• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2006

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the development of the anammox process by the use of granular sludge selected from a digestion reactor as a potential seed source in a lab-scale UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket) reactor system. The reactor was operated for approximately 11 months and was fed by synthetic wastewater. After 200 days of feeding with $NH_4^+\;and\;NO_2^-$ as the main substrates, the biomass showed steady signs of ammonium consumption, resulting in over 60% of ammonium nitrogen removal. This report aims to present the results and to more closely examine what occurs after the onset of anammox activity, while the previous work described the start-up experiment and the presence of anammox bacteria in the enriched community using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. By the last month of operation, the consumed $NO_2^--N/NH_4^+-N$ ratio in the UASB reactor was close to 1.32, the stoichiometric ratio of the anammox reaction. The obtained results from the influent-shutdown test suggested that nitrite concentration would be one key parameter that promotes the anammox reaction during the start-up enrichment of anammox bacteria from granular sludge. During the study period, the sludge color gradually changed from black to red-brownish.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 1994

Anaerobic fermentative bacteria were isolated from the acidogenic reactor of a labora- tory scale 2-stage anaerobic digestor. The isolate 1-6 was selected for its ablity to produce more fatty acids from distillery wastewater than others, and was identified as a strain of Clostridium. The isolate Clostridium sp. 1-6 is a thermophilic bacterium growing at 55$\circ$c , and grew best at pH 5.5. An acidogenic reactor using immobilized cells of the isolate Clostridium sp. 1-6 removed about 15% of COD from distillery wastwater as hydrogen, producing about 50 mM butyrate and about 10 mM acetate, when the reactor was operated at the hydraulic retention time(HRT) of 0.8 hr. It is proposed that this system can be used to convert the distillery wastewater to hydrogen and butyrate. More than 90% of COD was removed from the wastewater by anaerobic digestion using a 2-stage digestor consisting of a UASB methanogenic reactor and an acidogenic reactor of the immobilized cells of isolate Clostridium sp. 1-6.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.365-369
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• 2000

Methanogenic activity of granular sludge was monitored by specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) during start-up of a thermophilic UASB reactor. Autofluorescence by CLSM could visualize the methanogenic bacterial population inside sludge granules and its intensity was proportional to SMA. Considering the complex procedures of SMA measurement, fluorescence quantification by CLSM can be suggested as a routine technique measuring methanogenic activity in UASB granules.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.269-275
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• 1993

The performance of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket(UASB) reactor for treatment of corn starch wastewater was investigated using continuous and batch experiment. Results showed that the corn starch wastewater had different characteristics in terms of biodegradability and methane potential, depending on the manufacturing precess. COD removal efficiencies were maintained over 70% up to the loading rate of 3.2 kg $COD/m^3{\cdot}day$ and the maximum gas production rate was about 55 l/day, equivalent to 3.5 l/day per liter of reactor volume, at the loading rate of 8.4 kg $COD/m^3{\cdot}day$. In the anaerobic serum bottle test(SBT) carried out along with continuous operation, the sludge activity was found to increase from 0.03 to 0.53 g $COD-CH_4/g\;VSS{\cdot}day$ as granular sludges were developed in 130 days operation. SBT gave valuable informations on the characteristics of wastewaters to be treated as well as on the sludge activity. The overall morphological characteristics of granular sludges cultivated on corn starch wastewaters were similar to those cultivated on various organic industrial wastewaters such as distillery and sugar.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.75-82
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• 2008

Two UASB reactors were operated to investigate the effect of high concentration of sulfate on anaerobic digestion of propionate using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. An organic loading rate of $1.2kg\;COD/m^3{\cdot}d$ and a hydraulic retention time of 1.6 d were maintained during this study. In the absence of sulfate, the UASB reactor achieved about 95% removal of chemical oxygen demand whereas in the presence of $2,000\;SO_4^{2-}mg/L$, the COD removal rate decreased to 83% due probably to the inhibition of dissolved sulfide inhibition. Interactions between the methane producing bacteria (MPB) and sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) were measured to investigate the competition between MPB and SRB. The MPB consumed average 58% of the available electron donors at $COD/SO_4^{2-}$ ratio of 1. Propionate was consumed mainly by SRB, converting sulfate into sulfide and suppressing the methane production. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) using acetate and propionate increased as microorganism acclimated to the substrate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.497-502
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• 2012

Anaerobic Digestion Process is evaluated as efficient wastewater treatment process with the removal of high concentrations of organic waste and production of biogas. This study was performed using hybrid anaerobic hybrid reactor (AHR) which consists of anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and biofilm-coated filter media was applied for Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) for 80 days to know optimum removal efficiency and production of biogas by comparing each part which divided changing Organic Loading Rate (OLR). As a result of this study, the removal efficiency was 90.4 % when the organic loading rate of influent was 15 kg COD/$m^3$/day. Since organic loading rate was up to 20 kg COD/$m^3$/day, the removal rate declined 80.7%. Over loading of influent caused sludge expansion and overproduction of microorganism. Amount of biogas was collected 82.3 L/day and pH was remained 6.9 constantly with balance of alkalinity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.619-627
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• 2000

