• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.47-51
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• 2015

Biocatalytic degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in contaminated soil by hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide is an effective soil remediation method. This study used a laboratory soil reactor experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of a nonspecific biocatalytic reaction with hemoglobin and H₂O₂ for treating TPH-contaminated soil. We also quantified changes in the soil microbial community using real-time PCR analysis during the experimental treatment. The results show that the measured rate constant for the reaction with added hemoglobin was 0.051/day, about 3.5 times higher than the constant for the reaction with only H₂O₂ (0.014/day). After four weeks of treatment, 76% of the initial soil TPH concentration was removed with hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide treatment. The removal of initial soil TPH concentration was 26% when only hydrogen peroxide was used. The soil microbial community, based on 16S rRNA gene copy number, was higher (7.1 × 10⁶ copy number/g of bacteria, and 7.4 × 10⁵ copy number/g of Archaea, respectively) in the hemoglobin catalyzed treatment. Our results show that TPH treatment in contaminated soil using hemoglobin catalyzed oxidation led to the enhanced removal effectiveness and was non-toxic to the native soil microbial community in the initial soil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.839-847
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• 2020

In the present study, an anaerobic microbial consortium for the degradation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) was selectively enriched with the co-addition of RDX and starch under nitrogen-deficient conditions. Microbial growth and anaerobic RDX biodegradation were effectively enhanced by the co-addition of RDX and starch, which resulted in increased RDX biotransformation to nitroso derivatives at a greater specific degradation rate than those for previously reported anaerobic RDX-degrading bacteria (isolates). The accumulation of the most toxic RDX degradation intermediate (MNX [hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine]) was significantly reduced by starch addition, suggesting improved RDX detoxification by the co-addition of RDX and starch. The subsequent MiSeq sequencing that targeted the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that the Sporolactobacillus, Clostridium, and Paenibacillus populations were involved in the enhanced anaerobic RDX degradation. These results suggest that these three bacterial populations are important for anaerobic RDX degradation and detoxification. The findings from this work imply that the Sporolactobacillus, Clostridium, and Paenibacillus dominant microbial consortium may be valuable for the development of bioremediation resources for RDX-contaminated environments.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.431-436
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• 2002

Effects of fertilizer additions for oil degradation were examined in sand seashore mesocosms. Within 37 days, up to $85\%$ removal was achieved by the addition of slow-release type fertilizer (SRF) with the initial degradation rate of 423.3 mg oil $(kg sand)^-1\;day^-1$. The removal was mostly of biological origin based on the changes of $C_17$ /pristane and $C_18$/phytane ratios from 2.60 to 0.81 and from 3.55 to 1.29, respectively. The addition of oleophilic fertilizer (Inipol EAP22) was less effective and resulted in the removal of $64\%$ of the added oil ($3\%$, v/v) with a lower initial degradation rate. Petroleum-degrading bacteria had achieved a value of $1{\times}10^8$ CFU $(g sand)^-1$ at Day 3 and this peak exactly coincided with the initial degradation in the SRF-treated mesocosm. In this mesocosm, surface tension values were decreased drastically during Days 3 and 8, suggesting that microbially-produced surface-active agents actively enhanced the oil degradation rate and cell proliferation. Although the Inipol-treated mesocosm appeared to show significantly enhanced oil degradation compared to that of the untreated control mesocosm, Inipol was found to be less effective than SRF in enhancing a true oil-degrader when compared under similar experimental conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.333-337
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• 2000

An oil-degrading yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica 180, exhibits interesting cell surface characteristics under the growth on hydrocarbons. An electron microscopic study revealed that the cells grown on crude oil showed protrusions on the cell surface, and thicker periplasmic space and cell wall than the cell surface, and thicker periplasmic space and cell wall than the cells grown on glucose. Y. lipolytica cells lost its cell hydrophobicity after pronase(0.1 mg/ml) treatment. The strain produced two types of emulsifying materials during the growth on hydrocarbons; one was water-soluble extracellular materials and the other was cell wall-associated materials. Both emulsifying materials at lower concentration (0.12%) enhanced the oil-degrading activity of Moraxella sp. K12-7, which had medium emulsifying activity and negative cell hydrophobicity; however, it inhibited the oil-degrading activity of Pseudomunas sp. K12-5, which had medium emulsifying activity and cell hydrophobicity. These results suggest that the oil-degrading activity of Y. lipolytica 180 is closely associated with cell surface structure, and that a finely controlled application of Y.lipolytica 180 in combination with other oil-degrading microorganisms showed a possible enhancing efficiency of oil degradation.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2005

