• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.370-374
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• 2000

Some bacterial strains isolated from activated sludges and media and type cultures were cultivated in a pharmaceutical wastewater and a paperboard wastewater and added during batch treatment of those wastewaters in order for these strains to increase the treatment efficiency. Bacillus sp(PC-3) isolated from the charcoal media of the pharmaceutical wastewater plant grew remarkably over there strains in that wastewater and the viable cell count after 24hr cultivation was $1.1{\times}10^6m/L$. Bacillus subtills KCTC 1028 a type strain grew best in the paperboard wastewater and the viable cell count after 24hr cultivation was $1.1{\times}10^7m/L$. Addition of PC-3 in a batch treatment of the pharmaceutical wastewater increased COD removal by 18% after 8 day. And addition of Bacillus subtills KCTC 1028 in a batch treatment of the paperboard wastewater increased COD removal by 14% only after 24hy Bacillus subtills DCTC 1028 was though to be able to be produced economically using alcohol distillery wastewaters from starch material.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.1 s.96
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• pp.49-53
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• 2006

The aim of this research is to estimate the values of biological kinetic parameters of pharmaceutical wastewater for understanding biochemical properties. Maximum specific growth rate (${\mu}m$), yield coefficient (Y), and half-velocity coefficient (KS) were determined using oxygen uptake rate (OUR), and the results were 10.49/day (0.437/hr), 0.655, and 38.89 mg/L, respectively. Measured ${\mu}max$ by nonlinear regression of Monod equation was 10.63/day (or 0.443/hr), and this value was similar with above result. These parameters may be used to increase efficiency of pharmaceutical wastewater treatment and to determine amount of oxygen needed to removal BOD and dissolved oxygen in activated sludge process.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.349-355
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• 2009

Metabolic fingerprinting of microbial communities was investigated with Biolog GN2 plates using samples of biofilm and aeration tanks from an RABC (rotating activated Bacillus contactor) system - an advanced wastewater treatment system for the food wastewater of pig slaughterhouses. Aerobic and anaerobic results revealed the following four aspects. First, simple matching and pairs t-test of daily variation showed more defined qualitative and quantitative relatedness of active microbial communities than that of mere optical densities. Second, metabolic potentials were higher in biofilm than in aeration tanks (p<0.01), meaning higher activity of biofilm. Third, two aeration tanks showed the highest similarity (78%) and similar metabolic power (p=0.287). However, actively used carbon sources were different among samples, signifying change of active communities at each wastewater treatment step. Finally, aerobic and anaerobic metabolic fingerprinting patterns were different for the same samples representing activities of microaerophilic and/or anaerobic communities. These results suggest that daily variation and anaerobic incubation would help in the comparison of metabolic fingerprintings.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2013

This study demonstrates the oxidative degradation of pharmaceutical compounds during ozonation of surface waters in Ulsan. Diclofenac, carbamazepine, bezafibrate, and ibuprofen were selected as surrogate pharmaceutical compounds, and ozonation experiments were performed using raw waters collected from the Sayeon Dam and the Hoeya Dam in Ulsan. Diclofenac and carbamazepine which have high reactivity with molecular ozone showed higher removal efficiencies than bezafibrate and ibuprofen during ozonation. The addition of tert-butanol, a hydroxyl radical scavenger, increased the removal efficiencies of diclofenac and carbamazepine by increasing the ozone exposure. However, the oxidation of bezafibrate and ibuprofen was inhibited by the presence of tert-butanol due to the suppression of the exposure to hydroxyl radical. The elimination of the selected pharmaceuticals could be successfully predicted by the kinetic model base on the $R_{ct}$ concept. Depending on the experimental condition, $R_{ct}$ values were determined to be $(1.54{\sim}3.32){\times}10^{-7}$ and $(1.19{\sim}3.04){\times}10^{-7}$ for the Sayeon Dam and the Hoeya Dam waters, respectively. Relatively high $R_{ct}$ values indicate that the conversion of $O_3$ into $^{\cdot}OH$ is more pronounced for surface waters in Ulsan compared to other water sources.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.397-414
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• 2021

