scholarly journals Microfluidic study of effects of flow velocity and nutrient concentration on biofilm accumulation and adhesive strength in microchannels

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Liu ◽  
Tormod Skauge ◽  
David Landa-Marbán ◽  
Beate Hovland ◽  
Bente Thorbjørnsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Water Purification ◽  
Adhesive Strength ◽  
Nutrient Concentration ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Porous System ◽  
Hydrodynamic Conditions ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Biofilm Development

AbstractBiofilm accumulation in the porous media can cause plugging and change many physical properties of porous media. Up to now, applications of desired biofilm growth and its subsequent bioplugging have been attempted for various practices. A deeper understanding of the relative influences of hydrodynamic conditions including flow velocity and nutrient concentration, on biofilm growth and detachment is necessary to plan and analyze bioplugging experiments and field trials. The experimental results by means of microscopic imaging over a T-shape microchannel show that flow velocity and nutrient concentrations can have significant impacts on biofilm accumulation and adhesive strength in both flowing and stagnant microchannels. Increase in fluid velocity could facilitate biofilm growth, but that above a velocity threshold, biofilm detachment and inhibition of biofilm formation due to high shear stress were observed. High nutrient concentration prompts the biofilm growth, but was accompanied by a relatively weak adhesive strength. This research provides an overview of biofilm development in a hydrodynamic environment for better predicting and modelling the bioplugging associated with porous system in petroleum industry, hydrogeology, and water purification.IMPORTANCEIn the recent decade, the use of bacteria has become more and more important in many applications. Bioplugging caused by bacteria growth in porous media has been explored as a viable technique for some applications, such as bioremediation, water purification and microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). In order to control biofilms/biomasses selectively/directionally plugging in desirable places, the role of hydrodynamic conditions on biofilm growth and detachment is essential to investigate. Herein, a T-shape microchannel was prepared to study effects of flow velocity and nutrient concentration on biofilm accumulation and adhesive strength at pore scale. Our results suggest that flow velocity and nutrient concentration could control biofilm accumulation in microchannels. The finding helps explain and predict the engineering bioplugging in porous media, especially for the selective plugging strategy of a MEOR field trial.

scholarly journals Pronounced Effect of the Nature of the Inoculum on Biofilm Development in Flow Systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (18) ◽  
pp. 6025-6031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otini Kroukamp ◽  
Romeo G. Dumitrache ◽  
Gideon M. Wolfaardt
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Maximum Activity ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Flow Systems ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Biofilm formation renders sessile microbial populations growing in continuous-flow systems less susceptible to variation in dilution rate than planktonic cells, where dilution rates exceeding an organism's maximum growth rate (μmax) results in planktonic cell washout. In biofilm-dominated systems, the biofilm's overall μmax may therefore be more relevant than the organism's μmax, where the biofilm μmax is considered as a net process dependent on the adsorption rate, growth rate, and removal rate of cells within the biofilm. Together with lag (acclimation) time, the biofilm's overall μmax is important wherever biofilm growth is a dominant form, from clinical settings, where the aim is to prevent transition from lag to exponential growth, to industrial bioreactors, where the aim is to shorten the lag and rapidly reach maximum activity. The purpose of this study was to measure CO2 production as an indicator of biofilm activity to determine the effect of nutrient type and concentration and of the origin of the inoculum on the length of the lag phase, biofilm μmax, and steady-state metabolic activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 (containing gfp), Pseudomonas fluorescens CT07 (containing gfp), and a mixed community. As expected, for different microorganisms the lengths of the lag phase in biofilm development and the biofilm μmax values differ, whereas different nutrient concentrations result in differences in the lengths of lag phase and steady-state values but not in biofilm μmax rates. The data further showed that inocula from different phenotypic origins give rise to lag time of different lengths and that this influence persists for a number of generations after inoculation.