Results from an innovative approach to improve remediation in the rhizosphere by encouraging healthy plant growth and thus enhancing microbial activity are reported. The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Am) on remediation efficacy of wheat, mungbean and eggplant grown in soil spiked with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was assessed in a pot experiment. The results of this study showed that Am inoculation enhanced dissipation amount of PAHs in planted soil, plant uptake PAHs, dissipation amount of PAHs in planted versus unplanted spiked soil and loss of PAHs by the plant-promoted biodegradation. A number of parameters were monitored including plant shoot and root dry weight, plant tissue water content, plant chlorophyll, root lipid content, oxido-reductase enzyme activities in plant and soil rhizosphere and total microbial count in the rhizospheric soil. The observed physiological data indicate that plant growth and tolerance increased with Am, but reduced by PAH. This was reflected by levels of mycorrhizal root colonization which were higher for mungbean, moderate for wheat and low for eggplant. Levels of Am colonization increased on mungbean > wheat > eggplant. This is consistent with the efficacy of plant in dissipation of PAHs in spiked soil. Highly significant positive correlations were shown between of arbuscular formation in root segments (A)) and plant water content, root lipids, peroxidase, catalase polyphenol oxidase and total microbial count in soil rhizosphere as well as PAH dissipation in spiked soil. As consequence of the treatment with Am, the plants provide a greater sink for the contaminants since they are better able to survive and grow.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 1992

The spatial and temporal distribution of petroleum-degrading bacteria(PDB) was studied at six sampling sites in Kyeonggi Bay of the Yellow Sea fiom March 1990 to October 1991. In addition, petroleum-degrading potcntial of natural ~iiai-ineb acterial population was studied at different culturc contlitions. During the period o f stutly. thc heterotrophic bacterial number and PDB number were n1e;rsured in the range of 7 000-108.400 CFU/nil. 0-2.800 MPN1100 mi. respectively. The spatial tlistribution of PDB wa\ highly affected by presence of petroleum hydrocarbon. In laboratory cxperirncnt. petrolcu~n biodegradation wac enhanced hy addition of yeast cxtracl. cell free cxtr:~ct. anti rnixctl culture of PI)B.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

The effect of ozone oxidation on biodegradability of leachate was studied. Ozone oxidation process was used as pre-treatment process to enhance performance of biological process in treating landfill leachate. Optimum ozone dosing rate and contact time in this experiment was $160mg\;O_3/L$ hr and 45 minutes, respectively. Biodegradability was enhanced 5.08% by ozone oxidation. The ratio of ozone demand/DOC concentration was $0.049{\sim}0.091mg\;O_3/mg$ DOC. The increase of biodegradability depending on ozone dosing rate(D) and contact time(T) can be expressed as follows ; ${\Delta}E=0.00479{\cdot}D^{0.773}{\cdot}T^{0.800}$ The biodegradation rate of DOC was increased proportionally with the increase of ozone dosing rate and contact time irrespective of landfill site age. The increase of biodegradability by ozone addition was not satisfactory. It is hard to expect significant increase in biodegradability by ozone treatment only. Thus, it is evaluated that ozone oxidation can not increase biodegradability significantly in concentrated wastewater composed of complex organic compound such as leachate.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.32-38
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• 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate the slurping process affecting the variation of free product and VOCs concentration and the bioaugmentation effect on bioremediation process. Free products and soil gas were extracted from 30 extraction wells installed in a petroleum contaminated area. The extraction system was operated for 10 hours per day with 1 hour on-and-off mode. The thickness of free product in extraction well was decreased from 11.7 cm to 4.5 cm and the VOCs concentration was increased from 10.37 ppm to 30.78 ppm during the operation period. After the slurping process for 2 months, contaminated soil was treated with bioremediation process in 2 cells, $15{\times}40$ m, biologically enhanced with adjusting oxygen, moisture and nutrients concentration. Total 1,400 L of microbial inoculant, Naturesys. (Dong Myung Ent. Co.) was added to the pile B, which has an outstanding ability for degrading petroleum hydrocarbons. The results showed that bioremediaton effect in soil with the microorganisms solution is 33% higher than that in soil with only residual bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.63-66
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• 2008

Anthracene is a PAH that is not readily degraded, plus its degradation mechanism is still not clear. Thus, two strains of anthracene-degrading bacteria were isolated from long-term petroleum-polluted soil and identified as Sphingomonas sp. 12A and Pseudomonas sp. 12B by a 16S rRNA sequence analysis. To further enhance the anthracene-degrading ability of the two strains, the biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa $W_3$ were used, which were characterized as rhamnolipids. It was found that these rhamnolipids dramatically increased the solubility of anthracene, and a reverse-phase HPLC assay showed that the anthracene degradation percentage after 18 days with Pseudomonas sp. 12B was significantly enhanced from 34% to 52%. Interestingly, their effect on the degradation by Sphingomonas sp. 12A was much less, from 35% to 39%. Further study revealed that Sphingomonas sp. 12A also degraded the rhamnolipids, which may have hampered the effect of the rhamnolipids on the anthracene degradation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.541-546
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• 2012

The biodegradation of phenol in laboratory-contaminated soil was investigated using the Gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum. This study showed that the phenol degradation caused by C. glutamicum was greatly enhanced by the addition of 1% yeast extract. From the toxicity test using Daphnia magna, the soil did not exhibit any hazardous effects after the phenol was removed using C. glutamicum. Additionally, the treatment of the phenol-contaminated soils with C. glutamicum increased various soil amino acid compositions, such as glycine, threonine, isoleucine, alanine, valine, leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. This phenomenon induced an increase in the seed germination rate and the root elongation of Avena sativa (oat). This probably reflects that increased soil amino acid composition due to C. glutamicum treatment strengthens the plant roots. Therefore, the phenol-contaminated soil was effectively converted through increased soil amino acid composition, and additionally, the phenol in the soil environment was biodegraded by C. glutamicum.