• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.20-26
• /
• 2023

Emitted CO₂ is an attractive material for microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction (i.e., microbial electrosynthesis, MES) using biocatalysts has advantages compared to conventional CO₂ reduction using electrocatalysts. However, MES has several challenges, including electrode performance, biocatalysts, and reactor optimization. In this study, an MES system was investigated for optimizing reactor types, counter electrode materials, and CO₂-converting microorganisms to achieve effective CO₂ upcycling. In autotrophic cultivation (supplementation of CO₂ and H₂), CO₂ consumption of Rhodobacter sphaeroides was observed to be four times higher than that with heterotrophic cultivation (supplementation of succinic acid). The bacterial growth in an MES reactor with a single-chambered shape was two times higher than that with a double chamber (H-type MES reactor). Moreover, a single-chambered MES reactor equipped with titanium mesh as the counter electrode (anode) showed markedly increased current density in the graphite felt as a working electrode (cathode) compared to that with a graphite felt counter electrode (anode). These results demonstrate that the optimized conditions of a single chamber and titanium mesh for the counter electrode have a positive effect on microbial electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.62-67
• /
• 2024

In this paper, we developed and optimized a chitosan-based polymer microbial bead carrier that is cell-friendly, has a high moisture absorption rate, and effectively provides the conditions for microbial biomineral formation as an optimal microbial carrier that protects microorganisms in concrete, and evaluated the self-healing performance of mortar using it. In order to incorporate circular-shaped microbial endospores, a circular-shaped microbial bead carrier was developed by combining chitosan and alginate polymers, and the amount of calcium carbonate produced could be actively controlled by adjusting the composition of the carrier. The amount of biominerals formed and the size of crystals were maximized in the hydrogel bead carrier containing chitosan, and in the case of mortar cracks using this, it was confirmed that self-healing of cracks with a maximum crack width of 0.3mm was achieved within 96 hours after crack generation.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.681-686
• /
• 2019

In this work, the effect of the culture medium composition on microbial growth and ethanol production in Clostridium autoethanogenum culture was investigated to enhance the ethanol productivity. D-Ca-pantothenate, vitamin B₁₂ (as vitamins), and sodium sulfide (as sulfur source) were selected as examined components, and the effects of components' concentration on cell growth and ethanol production was investigated. For D-Ca-pantothenate concentrations varing from 0.5, 5, 50 and 500 mg/L, a slight increase in the ethanol production was observed at the 0.5 mg/L, but negligible differences in microbial growth and ethanol production were measured for the concentration ranges examined. The effect of vitamin B₁₂ concentrations from 0.1, 1.0, 10, and 100 mg/L on the microbial growth and ethanol production was investigated, and it was found that the ethanol production using a 0.1 mg/L of vitamin B₁₂ concentration increased by 245% compared to that of using the basic medium concentration (10 mg/L). The effect of sodium sulfide concentrations (0.5, 5, and 10 g/L) on the microbial growth and ethanol production was also studied, and the inhibition of microbial growth was observed when the sodium sulfide usage was over 0.5 g/L. In conclusion, changes in D-Ca-pantothenate and sodium sulfide concentrations did not affect the ethanol production, whereas even a 100 times lower concentration of vitamin B₁₂ than that of the basic medium improved the production.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.423-428
• /
• 2020

In this work, we investigated the effect of the concentration of medium components on microbial growth and ethanol production in order to improve ethanol productivity in the Clostridium autoethanogenum culture process using syngas as a sole carbon source. Molybenum, nickel and cobalt (as heavy metal ions) were selected as examined components, and the effects of components concentration on the cell growth and ethanol production was examined. Among molybdenum concentrations of 0, 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 g/L. a slight increase in ethanol production was observed at 0.001 g/L, but significant differences in the microbial growth and ethanol production were not observed in the examined concentration range. In the case of nickel concentration of 0, 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 g/L, the change in the microbial growth and ethanol production was investigated, and it was found that the ethanol production using 0.001 g/L increased by 26% compared to that of using the basal medium concentration (0.01g/L). The effect of cobalt concentrations (0, 0.018, 0.18 and 1.8 g/L) on the microbial growth and ethanol production was also investigated, and the inhibition of microbial growth was observed when the cobalt usage was over 0.18 g/L. In conclusion, cobalt did not show any further improvement of ethanol production by changing concentration, however, molybdenum and nickel showed increases in the produced ethanol concentration compared to that of using 1/10 times of the basal medium concentration.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.438-442
• /
• 2007

