• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.157-162
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• 2009

An agar-liquefying bacteria (SC-22), which produces a diffusible agarase that caused agar softening around the colony was isolated from Daecheong lake in Korea. Chemotaxanomic and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed the strain was classified as Cellvibrio mixtus SC-22. The isolate SC-22 showed maximal extracellular agarase activity with 58.5 U/mL after 48 h cultivation in the presence of 0.2% agar. It was observed that the isolate produced two kinds of extracellular and three kinds of intracellular isoenzymes. The major agarase was purified from the culture filtrate of agarolytic bacteria by ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange and gel filtration column chromatographic methods. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 25 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were pH 7.0 and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The agarase activity was activated by $Fe^{2+}$, $Na^+$ and $Ca^{2+}$ ions while it was inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ at 1 mM concentration. The predominant hydrolysis product of agarose by the enzyme was galactose and disaccharide on TLC, indicating the cleavage of $\beta$-1,4 linkage in a random manner. The enzyme showed high substrate specificity for only agar and agarose among various polysaccharides.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.755-764
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• 2009

To estimate the pollutant removal efficiency by surface sediment, matter content within surface sediment and its release from the sediment were investigated at 12 sites in the Sihwa constructed wetland. The content of COD, TOC, IL, TN, and TP within sediment varied temporally and spacially, showing ranges of 4.1~7.7 mg/g, 0.29~2.81%, 1.88~8.15%, 0.03~0.35%, 362~1,150 ${\mu}g$/g, respectively. The contents of organic matter and TN were significantly highest in March and decreased towards fall (March${\geq}$May${\geq}$July${\geq}$September, p=0.003 for COD, p=0.001 for TOC, p=0.017 for IL, p=0.015 for TN), whereas TP content was not significant statistically in difference between sampling times. The contents of heavy metals also varied largely with sampling sites and times (As:3.5~3.9 ${\mu}g$/g, Cd:0.08~0.38 ${\mu}g$/g, Cr:51.8~107.0 ${\mu}g$/g, Cu:16.4~81.8 ${\mu}g$/g, Pb:26.~81.8 ${\mu}g$/g, Zn:85~559 ${\mu}g$/g). As compared with sediment quality guideline, the content of organic matter within surface sediment of the Sihwa constructed wetland was classified as unpolluted level. In contrast, the contents of TN, TP and heavy metals were classified as medium or severe pollution state, except some heavy metals (Cu and Pb). From the results of release experiment, TN, Pb, and Zn tend to be removed by surface sediment, but TP, Cd, and Cu have a tendency to released from sediment. Therefore, a relevant plan to improve the removal efficiency of pollutant (especially phosphorus) by surface sediment in the Sihwa constructed wetland is needed.