• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.186-194
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• 2009

Understanding the environmental fate of human and animal pharmaceuticals and their risk assessment are of great importance due to their growing environmental concerns. Although there are many potential pathways for them to reach the environment, effluents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) are recognized as major point sources. In this study, the removal efficiencies of the 43 selected priority pharmaceuticals in a conventional STP were evaluated using two simple models: an equilibrium partitioning model (EPM) and STPWIN$^{TM}$ program developed by US EPA. It was expected that many pharmaceuticals are not likely to be removed by conventional activated sludge processes because of their relatively low sorption potential to suspended sludge and low biodegradability. Only a few pharmaceuticals were predicted to be easily removed by sorption or biodegradation, and hence a conventional STP may not protect the environment from the release of unwanted pharmaceuticals. However, the prediction made in this study strongly relies on sorption coefficient to suspended sludge and biodegradation half-lives, which may vary significantly depending on models. Removal efficiencies predicted using the EPM were typically higher than those predicted by STPWIN for many hydrophilic pharmaceuticals due to the difference in prediction method for sorption coefficients. Comparison with experimental organic carbon-water partition coefficients ($K_{ocs}) revealed that log KOW-based estimation used in STPWIN is likely to underestimate sorption coefficients, thus resulting low removal efficiency by sorption. Predicted values by the EPM were consistent with limited experimental data although this model does not include biodegradation processes, implying that this simple model can be very useful with reliable Koc values. Because there are not many experimental data available for priority pharmaceuticals to evaluate the model performance, it should be important to obtain reliable experimental data including sorption coefficients and biodegradation rate constants for the prediction of the fate of the selected pharmaceuticals.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.243-247
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• 2009

The usage of ethanol (EtOH)-blended gasoline (gasohol), has been increasing in recent years. EtOH has influence on the distribution and biodegradation of aromatic compounds such as BTEX (benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (B), and xylene (X)) that are gasoline compositions. In this study, the effect of EtOH on the aerobic biodegradation of B, T and E was investigated using a BTEX and EtOH-degrading bacterium, Rhodococcus sp. EH831. The degradation rates of B in the conditions of 1:1, 1:4, and 1:0.25 mixtures with EtOH (B:EtOH, mol:mol) were ranged from $3.82{\pm}0.20$ to $5.00{\pm}0.37{\mu}mol{\cdot}g-dry$ cell wight $(DCW)^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$. The degradation rate of T was the fastest in the 1:0.25 mixture ($6.63{\pm}0.06{\mu}mol{\cdot}g-DCW^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$), and it was the lowest in the 1:4 mixture ($4.41{\pm}0.04{\mu}mol{\cdot}DCW^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$). The degradation rates of E were increased with increasing the addition amount of EtOH: The degradation rate of E was the highest in the 1:4 mixture ($1.60{\pm}0.03{\mu}mol{\cdot}g-DCW^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$), and the rates were $1.42{\pm}0.06$, $1.30{\pm}0.01$, and $1.01{\pm}0.30{\mu}mol{\cdot}g-DCW^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ in the 1:1, 1:0.25, 1.0 mixtures, respectively. In conclusion, the biodegradation of B, T, E by Rhodococcus sp. EH831 was not significantly inhibited by the co-existence of EtOH.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.403-409
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• 2005

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) contamination in groundwater often coexists with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) near the source of the plume. Then, groundwater contamination problems have been developed in areas where the chemical is used. Common sources of water contamination by BTEX and MTBE include leaking underground gasoline storage tanks and leaks and spills from above ground fuel storage tanks, etc. In oil-contaminated environments, anaerobic biodegradation of BTEX and MTBE depended on the concentration and distribution of terminal electron acceptor. In this study, effect of electron acceptor on the anaerobic biodegradation for BTEX and MTBE-contaminated soil was investigated. This study showed the anaerobic biodegradation of BTEX and MTBE in two different soils by using nitrate reduction, ferric iron reduction and sulfate reduction. The soil samples from the two fields were enriched for 65 days by providing BTEX and MTBE as a sole carbon source and nitrate, sulfate or iron as a terminal electron acceptor. This study clearly shows that degradation rate of BTEX and MTBE with electron acceptors is higher than that without electron acceptors. Degradation rate of Ethylbenzene and Xylene is higher than that of Benxene, Toluene, and MTBE. In case of Benzene, Ethylbenzene, and MTBE, nitrate has more activation. In case of Toluene and Xylene, sulfate has more activation.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.419-424
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• 2009

Characteristics of humic substances on the changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics by biodegradation was investigated using three types of the artificial water samples composed of glucose and Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA). Some selected DOM characteristics including the specific UV absorbance (SUVA), the synchronous fluorescence spectra and the molecular weight (MW) were compared for the artificial water samples before and after 28-day microbial incubation. The changes of the DOM characteristics were minimal for SRFA during the incubation whereas they were significant for glucose. SUVA, dissolved organic carbon (DOC)-normalized fluorescence intensity, and MW values of glucose increased, suggesting that such labile organic compounds could be exclusively transformed into more humidified materials by biodegradation. For glucose-SRFA mixture, the selected DOM characteristics were greater than those estimated using the assumption that the individual changes of either glucose or SRFA are conservative for the mixture of the two materials. Our results suggest that the presence of humic substances (HS) may lead to the enhancement of the formation of refractory organic materials during biodegradation of labile compounds. Detailed analyses of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) revealed that the enhancement occurred for the DOM mixture with a MW range between 500 Da to 4000 Da.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.342-349
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• 2017

