• Resources Recycling
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.46-54
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• 2015

In this study, an applicability of thermal pretreatment for primary and secondary sludge, which are generated in a sewage treatment plant, was evaluated. The efficiency and charateristics was investigated with each sludge after pretreatment under the condition of $100{\sim}220^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. As the result, it was found that $SCOD_{Cr}$, $NH_4{^+}$, VFAs concentrations increased as the pre-treatment temperature increased. For COD solubilization, it was also highly dependent on an increase of temperature resulting in acceleration on hydrolysis and acid fermentation. In the BMP (Biochemical Methane Potential) experiment, for the primary sludge, it showed the higher biogas production rate at a temperature of $220^{\circ}C$, however, the effect was insignificant (5.6%). Whereas, for the secondary sludge, the increase on biogass production rate was 38.8% ($180^{\circ}C$) and this means that the secondary sludge is more suitable for an applicability of thermal pretreatment.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 2017

The conversion of marine biomass to renewable energy has been considered an alternative to fossil fuels. Butanol, in particular, can be used directly as a fuel. In this experiment, the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida was selected as a biomass for biobutanol production. Hyper thermal (HT) acid hydrolysis was used as an acid hydrolysis method to produce monosaccharides. The optimal pretreatment conditions for U. pinnatifida were determined as slurry with 10% (w/v) U. pinnatifida content and 270 mM $H_2SO_4$, and heating at $160^{\circ}C$ for 7.5 min. Enzymatic saccharification was carried out with Celluclast 1.5 L, Viscozyme L, and Ultraflo Max. The optimal saccharification condition was 12 U/ml Viscozyme L. Fermentations were carried out for the production of acetone, butanol, and ethanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum KCTC 1724, Clostridium beijerinckii KCTC 1785, and Clostridium tyrobutyricum KCTC 5387. The fermentations were carried out using a pH-control. The optimal ABE fermentation condition determined using C. acetobutylicum KCTC 1724 adapted to 160 g/l mannitol. An ABE concentration of 9.05 g/l (0.99 g/l acetone, 5.62 g/l butanol, 2.44 g/l ethanol) was obtained by the consumption of 24.14 g/l monosaccharide with $Y_{ABE}$ of 0.37 in pH 5.0.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.90-98
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• 2001

The slow degradation rate of sewage sludge in anaerobic digesters is due to the rate limiting step of sludge hydrolysis. Therefore, the pre-treatment process had been carried out using acidic(pH 1.5, 3, 4, 5) and alkaline(pH9, 10, 13), thermal(50, 100, 150, $200^{\circ}C$) and ultrasonic treatment(400W, 20kHz, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60min). In the best conditions of each treatment, the SCOD ratio(%) of treated/untreared samples were increased 102% in acid(pH5), 986% in alkali(pH13), 959% in thermal($200^{\circ}C$) and 1123% in ultrasonic(35min) treatment. As the result, the ultrasonic treatment was most effective, followed by alkali, thermal, acidic treatment. In the effects of total gas productivity, the thermal($200^{\circ}C$) pretreatment was the highest, followed by thermal($150^{\circ}C$), ultrasonic(90min), alkaline(pH9) and ultrasonic(50min).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.88-94
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• 2021

The seaweed, Gracilaria verrucosa (red seaweed) was fermented to produce bioethanol. Optimal thermal acid hydrolysis conditions were determined as 200 mM H₂SO₄ and 10% (w/v) seaweed slurry at 130℃ for 60 min yielding 47.5% of pretreatment efficiency (E_p). After the thermal acid hydrolysis, enzymatic saccharification was carried out with 16 U/ml Viscozyme L, Cellic CTec2 or mixture of Viscozyme L and Cellic CTec2 to G. verrucosa hydrolysates. Enzymatic saccharifications with Viscozyme, Cellic CTec2 or mixture of those yielded 7.3 g/l glucose with efficiency of saccharification, E_s = 34.9%, 11.6 g/l glucose with E_s = 64.4% and the mixture of those 9.6 g/l glucose with E_s = 56.6%, respectively. Therefore, based on the E_s value, Cellic CTec2 was selected for the optimal enzyme for enzymatic saccharification of G. verrucosa hydrolysate. The ethanol productions with non-adapted S. cerevisiae CEN-PK2 (wild type) and S. cerevisiae CEN-PK2 with adaptive evolution to galactose produced 8.5 g/l ethanol with Y_EtOH = 0.19 and 21.5 g/l ethanol with Y_EtOH = 0.50 at 144 h, respectively. From these results, the ethanol production by S. cerevisiae with adaptive evolution showed high concentration of ethanol production using G. verrucosa as a substrate.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2016

Thermal acid hydrolysis pretreatment of Kappaphycus alvarezii was carried out with 12% (w/v) seaweed slurry and 180 mM H₂SO₄ at 140°C for 5 min. Utility of the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus KCTC7150 was evaluated with respect to cell growth and ethanol fermentation at 40°C was close to optimal for enzymatic hydrolysis. This could lead to the integration of both the saccharification and fermentation processes. The levels of ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with non-adapted and adapted K. marxianus KCTC7150 were 9.1 g/l with an ethanol yield (Y_EtOH) of 0.24 and 10.2 g/l with an ethanol yield (Y_EtOH) of 0.27 at 156 h, respectively. The two-phase SSF process was employed in this study to improve the efficiency of ethanol fermentation. Adapted K. marxianus KCTC7150 using the two-phase SSF process produced 13.5 g/l with an ethanol yield (Y_EtOH) of 0.35 at 96 h. Development of the two-phase SSF process could enhance the overall ethanol fermentation yields of the seaweed K. alvarezii.