• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1629-1635
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• 2019

Azo dyes are recalcitrant pollutants, which are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic, that constitute a significant burden to the environment. The decolorization and the mineralization efficiency of Remazol Brillant Orange 3R (RBO 3R) was studied using a probiotic consortium (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum). Biodegradation of RBO 3R (750 ppm) was investigated under shaking condition in Mineral Salt Medium (MSM) solution at pH 11.5 and temperature $25^{\circ}C$. The bio-decolorization process was further confirmed by FTIR and UV-Vis analysis. Under optimal conditions, the bacterial consortium was able to decolorize the dye completely (>99%) within 12 h. The color removal was 99.37% at 750 ppm. Muliplex PCR technique was used to detect the Lactobacillus genes. Using phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity and biototoxicity endpoints, toxicological studies of RBO 3R before and after biodegradation were examined. A toxicity assay signaled that biodegradation led to detoxification of RBO 3R dye.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1424-1433
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• 2019

DDT is a hydrophobic organic pollutant, which can be bio-accumulated in nature and have adverse consequences on the physical condition of humans and animals. This study investigated the relationship between the white-rot fungus Pleurotus eryngii and biosurfactant-producing bacterium Ralstonia pickettii associated with the degradation of DDT. The effects of R. pickettii on fungal development were examined using in vitro confrontation assay on a potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. R. pickettii culture was added to the P. eryngii culture at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 ml ($1ml{\approx}1.44{\times}10^{13}CFU$). After 7 d incubation, about 43% of the initial DDT ($12.5{\mu}M$) was degraded by the P. eryngii culture only. The augmentation of 7 ml of R. pickettii culture revealed a more highly optimized synergism with DDT degradation being approximately 78% and the ratio of optimization 1.06. According to the confrontational assay, R. pickettii promoted the growth of P. eryngii towards the bacterial colony, with no direct contact between the bacterial cells and mycelium (0.71 cm/day). DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane), DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethylene), and DDMU (1-chloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethylene) were identified as metabolic products, indicating that the R. pickettii could enhance the DDT biodegradation by P. eryngii.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.501-512
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• 2019

The seasonal effects on the biostability of drinking water were investigated by comparing the seasonal variation of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in full-scale water treatment process and adsorption of AOC by three filling materials in lab-scale column test. In full-scale, pre-chlorination and ozonation significantly increase $AOC_{P17\;(Pseudomonas\;fluorescens\;P17)}$ and $AOC_{NOX\;(Aquaspirillum\;sp.\;NOX)}$, respectively. AOC formation by oxidation could increase with temperature, but the increased AOC could affect the biostability of the following processes more significantly in winter than in warm seasons due to the low biodegradation in the pipes and the processes at low temperature. $AOC_{P17}$ was mainly removed by coagulation-sedimentation process, especially in cold season. Rapid filtration could effectively remove AOC only during warm seasons by primarily biodegradation, but biological activated carbon filtration could remove AOC in all seasons by biodegradation during warm season and by adsorption and bio-regeneration during cold season. The adsorption by granular activated carbon and anthracite showed inverse relationship with water temperature. The advanced treatment can contribute to enhance the biostability in the distribution system by reducing AOC formation potential and helping to maintain stable residual chlorine after post-chlorination.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.42-54
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• 2019

