• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2010

The electrode material is one of the factors affecting the power production of microbial fuel cell. In this study, effects of carbon electrode material, thickness and configuration on the power density, biofilm formation and microbial community diversity of microbial fuel cell were investigated. To optimize the anode-cathode electrode assembly, seven lab-scale reactors which had various carbon electrode constructions were operated in continuous mode. Under the steady state condition, the electrode combination of graphite felt (6 mm) with hole showed the highest cell voltage of 238 mV and the coulombic efficiency of 37%. As a result of SEM analysis, the bacteria growing on surface of knitted type of carbon cloth and graphite felt electrode ncreased significantly. The change of dominant species between seeding sludge and biofilm on the surface of anode electrode, microbial analysis with PCR-DGGE showed that the dominant species of seeding sludge are quite different from those of biofilm on the surface of each anode electrode. Especially Geobacter sp., a well known electrochemical bacteria, was found as the dominant species of the electrode combination with graphite felt.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2019

Constructed wetlands are improvised man-made systems, designed for adopting the principle of natural wetlands for purifying wastewater - the elixir of life. They are used widely as a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for treating greywater generated from different tertiary treatment sources. It provides an elaborate platform for research activities in an attempt to recycle earth's natural resources. Among the several organic impurities removal mechanisms existing in constructed wetland systems, the earth's active microbial population plays a vital role. This review deals with the recent advancements in constructed wetland systems from a microbiological perspective to (effect/ devise/ formulate) chemical and physical treatment for water impurities. It focuses on microbial diversity studies in constructed wetlands, influence of wetland media on microbial diversity and wetland performance, role of specific microbes in water reuse, removal of trace elements, some heavy metals and antibiotics in constructed wetlands. The impurities removal processes in constructed wetlands is achieved by combined interactive systems such as selected plant species, nature of substrate used for microbial diversity and several biogeochemical effected reaction cycles in wetland systems. Therefore, the correlation studies that have been conducted by earlier researchers in microbial diversity in wetlands are addressed herewith.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to compare crop contamination between two irrigation methods using microbial-contaminated water. The effect of relative humidity on microbial survival of the three indicator microorganisms was also investigated. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Clostridium perfringens ATCC 3624, and coliphage PRD1 were applied to irrigation water to grow cantaloupe, lettuce, and bell pepper. Half of the sixteen plots were subsurface drip irrigated (SDI) and the other half were furrow irrigated (FI). Two relative humidity levels were controlled at 15-65 % and 55-80 % for the dry and humid condition experiments, respectively. Samples of produce, surface soil, and subsurface soil at a depth of 10 cm were collected over a two-week period following the application of the study microorganisms. Overall, greater contamination of both produce and soil occurred in the FI plots. For the SDI plots, preferential water paths and resulting water appearance on the seed beds seemed to be responsible for produce contamination. Relative humidity levels did not appear to affect microbial survival in soil. PRD 1 showed lower inactivation rates than 5. coli in both dry and humid conditions. C. perfringens did not experience significant inactivation over the experimental period, suggesting this microorganism can be an effective indicator of fecal contamination.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1187-1193
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• 2012

The aim of this research is to enhance the bottom environment of Geoje fish farm that has been severely contaminated. Treatment of microbial agent and/or calcium oxide significantly changed that environment: in ignition loss, either treatment (25% or 21%) showed better than mixed treatment (13.2%). In COD, the oxygen releasing agent or mixed treatment reduced the index by more than 20%. In T-P and T-N, the effects of $CaO_2$ on them were overwhelming (50% or more) meanwhile that of the microbial agent on them was less than 20%. Also, $CaO_2$ influenced on the microbial flora: Desulfobvibrio thermophilus, a sulfate reducing bacterium decreased in number, considering the increase of pH and rise of redox potential. In contrast, Pseudomonas sp., Pseudoalteromonas sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa were remarkably dominant over other species with mixed treatment as a PCA analysis confirmed it.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1745-1753
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• 2014

Sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC), equipped with Zn, Al, Cu, Fe or graphite felt (GF) anode and marine sediment, was performed. Graphite felt was used as a common cathode. SMFC was single chambered and did not use any redox mediator. The aim of this work was to find efficient anodic material. Oxidation reduction potential (ORP), cell voltage, current density, power density, pH and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were measured for SMFC's performance.. The order of maximum power density was $913mWm^{-2}$ for Zn, $646mWm^{-2}$ for Fe, $387.8mWm^{-2}$ for Cu, $266mWm^{-2}$ for Al, and $127mWm^{-2}$ for graphite felt (GF). The current density over voltage was found to be strongly correlated with metal electrodes, but the graphite felt electrode, in which relatively weaker electricity was observed because of its bio-oriented mechanism. Metal corrosion reactions and/or a complicated microbial electron transfer mechanism acting around the anodic compartment may facilitate to generate electricity. We presume that more sophisticated selection of anodic material can lead to better performance in SMFC.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4527-4542
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• 2023

