• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.185-190
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• 2001

Alginate, a well-known biopolymer, is universally applied for immobilization of microbial cells. Biosorption characteristics of lead by waste biomass of immobilized A. niger beads, used in fermentation industries to produce citric acid, were studied. The immobilized A. niger beads, prepared via capillary extrusion method using calcium chloride, were applied in the removal of lead. Pb uptake was the highest in A. niger beads cells grown for 3 days with medium producing citric acid (12% sucrose, 0.5% $NH_4NO_3$, 0.1% $KH_2PO_4$, and 0.025% $MgSO_4$). Lead uptake by the immobilized A. niger beads and free A. niger mycellia beads increased sharply with time. However, while uptake by the immobilized A. niger beads continued to increase slowly, that by free A. niger mycellia beads stopped after 30 min. The optimum pH and temperature of lead uptake were found to be 6 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximum uptake of lead was achieved with $50{\sim}100$ beads and 50 ml lead solution in a 250-ml Erlenmeyer flask, while, at over 100 beads, uptake of the lead decreased. The order of biosorption capacity for heavy metals was Pb>Cu>Cd. Pb uptake capacity of the immobilized A. niger beads treated with 0.1 M $CaCI_2$, 0.1 M NaOH, and 0.1 M KOH decreased compared to the untreated beads. On testing the desorption of Pb from the immobilized A. niger beads, re-uptake of Pb was found possible after desorption of the binding metal with 0.1 M HCI.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.328-333
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• 2000

The spore of Aspergillus niger KCTC-6144 was immobilized on alginate gel beads. When pumpkin powder was used with glucose for a medium of citric acid fermentation by Aspergillus niger beads, the beaded Aspergilus niger grew up inside the bead and mycelia penetrated through the pore of the bead membrane. The bead size became largely from 2.0∼2.5mm to 6∼8mm after growing at 30$\^{C}$ for 4 days. Studies of optimum culture conditions on citric acid fermentation using Aspergillus niger beads on pumpkin medium (pumpkin powder 1% +glucose 7%, pH 6.0) were carried out in submerged cultures on 250m1 Erlenmeyer flask. As a result, it was found that to reinforce 12% as carbon source was good for citric acid production and that 1% pumpkin powder was good as nitrogen and mineral source in orbital shaker (150rpm) at 30$\^{C}$ for 5 days. The optimum initial pH on citric acid production was pH 6.0 and it was found that 100 beads of immobilized Aspergillus niger was adequate for citric acid production in a 250ml Erlenmeyer flask containing 50m3 of pumpkin medium solution with orbital shaker at 30$\^{C}$ for 5 days. We also found that maximal production of citric acid was 23.5g/ℓ at optimal condition (at 30$\^{C}$ for 5 days, pH 6.0, and 100 beads and medium containing 1% pumpkin powder plus 12% glucose).

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.87-92
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• 2007

For the safe disposal of the end used CCA treated wood, the biological method was studied. Aspergillus niger has been known to be grown on the fresh wood surfaces even on the CCA treated wood surface. Therefore, in this study we estimated the removal efficacy of heavy metals from CCA treated wood by A. niger. The selected fungi, A. niger adsorbed the heavy metals from CCA solution. A. niger removed 95% of arsenic, 55% of copper, and 23% of chromium. From these results, A. niger appeared to be useful for the removal of chromium, copper, and arsenic from the end used CCA-treated wood and the use of A. niger-alginate could be effective.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.803-810
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• 1995

Co-immobilized mixed culture system(A-Z system) composed of two different oxygen-demanding strains, aerobic(Aspergillus awamori) and anaerobic(Zymomonas mobilis) strains, in a Ca-alginate gel beads was developed to increase ethanol production from raw starch as a carbon source. Optimal mixture ratio of A. awamori and Z. mobilis was $1.25{\times}10^{9}\;spores/L-gel$ and 0.5g cells/L-gel, respectively. After 120 hours of cultivation, gel beads distinguished oxygen-rich surface for A. awamori from oxygen-deficient central part for Z. mobilis. At A-Z culture system, yield of ethanol on glucose, $Y_{p/s}=0.18$, was very low and there was high leakage of cells from surface of gel beads. At A-Z 36 cultrue system with changing silicon check valve for cotton plug at 36 hours in A-Z culture system, there was no cell leakage from gel beads, pH was maintained at around 4.3 during cultivation, and yield of ethanol on glucose, $Y_{p/s}=0.36$, showed 2 times higher than that of control culture system(cotton plug culture).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.646-650
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• 1994

Aspergillus terreus NRRL 1960 was immobilized on various alginate gel beads, Celites, and polyurethane foam cubes, and the comparisons were made for the production of itaconic acid according to the types and sizes of each carrier. The levels of itaconic acid produced from Ca- alginate and Sr-alginate were similar, and the addition of bentonite to Ca- and Sr-alginate resulted in an increase of itaconic acid. The addition of 1.67% bentonite and 0.33% starch to Sr-alginate (SABS bead) produced higher level of itaconic acid (11.59 g/1) than other gel beads. A decrease in the size of Celite increased the itaconic acid production, and the smallest size of Celites, R- 634, produced 6.37 g/l of itaconic acid. Among various types of polyurethane foam cubes, HR 08 (2X2X2 cm) produced about 19 g/l of itaconic acid, which was more efficient than other carriers. In a repeated batch culture using immobilized cells on polyurethane foam cubes (HR 08, 2X2X2 cm), the stability of itaconic acid production was maintained up to 4 batches. Also, the possibility of itaconic acid production by continuous culture was shown in a packed-bed reactor.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.154-157
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• 2004

Immobilized cells of Aspergillus niger was employed to produce citric acid by fermentation of milk factory waste water. A. niger ATCC 9142 as a citric acid production strain was cultured for 3 days and was entrapped with Ca-alginate bead about 2.5∼3.5 mm. The optimal pH and temperature were estimated to be 3.0 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. Dilution rate for fermentation was calculated to be $0.025 h^{－1}$ . Maximum amount of citric acid was obtained at 4.5 g/$\ell$ with the optimized fermentation condition. The yield of citric acid produced by immobilized A. niger ATCC 9143 was 70.3%. The yield was increased by 20% with immobilized cell, compared to that of the shake flask culture. Hence, the milk factory waste water is worthy to be used for the substrate of citric acid fermentation.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.6 s.134
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• pp.101-107
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• 2005

One way of using wood safely and soundly for a long time is use of preservative-treated wood. Although, preservative-treated wood present to us durability and safety during using periods, it is also important to safe disposal after its service periods because of toxic components. Biological methods could be applicable to its disposal methods and better safe than chemical methods in the aspect of environmental problems. This study applied biological methods to remove the heavy metals from end-used CCA treated wood. The Aspergillus niger was used for this study which make black stain on the wood surface by it's spore. This study investigated the growing of A. niger on the CCA treated wood chips and the removal efficiency of heavy metals from CCA treated wood chips using immobilizing A. niger. A. niger could growing on the CCA treated wood chips and A. niger remove the effective elements of CCA treated wood effectively.