• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 1996

UASB reactor was operated for treating wastewater containing high sulfate to assess their performance, competition between sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) and methane-producing bacteria(MPB), and the change in the characteristics of microbial granules according to change of hydraulic retention time(HRT) in the reactor. The reactor was fed with a synthetic moderate strength wastes(glucose, 2000 mgCOD/l) containing high sulfate($2400mgSO_4{^{2-}}/l$). The organic loading rate(OLR) ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 gCOD/l.d as HRT maintained 15 to 30 hrs in the stage I. The COD removal efficiency was between 80 to 92%. During this period, methane yield rapidly decreased from 0.3 to 0.1 1 $CH_4$/gCODremoved. While sulfide concentration in the effluent increased from 80 to 200 mgS/l. This indicates that SRB becomes dominant over MPB at a relatively long HRT in the excess sulfate. When OLR of reactor maintained from 5 to 8 gCOD/l.d in the stage II, methane yield increased from 0.1 to 0.17 1 $CH_4$/gCODremoved regardless of decrease of COD removal efficiency. This indicates that SRB is more sensitive to the change of a short HRT than MPB. In the competition between SRB and MPB, about 30% of the removed COD was utilized by SRB at HRT of 30 hrs during the start-up period, while about 73% was used by SRB at HRT of 15hrs at the final step of second experimental stage. Whereas after shock exposure of OLR about 62% was utilized by SRB at HRT of 5hrs. It indicates that SRB is strongly suppressed by the wash-out of significant dispersed SRB since a large electron flow is distributed to the MPB. In addition, the granulation in the presence of high sulfate is unfavoured at a long HRT because of substrate transport limitations into MPB like Methanothrix spp. which is an important factor in the composition of the granules. Accordingly, granule sizes in the UASB reactor decreased with time due to weak network frame of granules by the decreased activity of MPB.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.90-93
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• 2003

Sampling of waters from each stage of treatment system, SAPS (Successive Alkalinity Producing System), and spring water near the Hanchang coal mine of Kangwon. Province were carried out periodically and analyzed to evaluate the source and possible path of groundwater contamination by acid mine drainage(AMD). Chemical and sulfur isotope compositions showed that spring water was affected by seepage from mine tailings, and seepage of stonewall, a part of treatment system, was affected by both seepage from mine tailings and mine adit drainage. Through the treatment system no appreciable decrease of sulfur content was identified. And almost similar sulfur isotope compositions of water from each stage of the treatment system may suggest incomplete or very poor sulfate reduction by sulfate reducing bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.527-537
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• 2018

Column tests of a sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) bioreactor were conducted to determine the design factors for sulfate-rich mine drainage. Various substrates were applied to the bioreactor, including cow manure and its mixture with a mushroom compost, with rice straw and limestone as subsidiary materials. This procedure provided a removal efficiency of up to 82% of the total sulfur with the mixture of cow manure (70%), mushroom compost (10%) and rice straw (20%), and higher efficiencies were observed after 2 days of retention time. In the downflow condition of the flow direction, oxygen supply and re-oxidation of the sulfates occurred, causing a decrease in sulfate removal efficiency. The addition of an inorganic sludge containing heavy metals, which was intended for production of metal-sulfides in the bioreactor, had a negative effect on the long-term operation owing to arsenic release and toxicity to the SRB. The results thus show that a bioreactor using a mixed substrate with cow manure and operating in the downflow direction could reduce sulfates and total dissolved sulfur content; this process confirms the applicability of the SRB bioreactor to sulfate-rich saline drainage.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.281-288
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• 2004

