• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.460-464
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• 2012

From 1998 to 2008, the bacteriological quality of seawater in Kamak Bay, Korea, was monitored. The total and fecal coliforms in seawater were monitored as bacterial indicators, and the level of fecal coliform contamination was used to evaluate seawater quality. In the southern shellfish growing area of Kamak Bay, the observed fecal coliform geometric mean (GM) and estimated 90th percentile did not exceed the quality standards for fecal coliforms in seawater in Korea and th USA (GM<14 MPN/100 mL, 90th percentile<43 MPN/100 mL). The GM and estimated 90th percentile of the fecal coliform levels in the adjacent northern area of Kamak Bay were higher than in the southern area. Stations near wastewater discharge sites and urban areas in the north had the lowest quality and did not meet the bacteriological seawater quality criteria. The high fecal coliform levels in the Seonso coastal region near wastewater discharges and northern urban areas declined significantly following dredging and operation of a sewage treatment plant.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2015

Recently, the production of taste and odor (T&O) compounds is a common problem in water industry. Geosmin is one of the T&O components in drinking water. However, geosmin is hardly eliminated through the conventional water treatment systems. Among various advanced processes capable of removing geosmin, adsorption process using granular activated carbon (GAC) is the most commonly used process. As time passes, however GAC process changes into biological activated carbon (BAC) process. There is little information on the BAC process in the literature. In this study, we isolated and identified microorganisms existing within various BAC processes. The microbial concentrations of BAC processes examined were $3.5{\times}10^5$ colony forming units (CFU/g), $2.2{\times}10^6CFU/g$ and $7.0{\times}10^5CFU/g$ in the Seongnam plant, Goyang plant and Goryeong pilot plant, respectively. The dominant bacterial species were found to be Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Novosphingobium rosa and Afipia broomeae in each plants. Removal efficiencies of $3{\mu}g/L$ geosmin by the dominant species were 36.1%, 36.5% and 34.3% in mineral salts medium(MSM) where geosmin was a sole carbon source.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2020

Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that causes serious health problems. Nonetheless, it is increasingly being used for industrial applications and is often discharged into the environment without adequate purification. In this study, Pb(II) was removed by powdered waste sludge (PWS) based on the biosorption mechanism. Different PWSs were collected from a submerged moving media intermittent aeration reactor (SMMIAR) and modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) processes. The contents of extracellular polymeric substances were similar, but the surface area of MLE-PWS (2.07 ㎡/g) was higher than that of SMMIAR-PWS (0.82 ㎡/g); this is expected to be the main parameter determining Pb(II) biosorption capacity. The Bacillaceae family was dominant in both PWSs and may serve as the major responsible bacterial group for Pb(II) biosorption. Pb(II) biosorption using PWS was evaluated for reaction time, salinity effect, and isotherm equilibrium. For all experiments, MLE-PWS showed higher removal efficiency. At a fixed initial Pb(II) concentration of 20 mg/L and a reaction time of 180 minutes, the biosorption capacities (q_e) for SMMIAR- and MLE-PWSs were 2.86 and 3.07 mg/g, respectively. Pb(II) biosorption using PWS was rapid; over 80% of the maximum biosorption capacity was achieved within 10 minutes. Interestingly, MLE-PWS showed enhanced Pb(II) biosorption with salinity values of up to 30 g NaCl/L. Linear regression of the Freundlich isotherm revealed high regression coefficients (R² > 0.968). The fundamental Pb(II) biosorption capacity, represented by the K_F value, was consistently higher for MLE-PWS than SMMIAR-PWS.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.50-59
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• 2018

During the course of investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in Korea, a total of 30 bacterial strains belonging to the phylum Firmicutes were isolated from diverse environmental sites such as soil, avian feces, wastewater treatment plants, fermented vegetables, seawater, algae, sea cucumber, octopus and tidal flat sediment. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that each strain showed high sequence similarity (${\geq}98.7%$) to the closest type strain and formed a robust phylogenetic clade with the most closely related species in the phylum Firmicutes. To date, there is no official record of these 30 species in Korea. Therefore, we report 26 species of 12 genera in the order Bacillales and 4 species of 4 genera in the order Lactobacillales which have not been reported in Korea. Morphological and biochemical characteristics, isolation sources and NIBR deposit numbers are described in the species descriptions.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.241-250
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• 2012

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), butyltins (BTs), nonylphenol (NP), and fecal sterols concentrations in sediments were investigated from Gunsan coast of Korea to evaluate organic pollution from anthropogenic activities. Sediment toxicity was also examined by bacterial bioluminescence toxicity test (Vibrio fischeri). The concentrations of 16 PAHs in sediments ranged from 67.9 to 425 ng/g dry wt; BTs ranged from 2.79 to 14.1 ng Sn/g dry wt; NP ranged from 20.7 to 2171 ng/g dry wt; and coprostanol, a fecal sterol, ranged from 7.60 to 245 ng/g dry wt. Effective concentration 50% ($EC_{50}$) of sediments ranged from 0.38 to 23.8 mg/mL. Most of the chemicals were present at levels lower than or comparable to the previously reported values from Korea. However, NP levels in the present study were in the high range of levels reported from the Korean coast, and 40% of the measured samples exceeded screening and ecotoxicological values of NP suggested by the Netherlands and Canada. This suggests that an ongoing source of NP is a serious concern in the Gunsan coast. High levels of contaminants were found in the proximity of potential sources, such as the outfall of a wastewater treatment plant for NP, an anthracite-fired power plant for PAHs, and ports for BTs, fecal sterols, and sediment toxicity. This indicates that Gunsan coast has various potential sources of marine sediment contaminants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2020

