• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.939-947
• /
• 2008

PCR-DGGE method was applied to analyze changes of microbial community in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) bioreactor with various DO concentrations. In the analysis of eubacterial community, band profiles of DGGE were similar with 2 or 1 mg/L DO concentrations in the reactor. Experimental results led to 16 different bacteria being identified, including 5 dominant strains(3 strains of Uncultured Bacterium, 1 strains of Bacillus, 1 strains of Uncultured Bacteroidetes). DGGE results at 0.5 mg/L DO concentration led to 12 strains being identified, including 7 dominant strains(5 strains of Uncultured Bacterium, 2 strains of Zoogloea sp.). DGGE results at 0.1 mg/L DO concentration led to 11 strains being identified, including 3 dominant strains(1 strains of Uncultured Bacterium, 2 strains of Zoogloea sp.). In DGGE band profiles of $\beta$-AOB($\beta$-Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria), only one band was observed. This band had 97% similarity with Nitrosomonas sp. done DNB Y20. This band was clearly observed at the 2, 1 and 0.5 mg/L DO concentrations, while the brightness of the band at 0.1 mg/L DO concentration was mostly dimmed. In DGGE band profiles of denitrification process, 5 bands(3 strains of Uncultured organism containing nirS, 2 strains of Uncultured organism containing nirK) were observed. Among those bands, the brightness of one band was gradually increased at the lower DO concentrations. This band has 86% identity with Uncultured organism clone eS1 cd1 nirS gene, partial cds. Based on this result, it could be concluded that Uncultured organism clone eS1 cd1 nirS gene, partial cds is a predominant microorganism in the denitrification process.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.125-130
• /
• 2008

Free ammonia ($NH_3$-N) inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) has been widely studied for partial nitrification (or nitrite accumulation) and denitrification via nitrite ($NO_2^-$-N) as a low-cost treatment of ammonium containing wastewater. The literature on $NH_3$-N inhibition of NOB, however, shows disagreement about the threshold $NH_3$-N concentration and its degree of inhibition. In order to clarify the confusion, a simple and cheap respirometric method was devised to investigate the effect of free ammonia inhibition of NOB. Sludge samples from an autotrophic nitrifying reactor were exposed to various $NH_3$-N concentrations to measure the maximum specific nitrite oxidation rate ($\hat{K}_{NO}$) using a respirometer. NOB biomass was estimated from the yield values in the literature. Free ammonia inhibition of nitrite oxidizing bacteria was reversible and the specific nitrite oxidation rate ($K_{NO}$) decreased from 0.141 to 0.116, 0.100, 0.097 and 0.081 mg $NO_2^-$-N/mg NOB h, respectively, as the $NH_3$-N concentration increased from 0.0 to 1.0, 4.1, 9.7 and 22.9 mg/L. A nonlinear regression based on the noncompetitive inhibition mode gave an estimate of the Inhibition concentration ($K_I$) of free ammonia to be 21.3 mg $NH_3$-N/L. Previous studies gave $\hat{K}_{NO}$ of Nitrobacter and Nitrospira as 0.120 and 0.032 mg/mg VSS h. The free ammonia concentration which inhibits Nitrobacter was $30{\sim}50\;mg$ $NH_3$-N/L and Nitrospira was inhibited at $0.04{\sim}0.08\;mg$ $NH_3$-N/L. The results support the fact that Nitrobacter is the dominant NOB in the reactor. The variations in the reported values of free ammonia inhibition may be due to the different species of nitrite oxidizers present in the reactors. The respirometric method provides rapid and reliable analysis of the behavior and community of the nitrite oxidizing bacteria.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.181-190
• /
• 2005

Severe loss or hydrogen occurred in most anaerobic hydrogen fermentation reactors. Several selected methods were applied to suppress the consumption of hydrogen and increase the potential of production. As the first trial, pH shock was applied. The pH of reactor was dropped nearly to 3.0 by stopping alkalinity supply and on]y feeding glucose (5 g/L-d). As the pH was increase to $4.8{\pm}0.2,$ the degradation pathway was derived to solventogenesis resulting in disappearance of hydrogen in the headspace. In the aspect of bacterial community, methanogens weren't detected after 22 and 35 day, respectively. Even though, however, there was no methanogenic bacterium detected with fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) method, hydrogen loss still occurred in the reactor showing a continuous increase of acetate when the pH was increased to $5.5{\pm}0.2$. This result was suggesting the possibility of the survival of spore fanning acetogenic bacteria enduring the severely acidic pH. As an alternative and additive method, nitrate was added in a batch experiment. It resulted in the increase of maximum hydrogen fraction from 29 (blank) to 61 % $(500\;mg\;NO_3/L)$. However, unfortunately, the loss of hydrogen occurred right after the depletion of nitrate by denitrification. In order to prevent the loss entangled with acetate formation, $CO_2$ scavenging in the headspace was applied to the hydrogen fermentation with heat-treated sludge since it was the primer of acetogenesis. As the $CO_2$ scavenging was applied, the maximum fraction of hydrogen was enhanced from 68 % to 87 %. And the loss of hydrogen could be protected effectively.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 2014

