• /
• 1984

The persistence of butachlor and nitrofen in different soil conditions applied organic matter, lime, and other pesticides was studied under submerged and field moisture capacity. Degradation of the herbicides in soil was significantly retarded by autoclaving the soil and half-life of nitrofen was much longer than that of butachlor under this condition. Submerging the soil enhanced degradation of the herbicides, in particular that of nitrofen. On the other hand, half-life of nitrofen under field moisture capacity was twice longer than that of butachlor. Increased amendment of rice straw to the soil shortened the half-life of nitrofen under submerged soil, however it prolonged that of butachlor when the amendment was exceeded 1000kg/10a level. Liming the soil stimulated herbicide decomposition in the soil, which appears to be pH independent. Butachlor degradation in submerged soil was slightly stimulated by simultaneous application of fungicides and insecticides, but nitrofen persistence was not influenced.