Biofilm development in fixed bed biofilm reactors: experiments and simple models for engineering design purposes

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1391-1399 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Szilágyi ◽  
R. Kovács ◽  
I. Kenyeres ◽  
Zs. Csikor
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Time Constant ◽  
Process Design ◽  
Fixed Bed ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Hydrodynamic Conditions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
State Process ◽  
Biofilm Development

Biofilm development in a fixed bed biofilm reactor system performing municipal wastewater treatment was monitored aiming at accumulating colonization and maximum biofilm mass data usable in engineering practice for process design purposes. Initially a 6 month experimental period was selected for investigations where the biofilm formation and the performance of the reactors were monitored. The results were analyzed by two methods: for simple, steady-state process design purposes the maximum biofilm mass on carriers versus influent load and a time constant of the biofilm growth were determined, whereas for design approaches using dynamic models a simple biofilm mass prediction model including attachment and detachment mechanisms was selected and fitted to the experimental data. According to a detailed statistical analysis, the collected data have not allowed us to determine both the time constant of biofilm growth and the maximum biofilm mass on carriers at the same time. The observed maximum biofilm mass could be determined with a reasonable error and ranged between 438 gTS/m2 carrier surface and 843 gTS/m2, depending on influent load, and hydrodynamic conditions. The parallel analysis of the attachment–detachment model showed that the experimental data set allowed us to determine the attachment rate coefficient which was in the range of 0.05–0.4 m d−1 depending on influent load and hydrodynamic conditions.

Driving factors for bioclogging of pores and porous media

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothee Kurz ◽  
Eleonora Secchi ◽  
Roman Stocker ◽  
Joaquin Jimenez-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Pore Scale ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Medium Scale ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
Biofilm Structure

<p>Understanding the interplay between hydrodynamics and biogeochemical processes is of growing importance in environmental applications and studies, especially in the fields of bioremediation and ecology. The majority of the microbial communities living in soil have a surface-attached lifestyle, allowing them to form biofilms. The biofilm growth influences pore geometries by clogging them and thus redirecting the flow, which in return affects biofilm development and local mass transport. After initially clogging single pores, the biofilm structure expands to larger clusters before eventually clogging the porous medium entirely. We study these processes with a soil-born microorganism, <em>Bacillus subtilis</em>, in microfluidic devices mimicking porous media to get a mechanistic understanding of the driving factors of bioclogging of porous media on different scales.</p> <p>Carefully designed porous geometries were used for the experiments to study biofilm growth under different flow conditions. After being seeded with bacteria, devices were exposed to a continuous nutrient flow during several days. Continuously monitoring the pressure evaluation and imaging the biofilm growth using Brightfield microscopy allowed a high temporal resolution of biofilm growth processes.</p> <p>An interplay of hydraulic parameters and geometric features of the porous medium as well as the mass flow rate of nutrients drive the speed of pore clogging. Besides the pore scale clogging, the initiation of biofilm formation as well as the speed of clogging of the entire medium are influenced by the before mentioned parameters. Furthermore, the size and number of the biofilm clusters formed seem to drive the medium scale clogging. This leads to inverting trends concerning the clogging rate in one pore when compared to the porous medium scale for different pore sizes. These results shed light on the pore-scale mechanism as well as driving parameters of biofilm formation and bioclogging and their transferability to the next larger scale, e.g. a porous medium.</p>

Bifunctional Composites for Biofilms Modulation on Cervical Restorations

2021 ◽  
pp. 002203452110181
Author(s):  
A.A. Balhaddad ◽  
I.M. Garcia ◽  
L. Mokeem ◽  
M.S. Ibrahim ◽  
F.M. Collares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Energy ◽  
Surface Free Energy ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Bacterial Biofilm ◽  
Dental Composite ◽  
Log P ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Cervical Lesions ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Biofilm Development