Polylactic acid (PLA) has been highlighted as an alternative renewable polymer for the replacement of petroleum-based plastic materials, and is considered to be biodegradable. On the other hand, the biodegradation of PLA by terminal degraders, such as microorganisms, requires a lengthy period in the natural environment, and its mechanism is not completely understood. PLA biodegradation studies have been conducted using mainly undefined mixed cultures, but only a few bacterial strains have been isolated and examined. For further characterization of PLA biodegradation, in this study, the PLA-degrading bacteria from digester sludge were isolated and identified using a polymer film-based screening method. The enrichment of sludge on PLA granules was conducted with the serial transference of a subculture into fresh media for 40 days, and the attached biofilm was inoculated on a PLA film on an agar plate. 3D optical microscopy showed that the isolates physically degraded the PLA film due to bacterial degradation. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the microbial colonies to be Pseudomonas sp. MYK1 and Bacillus sp. MYK2. The two isolates exhibited significantly higher specific gas production rates from PLA biodegradation compared with that of the initial sludge inoculum.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.716-719
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• 2001

The mobilization and biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil was enhanced by using paraffin oil, which was stabilized by the addition of a surfactant (Brji 30). The ratio of paraffin oil/Brij 30 was determined by measuring the change in the critical micelle concentration. When only surfactant was used, the stabilized paraffin oil emulsion could dissolve more phenanthrene in the water phase. Column experiment showed increased phenanthrene mobilization from the contaminated soil. The phenanthrene mobilized in the paraffine oil/Brij 30 emulsion was biodegraded faster than that in water phase or surfactant solution. This result indicates that a paraffin oil/surfactant system can be effectively used for the removal of PAH from contaminated soil.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.424-425
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• 2000

The effects of the presence of commercial non-ionic surfactants on the cell growth and diesel degradation by Pseudomonas sp. OSD were studied. Most surfactants inhibited the diesel biodegradation at high concentration(1000mg/1). However, some surfactants showed no inhibition at lower concentrations. Tween 20, Brij 58, Brij 78 were not inhibitory to the diesel biodegradation even at high concentration. These chosen surfactants has relatively high HLB values. There exists complicated relationship for diesel bioremediation between cell hydrophobicity, surfactant HLB, contaminants, an soil.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.262-267
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• 2000

The white rot fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium(IFO 31249) Trametes sp and Pleurotus sp. were studied for their ability to degrade Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAHs) using anthracene and pyrene as model compounds. The disapperarance anthracene and pyrene of from cultures of wild type strains. P chrysosporium Trametes sp. and Pleurotus sp was observed However the activities of ligninolytic enzymes were not detected in P chrysosporium cultures during degradation while ligninolytic enzymes were detected in both culture of Trametes sp. and Pleurotus sp. Therefore our results showed that PAHs was degraded under ligninolytic as well as nonligninolytic conditions. The results also indicate that lignin peroxidase(LiP) mananese peroxidase(MnP) and laccase are not essential for the biodegradation of PAHs by white rot fungi.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2004

This research in the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCB) has focussed on the use of experimental enrichment cultures to obtain PCB-deading communities and identification of PCB-degrading bacteria accor야ng to pure culture. During 180 days, enrichment culture was performed to obtain PCB-degrading bacteria and initial concentration was injected 1.6 ppm,0.7 ppm, respectively. After 180 days of enrichment culture, PCBs was removed 80-87% and 57-71%. Biodegradation of PCBs was studied according to dominated PCB-degrading bacteria. Biodegraddation of PCBs was 80% in initial concentration of PCBs for 20days, enrichment cultured PCB-degrading bacteria was isolated by pure culture and it was verified to Pseudoxanthomonas sp.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.323-328
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• 1986

To clarify the effects of several carbohydrates on the biodegradation of lignin by Pleurotus ostreatus. The strain was cultured on the media formulated with lignin and carbohydrates such as cellulose, xylan, collobiose, glucose and xylose, which was added individually. The culture mixtures grown 36 days were filtered and then estimated the degree of lignin biodegradation. It was found that the growth of P. ostreatus was stimulated and the depoly-merization was also increased by the addition of carbohydrates. When the carbohydrates were not added, polymerization was apparent in stead of depolymerization. In the case of glucose as an added carbohydrate, the content of lignin by the nitrosolignin method was greatly (about 7.4 times) decreased than control which contains lignin as a carbon source. The peak of lignin at 280nm in UV spectra was decreased about 27% after 27 days of culture. As results, it was assumed that lignin biodegradation was correlated to the carbohydrates and especially glucose was very significant role in lignin degradation.