The change in relationships between methane production and sulfate reduction was investigated in reclaimed rice field soils at different time points after reclamation of tidal flat in Korea. Sulfate concentrations of soils in the ca. 60-year-old and 26-year-old reclaimed rice fields were much lower than that in a natural tidal flat. During 60 d of anaerobic incubation, total methane production and sulfate consumption of the soil slurries were 7.0 ${\mu}$mol $CH_4$/g and 8.2 ${\mu}$mol $SO_4^{2-}$/g in the 60-year-old rice field, 5.6 ${\mu}$mol $CH_4$/g and 12.7 mmol $SO_4^{2-}$/g in the 26-year-old rice field, and ca. 0 mmol $CH_4$/g and 22.4 ${\mu}$mol $SO_4^{2-}$/g in a natural tidal flat. Relative percent electron flow through sulfate reduction in the 60-year-old rice field was much lower (50.8%) compared with the 26-year-old rice field (69.3%) and the tidal flat (99.9%). The addition of an inhibitor of methanogenesis (2-bromoethanesulfonate) had no effect on sulfate reduction in the soil slurries of the reclaimed rice fields. However, instant stimulation of methane production was achieved with addition of an inhibitor of sulfate reduction (molybdate) in the soil slurries from the 26-year-old reclaimed rice field. The specific inhibitor experiments suggest that the relationship of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction might become mutually exclusive or syntrophic depending on sulfate content in the soil after reclamation. Sulfate, thus sulfate reduction activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, would be an important environmental factor that inhibits methane production and determines the major pathway of electron and carbon flow in anaerobic carbon mineralization of reclaimed rice field soils.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.219-228
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• 2013

To understand characteristics of biogeochemical corrosion for the metal canisters that usually contain the radioactive wastes for a long-term period below the ground, some metal materials consisting of cast iron and copper were reacted for 3 months with D. desulfuricans, a sulfate-reducing bacterium, under a reducing condition. During the experiment, concentrations of dissolved metal ions were periodically measured, and then metal specimen and surface secondary products were examined using the electron microscopy to know the chemical and mineralogical changes of the original metal samples. The metal corrosion was not noticeable at the absence of D. desulfuricans, but it was relatively greater at the presence of the bacterium. In our experiment, darkish metal sulfides such as mackinawite and copper sulfide were the final products of biogeochemical metal corrosion, and they were easily scaled off the original specimen and suspended as colloids. For the copper specimen, in particular, there appeared an accelerated corrosion of copper in the presence of dissolved iron and bacteria in solution, probably due to a weakening of copper-copper binding caused by a growth of other phase, iron sulfide, on the copper surface.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.472-479
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• 2012

The formation of volatile fatty acids(VFAs) and changes in pH, oxidation and reduction potential(Eh) and acid volatile sulfide(AVS) with the addition of yellow clay were investigated using microcosm systems to examine the effects of yellow clay dispersion on the anaerobic decomposition of Cochlodinium polykrikoides in marine sediments. The acetate concentration reached a maximum by day 4 and was 1.2-1.8 fold less in the sample treated with yellow clay compared to the untreated sample (224-270 vs. 333 uM). The formate concentration reached a maximum by day 1 and was 1.3-2.8 fold less in the sample treated with yellow clay compared to the untreated sample (202-439 vs. 563 uM). The propionate concentration reached a maximum by day 2 and was 1.5-1.8 fold less in the sample treated with yellow clay compared to the untreated sample (32.6 vs. 57.2 uM). After the amounts of acetate, formate and propionate peaked the levels dropped dramatically due to the utilization by sulfate reducing bacteria. The Eh of the samples treated with yellow clay was similar to the untreated sample on day 0 but was higher in the sample treated with yellow clay(140-206 mV) from days 4 to 17. AVS started to form on day 3 and this was sustained until day 6, and 1.2-2.2 fold less was produced in the sample treated with yellow clay compared to the untreated sample (40.2-69.3 vs. 83.2-93.8 mg/L). Accordingly, during the anaerobic decomposition of C. polykrikoides in marine sediments, yellow clay dispersal seems to suppress the reduction state of Eh and the formation of volatile fatty acids(acetate, formate and propionate) used as an energy source by sulfate reducing bacteria, indicating that this process controls the production of hydrogen sulfide that negatively affects marine organisms and the marine sediment environment.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2010

