• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.117-121
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• 1976

A microbial strain capable of degrading ABS (alkyl benzene sulfonate) was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas caryophylli. During the incubation of the isolated bacterium in a synthetic effluent containing 10 ppm of ABS, the extents of removal of ABS, BOD and COD were 40％, 89％ and 71％, respectively. The degradability of ABS by pure culture with the isolated strain was twice higher than that of mixed culture with natural microflora. The biodegradability of some commercial detergents in Korea by the isolated organism was as follows: Hiti 46.2％, Kleenup 37.5％, No.1 29％, and OK 27.9％.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 2013

An unstable yet efficient phenanthrene-degrading bacterium strain Ph-3 was isolated from a petroleum-contaminated site at the Mathura Oil Refinery, India. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. using a polyphasic approach. An analysis of the intermediates and assays of the degradative enzymes from a crude extract of phenanthrene-grown cells showed a novel and previously unreported pattern of 1, 2-dihydroxy naphthalene and salicylic acid production. While strain Ph-3 lost its phenanthrene- degrading potential during successive transfers on a rich medium, it maintained this trait in oligotrophic soil conditions under the stress of the pollutant and degraded phenanthrene efficiently in soil microcosms. Although the maintenance and in vitro study of unstable phenotypes are difficult and such strains are often missed during isolation, purification, and screening, these bacteria constitute a substantial fraction of the microbial community at contaminated sites and play an important role in pollutant degradation during biostimulation or monitored natural attenuation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2014

The usage of efficient microorganism (EM) is increasing in concern for server purposes including odor removal during carcasses degradation. In this study, we have studied the type of soil and its effect on efficient microorganisms for the removal of odorous gases during buried carcasses degradation in lab-scale reactor. The carcasses are buried in the reactor with various soil types such as normal soil, 20% sandy and 20% clay soil with the efficient microorganism KEM. The efficient microorganisms KEM have the ability to stabilize the degradation of carcasses of the burial site. We have focused on the analysis of odorous gases such tri-methylamine (TMA), hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$), methyl mercaptan (MM), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), and methane ($CH_4$) along with the changes of microbial community changed during complete degradation of buried carcasses for a year. The results suggested that the 20% sandy soil contain lesser level of $H_2S$ and MM (0.09 and 0.35 mg) but 20% clay has higher nitrogen compound removing effect and leave only less amount of ammonia and TMA (0.31 and 2.06 mg). The 20% sandy soil also has the ability to breakdown the carcasses more quality compared with other types of soil. Based on the data obtained in this study suggesting that, the use of 20% sandy soil can effectively control sulfur compounds whereas 20% clay soil controls nitrogen compounds in the buried soil. Depending on the type of the soil, the dominant of microbial communities and the distribution was change.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2 s.112
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• pp.137-145
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• 2005

Traditional screening techniques have missed up to 99% of microbial resources existing in the nature. Strategies of direct cloning of environmental DNAs comprising tine genetic blueprints of entire microbial metagenomes provide vastly more genetic information than is contained in the culturable. Therefore, one way to screening the useful gene in a variety of environments is the construction of metagenomic DNA library. In this study, the water samples were collected from Daecheong Reservoir in the mid Korea, and analyzed by T-RFLP to examine the diversity of the microbial communities. The crude DNAs were extracted by SDS-based freezing-thawing method and then further purified using an $UltraClean^{TM}kit$ (MoBio, USA). The metagenomic libraries were constructed with the DNAs partially digested with EcoRI, BamHI, and SacII in Escherichia coli DH10B using the pBACe3.6 vector. About 14.0 Mb of metagenomic libraries were obtained with average inserts 13 ${\sim}$ 15 kb in size. The genes responsible for degradation of 1, 2-dichloroethane (1, 2-DCE) via hydrolytic dehalogenation were identified from the metagenomic libraries by colony hybridization. The 1, 2-dichloroethane dehalogenase gene (dhlA) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The activity of the 1, 2-DCE dehalogenase was highly expressed to the substrate. These results indicated that the dhlA gene identified from the metagenomes derived from Deacheong Reservoir might be useful to develop a potent strain for degradation of 1, 2-DCE.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.365-374
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• 2016

In high-latitude regions, temperature has risen ($0.6^{\circ}C$ per decade) and this leads to the increase in microbial degradability against soil organic carbon (SOC). Furthermore, the decomposed SOC is converted into green-house gases ($CO_2$ and $CH_4$) and their release could further increase the rate of climate change. Thus, understanding the microbial diversity and their functions linked with SOC degradation in soil-thawing model is necessary. In this study, we divided tundra soil from Council, Alaska into two depth regions (30-40 cm and 50-60 cm of depth, designated as SPF and PF, respectively) and incubated that for 108 days at $0^{\circ}C$. A total of 111,804 reads were obtained through a pyrosequencing-based metagenomic study during the microcosm experiments, and 574-1,128 of bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 30-57 of archaeal OTUs were observed. Taxonomic analysis showed that the distribution of bacterial taxa was significantly different between two samples. In detail, the relative abundance of phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes largely increased in SPF and PF soil, respectively, while phyla Crenarchaeota was increased in both soil samples. Weight measurement and gel permeation chromatography of the SOC extracts demonstrated that polymerization of humic acids, main component of SOC, occurred during the microcosm experiments. Taken together our results indicate that these bacterial and archaeal phyla could play a key function in SOC degradation and utilization in cold tundra soil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.602-608
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• 2010