Biodegradation of an explosive compound, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), was studied with a denitrifying microbial culture grown in a sequencing batch reactor and a GTN acclimated denitrifying culture. The GTN acclimated culture, which were fed on GTN for 1 month, degraded GTN regioselectively via denitration on C1 position as compared to C2 position denitration by denitrifying culture that has never been exposed to GTN. Accumulation of two isomeric glyceryl dinitrates (GDNs) in both culture medium suggests that GDN denitration is the rate-limiting step in GTN biodegradation. The first order GTN degradation rate normalized to cell concentration of the acclimated culture was calculated to be 0.045 (${\pm}0.002$) L/g-hr. Increasing concentration of electron acceptor(nitrate) resulted in discouraged GTN degradation. According to microbial community analysis, prolonged GTN exposure resulted in 25% increase in the genus level of the GTN acclimated culture with the disappearance of two dominating denitrifying microbial species of Methyloversatilis universalis and Hyphomicrobium zavarzinii in the denitrifying culture.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.42
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• pp.34.1-34.7
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of biodegradable polycaprolactone membrane on new bone formation and the biodegradation of biphasic alloplastic bone substitutes using animal models. Materials and methods: In this study, bony defect was formed at the canine mandible of 8 mm in diameter, and the defects were filled with Osteon II. The experimental groups were covered with Osteoguide as barrier membrane, and the control groups were closed without membrane coverage. The proportion of new bone and residual bone graft material was measured histologically and histomorphometrically at postoperative 4 and 8 weeks. Results: At 4 weeks, the new bone proportion was similar between the groups. The proportion of remaining graft volume was 27.58 ± 6.26 and 20.01 ± 4.68% on control and experimental groups, respectively (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in new bone formation and the amount of residual bone graft material at 8 weeks. Conclusion: The biopolymer membrane contributes to early biodegradation of biphasic bone substitutes in the jaw defect but it does not affect the bone formation capacity of the bone graft.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2022

In this study, a biodegradation model of based on molecular cellulose was established. It is a mathematical, kinetic model, assuming that two major enzymes randomly break glycosidic bonds of cellulose molecules, and calculates the number of molecules by applying the corresponding probability and degradation reaction coefficients. Model calculations considered enzyme dose, cellulose chain length, and reaction rate constant ratio. Degradation increased almost by two folds with increase of temperature (5℃→25℃). The change of degradation was not significant over the higher temperatures. As temperature increased, the degradation rate of the molecules increased along with higher production of shorter chain molecules. As the reaction rates of the two enzymes were comparative the degree of degradation for any combinations of enzyme application was not affected much. Enzyme dose was also tested through experiment. While enzyme dose ranged from 1 mg/L to 10 mg/L, the gap between real data and model calculations was trivial. However, at higher dose of those enzymes (>15 mg/L), the experimental result showed the lower concentrations of reductive sugar than the corresponding model calculation did. We determined that the optimal enzyme dose for maximum generation of reductive sugar was 10 mg/L.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2020.10a
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• pp.208-208
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the weight of Zophobas morio larvae and mass of polystyrene foam when the larvae were fed polystyrene for 27 days. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry was used to determine whether the polystyrene was broken down by the larvae. Forty Z. morio larvae (four replicates with 10 larvae per replicate) were reared in a chamber under controlled conditions with polystyrene foam blocks as their sole diet. The weight of the Z. morio larvae and mass of the polystyrene foam decreased as a function of time. The average weight of the larvae and mass of the polystyrene foam blocks decreased by 16.3 and 6.5%, respectively, over the 27-day period. The FTIR spectrum of Z. morio larvae fed with polystyrene foam did not reveal the unique peaks associated with polystyrene. In conclusion, this study suggests the possibility of using Z. morio larvae as a management technology for degrading waste plastics without a negative environmental effect. Key words : FTIR spectra, plastic biodegradation, polystyrene foam, Zophobas morio larvae.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.89-91
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• 2000