The present microbial reinforcement of rock and soil exhibits limitations, such as uneven reinforcement effectiveness and low calcium carbonate generation rate, resulting in limited solidification strength. This study introduces electroosmosis as a standard microbial grouting reinforcement technique and investigates its solidification effects on microbial-reinforced uranium tailings. The most effective electroosmosis effect on uranium tailings occurs under a potential gradient of 1.25 V/cm. The findings indicate that a weak electric field can effectively promote microbial growth and biological activity and accelerate bacterial metabolism. The largest calcium carbonate production occurred under the gradient of 0.5 V/cm, featuring a good crystal combination and the best cementation effect. Staged electroosmosis and electrode conversion efficiently drive the migration of anions and cations. Under electroosmosis, the cohesion of uranium tailings reinforced by microorganisms increased by 37.3% and 64.8% compared to those reinforced by common microorganisms and undisturbed uranium tailings, respectively. The internal friction angle is also improved, significantly enhancing the uniformity of reinforcement and a denser and stronger microscopic structure. This research demonstrates that MICP technology enhances the solidification effects and uniformity of uranium tailings, providing a novel approach to maintaining the safety and stability of uranium tailings dams.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.595-603
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• 2018

This study was conducted to understand the growth of attached microbial community in small and medium streams of Gyeonggi-do and the removal efficiency of fluoride with changes in growth. The sites monitoring were carried out for 12 weeks at the P1 and P2(P1 is the point where the discharge water flows. P2 is the downstream point of about 2 km flow), and investigated the water quality and the biomass analysis of the attached microbial community. The growth of the attached microbial community increased up to the 7th investigation, and it was observed that detachment phenomenon occurred. Influencing factors about growth of the attached microbial community were flow rate, velocity, and organic material(T-N & T-P). Meanwhile, fluoride content of attached microbial community also tended to increase until the 7th investigation, and decrease from the 8th. It is assumed that fluoride content has also be reduced with the detachment phenomenon of the attached microbial community. It is expected that this will contribute to the evaluation and management of the use of attached microbial community as a means of stream management. The application of techniques using the attached microbial community should include basic investigation of factors that may affect the growth of the attached microbial community and replacement of the attachment plate according to the time of removal.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1352-1356
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• 2008

Bootstrap method, a computer-intensive statistical technique to estimate the distribution of a statistic was applied to deal with uncertainty and variability of the experimental data in stochastic prediction modeling of microbial growth on a chill-stored food. Three different bootstrapping methods for the curve-fitting to the microbial count data were compared in determining the parameters of Baranyi and Roberts growth model: nonlinear regression to static version function with resampling residuals onto all the experimental microbial count data; static version regression onto mean counts at sampling times; dynamic version fitting of differential equations onto the bootstrapped mean counts. All the methods outputted almost same mean values of the parameters with difference in their distribution. Parameter search according to the dynamic form of differential equations resulted in the largest distribution of the model parameters but produced the confidence interval of the predicted microbial count close to those of nonlinear regression of static equation.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.339-344
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• 2004

A method for synthesizing branched fructo-oligosaccharides (BFOS) with a high concentration of sucrose ($1{\~}3$ M) was developed using levansucrase prepared from Leuconortoc mesenteroides B-1355C. The degree of polymerization of oligosaccharides synthesized according to the present method ranged from 2 to over 15. The synthesized BFOS were stable at a pH ranges of 2 to 4 under $120^{\circ}C$. The percentage of BFOS in the reaction digest was $95.7\%$ (excluding monosaccharides; $4.3\%$ was levan). BFOS reduced the insoluble glucan formation by Streptococcus sobrinus on the surfaces of glass vials or stainless steel wires in the presence of sucrose. They also reduced the growth and acid productions of S, sobrinus. Oligosaccharides can be used as sweeteners for foods such as beverages requiring thermo- and acid-stable properties and 3s potential inhibitors of dental caries.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1310-1320
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• 2020

Low-quality soil for land reuse is a crucial problem in vegetation quality and especially to waste disposal sites in mining areas. It is necessary to find suitable materials to improve the soil quality and especially to increase soil microbial diversity and activity. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of a mixed material of humic acid, super absorbent polymer and biochar on low-quality soil indexes and the microbial community response. The indexes included soil physicochemical properties and the corresponding plant growth. The results showed that the mixed material could improve chemical properties and physical structure of soil by increasing the bulk density, porosity, macro aggregate, and promote the mineralization of nutrient elements in soil. The best performance was achieved by adding 3 g·kg^-1 super absorbent polymer, 3 g·kg^-1 humic acid, and 10 g·kg^-1 biochar to soil with plant total nitrogen, dry weight and height increased by 85.18%, 266.41% and 74.06%, respectively. Physicochemical properties caused changes in soil microbial diversity. Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Planctomycetes, and Proteobacteria were significantly positively correlated with most of the physical, chemical and plant indicators. Actinobacteria and Armatimonadetes were significantly negatively correlated with most measurement factors. Therefore, this study can contribute to improving the understanding of low-quality soil and how it affects soil microbial functions and sustainability.