• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.126-137
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• 2006

Behaviors of simple organic compound and granular sludge in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating propionate at high ammonia nitrogen levels were investigated for 12 months. The UASB reactor achieved about 80% removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) at ammonia nitrogen concentration up to 6000 mg-N/L. At higher concentration of ammonia nitrogen, the propionate in the effluent increased whereas the acetate was very low. At ammonia nitrogen concentration of 8000 mg-N/L, the volatile suspended solids (VSS) increased sharply due probably to the decrease of the content of extracellular polymer (ECP) although methane production was very low. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) using formate, acetate, and propionate as substrate to granules decreased as ammonia nitrogen concentration increased. The ammonia nitrogen concentration $I^{50}$, causing 50% inhibition of SMA were 2666, 4778 and 5572 mg-N/L, respectively. The kinetic coefficients of ammonia inhibition using formate, acetate, and propionate as substrate were 3.279, 0.999 and 0.609, respectively. The SMA using formate was severely affected by ammonia nitrogen than those using acetate and propionate. This result indicated that the hydrogenotrophic methanogens was most affected by ammonia nitrogen. Granules were mainly composed of microcolonies of methanothrix-like bacteria resembling bamboo-shape, and several other microcolonies including propionate degrader with juxtapositioned syntrophic associations between the hydrogen-producing acetogens and hydrogen-consuming methanogens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.515-521
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• 2004

Anaerobic digestion has many advantages over the more conventional aerobic treatment processes such as low levels of excess sludge production, low space (area) requirements, and the production of valuable biogas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic loading rate of anaerobic digestion on thermophilic($55^{\circ}C$) and mesophilic($35^{\circ}C$) conditions. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) method was also used to study the microbial community in the reactors. The stabilizing time in mesophilic anaerobic reactors was shorter as approximately 20 days than 40 days in the thermophilic anaerobic reactors. The amount of methane production rate in anaerobic reactors was independent of the concentrations of supplied substrates and the amount of methanogens. When the microbial diversity in the mesophilic and thermophilic reactors, which had been treated with acetate-based artificial wastewater, were compared, it was found that methanogenesis was carried out by microbial consortia consisting of bacteria and archaea such as methanogens. To investigate the activity of bacterial and archaeal populations in all anaerobic reactors, the amount of acetate was measured. Archaea were predominant in all reactors. Interestingly, Methanothrix-like methanogens appeared in mesophilic anaerobic reactors with high feed substrate concentrations, whereas it was not observed in thermophilic anaerobic reactors.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2007

Two phase UASB reactors for treating wastewater with sulfate were operated to assess the performance and competition of organics between sulfate reducing bacteria(SRB) and methane producing bacteria(MPB), and the change of characteristics of microorganisms. The reactors were fed in parallel with a synthetic wastewater of 4,000-5,000 mgCOD/L and sulfate concentration of $800-1,000\;mgSO_4/L$. In the MPR(methane producing reactor) and CR(control reactor), COD removal efficiencies were 90% and 60%, respectively, at the OLR(organic loading rate) of 6 gCOD/L, while the amount of biogas and methane content were 6.5 L/day and 80%, and 3 L/day and 50%, respectively. However, the portion of electron flow used by SRB at the OLR of 6 gCOD/L day in MPR and CR was 3% and 26%, respectively. This indicated that the increase of OLR of wastewater containing high sulfate like CR resulted in activity decrease and cell decay of MPB, while SRB was adapted immediately to new environment. The MPB activities in MPR and CR were 2 and $0.38\;kgCH_4-COD$/gVSS day at the OLR of 6 gCOD/L. This indicated hat SRB dominated gradually over MPB during long-term operation with wastewater containing sulfate as a consequence of outcompeting of SRB over MPB. In addition, the solution within AFR was maintained around pH 5.0, the MPB such as Methanothrix spp. which was very important to formation of granules was detached from the surface of granules due to the decrease of activity by limitation of substrate transportation into MPB. Therefore, a significant amount of sludge was washed out from the reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 1996

UASB reactor was operated for treating wastewater containing high sulfate to assess their performance, competition between sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) and methane-producing bacteria(MPB), and the change in the characteristics of microbial granules according to change of hydraulic retention time(HRT) in the reactor. The reactor was fed with a synthetic moderate strength wastes(glucose, 2000 mgCOD/l) containing high sulfate($2400mgSO_4{^{2-}}/l$). The organic loading rate(OLR) ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 gCOD/l.d as HRT maintained 15 to 30 hrs in the stage I. The COD removal efficiency was between 80 to 92%. During this period, methane yield rapidly decreased from 0.3 to 0.1 1 $CH_4$/gCODremoved. While sulfide concentration in the effluent increased from 80 to 200 mgS/l. This indicates that SRB becomes dominant over MPB at a relatively long HRT in the excess sulfate. When OLR of reactor maintained from 5 to 8 gCOD/l.d in the stage II, methane yield increased from 0.1 to 0.17 1 $CH_4$/gCODremoved regardless of decrease of COD removal efficiency. This indicates that SRB is more sensitive to the change of a short HRT than MPB. In the competition between SRB and MPB, about 30% of the removed COD was utilized by SRB at HRT of 30 hrs during the start-up period, while about 73% was used by SRB at HRT of 15hrs at the final step of second experimental stage. Whereas after shock exposure of OLR about 62% was utilized by SRB at HRT of 5hrs. It indicates that SRB is strongly suppressed by the wash-out of significant dispersed SRB since a large electron flow is distributed to the MPB. In addition, the granulation in the presence of high sulfate is unfavoured at a long HRT because of substrate transport limitations into MPB like Methanothrix spp. which is an important factor in the composition of the granules. Accordingly, granule sizes in the UASB reactor decreased with time due to weak network frame of granules by the decreased activity of MPB.