A biosensor using electrochemically-active bacteria (EAB) enriched in three-electrode electrochemical cell, was developed for the determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in wastewater. In the electrochemical cell, the positively poised working electrode with applying a potential of 0.7 V was used as an electron acceptor for the EAB. The experimental results using artificial and raw wastewater showed that the current pattern generated by the biosensor and its Coulombic yield were proportional to the concentration of organic matter in wastewater. The correlation coefficients of BOD vs Coulombic yield and $BOD_5$ vs Coulombic yield were 0.99 and 0.98, respectively. These results indicate that the biosensor enriched with the EAB capable of transferring electrons directly toward the electrode can be utilized as a water-quality monitoring system due to a quick and accurate response.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.209-221
• /
• 2019

In this study, the changes in microbial communities of lamb meat packaged in the air (plastic tray, PT) and in a vacuum pouch (VAC) were assessed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) during the storage at $4^{\circ}C$. For the PT lamb, the total viable count (TVC) was $10^7CFU/g$ on Day 5, and the dominated bacteria were Pseudomonas fragi, P. fluorescens, and Acinetobacter spp. For the VAC lamb, the TVC was $10^7CFU/g$ on Day 9, and the dominated bacteria were lactic acid bacteria, including Carnobacterium divergens, C. maltaromaticum, and Lactococcus piscium. One strain of Pseudomonas spp. also appeared in VAC lamb. The relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in VAC lamb was higher than that PT lamb, indicating a more important role of Enterobacteriaceae in spoilage for VAC lamb than that of PT lamb. The microbial compositions changed faster in the lamb stored in a PT than that stored in a VAC, and microbial community compositions of the late storage period were largely different from those of the early storage period for both the conditions. The findings of this study may guide improve the lamb hygiene and prolong the shelf life of the lamb.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.369-378
• /
• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of dietary microbial probiotics on the growth and disease resistance of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), and the effects of the probiotic bioaugmentation on the microbial community structure and water quality. For the analysis, 80 juvenile fish (average weight, $25.7{\pm}7.6g$; average length, $15.2{\pm}1.7cm$) were fed a basal diet containing a commercial microbial product CES-AQ1 (CES; $1{\times}10^9\;CFU/kg$ diet) in an RAS for 8 weeks. Weight gain, the specific growth rate, feed efficiency, and protein efficiency ratio of the fish fed the CES diet in the RAS were 1.5~2.5 times higher than those of fish fed the basal diet alone, or the basal diet containing oxytetracycline (OTC), yeast plus bacterium, or Bacillus subtilis in a still water system. There was no significant difference in the pathogen challenge test between fish fed the OTC diet and fish fed the CES diet in the RAS, suggesting the CES-AQ1 probiotic used in the RAS as a potential replacement for antibiotics. The RAS biofilter maintained the highest microbial diversity and appeared to harbor microbial communities with ammonium oxidation, denitrification, and fish pathogen suppression functions. Ammonia, which is hazardous to fish, was significantly decreased to < 0.5 mg/L in 19 days, indicating the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation to maintain good water quality in RAS. These results suggest that the intestinal microbial communities of fish are stabilized by a probiotic-containing diet (CES) and that bioaugmentation with probiotics may be an eco-friendly and economical supplement for aquaculture of olive flounder, promoting both good water quality and fish health in an RAS.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.195-206
• /
• 2016

Today, application of additives to replace cement in order to improve concrete mixes is widely promoted. Micro-silica is among the best pozzolanic additives which can desirably contribute to the concrete characteristics provided it is used properly. In this paper, the effects of AP2RC and P1RB micro-silica gels on strength characteristics of normal concrete are investigated. Obtained results indicated that the application of these additives not only provided proper workability during construction, but also led to increased tensile, compressive and flexural strength values for the concrete during early ages as well as ultimate ones with the resulting reduction in the porosity lowering permeability of the micro-silica concrete. Furthermore, evaluation of microbial contamination of the mentioned gels showed the resultant contamination level to be within the permitted range.

• Particle and aerosol research
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.77-87
• /
• 2023

We present the development of a wetcyclone sampler designed for the sampling of airborne bacteria. The wetcyclone design involves a combination of two traditional cyclone shapes and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to validate its effectiveness in terms of pressure drop and collection efficiency. The wetcyclone exhibits a collection efficiency of over 90% for bacteria, specifically targeting Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the wetcyclone enables continuous bioaerosol sampling using a liquid medium (deionized water), demonstrating a concentration ratio exceeding >105 and a stable microbial recovery rate of 81.9%. The application of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and the colony counting method ensures precise measurement of the concentration ratio and microbial recovery rate.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.179-183
• /
• 2018

Recently, several studies have been conducted on biogas and organic compost production using food waste in an anaerobic digester. In this study, basic experiments were conducted to produce biogas and compost by fermenting food wastes with microbial agents. First, a microbial agent was developed by combining various microorganisms. Then, the amount of generated biogas was identified through a food waste batch experiment. Further, we could maximize and demonstrate biogas production in an anaerobic digester by examining biogas production and composting in a pilot plant.