• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1019-1027
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• 2009

A noncompartmented microbial fuel cell (NCMFC) composed of a Mn(IV)-carbon plate and a Fe(III)-carbon plate was used for electricity generation from organic wastewater without consumption of external energy. The Fe(III)-carbon plate, coated with a porous ceramic membrane and a semipermeable cellulose acetate film, was used as a cathode, which substituted for the catholyte and cathode. The Mn(IV)-carbon plate was used as an anode without a membrane or film coating. A solar cell connected to the NCMFC activated electricity generation and bacterial consumption of organic matter contained in the wastewater. More than 99% of the organic matter was biochemically oxidized during wastewater flow through the four NCMFC units. A predominant bacterium isolated from the anode surface in both the conventional and the solar cell-linked NCMFC was found to be more than 99% similar to a Mn(II)-oxidizing bacterium and Burkeholderia sp., based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The isolate reacted electrochemically with the Mn(IV)-modified anode and produced electricity in the NCMFC. After 90 days of incubation, a bacterial species that was enriched on the Mn(IV)-modified anode surface in all of the NCMFC units was found to be very similar to the initially isolated predominant species by comparing 16S rDNA sequences.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.388-393
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• 2013

The study was focused to evaluate the possibility for combination membrane of bacterial cellulose (BC) and graphene with high electrical properties. BC with natural polymer matrix was known to have strong physical strength. For the combination of graphene with BC, the surface of graphene was modified with oxygen plasma by changing strength and time of radio waves in room temperature. Water contact angle of modified graphene grew smaller from $130^{\circ}$ to $12^{\circ}$. XPS analysis showed that oxygen content after treatment increased from 2.99 to 10.98%. Damage degree of graphene was examined from $I_D/I_G$ ratio of Raman analysis. $I_D/I_G$ ratio of non-treated graphene (NTG) was 0.11, and 0.36 to 0.43 in plasma treated graphene (PTG), increasing structural defects of PTG. XRD analysis of PTG membrane with BC was $2{\theta}$ same to BC only, indicating chemically combined membrane. In FT-IR analysis, 1,000 to 1,300 $cm^{-1}$ (C=O) peak indicating oxygen radicals in PTG membrane had formed was larger than NTG membrane. The results suggest that BC as an alternation of plastic material for graphene combination has a possibility in some degree on the part like transparent conductive films.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.114-119
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• 2016

In this study, we tried to add the conductivity to natural polymer like bacterial cellulose (BC) coated with the conductive polymer PEDOT:PEG, graphene and silver nano-wire (AgNW). Sulfuric acid of 10 to 20% was previously mixed with PEDOT:PEG and then the solution was electron spin-coated on the BC membrane. And then, additive coating with graphene and AgNW were done to improve conductivity, which was examined by hall effect. As the result, we confirmed a considerable improvement of conductivity compared to BC-coated film without sulfuric acid treatment as $2.487{\times}10^{10}$ vs $8.093{\times}10^{15}$ ($1/cm^3$), showing higher electron density with $3.25{\times}10^5$ times. Also, we identified that changed particle type to the polymer type by sulfuric acid using SEM analysis. For FT-IR analysis, it was confirmed that S-O radical ($1200cm^{-1}$) increased in the sulfuric acid treatment than non-treated sulfuric acid. As the method used very small amount of PEDOT:PEG, its transparency could be kept, and pre-treatment process of sulfuric acid will be able to simplify the production process.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.107-124
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• 2000

A bacterial strain No. HB-5, which was capable of producing a pretense in the culture conditions, was isolated from the soil . The pretense was purified from cultural filtrate of Bacillus sp. HB-5 by membrane ultrafiltration and DEAE- cellulose chromatography, gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The molecular weight was estimated to be 60k4a. The optimal pH and temperature for the activity of the purified pretense pH were 11 and 5$0^{\circ}C$ , respectively. The enzyme was stable within a pH range 8-12 and up to 6$0^{\circ}C$ . The enzyme activity was highly inhibited by PMSF at 1mM. The proteolytic actions of pretense and papain on human epidermis keratins which are major protein impurities on the skin, were compared. The bacterial pretense degraded more effectively than papain. Product containing 2% protease exhibited 21% increase on the skin coloration index. These results suggest that cosmetic product containing pretense produced by Bacillus sp. HB-5 could remove the adherent keratin layer and then make a softer skin.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.224-235
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• 2018

