• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.173-180
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• 2006

Autotrophic nitrogen removal and its microbial community from a laboratory scale upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor were characterized with dynamic behavior of nitrogen removal and sequencing result of molecular technique (DNA extraction, PCR and amplification of 16S rDNA), respectively. In the experiment treating inorganic wastewater, the anaerobic granular sludge from a full-scale UASB reactor treating industrial wastewater was inoculated as seed biomass. The operating results revealed that an addition of hydroxylamine would result in lithoautotrophic ammonium oxidation to nitrite/nitrate, and also hydrazine would play an important role for the success of sustainable nitrogen removal process. Total N and ammonium removal of 48% and 92% was observed, corresponding to nitrogen conversion of 0.023 g N/L-d. The reddish brown-colored granular sludge with a diameter of $1{\sim}2\;mm$ was observed at the lower part of sludge bed. The microbial characterization suggests that an anoxic ammonium oxidizer and an anoxic denitrifying autotrophic nitrifier contribute mainly to the nitrogen removal in the reactor. The results revealed the feasibility on development of high performance lithoautotrophic nitrogen removal process with its microbial granulation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1135-1142
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate of aerobic granulation by using aerobic granular reactor. To make aerobic granular sludge in short period of time, we used polymer. In reactor, we have studied on physicochemical characteristics of particle size, density, and microbial secreting polymer depending on aerobic particle's formation. The results of running aerobic granular reactor with 3, 6, 9 $kg{\cdot}COD/m^3{\cdot}d$ of COD loading rate and 35 days reaction time showed that particle size were 3.6 mm, 4.3 mm, and 3.4 mm respectively. The settling velocities were 1.5 cm/s, 1.6 cm/s, and 1.2 cm/s respectively. The microbic growth rates were 0.12 $d^{-1}$, 0.135 $d^{-1}$, and 0.133 $d^{-1}$ respectively. The overall result of aerobic granular reactor showed that $6kg{\cdot}COD/m^3{\cdot}d$ of COD loading rate had optimal physicochemical characteristics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.378-384
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• 2003

Mesophilically-grown granular sludge seeded in thermophilic UASB reactor was monitored to better understand the start-up process of the reactor. The reactor was fed with a synthetic wastewater containing glucose. As COD loading rate increased stepwise, methane production rate increased. Maximum values of COD removal efficiency (95%) and methane production rate (5.3 l/day) were achieved by approximately day-80 and remained constant afterward. However, physicochemical and microbial properties of granules kept changing even after day-80. Specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was initially negligible, and increased continuously until day-153 and remained constant afterward, showing the maximum value of $1.51{\pm}0.13\;g\;CH_4-COD/g$ VSS/day. Deteriorated settling ability of granules recovered the initial value by day-98 and was maintained afterward, as determined by sludge volume index. Initially reduced granule size increased until day-126, reaching a plateau of 1.1 mm. Combined use of fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) allowed to localize families of Methanosaetaceae and Merhanosarcinaceae in granules with time Quantitative analyses of CLSM images of granule sections showed abundance patterns of the methanogens and numerical dominance of Methanosaeta spp. throughout the start-up period. The trend of SMA agreed well with abundance patterns of the methanogens.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.669-676
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different Hydraulic Retention Times (HRTs) on the contaminant removal efficiency using Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS). A laboratory-scale experiment was performed using a sequencing batch reactor, and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrogen, orthophosphate removal efficiency, AGS/MLSS ratio, and precipitability in accordance with the HRT were evaluated. As a result, the COD removal efficiency was not significantly different with the reduction in HRT, and at a HRT of 6 h, the removal rate was slightly increased owing to the increase in organic loading rate. The nitrogen removal efficiency was improved by injection of influent division at a HRT of 6 h. As the HRT decreased, the MLSS and AGS tended to increase, and the sludge volume index finally decreased to 50 mL/g. In addition, the size of the AGS gradually increased to about 1.0 mm. Therefore, the control of HRT provides favorable conditions for the stable formation of AGS, and is expected to improve the contaminant removal efficiency with the selection of a proper operation strategy.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.719-727
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• 2019

In this study, the effect on the stability of Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) with different Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratios was investigated. The C/N ratios were controlled to 10.0, 7.5, 5.0, and 2.5 using the sequencing batch reactor, and the results showed that the removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen decreased simultaneously with the decrease of C/N ratio. The removal efficiency of organic matter and total nitrogen at C/N ratio of 2.5 was 70.7% and 52.3% respectively. In addition, the AGS/mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) ratio showed a tendency to decrease from 85.7% to 73.7%, while the sludge volume index showed a tendency to increase from 82 mL/g to 102 mL/g as the C/N ratio decreased. At the same time, the apparent deviation of polysaccharide (PS) content in extracellular polymeric substances was observed, and polysaccharides/protein (PS/PN) ratio decreased from 0.62 to 0.31 as the C/N ratio decreased. Optical microscope observations showed that the reduction in C/N ratio caused the growth of filamentous bacteria and significantly affected the stability of AGS.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2011

