• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.661-668
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• 2018

Geosmin is volatile metabolites produced by a range of filamentous cyanobacteria which causes taste and odor problems in drinking water. Molecular ecological methods which target biosynthetic genes (geoA) are widely adopted to detect geosmin-producing cyanobacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential production capability of 8 strains isolated from the Nakdong River. Ultimately, a suggestion for a genetical monitoring tool for the identification of geosmin producers in domestic waters was to be made. Geosmin was detected using solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) in two strains of Dolichospermum plactonicum (DGUC006, DGUC012) that were cultured for 28 day. The highest concentrations during the experiment period was $17,535ngL^{-1}$ and $14,311ngL^{-1}$ respectively. Additionally, geoA genes were amplified using two primers (geo78F/971R and geo78F/982R) from strains shown to produce geosmin, while amplification products were not detected in any of non-producing strains. PCR product (766 bp) was slightly shorter than the expected size for geosmin producers. According to the BLAST analysis, amplified genes were at nucleotide level with Anabaena ucrainica (HQ404996, HQ404997), Dolichospermum planctonicum (KM13400) and Dolichospermum ucrainicum (MF996872) between 99 ~ 100 %. Both strains were thus confirmed as potential geosmin-producing species. We concluded that the molecular method of analysis was a useful tool for monitoring potential cyanobacterial producers of geosmin.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.342-349
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• 2014

This study was conducted to identify the bloom-forming Anabaena strains with two phenotypes (straight-type and coil-type) isolated from North Han River (Sambong-ri Joam-myun) using 16S rDNA sequence. The odor material producing potential was also examined using the geosmin-synthesizing gene cluster. Despite of striking morphological difference of the two stains, resembling A. circinalis and A. crassa species, the phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA identified the both strains as a single species of A. circinalis with high genetic similarity (98%~100%). Also, two Anabaena strains showed to possess the geosmin-synthesizing gene cluster, indicating that they are capable of producing the odor substance. This study is the first report that provides the direct evidence of geosmin production in the gene level by A. circinalis in Korea, and provides important basic information to identify the source alga of geosmin increase and its management in North Han River.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2017

This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of geosmin production of Anabaena circinalis under different environmental condition. The test cyanobacterium was isolated from Lake Paldang. The growth rate and geosmin production of A. circinalis were examined with different variables including temperature (10, 15, 20, $25^{\circ}C$), light intensity (60, 120, $240{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$), and phosphorus concentration (0.01, 0.05, 0.25, 0.50, $1.00mg\;L^{-1}$). The highest growth rate and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration appeared at $25^{\circ}C$, $60{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$ and $1.00mgP\;L^{-1}$ for temperature, light intensity, and P concentration, respectively. Total geosmin production was highest at the optimal growth condition of each variable, while chlorophyll-specific geosmin production (the ratio of geosmin to Chl-a) was higher at the less favorable growth condition, indicating high potential of the off-flavor problem during low temperature period, e.g., late fall and early winter. Our results demonstrated that geosmin production of A. circinalis was directly related to chlorophyll synthesis and varied with cellular growth condition.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 2011

In this study, three pilot-scale plants with the capacity 30 $m^3$/day were designed and set up to treat reservoir water for the production of drinking water. Three treatment processes were compared in the pilot testing: process 1 (coagulation- flocculation- sedimentationsand filtration- ozone- BAC); process 2 (coagulation- flocculation- sedimentation- microfiltration-ozone- BAC); and process 3 (coagulation- flocculation- sedimentation- sand filtration- GAC). The quality of water has been evaluated on the basis of selected parameters such as turbidity, color, consumption of $KMnO_4$, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), geosmin and 2-MIB. A detailed assessment of performance was carried out during a five months operation. Process 2 was found to have better removal efficiency of DOC, THMFP, geosmin and 2-MIB than process 1 and process 3 under identical conditions, although the removal rate of color was found to be the same in the three cases.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.381-397
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• 2021

Off-flavor materials (geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB)) produced by microorganisms, such as, cyanobacteria and actinomycetes, cause freshwater use problems worldwide. Due to unpleasant taste and odor, these microorganisms have raised issues especially in drinking water resources. Recently, there has been increasing concern about 2-MIB and causal cyanobacteria, namely, Pseudanabaena, in Korea. However, material production and ecological dynamics remain largely unexplored. This study reviewed the distribution of Pseudanabaena, its species diversity, and the research trend of molecular ecology related to 2-MIB production in Korea. Based on published literature, we found that seven species of Pseudanabaena which include P. mucicola, P. limnetica, P. redekei, P. catenata, P. galeata, P. yagii, and P. cinerea appeared to occur in a variety of Korean water systems. All of these Pseudanabaena species were found in the North-Han River system (Lakes Soyang, Chuncheon, Uiam, and Paldang). Some of these species were also detected in other watersheds, but the precise species diversity was not identified. Species belonging to the Pseudanabaena genus are hard to classify through general microscopic alpha taxonomy, due to their very small cell size and similar morphological characters. Moreover, the potential of 2-MIB production cannot be detected by microscopic observation. Combining molecular ecological techniques, such as, environmental genomic materials (eDNA, eRNA) analyses to conventional methods could be useful to better understand the off-flavor material production and dynamics, thereby providing more efficient management strategies of freshwater systems.