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are highly carcinogenic chemicals and common groundwater contaminants that are observed to persist in soils. The adherence and slow release of PAHs in soil is an obstacle to remediation and complicates the assessment of cleanup standards and risks. Biological degradation of PAHs in soil has been an area of active research because biological treatment may be less costly than conventional pumping technologies or excavation and thermal treatment. Biological degradation also offers the advantage to transform PAHs into non-toxic products such as biomass and carbon dioxide. Ample evidence exists for aerobic biodegradation of PAHs and many bacteria capable of degrading PAHs have been isolated and characterized. However, the microbial degradation of PAHs in sediments is impaired due to the anaerobic conditions that result from the typically high oxygen demand of the organic material present in the soil, the low solubility of oxygen in water, and the slow mass transfer of oxygen from overlying water to the soil environment. For these reasons, anaerobic microbial degradation technologies could help alleviate sediment PAH contamination and offer significant advantages for cost-efficient in-situ treatment. But very little is known about the potential for anaerobic degradation of PAHs in field soils. The objectives of this research were to assess: (1) the potential for biodegradation of PAH in field aged soils under denitrification conditions, (2) to assess the potential for biodegradation of naphthalene in soil microcosms under denitrifying conditions, and (3) to assess for the existence of microorganisms in field sediments capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification. Two kinds of soils were used in this research: Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS). Results presented in this seminar indicate possible degradation of PAHs in soil under denitrifying conditions. During the two months of anaerobic degradation, total PAH removal was modest probably due to both the low availability of the PAHs and competition with other more easily degradable sources of carbon in the sediments. For both Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS), PAH reduction was confined to 3- and 4-ring PAHs. Comparing PAH reductions during two months of aerobic and anaerobic biotreatment of MHS, it was found that extent of PAHreduction for anaerobic treatment was compatible with that for aerobic treatment. Interestingly, removal of PAHs from sediment particle classes (by size and density) followed similar trends for aerobic and anaerobic treatment of MHS. The majority of the PAHs removed during biotreatment came from the clay/silt fraction. In an earlier study it was shown that PAHs associated with the clay/silt fraction in MHS were more available than PAHs associated with coal-derived fraction. Therefore, although total PAH reductions were small, the removal of PAHs from the more easily available sediment fraction (clay/silt) may result in a significant environmental benefit owing to a reduction in total PAH bioavailability. By using naphthalene as a model PAH compound, biodegradation of naphthalene under denitrifying condition was assessed in microcosms containing MHS. Naphthalene spiked into MHS was degraded below detection limit within 20 days with the accompanying reduction of nitrate. With repeated addition of naphthalene and nitrate, naphthalene degradation under nitrate reducing conditions was stable over one month. Nitrite, one of the intermediates of denitrification was detected during the incubation. Also the denitrification activity of the enrichment culture from MHS slurries was verified by monitoring the production of nitrogen gas in solid fluorescence denitrification medium. Microorganisms capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification were isolated from this enrichment culture.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2003

To evaluate the effects of slow release fertilizer and chemical dispersant on oil biodegradation, mesocosm studies were conducted on sand seashore. The rapid removal rates (85%) of aliphatic hydrocarbons and the simultaneous decreases of n-$C_{17}$/pristane (69%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (61%) ratios by the addition of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) within 37 days of experiment indicated that SRF could enhance the oil degrading activity of indigenous microorganisms in sand mesocosm. Although the growth of heterotrophic bacteria and petroleumdegrading bacteria in the mesocosm treated with $Corexit 9527^{R}$ was stimulated, the biological oil removal based on the ratios of $Corexit 9527^{R}$ and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ was inhibited. Removal rates of aliphatic hydrocarbons (56%), and n-$C_{17}$/pristane (27%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (17%) ratios by the addition of chemical dispersant $Corexit 9527^{R}$ were similar or lower than those values of control (50, 60, 46%), respectively. The biodegradation activity, however, when simultaneously treated with SRF and $Corexit 9527^{R}$, was not highly inhibited and even recovered after the elimination of chemical dispersant. From these results it could be concluded that the addition of SRF enhanced the oil removal rate in oligotrophic sand seashore and chemical dispersant possibly inhibit the oil biodegradation. Hence, in order to prevent the unrestrained usage of chemical dispersant in natural environments contaminated with oil, the National Contingency Plan of Oil Spill Response should be carefully revised in consideration of the application for bioremedaition techniques.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2007

As a model compound of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) phenanthrene has been regarded as a toxic material, mutagen and carcinogen in various animals. Biodegradation conditions of phenanthrene such as pH, temperature, shaking speed, stabilizer and cofactor of degrading enzymes were investigated with Trametes versicolor and its transformant T. versicolor MrP1 in YMG medium, minimal medium and soil microcosm. T. versicolor MrP1 can overexpress mrp gene encoding Mn-repressed peroxidase that is involved in fungal degradation. Biodegradations of phenanthrene by T. versicolor and T. versicolor MrP1 were optimally performed in conditions of weak-acid (pH 6.0), $30^{\circ}C$, shaken culture and medium containing 5 mM veratryl alcohol or tryptophan. In these optimal conditions, biodegradation of phenanthrene by T. versicolor MrP1 is 31% higher than that of wild type strain in a minimal medium for 20 days. Biodegradation of phenanthrene by T. versicolor MrP1 was also higher than that of wild type in soil microcosm. T. versicolor MrP1 can be a excellent candidate for the bioremediation of PAHs contaminated environments.