In the present work, the aerobic particle's characteristics were enhanced. A polymer was used to make aerobic granular sludge in short period of time. And operation parameters were calculated for organic matter removal in domestic wastewater using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The experiment for sewage (Influent concentration of 63~72 mg COD/L) by using mature aerobic granular sludge showed the organic matter removal rate k and oxygen utilization coefficient a', b' were $10.161d^{-1}$ and 0.87 mg $O_2/mg$ $COD_r$, 0.11 mg $O_2/mg$ MLVSS d respectively. Therefore, it was more effective than K value $5{\sim}8d^{-1}$ of conventional activated sludge process. The sludge synthetic value and sludge auto-oxydation value were 0.45 mg VSS/mg $COD_r$ and 0.05 mg VSS/mg MLVSS d respectively. Consequently, mortality rates of microorganisms was lower than conventional activated sludge process.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.300-307
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• 2006

The combined SHARON (Single reactor system for High ammonium Removal Over Nitrite)-ANAMMOX (Anaerobic ammonium oxidation) reactor were operated in mesophilic condition ($35^{\circ}C$). In this study, microbial granulation and characteristics of SHARON and ANAMMOX sludges were investigated using settling test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH). In SHARON reactor, Aerobic granulation with diameter of 1.5~2.5 mm was accomplished but aerobic granulation was weaker than anaerobic granular sludge. Initial seed sludge of ANAMMOX reactor was used as attached media for biofilm growth. ANAMMOX sludge was more compact and rounder rather than seed sludge. Though ANAMMOX sludge has high activity, it has lower settling ability than the seed granule. The color of ANAMMOX sludge was changed from dark to redish brown granular with diameter of 1~2 mm. In FISH of ANAMMOX sludge, high fraction of Candidatus B. stuttgartiensis which paid great role of nitrogen conversion was detected. Also, FISH results reveals that ANAMMOX bacteria inhabit at inner parts near surface, having advantages in utilization of substrates and protection from oxygen inhibition.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 2022

In wastewater treatment processes huge quantities of sludge are produced continuously each year. This work investigated the reuse of two types of sludge as biosorbents of a toxic dye. The potential of granular and filamentous fungus dried sludge for the elimination of eosin from aqueous solution was studied in batch system. The effect of initial concentration and temperature was examined. Maximum uptake was observed at 100 mg l^-1 and 30 ℃. The maximum removal rate was 92% for the granular sludge and 90% for the filamentous one. Equilibrium was attained after 30 min for the studied dye concentrations. The equilibrium uptake increased with the initial eosin concentration. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were also investigated. The reuse of disposed sludge as adsorbent could be a solution for the valorization of such dangerous waste to resolve two environmental problems at the same time.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.513-524
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• 1996

Laboratory investigation was conducted to evaluat the mixing effects on organic removal efficiency to treat low-strength synthetic wastewater using modified anaerobic - filter reactor combining anaerobic filter and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket. Using the modified process the low-strength wastewater like municipal sewage could be treated with 85% T-COD removal efficiency at hydraulic retention time of 6 hours. At the constant organic loading of 0.5 kg COD/m 3-day, the organic removal efficiency and effluent COD concentration are increased as influent COD concentration increased from 125 mg/l to 500 mg/l. Mixing effects on organic removal efficiency are evident and optimum mixing speed is found as 50RPM. Placing the granular sludge and media on which slime layer was pre-formed into the reactor seemed to be very effective In achieving short start-up period. Therefore, the steady state was achived after 4 weeks and 1 week based on T-COD and S-COD, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.172-181
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• 2001

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) system employs granular sludge to treat various wastewaters including landfill leachate. CH$_4$ production of the granules determines overall performance of a UASB reactor. Sludge granules are developed by self-granulation of microorganisms and dynamic balance between granule growth and decay results in coexistence of granules with different sizes in the reactor. In this study, granules taken from a laboratory-scale UASB reactor were classified into 4 groups based on their diameters and their Physicochemical characteristics we were investigated. Each group was analyzed for settling ability, specific methanogenic activity (SMA), and elemental content. Settling ability was proportional to granule diameter. suggesting effective detainment of larger granules in the reactor. When acetate or glucose was used as a substrate, all groups showed relatively slight difference in SMA. However SMA with a volatile fatty acid mixture showed significant increase with granule diameter, suggesting better establishment of syntrophic relationship in larger granules. Larger granules showed higher value of SMA upon environmental changes (i.e., PH, temperature, or toxicant concentration). Comparative analysis of elemental contents showed that content (dry weight %) of most tested elements (iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, nickel. and manganese) deceased with granule diameter, suggesting importance of these elements for initial granulation. Taken together, this study verified experimentally that Physicochemical Properties of granules are related to granule size distributions. Overall results of physicochemical characterization supports that larger.