Temperature is an important environmental factor that can greatly influence the cultivation of Auricularia cornea. In this study, lignin peroxidase, laccase, manganese peroxidase, and cellulose in A. cornea fruiting bodies were tested under five different temperatures ($20^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$, $30^{\circ}C$, $35^{\circ}C$, and $40^{\circ}C$) in three different culture periods (10 days, 20 days and 30 days). In addition, the V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes in the substrate of A. cornea cultivated for 30 days at different temperatures were sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology to explore the structure and diversity of bacterial communities in the substrate. Temperature and culture days had a significant effect on the activities of the four enzymes, and changes in activity were not synchronized with changes in temperature and culture days. Overall, we obtained 487,694 sequences from 15 samples and assigned them to 16 bacterial phyla. Bacterial community composition and structure in the substrate changed when the temperature was above $35^{\circ}C$. The relative abundances of some bacteria were significantly affected by temperature. A total of 35 genera at five temperatures in the substrate were correlated, and 41 functional pathways were predicted in the study. Bacterial genes associated with the membrane transport pathway had the highest average abundance (16.16%), and this increased at $35^{\circ}C$ and $40^{\circ}C$. Generally, different temperatures had impacts on the physiological activity of A. cornea and the bacterial community in the substrate; therefore, the data presented herein should facilitate cultivation of A. cornea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1835-1841
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• 2015

A cell surface display system for heterologous expression of the multifunctional cellulase, CelEx-BR12, in Escherichia coli was developed using truncated E. coli outer membrane protein C (OmpC) as an anchor motif. Cell surface expression of CelEx-BR12 cellulase in E. coli harboring OmpC-fused CelEx-BR12, designated MC4100 (pTOCBR12), was confirmed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and analysis of outer membrane fractions by western blotting, which verified the expected molecular mass of OmpC-fused CelEx-BR12 (~72 kDa). Functional evidence for exocellulase activity was provided by enzymatic assays of whole cells and outer membrane protein fractions from E. coli MC4100 (pTOCBR12). The stability of E. coli MC4100 (pTOCBR12) cellulase activity was tested by carrying out repeated reaction cycles, which demonstrated the reusability of recombinant cells. Finally, we showed that recombinant E. coli cells displaying the CelEx-BR12 enzyme on the cell surface were capable of growth using carboxymethyl cellulose as the sole carbon source.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.766-773
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• 2013

A transparent film was fabricated based on bacterial cellulose (BC), BC has excellent physical strength and stability at high temperature and it is an environmental friendly flexible material. In order to improve the conductivity, silver nanowire (AgNW) and/or graphene were introduced to the BC membrane. The aspect ratio of the AgNW synthesized in this study was 214, with a length of $15{\mu}m$ and width of 70 nm. The higher aspect ratio improved the conductivity by reducing the contact resistance. The thermal and electrical properties of 7 types of films prepared were investigated. Each film was fabricated with rectangular shape ($2mm{\times}2mm{\times}50{\mu}m$). The films were scored with a net shape by a knife, and filled with AgNW and graphene to bestow conductivity. The film filled with AgNW showed favorable electrical characteristics with a thickness of $350{\mu}m$, electron concentration of $1.53{\times}10^{19}$, electron mobility of $6.63{\times}10^5$, and resistivity of 0.28. The film filled with graphene had a thickness of $360{\mu}m$, electron concentration of $7.74{\times}10^{17}$, electron mobility of 0.17, and resistivity of 4.78. The transmittances at 550 nm were 98.1% and 80.9%, respectively. All the films were able to light LEDs bulbs although their brightness differed. A thermal stability test of the BC and PET films at $150{\pm}5^{\circ}C$ showed that the BC film was more stable, whereas the PET film was quickly banded. From these results, it was confirmed that there it is possible to fabricate new transparent conductivity films based on BC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.836-844
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• 2009

A denitrification bacterium was isolated from riverbed soil and identified as Ochrobactrum sp., whose specific enzymes for denitrification metabolism were biochemically assayed or confirmed with specific coding genes. The denitrification activity of strain G3-1 was proportional to glucose/nitrate balance, which was consistent with the theoretical balance (0.5). The modified graphite felt cathode with neutral red, which functions as a solid electron mediator, enhanced the electron transfer from electrode to bacterial cell. The porous carbon anode was coated with a ceramic membrane and cellulose acetate film in order to permit the penetration of water molecules from the catholyte to the outside through anode, which functions as an air anode. A non-compartmented electrochemical bioreactor (NCEB) comprised of a solid electron mediator and an air anode was employed for cultivation of G3-1 cells. The intact G3-1 cells were immobilized in the solid electron mediator, by which denitrification activity was greatly increased at the lower glucose/nitrate balance than the theoretical balance (0.5). Metabolic stability of the intact G3-1 cells immobilized in the solid electron mediator was extended to 20 days, even at a glucose/nitrate balance of 0.1.