The steady growth in population has led to an enhanced water demand and immense pressure on water resources. Pharmaceutical residues (PRs) are unused or non-assimilated medicines found in water supplies that originate from the human and animal consumption of antibiotics, antipyretics, analgesics etc. These have been detected recently in sewage effluents, surface water, ground water and even in drinking water. Due to their toxicity and potential hazard to the environment, humans and aquatic life, PRs are now categorized as the emerging contaminants (ECs). India figures in the top five manufacturers of medicines in the world and every third pill consumed in the world is produced in India. Present day conventional wastewater treatment methods are ineffective and don't eliminate them completely. The use of nanotechnology via advanced oxidation processes (AOP) is one of the most effective methods for the removal of these PRs. Present study is aimed at reviewing the presence of various PRs in water supplies and also to describe the process of AOP to overcome their threat. This study is also very important in view of World Health Organization report confirming more than 30 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide. This will lead to an alleviated use of antibiotics, antipyretics etc. and their subsequent occurrence in water bodies. Need of the hour is to devise a proper treatment strategy and a decision thereof by the policymakers to overcome the possible threat to the environment and health of humans and aquatic life.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.631-636
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• 1991

The bacteria which can biodegrade aromatic compounds were screened from soil and wastewater. The isolated Pseudomonas sp. HC107 had high removal rate of COD and phenol. And also this strain grew on m-cresol, salicylate, toluene, 2, 4-D and benzene. When the strain culture (2 ml/day) was treated on continuous reactor at mixed wastewater from chemical, pharmaceutical and dye industry, the treatment rate of COD, BOD and phenol was to be about 92.5%, 95.3% and 93.5%, respectively.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.318-327
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• 2017

Background: A typical sewage treatment plant is designed for organic and nutrient removal from municipal sewage water and not targeted to eliminate micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and nano-sized metals which become a big concern for sustainable human and ecological system and are mainly discharged from sewage treatment plant. Therefore, despite contaminant removal by wastewater treatment processes, there are still remaining environmental risks by untreated pollutants in STP (sewage treatment plant) effluents. This study performed aquatic toxicity tests of raw wastewater and treated effluents in two sewage treatment plants to evaluate toxicity reduction by wastewater treatment process and analyze concentration of contaminants to reveal potential toxic factors in STP effluents. Methods: Water samples were collected from each treatment steps of two STPs, and acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted following USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines. Endpoints were immobility for mortality and reproduction effect for estrogenicity. Results: Acute $EC_{50}s$ (median effective concentration) of influents for Seungki (SK) and Jungnang (JN) STPs are $54.13{\pm}32.64%$ and $30.38{\pm}24.96%$, respectively, and reduced to $96.49{\pm}7.84%$ and 100%. Acute toxicity reduction was clearly correlated with SS (suspended solids) concentration because of filter feeding characteristics of test organisms. Chronic toxicity tests revealed that lethal effect was reduced and low concentration of influents showed higher number of neonates. However, toxicity reduction was not related to nutrient removal. Fecundity effect positively increased in treated wastewater compared to that in raw wastewater, and no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in JN final effluent implying potential effects of estrogenic compounds in the STP effluents. Conclusions: Conventional wastewater treatment process reduced some organics and nutritional compounds from wastewater, and it results in toxicity reduction in lethal effect and positive reproductive effect but not showing correlation. Unknown estrogenic compounds could be a reason causing the increase of brood size. This study suggests that pharmaceutical residues and nanoparticles in STP effluents are one of the major micropollutants and underline as one of estrogenic effect factors.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2014