Biodegradation of the C. I. Reactive Blue 114 was investigated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Important parameters studied include dye concentration, the kind and concentration of carbon source, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and influent pH. Glucose was found to be a better co-substrate than the mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), although its concentration did not affect dye removal efficiency in the range of $1000{\sim}3000mg/{\ell}$. When HRT increased from 6 hr to 24 hr, dye removal efficiency increased up to 12 hr and remained almost constant thereafter at about 40%. When influent pH was varied in the range of 6.0~8.0, the effluent pH was varied in the range of 6.8~7.5 with maximum efficiency at pH 7.0. The highest dye removal rate obtained was $52mg/{\ell}{\cdot}day$, while the maximum dye load to meet the discharge limit of color intensity was estimated to be $46mg/{\ell}{\cdot}day$ at HRT of 12 hr and an influent glucose concentration of $2200mg/{\ell}$.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2007

Two phase UASB reactors for treating wastewater with sulfate were operated to assess the performance and competition of organics between sulfate reducing bacteria(SRB) and methane producing bacteria(MPB), and the change of characteristics of microorganisms. The reactors were fed in parallel with a synthetic wastewater of 4,000-5,000 mgCOD/L and sulfate concentration of $800-1,000\;mgSO_4/L$. In the MPR(methane producing reactor) and CR(control reactor), COD removal efficiencies were 90% and 60%, respectively, at the OLR(organic loading rate) of 6 gCOD/L, while the amount of biogas and methane content were 6.5 L/day and 80%, and 3 L/day and 50%, respectively. However, the portion of electron flow used by SRB at the OLR of 6 gCOD/L day in MPR and CR was 3% and 26%, respectively. This indicated that the increase of OLR of wastewater containing high sulfate like CR resulted in activity decrease and cell decay of MPB, while SRB was adapted immediately to new environment. The MPB activities in MPR and CR were 2 and $0.38\;kgCH_4-COD$/gVSS day at the OLR of 6 gCOD/L. This indicated hat SRB dominated gradually over MPB during long-term operation with wastewater containing sulfate as a consequence of outcompeting of SRB over MPB. In addition, the solution within AFR was maintained around pH 5.0, the MPB such as Methanothrix spp. which was very important to formation of granules was detached from the surface of granules due to the decrease of activity by limitation of substrate transportation into MPB. Therefore, a significant amount of sludge was washed out from the reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.331-339
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biodegradability and performance of organic removal and methane production rate when treating piggery wastewater using a pilot scale two-phase anaerobic system operated up to a volumetric rate of $10m^3/day$. The pilot scale two-phase anaerobic process is consisted of a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CFSTR) for the acidification phase and an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (UASB) for the methanogenesis. The acidogenic reactor played key roles in reducing the periodically applied shock-loading and in the acidification of the influent organics. The acidogenic CFSTR was operated at organic loading rates (OLR) between 1.8 and $14.4kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$, and the UASB reactor was operated between 0.5 and $5.6kgCOD/m^3{\cdot}day$. A stable maximum biogas production rate was $81m^3/day$ and the methane conversion rate of the organic matter varied from 0.30 to $0.42L\;CH_4/g\;COD_{removed}$(0.40) at hydraulic retention time (HRT) above 3.5days. The methane contents ranged from 73 to 82% during the experimental period. It is known that most of the removed organic matter was converted to methane gas, and the produced biogas might be high quality for its subsequent use.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1409-1419
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• 2016

The effect of pH on propionate degradation in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor containing propionate as a sole carbon source was studied. Under influent propionate of 2,000 mg/l and 35℃, propionate removal at pH 7.5-6.8 was above 93.6%. Propionate conversion was significantly inhibited with stepwise pH decrease from pH 6.8 to 6.5, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.5, and then to 4.0. After long-term operation, the propionate removal at pH 6.5-4.5 maintained an efficiency of 88.5%-70.1%, whereas propionate was hardly decomposed at pH 4.0. Microbial composition analysis showed that propionate-oxidizing bacteria from the genera Pelotomaculum and Smithella likely existed in this system. They were significantly reduced at pH ≤5.5. The methanogens in this UASB reactor belonged to four genera: Methanobacterium, Methanospirillum, Methanofollis, and Methanosaeta. Most detectable hydrogenotrophic methanogens were able to grow at low pH conditions (pH 6.0-4.0), but the acetotrophic methanogens were reduced as pH decreased. These results indicated that propionate-oxidizing bacteria and acetotrophic methanogens were more sensitive to low pH (5.5-4.0) than hydrogenotrophic methanogens.