• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.31-40
• /
• 1992

This study is on the biodegradability of the activated sludge, which used to biodegrade Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate(LAS), synthetic detergents and sufactants. The activated sludge in waste water treatment plant is used to the test of biodegradation of anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants, but it have the periodic change of the biological propety to the lapse of the time. For the puropse of controlling and adjusting of the activated sludge in biodegradation test, we collected microorganisms from the sewage plant and the soil, and then, made the activated sludge in semicontinuous aeration chamber. From determined biodegradation data, and the degree of biodegradability to the LAS, we confirmd the standardized synthetic activated sludge which have more stable biodegradability than the sewage activated sludge. In continuous biodegradation test, LAS(dodecene-1) was biodegraded more than 99%, In 7days by the standardized activated sludge.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.436-442
• /
• 1994

The characteristics of activated sludge affecting the biodegradation of plastic materials under aerobic condition were studied using cellophane film as a model system. The activated sludges of site 3, which treat a mixture of domestic sewage and supernatant of septic tank, obtained from December 1993 to April 1994 showed similar biodegradation activities. Biodegradations for 28 days reached around 80%. Viable cell number of inoculums maintained at a level of 10$^{6}$~10$^{7}$ /ml. In this range, viable cell number showed no relationship with biodegradation activities. The activa- ted sludges of site 2, which treat a mixture of domestic sewage and anaerobic digest of nightsoil, obtained four times from April 1993 to April 1994 showed very different biodegradation activities ranged from 20% to 80% for 28 days. Inoculum size affects biodegradation significantly. One percent inoculum showed the best biodegradation among the inoculum sizes of 0.1, 1.0 and 10%. Ten percent inoculum revealed inhibitory effects on the biodegradation activity which can be greatly reduced by centrifugation and filtration. Filtration was better than centrifugation in reducing inhibitory effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2000.05a
• /
• pp.11-14
• /
• 2000

Wastewater sludge and composted food wastes were examined as the alternatives of a landfill cover for soils to eliminate the emission of VOCs. The benefit of these alternatives is in their high sorption capacity, which is 5 to 50 times higher than natural soils. After sorption is finished, biodegradation is an important mechanism in decrease of VOCs concentration. In order to investigate appropriate VOCs degradation condition, biodegradation batch experiment is being conducted with isolated strain X9-c. Both benzene and TCE were degraded only in soil with 12%(water volume/sorbent volumn) water condition. When the water condition varied from 12 to 48% in compost, optimum water conditions of composted food waste was 36%.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.75-80
• /
• 2002

The sewage sludge with concentrated MLSS, ranging from 5967 to 8400mg/L was degraded by ultrasound. In this study, ultrasound treatment was used to investigate the behavior characterization of SBOD, sludge biodegradation, C/N ratio, TN, turbidity and sludge morphology. From the experimental results of C/N ratio change and TN removal, the optimal irradiation time was found to be 10 minutes. The results showed the relative index of sludge biodegradation(SBOD/TCOD) was enhanced to 0.76 from the initial value of 0.013 at the 5967mg/L MLSS, during the 60minutes treatment. Throughout this research, the results provide useful engineering reference data for reuse of sewage sludge using ultrasound.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.294-298
• /
• 2003

Endocrine-disrupting phenolic compounds in the water were degraded by laccase from Trametes sp. followed by activated sludge treatment. The effect of temperature on the degradation of phenolic compounds and the production of organic compounds were investigated using endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A, 2.4-dichlorophenol, and diethyl phthalate. Bisphenol A and 2.4-dichlorophenol disappeared completely after the laccase treatment, but no disappearance of diethyl phthalate was observed. The Michaelis-Menten type equation was proposed to represent the degradation rate of bisphenol A by the lacasse under various temperatures. After the laccase treatment of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the activated sludge treatment was attempted and it could convert about 85 and 75% of organic compounds produced from bisphenol A and 2.4-dichlorophenol into H$_2$O and CO$_2$, respectively.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.186-194
• /
• 2009