The dynamics of nitrogen compounds and RNA-based functional genes were characterized in the nitrification-denitrification coupling process. For the removal of residual ammonium, intermittent aeration was introduced in the denitrification reactor. N₂O production was not observed in both reactors. In both reactors, the nitrifying genes (achaeal-amoA, bacterial-amoA and hor) and denitrifying genes (narG, nirK, norB and nosZ) had a copy number of 3.92 × 10²-7.25 × 10⁵ and 2.85 × 10²-3.06 × 10⁴ per ng of DNA, respectively. These results suggest that denitrification and nitrification reactions occur in both the nitrification and denitrification reactors, respectively. Therefore, the coupling process is a promising one for the conversion of ammonium to nitrogen without generating N₂O.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.209-216
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• 2002

Bacillus sp. A56 was studied, because of its high flocculating activity. The flocculating substance produced by this strain was purified by ethanol precipitation, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) precipitation, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The FT-IR spectrum of the purified bioflocculant, designated as BF-56, showed typical characteristics of polysaccharides. The non-sugar substituents, and sugar components of BF-56 containing glucose, fucose, glucuronic acid, and galactose in an approximate molar ratio of 2.76:1.10:1:0.12, suggested that it was a novel bioflocculant with an estimated molecular mass of over $7{\times}10^3$ kDa. Rheological analysis of BF-56 revealed that it was a pseudoplastic that had higher apparent viscosity rate at dilute concentrations than those of zooglan. The solution of bioflocculant BF-56 exhibited non-Newtonian characteristics and it was compatible to high concentrations of salts such as KCl, NaCl, $CaCl_2,\;or\;FeCl_3.$ The present results suggested strong possibility of bioflocculant BF-56 to be fully applicable to industries such as wastewater treatment.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.423-429
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• 1994

A bacterial strain which formed a distinct colony on agar plate containing naphthalene as a vapor phase and grew well ina liquid minimal medium was isolated and identified as Alcaligenes sp. A111. Optimum temperature and pH for the cultivation of Alcaligenes sp. A111 were 30$\cir$C and 7.0, respectively. Cell growth increased dramatically from 12 hours after inoculation and revealed a stationary phase at about 48 hours. Relative growth rate ($\mu$')increased hyperbolically depending on the conceration of naphthalene up to 500 ppm and reached to the maximum value pf 2.8/day, but $\mu$' didn't change within a range of 500~4000 ppm naphthalene. NH$_{4}$Cl or NH$_{4}$NO$_{3}$ was preferrd as a nitrogen source and a P : N ratio by weight og 6 : 1 was favorable to cell growth. Alcaligenes sp. A111 utilized the intermediates of degradation of naphthalene and showed tolerance to benzene, toluene, and octane. therefore, it is suggested that Alcaligenes sp. A111 could be effectively used for the biological treatment of wastewater containing naphthalene in the presence of some aromatic compounds.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3 s.104
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• pp.356-368
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• 2003

Water quality of effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPS) was reviewed to examine the feasibility of agricultural reuse using USEPA and WHO guidelines. It might meet the guidelines for BOD and SS, however, the most critical microbiological concentration was too high and further treatment is required. The pilot study of three treatments were performed to reduce microbiological concentrations. The UV irradiation was proved to be very effective in disinfection of secondary level effluent, and about 30 mW ${\cdot}$ s/$cm^2$ of dose was suggested to meet the even most stringent USEPA guidelines. Slow sand filter demonstrated effective removal of bacteria, and effluent concentration of total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli. dropped from about 10,000/100 mL to 300, 200, and 150 MPN/100 mL, respectively, showing over 95% removal. These level of bacterial concentration sufficiently meet the WHO guidelines ($10^3\;{\sim}\;10^5$ FC/100 mL), and could meet the more stringent USEPA guidelines (200 FC/100 mL) if properly applied. Slow sand filter also provided about 50% removal of SS, turbidity, and BOD in addition to bacterial removal. The removal efficiency of pond system was relatively poor, but still showed over 85% removal and effluent concentration of TC, FC, and E. coli was all below 10,000/100 mL. The pond system alone could meet the WHO guidelines, but hardly meet the USEPA guidelines and further treatment might be necessary. Overall, three methods evaluated in the study treat the effluent to meet the WHO microbiological guidelines for agricultural reuse. The UV disinfection and slow sand filter might also could the USEPA guidelines, while the pond system can hardly meet the USEPA guidelines if applied alone. The WHO and USEPA guidelines were made based on data from upland field agricultural system and may not be directly applicable to the paddy field agricultural system. Therefore, national standards for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water should be made considering domestic agricultural systems as well as international guidelines. Also, further investigation is recommended to develop optimum and feasible treatment measures for agricultural reuse of effluent from WWTPs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.612-623
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• 2020

This study was initiated to quantitatively evaluate the inhibitory effects of five heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni) on bacterial growth and phosphorus removal in the binary culture of Alcaligenes sp. plus Pseudomonas sp. IC50 values of Alcaligenes sp. plus Pseudomonas sp. for Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ni were 0.75, 10.93, 7.08, 13.30, and 15.78 mg/L, respectively. For the binary treatments of heavy metals, IC50 was the lowest in the treatment of Cd + Cu, whereas, it was the highest in the Ni + Pb treatment. The EC50 values for Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ni were 0.54, 11.08, 6.14, 9.33, and 13.81 mg/L, respectively. For the binary treatments of heavy metals, EC50 was the lowest in the Cd + Zn, whereas, the highest in the Zn + Ni. Based on both IC50 and EC50 values for the binary culture of bacteria with the binary mixtures of heavy metals, the most interactive effect was found to be antagonistic, though the only synergistic effect was found in Cu + Ni treatment. Therefore, our results can provide basic data on the toxic effects of heavy metals on the bacterial growth and phosphorus removal in the wastewater treatment process.