• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1473-1480
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• 2011

Perchlorate ($ClO_4^-$) is a contaminant found in surface water and soil/ground water. Microbial removal of perchlorate is the method of choice since microorganisms can reduce perchlorate into harmless end-products. Such microorganisms require an electron donor to reduce perchlorate. Conventional perchlorate-removal techniques employ heterotrophic perchlorate-reducing bacteria that use organic compounds as electron donors to reduce perchlorate. Since continuous removal of perchlorate requires a continuous supply of organic compounds, heterotrophic perchlorate removal is an expensive process. Feasibility of autotrophic perchlorate-removal using elemental sulfur granules and activated sludge was examined in this study. Granular sulfur is relatively inexpensive and activated sludge is easily available from wastewater treatment plants. Batch tests showed that activated sludge microorganisms could successfully degrade perchlorate in the presence of granular sulfur as an electron donor. Perchlorate biodegradation was confirmed by molar yield of $Cl^-$ as the perchlorate was degraded. Scanning electron microscope revealed that rod-shaped microorganisms on the surface of sulfur particles were used for the autotrophic perchlorate-removal, suggesting that sulfur particles could serve as supporting media for the formation of biofilm as well. DGGE analyses revealed that microbial profile of the inoculum (activated sludge) was different from that of the biofilm sample obtained from enrichment culture that used sulfur particles for $ClO_4^-$-degradation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2012

Increasing concerns over green farming technology, plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGRP) having growth promoting as well as plant disease suppressing properties was recently preferred to use for biological control of plant pathogens infecting plant. We measured the influence of the selected microbial consortium agents-a mixture of PGPR strains-, commercial bio-fungicide, and chemical pesticides on soil microbial community in red pepper field. The activities of soil enzyme such as dehydrogenase, urease, phosphatase, ${\beta}$-glucosidase, and cellulase were analyzed to investigate that of soil microbial community. We also measured plant length, main stem, stem diameter, number of branches and yields of red-pepper in order to observe the red pepper growth promotion. The results of measuring enzyme activities were dehydrogenase 3.5584 ${\mu}g$ TPF $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, urease 15.8689 ${\mu}g$ $NH_4{^-}N$ $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, phosphatase 0.5692 ${\mu}g$ PNP $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, ${\beta}$-glucosidase 2.4785 ${\mu}g$ PNP $g^{-1}h^{-1}$, and cellulase 86.1597 ${\mu}g$ glucose $g^{-1}h^{-1}$ in the soil treated with the microbial consortium agents, so it came out to be very active in the soil. Observing the growth of red-peppers, the main-stem length and the stem diameter were 6.1% and 8.1% higher in the soil treated with the selected microbial consortium agent than the chemical pesticides. After harvesting, yields were 7.3% higher in the soil treated with selected microbial consortium agents than the chemical pesticides. These results showed that microbial consortium agents contribute to increasing soil microbial diversity, growth promoting, and yield of red pepper.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.128-136
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• 2006

This study was conducted for developing the stability parameter in uncontrolled landfill by using a biomolecular investigation on the microbial community growing through leachate plume. Landfill J(which is in Cheonan) and landfill T(which is in Wonju) were chosen for this study among a total of 244 closed uncontrolled landfills. It addressed the genetic diversity of the microbial community in the leachate by 165 rDNA gene cloning using PCR and compared quantitative analysis of denitrifiers and methanotrophs with the conventional water quality parameters. From the BLAST search, genes of 47.6% in landfill J, and 32.5% in landfill T, respectively, showed more than 97% of the similarity where Proteobacteria phylum was most significantly observed. It showed that the numbers of denitrification genes, i.e. nirS gene and cnorB gene in the J site are 7 and 4 times higher than those in T site, which is well reflecting from a difference of site closure showing 7 and 13 years after being closed, respectively. In addition, the quantitative analysis on methane formation gene showed that J1 spot immediately bordering with the sources has the greatest number of methane formation bacteria, and it was decreased rapidly according to distribute toward the outer boundary of landfill. The comparative investigation between the number of genes, i.e. nirS gene, cnorB gene and MCR gene, md the conventional monitoring parameters, i.e. TOC, $NH_3-N,\;NO_3-N,\;NO_2-N,\;Cl^-$, alkalinity, addressed that more than 99% of the correlation was observed except for the $NO_3-N$. It was concluded that biomolecular investigation was well consistent with the conventional monitoring parameters to interpret their influences and stability made by leachate plume formed in downgradient around the uncontrolled sites.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.164-168
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• 2014

The ecosystem of the Arctic region has been increasingly affected by global warming. Archaeal ammonia monooxygenase alpha subunit coding gene (amoA) which is a key enzyme for nitrification was used to investigate the effect of runoff water of ice melt on microbial community of nitrogen cycle. The archaeal amoA genes at coastal area of Svalbard, Arctic region were PCR-amplified and sequenced after clone library construction. Analysis of archaeal amoA gene clone libraries suggested that the station 188 which is in the vicinity to the area of runoff water harbor lower ammonia-oxidizing archaeal diversity than the station 176 and 184. The average amino acid sequence identity within all archaeal amoA gene clones was 94% (with 91% nucleotide sequence identity). While all the clones of the station 188 were affiliated with Nitrosoarchaeaum clade containing strains isolated from low-salinity and terrestrial environments, about 45% of total clones of the station 176 and 184 were related to marine Nitosopumilus clade. Interestingly, other typical archaeal amoA gene clones of thaumarchaeal I.1b clade frequently retrieved from terrestrial environments was identified at station 188. Microbial community of nitrogen cycle in marine sediment might be affected by input of sediments caused by runoff glacier melt waters.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.438-442
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• 2005

