• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.2199-2210
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• 2017

Soil burial is the most widely used disposal method for infected pig carcasses, but composting has gained attention as an alternative disposal method because pig carcasses can be decomposed rapidly and safely by composting. To understand the pig carcass decomposition process in soil burial and by composting, pilot-scale test systems that simulated soil burial and composting were designed and constructed in the field. The envelope material samples were collected using special sampling devices without disturbance, and bacterial community dynamics were analyzed by high-throughput pyrosequencing for 340 days. Based on the odor gas intensity profiles, it was estimated that the active and advanced decay stages were reached earlier by composting than by soil burial. The dominant bacterial communities in the soil were aerobic and/or facultatively anaerobic gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Gelidibacter, Mucilaginibacter, and Brevundimonas. However, the dominant bacteria in the composting system were anaerobic, thermophilic, endospore-forming, and/or halophilic gram-positive bacteria such as Pelotomaculum, Lentibacillus, Clostridium, and Caldicoprobacter. Different dominant bacteria played important roles in the decomposition of pig carcasses in the soil and compost. This study provides useful comparative date for the degradation of pig carcasses in the soil burial and composting systems.

• Journal of odor and indoor environment
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2017

It is very important to treat infected livestock carcasses safely and quickly. In this study, the degradation characteristics and odor generation characteristics of carcasses were investigated during the treatment of swine carcasses using the anaerobic burial composting method. While the carcasses were decomposed, the temperature remained high, at $40{\sim}55^{\circ}C$ on average, and most of the carcasses were decomposed rapidly. The major odor-contributing substances in the buried composting method are sulfuric odor substances such as $H_2S$, $CH_3SH$, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and the odor contribution of these substances is 93~99%. Among them, $CH_3SH$, which accounts for about 56~89% of odor contribution, was the most representative indicator substance. Despite the anaerobic digestion process, the methane concentration in the digestion process was as low as 0.5~0.8% at the burial point of the carcass. The odor and methane produced during the decomposition of the carcasses decreased considerably during the discharge to the surface layer through the buried layer consisting of compost. These results suggest that anaerobic high temperature burial composting is one of the most useful methods to treat carcasses of infected livestock.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.81-90
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• 1988

Agricultural and municipal wastes arc serious nuisance. in Korea. Disposal of these wastes by land application, incineration or burial have created serious environmental problems such as air pollution and ground water contamination. Uncomposted waste materials are also potential sources of plant and soil pathogens. As available sites for waste burial become more difficult to find and air quality standards for incineration become stricter, composting as a method for treating solid wastes will become more attractive. This article discussed the recent topics on composting to further develop a rational strategy. The future of composting is developed based on the interacting factors of the price of energy and fertilizer, public policy, economic considerations, and biotechnology.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to provide information for the livestock for the livestock carcass composting operation in agricultural waste management. Burial, landfilling and incineration of livestock carcass may have environmental regulatory and economic liabilities. Dead animals amended with agricultural residues can be composted and used to promote soil fertility and reduce environmental pollution. In this study we evaluated the effect of amendments on the primary and secondary composting reaction and stability of compost. The full-scale composting bin of swine carcass in roofed system with three amendments was adequate in reaching sufficient temperature above 55$^{\circ}C$ long enough to kill the pathogen. The average temperature of the compost material in dead swine amended with corn stover increased rapidly to 64$^{\circ}C$ on the 2nd day after primary composting and dropped to near ambient temperature on the 140th day of composting. The composting with of corn stover and wheat straw are more efficient for swine carcass composting than that of sawdust. Therefore, the amendment property is an important factor in the design of composting facility.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2018

Burials for the rapid disposal of carcasses have diverse and profound effects on the rural living condition, natural environment, and local economy throughout construction, management and final destruction of burials. In this study, possible residue excavated from standard burials, storage using FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) tanks, and microbial-treated burials are characterized as carcasses, contaminated soil by leachate, and wasted plastic film. Treatment technologies for volume reduction of the residue including composting, rendering, and thermal hydrolysis were investigated. If the solid and liquid residues generated during volume reduction treatment are directly transferred to the environmental facilities, it may cause disorder due to high concentrations of organics, antibiotics, and lipid. Benefits and drawbacks of composting as a volume reduction techniques are extensively investigated. We also discussed that proper treatment of excavated soils and the reusing the treated soil as agricultural purpose. For the protection of public health and worker's hygiene, treatment criteria including produced residue qualities, and quality standards for the treated soil as agricultural use are required. In addition, Scientific manual for the proper treatment of residues is required. It is necessary to consider the establishment of a pretreatment facility to the occurrence of large-scale residue treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1330-1335
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• 2012

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the acute infectious diseases in hoofed and even-toed mammals, including pigs, and it occurs via acute infection by Aphthovirus. When FMD is suspected, animals around the location of origin are typically slaughtered and buried. Other methods such as rendering, composting, and incineration have not been verified in practice in Korea. After the FMD incident, the regular monitoring of the microbial community is required, as microorganisms greatly modify the characteristics of the ecosystem in which they live. This is the result of their metabolic activities causing chemical changes to take place in the surrounding environment. In this study, we investigated changes in the microbial community during a 24 week period with DNA extracts from leachate, formed by the decomposition of buried pigs at a laboratory test site, using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with a genomic DNA. Our results revealed that Bacteroides coprosuis, which is common in pig excreta, and Sporanaerobacter acetigenes, which is a sulfur-reduced microbe, were continuously observed. During the early stages (0~2 weeks) of tissue decomposition, Clostridium cochlearium, Fusobacterium ulcerans, and Fusobacterium sp., which are involved in skin decomposition, were also observed. In addition, various microbes such as Turicibacter sanguinis, Clostridium haemolyticum, Bacteroides propionicifaciens, and Comamonas sp. were seen during the later stages (16~24 weeks). In particular, the number of existing microbial species gradually increased during the early stages, including the exponential phase, decreased during the middle stages, and then increased again during the later stages. Therefore, these results indicate that the decomposition of pigs continues for a long period of time and leachate is created continuously during this process. It is known that leachate can easily flow into the neighboring environment, so a long-term management plan is needed in burial locations for FMD-infected animals.