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pre-aeration on sludge solubilization and the behaviors of nitrogen, dissolved sulfide, sulfate, and siloxane. The results of this study showed that soluble chemical oxygen demand in sewage sludge could be increased through pre-aeration. The pre-aeration process resulted in a higher methane yield compared to the anaerobic condition (blank). The pre-aeration of sewage sludge, therefore, was shown to be an effective method for enhancing the digestibility of the sewage sludge. In addition, this result confirms that the pre-aeration of sewage sludge prior to its anaerobic digestion accelerates the growth of methanogenic bacteria. Removal rates for $NH_3$-N and T-N increased simultaneously during pre-aeration, indicating simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. The siloxane concentration in sewage sludge decreased by 40% after 96 hr of pre-aeration; in contrast, the sulfide concentration in sewage sludge did not change. Therefore, pre-aeration can be employed as an efficient treatment option to achieve higher methane yield and lower siloxane concentration in sewage sludge. In addition, reduction of nitrogen loading by pre-aeration can reduce operating costs to achieve better effluent water quality in wastewater treatment plant and benefit the anaerobic process by minimizing the toxic effect of ammonia.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.31 no.11
• /
• pp.983-988
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to evaluate the toxicity and seek the control method of the wastewater in which nickel (Ni) was included into an industrial wastewater treatment plant. Nickel concentration of the wastewater, of which samples were taken every hour during 24hours, were various from 0.33 to 116.0 mg/L, with 24.0 mg/L of the average concentration. IC50 values against nitrosomonas and nitorbactor, a toxic level against bacteria which could inhibit 50% of nitrification bacteria in the wastewater, are 5.5 and 4.9 mg/L respectively. Nickel in this industrial wastewater can inhibit the 50% of nitrification bacteria even after diluting this wastewater 5 times. Also, this research, which reduced the nickel concentraion, forming nickel hydroxide compounds by increasing pH of the wastewater, shows that nickel concentraion can be obtained under 1.7 mg/L at pH 11 and 0.6 mg/L at pH 12. Consequently, the result of this study is that the nitrification efficiencies can be obtained from 83.8 to 99.4% with 97.6% of the average in the biological treatment after removing nickel in the wastewater by increasing the pH above 11~12, which is forming the nickel hydroxide compounds.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.34 no.4 s.96
• /
• pp.261-266
• /
• 2001

Effects of elevated carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) on soil microbial processes were studied in a northern peatland. Intact peat cores with surface vegetation were collected from a northern Welsh fen, and incubated either under elevated carbon dioxide (700 ppm) or ambient carbon dioxide (350 ppm) conditions for 4 months. Higher algal biomass was found under the elevated $CO_2$ condition, suggesting $CO_2$ fertilization effect on primary production, At the end of the incubation, trace gas production and consumption were analyzed using chemical inhibitors. For methane ($CH_4$ ), methyl fluoride ($CH_3F$) was applied to determine methane oxidation rates, while acetylene ($C_2H_2$) blocking method were applied to determine nitrification and denitrification rates. First, we have adopted those methods to optimize the reaction conditions for the wetland samples. Secondly, the methods were applied to the samples incubated under two levels of $CO_2$. The results exhibited that elevated carbon dioxide increased both methane production (210 vs. $100\;ng\;CH_4 g^{-1}\;hr^{-1}$) and oxidation (128 vs. $15\;ng\;CH_4 g^{-1}\;hr^{-1}$), resulting in no net increase in methane flux. For nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) , elevated carbon dioxide enhanced nitrous oxide emission probably from activation of nitrification process rather than denitrification rates. All of these changes seemed to be substantially influenced by higher oxygen diffusion from enhanced algal productivity under elevated $CO_2$.