Removal and mineralization of dissolved uranium by bacteria in KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel), Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) was investigated. Two different bacteria, IRB (iron-reducing bacteria) and SRB (sulfate-reducing bacteria) was used, and minerals formed by these bacteria were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to uranyl ions, ferric ions were preferentially reduced by IRB, showing that there is no significant reduction and removal of uranium. However, uranium concentration considerably decreased by addition of Mn(II). Results show that a sulfide mineral such as mackinawite (FeS) is formed by SRB respiration through combination of Fe(II) and S without manganese sulfide formation. In the presence of Mn(II), however, uranium is removed effectively, suggesting that the sorption and incorporation of uranium could be affected by Mn(II) onto the sulide minerals.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.155-162
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• 2012

We observed characteristic oxidation and dissolution phenomena induced by dissolved oxygen for mackinawite that is produced via sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) living in anaerobic environments such as soils and groundwater. We tried to recognize the role of the sulfide minerals that usually coexist with some stabilized radionuclides (e.g., reduced uranium), which can be reoxidized and redissolved by an oxygen-rich groundwater invaded into a contaminated area. The mackinawite produced by 'Desulfovibrio desulfuricans', a sulfate-reducing bacterium, was conducted to be dissolved for 2 weeks by some oxidants such as 'hydrogen peroxide' and 'sodium nitrite'. Although mineralogical oxidation and dissolution characteristics were different from each other according to the oxidants, the initially oxidized solution was early stabilized through the oxygen consumption by ${\mu}m$-sized sulfide particles and the resultant increase of sulfate in solution. From these results, we can anticipate that the large amount of sulfide minerals generated by SRB can not only repress the anoxic environment to be disturbed by the consumption of oxygen in groundwater, but also contribute to stabilize the reduced/precipitated radionuclides as a buffer material for a long time.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 1996

For treating tannery wastewater containing high sulfate and heavy metals, test was performed to assess their performance, competition between SRB (sulfate reducing bacteria) and MPB (methane producing bacteria), and the activity of MPB according to change of chromium concentrations. COD removal efficiency was above 70% at VLR (volumetric loading rate) of 2.0 gCOD/I.day and HRT (hydraulic retention time) of 18hrs at $35^{\circ}C$. In the competition between SRB and MPB, about 15% of the removed COD was utilized by SRB in the begining, but it became 43% at the end. It indicated that MPB was strongly suppressed by the occurrence of significant sulfate reduction since a large electron flow was uptaken by SRB. For the entire experiment, removal efficiencies of chromium concentration were more than 90%. Despite high removal efficiencies of chromium concentration, performance of reactor did not change significantly during the experimental periods. Expecially, chromium (III) is tannery wastewater is less toxic than chromium (VI).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.59-66
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• 2000

Effects of carbon dioxide partial pressure(PCO2) on bacterial population, methane production rate and matter degradation in anaerobic digestion were investigated by using anaerobic chemostat type reactors at 35$\pm$1$^{\circ}C$, at the HRT of 7 days. At PCO2 of 0.5 atm, the specific methane production rate and specific substrate removal rate reached the maximum rates. The methane production rates in the reactors fed by mixed substrate were 26% higher than those obtained under the controlled condition. The number of acetate consuming methanogenic bacteria enumerated by the MPN(most probable number) method, decreased when PCO2 exceeded 0.7 atm. Hydrogen consuming methanogenic bacteria and homoacetogenic bacteria increased as PCO2 increased from 0.1 to 0.6 atm, however, decreased slightly at PCO2 above 0.7 atm. The number of hydrolytic bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria and H2-producing acetogenic bacterial were not much influenced by the change of PCO2. The potential methanogenic activity reached the maximum at PCO2 0.5 atm, however, decreased significantly when PCO2 exceeded 0.7 atm, would depend on free PCO2 concentration in solution.