An atrazine-degrading bacterium, strain KU001, was obtained from a sugarcane field at the Cane and Sugar Research and Development Center at the Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Thailand. Strain KU001 had a rod-to-coccus morphological cycle during growth. Biolog carbon source analysis indicated that the isolated bacterium was Arthrobacter histidinolovorans. Sequence analysis of the PCR product indicated that the 16S rRNA gene in strain KU001 was 99% identical to the same region in Arthrobacter sp. The atrazine degradation pathway in strain KU001 consisted of the catabolic genes trzN, atzB, and atzC. Strain KU001 was able to use atrazine as a sole nitrogen source for growth, and surprisingly, atrazine degradation was not inhibited in cells grown on ammonium, nitrate, or urea, as compared with cells cultivated on growth-limiting nitrogen sources. During the atrazine degradation process, the supplementation of nitrate completely inhibited atrazine degradation activity in strain KU001, whereas ammonium and urea had no effect on atrazine degradation activity. The addition of strain KU001 to sterile or nonsterile soils resulted in the disappearance of atrazine at a rate that was 4- to 5-fold more than that achieved by the indigenous microbial community. The addition of citrate to soils resulted in enhanced atrazine degradation, where 80% of atrazine disappeared within one day following nutrient supplementation.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2011

In this study, the soil remediation by landfarming was carried out using microbial activators. Feasibility studies and reduction capacity of TPH(Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) were investigated in order to find out how fast and eco-friendly the contaminated soil can be recovered. The lab-test confirmed not only the performance and degradation efficiency of microbial activators but also the effect of TPH reduction in the contaminated soil. The optimum growth conditions for indigenous microorganisms were identified using microbial activators. Based on the results of TPH removal, although there had been a little of difference in between natural decomposition and microbial activators until 20 days, the sample groups of microbial activators were higher than the control ones after 20 days. Microbial activators were applied to the field experiments on landfarming. Based on the results of removal rate in each floor of soil, it was found that the removal rates were 85.8 % in the upper, 84.4 % in the middle, and 66.10 % in the bottom. Considering that the reduction rate of TPH for the control group averaged 71.1%, the microbial activators might not be fully transferred into the bottom, which resulted from the piles of soil. As the piles have already reached 1 m in the field experiments, the low piles of soil under 0.6 m may enhance the treatment efficiency of TPH.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.268-273
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Petroleum-contaminated soil from leaking above- and underground storage tanks and spillage during transport of petroleum products is widespread environmental problem in recent years. Application of compost may be the most promising, cost-effective, and eco-friendly technology for soil bioremediation because of its advantages over physical and chemical technology. The objective of this study was to evaluate effect of compost application on degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.METHOD AND RESULTS: An arable soil was artificially contaminated by diesel, and compost was applied at the different rate of 0, 10, 30, and 50 Mg/ha. Concentration of TPH in the soil decreased as application rate of compost increased. Degradation efficiency was highest at compost 30 Mg/ha; however, it slightly decreased with compost 50 Mg/ha. Kinetic modeling was performed to estimate the rates of chemical reaction. The correlation coefficient (R2) values for the linear plots using the second-order model were higher than those using the first-oder model. Compost 30 and 50 Mg/ha had the fastest TPH degradation rate in the second-order model. Change of microbial population in soil with compost application was similar to that of TPH. Microbial population in the soil increased as application rate of compost increased. Increasing microbial population in the contaminated soil corresponded to decreased in TPH concentration.CONCLUSION: Conclusively, compost application for soil bioremediation could be an effective response to petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The increase in microbial population with compost suggested that compost application at an optimum rate might enhance degradation of TPH in soil.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.297-300
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• 2004

The various microbial tests were performed to determine bioremediation agent capacity for eight strains isolated from the oil contaminated regions. Two tests for isolated strains were conducted such as cell hydrophobicity and emulsifying activity. The biodegradation of SHM (saturated hydrocarbon mixture) and AHM (aromatic hydrocarbon mixture) with the strains also was carried out. The strains having higher cell hydrophobicity and emulsifying activity degraded petroleum oil effectively. The degradation capacity for SHM was represented more than 90% in YS-7 and WLH-1 of isolated strains, and KH3-2 were capable of degrading AHM. Especially, WLH-1 as yeast was shown more than two or three times in the degradation capacity of automobile engine lubricants and the biomonitoring results of contaminated soil for residual oil degrading test showed that the hydrocarbon biodegradation was increased in the second treatment by this strain.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.342-345
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• 2001

A bacterial strain PH-4, which produces an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of crosslinked poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) hydrogels, was isolated and identified as a Flavobacterium sp. The enzyme was obtained by the sonication of the bacterial cells preincubated in a Bouillon medium with shaking, without adding of poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) as an inducer. The products of the hydrogel degraded by the crude enzyme agreed closely with the depolymerized materials in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using methylene blue staining, and with a glutamic acid monomer on thin-layer chromatography, thereby suggesting that strain PH-4 produced a kind of exohydrolase.