Cervical composites treating root carious and noncarious cervical lesions usually extend subgingivally. The subgingival margins of composites present poor plaque control, enhanced biofilm accumulation, and cause gingival irritation. A potential material to restore such lesions should combine agents that interfere with bacterial biofilm development and respond to acidic conditions. Here, we explore the use of new bioresponsive bifunctional dental composites against mature microcosm biofilms derived from subgingival plaque samples. The designed formulations contain 2 bioactive agents: dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM) at 3 to 5 wt.% and 20 wt.% nanosized amorphous calcium phosphate (NACP) in a base resin. Composites with no DMAHDM and NACP were used as controls. The newly formulated 5% DMAHDM–20% NACP composite was analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The wettability and surface-free energy were also assessed. The inhibitory effect on the in vitro biofilm growth and the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of survival bacterial colonies derived from the composites were analyzed. Whole-biofilm metabolic activity, polysaccharide production, and live/dead images of the biofilm grown over the composites complement the microbiological assays. Overall, the designed formulations had higher contact angles with water and lower surface-free energy compared to the commercial control. The DMAHDM-NACP composites significantly inhibited the growth of total microorganisms, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum by 3 to 5-log ( P < 0.001). For the colony isolates from control composites, the composition was typically dominated by the genera Veillonella, Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, Eikenella, and Leptotrichia, while Fusobacterium and Veillonella dominated the 5% DMAHDM–20% NACP composites. The DMAHDM-NACP composites contributed to over 80% of reduction in metabolic and polysaccharide activity. The suppression effect on plaque biofilms suggested that DMAHDM-NACP composites might be used as a bioactive material for cervical restorations. These results may propose an exciting path to prevent biofilm growth and improve dental composite restorations’ life span.

Unsteady and porous media flow of reactive non-Newtonian fluids subjected to buoyancy and suction/injection

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1682-1704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tirivanhu Chinyoka ◽  
Daniel Oluwole Makinde
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Flow System ◽  
Finite Difference Methods ◽  
Porous Media Flow ◽  
Convective Boundary Conditions ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the unsteady pressure-driven flow of a reactive third-grade non-Newtonian fluid in a channel filled with a porous medium. The flow is subjected to buoyancy, suction/injection asymmetrical and convective boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors assume that exothermic chemical reactions take place within the flow system and that the asymmetric convective heat exchange with the ambient at the surfaces follow Newton’s law of cooling. The authors also assume unidirectional suction injection flow of uniform strength across the channel. The flow system is modeled via coupled non-linear partial differential equations derived from conservation laws of physics. The flow velocity and temperature are obtained by solving the governing equations numerically using semi-implicit finite difference methods. Findings – The authors present the results graphically and draw qualitative and quantitative observations and conclusions with respect to various parameters embedded in the problem. In particular the authors make observations regarding the effects of bouyancy, convective boundary conditions, suction/injection, non-Newtonian character and reaction strength on the flow velocity, temperature, wall shear stress and wall heat transfer. Originality/value – The combined fluid dynamical, porous media and heat transfer effects investigated in this paper have to the authors’ knowledge not been studied. Such fluid dynamical problems find important application in petroleum recovery.

Experimental manipulations of the biomass of introduced carp (Cyprinus carpio) in billabongs. II. Impacts on benthic properties and processes1

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Robertson ◽  
M. R. Healey ◽  
A. J. King
Keyword(s):  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Surface ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Ratios ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
The Impact

Two billabongs on the floodplain of the Murrumbidgee River, Australia, were partitioned in half with impermeable plastic barriers and the biomass of carp was manipulated to establish high- and low-carp biomass treatments in each billabong. Measurements of benthic variables (rates of particle settlement, biofilm development, sediment respiration, macrophyte detritus decomposition, sediment solid-phase nutrient concentrations and benthic algal biomass) were performed over four months from summer to winter 1995. Rates of particle settlement were greater in the high-carp treatment of each billabong throughout the experiment. High carp biomass had a negative impact on the autotrophic component of the biofilm developing on wood blocks placed at different heights above the sediment surface but the mechanism responsible differed between billabongs. Sediment oxygen demand became greater in the presence of a higher biomass of carp during the experiment but time courses differed between billabongs. Manipulations of carp biomass did not influence algal biomass on the sediment surface, the rate of decomposition of macrophyte detritus or sediment solid-phase nutrients or nutrient ratios. The impact of carp on benthic and surficial processes was significant but the mechanisms of change differed between billabongs.

Biofilm development and the dynamics of preferential flow paths in porous media

Biofouling ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 1069-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Bottero ◽  
Tomas Storck ◽  
Timo J. Heimovaara ◽  
Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht ◽  
Michael V. Enzien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Preferential Flow Paths ◽  
Biofilm Development

Biofilm Growth Within Porous Media

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Shafahi ◽  
Kambiz Vafai
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Biofilm Growth
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