Fenton reaction with zerovalent iron (ZVI) and $Fe^{2+}$ ions was studied to treat pharmaceutical wastewaters (PhWW) including antibiotics and non-biodegradable organics. Incremental biodegradability was assessed by monitoring biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) changes during Fenton reaction. Original undiluted wastewater samples were used as collected from the pharmaceutical factory. Experiments were carried out to obtain optimal conditions for Fenton reaction under different $H_2O_2$ and ion salts (ZVI and $Fe^{2+}$) concentrations. The optimal ratio and dosage of $H_2O_2$/ZVI were 5 and 25/5 g/L (mass basis), respectively. Also, the optimal ratio and dosage of $H_2O_2/Fe^{2+}$ ions were 5 and 35/7 g/L (mass basis), respectively. Under optimized conditions, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency by ZVI was 23% better than the treatment with $Fe^{2+}$ ion. The reaction time was 45 min for ZVI and shorter than 60 min for $Fe^{2+}$ ion. The COD and total organic carbon (TOC) were decreased, but BOD was increased under the optimal conditions of $H_2O_2$/ZVI = 25/5 g/L, because organic compounds were converted into biodegradable intermediates in the early steps of the reaction. The BOD/TOC ratio was increased, but reverse-wise, the COD/TOC was decreased because of generated intermediates. The biodegradability was increased about 9.8 times (BOD/TOC basis), after treatment with ZVI. The combination of chemical and biological processes seems an interesting combination for treating PhWW.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2020

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have become an environmental havoc in last few decades with reported cases of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs), lethal effects over aquatic organisms, interference in natural decomposition of organic matter, reduced diversity of microbial communities in different environmental compartments, inhibition of growth of microbes resulting in reduced rate of nutrient cycling, hormonal imbalance in exposed organisms etc. Owing to their potential towards bioaccumulation and persistent nature, these compounds have longer residence time and activity in environment. The conventional technologies of wastewater treatment have got poor efficiency towards removal/degradation of PhACs and therefore, modern techniques with efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly operation need to be explored. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) like Photocatalysis, Fenton oxidation, Ozonation etc. are some of the promising, viable and sustainable options for degradation of PhACs. Although energy/chemical or both are essentially required for AOPs, these methods target complete degradation/mineralization of persistent pollutants resulting in no residual toxicity. Considering the high efficiency towards degradation, non-toxic nature, universal viability and acceptability, AOPs have become a promising option for effective treatment of chemicals with persistent nature.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 2005

Pharmaceutical byproduct sludge and cosmetic industry wastewater sludge can be used as a raw material of compost. Effects of three types of pharmaceutical byproduct sludge and one type of cosmetic industry wastewater sludge on soil properties and red pepper growth were investigated in a field based concrete pot ($2{\times}2m$). These sludges and pig manure ($5Mg\;ha^{-1}$, dry basis) were incorporated into the upper of loam soil 30 days prior to transplanting red pepper. Changes in soil properties and contents of heavy metals and toxic organic compounds in soil and plant were measured. And also plant growth measurement and bioassay of soil phytotoxicity were included. Contents of heavy metals were increased in the soils treated with the sludges. Plant growth in the sludge treatments were mostly inferior to that of NPK treatment, especially in early stage. Content of N in plant was lower in all sludge treatments at early and middle growth stages, and it was especially caused by characteristics and concentration of nitrogen and organic matter of sludges. Total yield of red pepper was highest in the NPK treatment and followed by pharmaceutical sludge 3, pig manure, pharmaceutical sludge 1, and pharmaceutical sludge 2, and the yield of cosmetic sludge treatment was considerably lower than others. HEM and PAHs contents in soil of cosmetic sludge treatment were $4.80mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $2,263.2{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Root elongation of lettuce exposed to the water extract of soil treated with cosmetic sludge was about 20% of that found in the test with soil extract of non fertilization treatment. At present, raw materials of compost were authorized according to the contents of organic matter, heavy metals and product processing. Toxic organic compounds analysis and bioassay would be helpful for authorization and assessment of suitability of raw materials of compost.