Batch experiments were performed to investigate the effects of volumetric mixing ratio(v/v) of two substrates, food wastes(FW) and waste activated sludge(WAS). In batch experiments, optimum mixing ratio for hydrogen production was found at $10{\sim}20$ v/v % addition of WAS. CSTR(Continuous Stirred tank reactor) was operated to investigate the hydrogen productivity and the microbial community under various HRTs and volumetric mixing ratio(v/v) of two substrates. The maximum yield of specific hydrogen production, 140 mL/g VSS, was found at HRT of 2 day and the volumetric mixing ratio of 20:80(WAS:FW). The spatial distribution of hydrogen producing bacteria was observed in anaerobic fermentative reactor using fluorescent in situ hybridization(FISH) method.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2009

We studied soil components, methane production, the number of methanogens, and T-RFLP patterns dependent on agricultural methods with the change of seasons. There is no regular increase or decrease tendency of the most soil components followed by sampling period. And the water content in soil was higher in October than May. Also a lot of methanogens existed in soil, and acetotrophs were relatively of smaller number than hydogenotrophs and formate utilizing methanogens using MPN (most probable number) enumeration. In the experiment using the formate, it was used from the first week, and only a minute amount was detecte after four weeks. However in the acetate, it was increased until the third week, and after that was consumed. And there was higher methane production for all soil samples which administered with the hydrogen spike. The activity of methanogens was higher in the organic and low-agrichemical agricultural method samples, and the organic agricultural method had high methanogen activity among the other samples. A result of T-RFLP pattern of mcrA gene digested with Sau96I, methanogen community have a little relation with agricultural methods and seasons. This results also agreed to no critical difference the soil components dependent on agricultural methods, but some analytical data have a positive relationship with a agricultural methods. Therefor we could concluded that the comparison study of community for soil bacteria sufficiently could be useful for the microbiological indicator.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2 s.112
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• pp.137-145
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• 2005

Traditional screening techniques have missed up to 99% of microbial resources existing in the nature. Strategies of direct cloning of environmental DNAs comprising tine genetic blueprints of entire microbial metagenomes provide vastly more genetic information than is contained in the culturable. Therefore, one way to screening the useful gene in a variety of environments is the construction of metagenomic DNA library. In this study, the water samples were collected from Daecheong Reservoir in the mid Korea, and analyzed by T-RFLP to examine the diversity of the microbial communities. The crude DNAs were extracted by SDS-based freezing-thawing method and then further purified using an $UltraClean^{TM}kit$ (MoBio, USA). The metagenomic libraries were constructed with the DNAs partially digested with EcoRI, BamHI, and SacII in Escherichia coli DH10B using the pBACe3.6 vector. About 14.0 Mb of metagenomic libraries were obtained with average inserts 13 ${\sim}$ 15 kb in size. The genes responsible for degradation of 1, 2-dichloroethane (1, 2-DCE) via hydrolytic dehalogenation were identified from the metagenomic libraries by colony hybridization. The 1, 2-dichloroethane dehalogenase gene (dhlA) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The activity of the 1, 2-DCE dehalogenase was highly expressed to the substrate. These results indicated that the dhlA gene identified from the metagenomes derived from Deacheong Reservoir might be useful to develop a potent strain for degradation of 1, 2-DCE.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.368-377
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• 2012

This study evaluated the water quality of Yeongsan River by multivariate analysis using the data collected during 2001~2010. Water quality in Yeongsan River could be explained up to 75.2% by four factors, which were included in loading of nutrients (32.021%) and organic matters (17.453%), seasonal variation (14.775%) and microbes (10.951%). The results of cluster analysis were classified into three groups by factor 1 and 2, which has different water quality characteristics. Group 1 included sampling stations located in the upper stream and estuary dyke of Yeongsan River, group 2 included Gwangju 1 and Gwangsan affected by domestic sewage of Gwangju-cheon, and group 3 included sampling stations located in the midstream around the livestock farm and farmland.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2017

In a column experiment with low rank coal, rice straw was additionally supplied to induce methane gas generation by microorganisms in the state of supplying microorganisms and nutrients, and long-term biogas production characteristics were observed. When the weight ratio of the rice straw to coal was 0.04 or less, there was no significant gas generation. At 0.08, the biogas was generated for about 90 days. However, the methane gas generation was only 5% compared with the vial test result at optimum condition. Therefore, in order to produce biogas in the coal deposit in situ, a reactor that operates at COD concentration of 2000 mg/L or more at a ratio of 1:3 or more of rice straw to coal should be installed on the ground or under the ground. Liquid from the column filled with coal and rice straw and a liquid from vial containing rice straw were analyzed by microbial community analysis using pyrosequencing method, and compared the dominant microbial species among the two samples. In terms of the uniformity and diversity of the bacteria, the coal-filled column showed various species distribution, which has shown to be a disadvantageous microbial distribution to methane production.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2002

Laboratory scale aerobicfanaerobic biofilm reactor was used for simultaneous and stable removal of organics, N and P components to investigate optimum design and operation parameters and to analyze the microbial distribution and consortium structure of nitrification and denitrification bacteria in aerobic and anaerobic biofilm systems. The biofilm reactor was successfully operated for 143 days to show $COD_{cr},\;BOD_5$, SS removal efficiencies of 88, 88, and 97%, respectively. During the experiment period, almost complete nitrification efficiency of 96% was achieved. Denitrification efficiency was about 45% without addition of any external carbon sources. In case of total phosphorus removal, 74% of the inlet phosphorus was removed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results showed that most of the ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the aerobic nitrification zone was found to be Nitrosomonas species while Nitrospira was the representative nitrite oxidizing bacteria. For the denitrification, Rhodobacter, Rhodovulum, Roseebacter and Paracouus were the dominant denitrification bacteria which was 10 to 20% of the total bacteria in numbers.