Understanding the environmental fate of human and animal pharmaceuticals and their risk assessment are of great importance due to their growing environmental concerns. Although there are many potential pathways for them to reach the environment, effluents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) are recognized as major point sources. In this study, the removal efficiencies of the 43 selected priority pharmaceuticals in a conventional STP were evaluated using two simple models: an equilibrium partitioning model (EPM) and STPWIN$^{TM}$ program developed by US EPA. It was expected that many pharmaceuticals are not likely to be removed by conventional activated sludge processes because of their relatively low sorption potential to suspended sludge and low biodegradability. Only a few pharmaceuticals were predicted to be easily removed by sorption or biodegradation, and hence a conventional STP may not protect the environment from the release of unwanted pharmaceuticals. However, the prediction made in this study strongly relies on sorption coefficient to suspended sludge and biodegradation half-lives, which may vary significantly depending on models. Removal efficiencies predicted using the EPM were typically higher than those predicted by STPWIN for many hydrophilic pharmaceuticals due to the difference in prediction method for sorption coefficients. Comparison with experimental organic carbon-water partition coefficients ($K_{ocs}) revealed that log KOW-based estimation used in STPWIN is likely to underestimate sorption coefficients, thus resulting low removal efficiency by sorption. Predicted values by the EPM were consistent with limited experimental data although this model does not include biodegradation processes, implying that this simple model can be very useful with reliable Koc values. Because there are not many experimental data available for priority pharmaceuticals to evaluate the model performance, it should be important to obtain reliable experimental data including sorption coefficients and biodegradation rate constants for the prediction of the fate of the selected pharmaceuticals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.342-349
• /
• 2017

Polylactic acid (PLA) has been highlighted as an alternative renewable polymer for the replacement of petroleum-based plastic materials, and is considered to be biodegradable. On the other hand, the biodegradation of PLA by terminal degraders, such as microorganisms, requires a lengthy period in the natural environment, and its mechanism is not completely understood. PLA biodegradation studies have been conducted using mainly undefined mixed cultures, but only a few bacterial strains have been isolated and examined. For further characterization of PLA biodegradation, in this study, the PLA-degrading bacteria from digester sludge were isolated and identified using a polymer film-based screening method. The enrichment of sludge on PLA granules was conducted with the serial transference of a subculture into fresh media for 40 days, and the attached biofilm was inoculated on a PLA film on an agar plate. 3D optical microscopy showed that the isolates physically degraded the PLA film due to bacterial degradation. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the microbial colonies to be Pseudomonas sp. MYK1 and Bacillus sp. MYK2. The two isolates exhibited significantly higher specific gas production rates from PLA biodegradation compared with that of the initial sludge inoculum.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.127-135
• /
• 1995

The purpose of this study was to more fully evaluate the potential for chlorophenol degradation in anaerobic sludge. The pH effects on the ring cleavage of phenol and dechlorination of monochlorophenol isomers and dichlorophenl isomers. This study results are as follows ; Each of the monochlorophenol isomers were degraded in anaerobic sludge. The relatives rates were 2-Chlorophenol > 3-Chlorophenol > 4-Chlorophenol. Biodegradation results for the dichlorophenol isomers in anaerobic sludge are such as 2,3-dichlorophenol and 2,5-dichlorophenol was reductively dechlorinated to 3-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol to 4-chlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol to 2-chlorophenol. The two dichlorophenol isomers which did not contain an ortho Cl substituent 3,4-dichlorophenol and 3,5-dichlorophenol were persistent during the 6-week incubation. The rate of dechlorination was enhanced by the presence of a Cl group ortho, rather than para, to the site of dechlorination.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.165-174
• /
• 1992

The standardized activated sludge for the biodegradation test of anion surfactants has been produced from the collected microorganisms in the soil and the wastewaters treatment plant. The activated sludge was kept under control of the pH, dissolved oxygen, microorganisms and inoculated the basal medium flasks with LAS and LAS mixed with heavy metals [Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)]. Based of results, the inhibition effect(%) of heavy metals in LAS biodegradation were 1. All 1% when LAS 30mg/l-Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) 0.1mg/l, respectively 2. All 1${\sim}$10% when LAS 30mg/l-Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) 1mg/l, respectively 3. All 10${\sim}$40% when LAS 30mg/l-Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) 10mg/l, respectively 4. All 30${\sim}$65% when LAS 30mg/l-Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) 100mg/l, respectively And toxicity order of heavy metals to the microorganisms in LAS biodegradation were Cd>Cu>Zn in low concentration(0.1${\sim}$1mg/l)and Cd>Zn>Cu in high concentration(10${\sim}$100mg/l).

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.129-137
• /
• 2011

The aim of this study is to evaluate the biodegradability of the micro-contaminant, clindamycin antibiotic, under nitrifying activated sludge (AS) condition. Based on the short-term clindamycin degradation batch test at an environmentally relevant concentration (10 ppb), clindamycin disappearance half-life ($t_{0.5}$) was estimated to be 9.1hrs under nitrification condition. However, biodegradation was slower (26.1 hrs) when nitrification was inhibited. Also, one clindamycin metabolite was detected under nitrification condition, but not under inhibited nitrification condition. Based on the mass spectra, the metabolite is suspected to be clindamycin-sulfoxide (m/z 441), which is known to have antimicrobial activity. The metabolite was not degraded during the long term batch study, suggesting that under the conditions tested, biodegradation of clindamycin in activated sludge systems is ineffective.