Ewha Womans University · 環境科学
Professor Kyung-Suk Cho's research lab specializes in environmental biotechnology, focusing on microbial processes for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Key research directions include the isolation and characterization of novel microorganisms—such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and white-rot fungi—for the degradation of hazardous pollutants like BTEX, dyes, and organic waste. The lab investigates microbial metabolism in applications ranging from denitrification and microbial fuel cells to mycoremediation, emphasizing the role of functional genes and microbial communities in enhancing treatment efficiency. Their work integrates microbiology, molecular biology, and bioprocess engineering to develop sustainable solutions for industrial and municipal wastewater challenges.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia T3-c, isolated from a biofilter for the removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), could grow in a mineral salt medium containing toluene, benzene, or ethylbenzene as the sole source of carbon. The effect of environmental factors such as initial toluene mass, medium pH, and temperature on the degradation rate of toluene was investigated. The cosubstrate interactions in the BTEX mixture by the isolate were also studied. Within the range of initial t
The effects of operational parameters such as carbon source, C/N ratio, initial nitrate concentration, temperature, and pH value on heterotrophic denitrification and functional denitrifying genes were evaluated. When methanol was used as the sole carbon source, complete denitrification was performed in a short time without nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) emission. Complete denitrification was performed at high C/N ratios (5.14 and 12.85) and low initial nitrate concentrations (75.9 and 151.6 mg N
The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, electricity generation, and microbial communities were compared in 3 types of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) treating molasses wastewater. Single-chamber MFCs without and with a proton exchange membrane (PEM), and double-chamber MFC were constructed. A total of 10,000 mg L(-1) COD of molasses wastewater was continuously fed. The COD removal, electricity generation, and microbial communities in the two types of single-chamber MFCs were similar, indicating th
A new decolorizing white-rot fungus, OBR105, was isolated from Mount Odae in South Korea and identified by the morphological characterization of its fruit body and spores and partial 18s rDNA sequences. The ligninolytic enzyme activity of OBR105 was studied to characterize their decolorizing mechanism using a spectrophotometric enzyme assay. For the evaluation of the decolorization capacity of OBR105, the isolate was incubated in an erlenmeyer flask and in an airlifte bioreator with potato dextr
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