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Biofilm Thickness (biofilm + thickness)
Selected AbstractsComputer programs for estimating substrate flux into steady-state biofilms from pseudoanalytical solutionsCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 1 2002Chetan T. Goudar Abstract Fixed-film processes employing microorganisms attached to an inert surface (biofilms) are widely used for biological treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater. For optimal design and analysis of these processes, mathematical models are necessary that describe the dynamics of contaminant transport within these biofilms and the associated contaminant utilization by the microorganisms. However, these governing equations that typically involve Fickian diffusion for contaminant transport and Monod kinetics for contaminant utilization are inherently nonlinear and have no closed form solutions except under special conditions. This can restrict their use in the classroom as cumbersome numerical techniques must be used for their solution. This problem is well documented in the literature and several authors have presented pseudoanalytical solutions that replace numerical solutions with algebraic equations. In the present study, we present pseudoanalytical solution-based computer programs for estimating substrate flux and biofilm thickness for a steady-state biofilm. Depending upon the intended end use, these programs can either partially or totally automate the solution process. In the partial automation mode, they can serve to enhance student understanding of important concepts related to steady-state biofilms, while complete automation can help bring more challenging and realistic problems associated with steady-state biofilms into the classroom. The programs have been tested on MATLAB version 5.0 and are available as freeware for educational purposes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 10: 26,32, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com.); DOI 10.1002/cae.10017 [source] Adaptive responses to antimicrobial agents in biofilmsENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 8 2005Barbara Szomolay Summary Bacterial biofilms demonstrate adaptive resistance in response to antimicrobial stress more effectively than corresponding planktonic populations. We propose here that, in biofilms, reaction-diffusion limited penetration may result in only low levels of antimicrobial exposure to deeper regions of the biofilm. Sheltered cells are then able to enter an adapted resistant state if the local time scale for adaptation is faster than that for disinfection. This mechanism is not available to a planktonic population. A mathematical model is presented to illustrate. Results indicate that, for a sufficiently thick biofilm, cells in the biofilm implement adaptive responses more effectively than do freely suspended cells. Effective disinfection requires applied biocide concentration that increases quadratically or exponentially with biofilm thickness. [source] Development and experimental validation of a conceptual model for biotrickling filtration of H2SENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 2 2003Seongyup Kim A dynamic model that describes the behavior of high-performance hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-degrading biotrickling filters for odor control was developed. The model attempts to accurately describe pollutant mass transfer in the biotrickling filter, i.e., external mass transfer resistances, and both direct gas-biofilm and gas-liquid-biofilm mass transfer were considered. In order to calibrate the model, an innovative differential biotrickling filter was constructed in which the effect of air velocity on the removal of H2S could be studied. Model outputs were compared with experimental data to determine the sensitivity of the system to selected parameters. At low H2S concentration, diffusion of H2S within the biofilm, and biofilm thickness were the major governing factors among nine considered model parameters. At higher H2S concentrations and lower air flow rates, external mass transfer played a very important role. This new finding, confirmed experimentally, has important implications, as it proves that the performance limit of H2S degrading biotrickling filters has not yet been reached. [source] Structural and functional responses of river biofilm communities to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory diclofenacENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2007John R. Lawrence Abstract Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has been detected widely in surface waters in North America and Europe. The impact of diclofenac on river biofilm communities was investigated at exposures of 10 and 100 ,g L,1 of diclofenac or its molar equivalent in carbon and nutrients. Experiments were carried out with river water during spring and summer using rotating annular reactors as model systems. Diclofenac or nutrients at 10 ,g L,1 were observed to have no significant effect on algal, bacterial, and cyanobacterial biomass in spring, whereas in the summer the nutrient equivalent reduced algal biomass and diclofenac reduced cyanobacterial biomass relative to control biofilms (p < 0.05). In contrast, at 100 ,g L,1 diclofenac or nutrients, the result was increased cyanobacterial and bacterial biomass, respectively, relative to control biofilms in spring. In summer, 100 ,g L,1 diclofenac significantly increased bacterial biomass and the nutrient treatment had no significant effect (p < 0.05); both treatments resulted in increased biofilm thickness. The glycoconjugate composition of the exopolysaccharide matrix was influenced differentially by the treatments in both seasons. Biolog assessments of carbon use indicated that 100 ,g L,1 diclofenac or nutrients resulted in significant depressions in the use of carbon sources in summer and significant increases in spring. Impacts on protozoan and micrometazoan populations also were assessed. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses of community DNA and fluorescent in situ hybridization studies indicated that diclofenac had significant effects on the nature of the bacterial community in comparison with control and nutrient-treated river biofilm communities. [source] Modeling and design of vapor-phase biofiltration for chlorinated volatile organic compoundsAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 9 2002Walter Den A mathematical model was developed for biofilter design and performance prediction with reference to the purification of contaminated gas streams. The model incorporated important aspects such as mass transfer, biodegradation, and adsorption processes. A systematic modeling protocol incorporated the development of a scale-up strategy based on dimensional analysis and similitude. Trichloroethylene (TCE) was employed as the model contaminant for biofiltration testing and model verification. The biokinetic and adsorption parameters for the contaminant were determined independently from a series of minibiofilter and miniadsorber column experiments, specifically designed to simulate the actual biofilter operational regimes in a miniature scale. Bench-scale biofilter experiments employing granular activated carbon columns indicated the good predictive capability of the model for the removal of TCE. Dynamic simulation studies were performed to assess the transient- and steady-state behavior of the model under various operating conditions. Model sensitivity was studied to evaluate the influence of adsorption equilibrium, transport and biological parameters on the biofilter dynamics. The results demonstrated that the biofilter performance was greatly influenced by the Monod coefficients and the biofilm thickness. [source] Formation of Biofilm on Different Particulate Media Using Modified Kitchen Waste Extract as Initial Growth Substrate for Use in PCB DegradationASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5-6 2005J. Auresenia Abstract This study describes the formation of biofilm on two different particulate media using modified kitchen waste extract as initial growth medium, and the subsequent testing of the this biofilm to biodegrade polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Two parallel completely mixed fluidized bed reactors, one using cement balls and the other using sand as particulate media, were operated in order to produce the biofilm. Modified kitchen waste extract was used as a growth substrate instead of the more expensive complex substrate. The medium was inoculated with microorganisms from tannery wastes. Performance of the biofilms formed in the two reactors were compared based on BOD and COD degradation rates, biomass growth rate, biofilm thickness and ease offluidization. The results demonstrate that a stable biofilm can be formed on readily available particulate materials using cheap substrate from kitchen wastes extracts. Furthermore, cement balls proved to be more suitable as particulate media compared to sand, possessing superior biofilm-forming characteristics. The biofilm formed on cement balls was tested for the degradation of PCBs. Initial PCB batch degradation tests showed that about 70% of PCBs degraded within six hours. Kinetics of PCB degradation followed the Monod model with Km = 561.98 mg/l and m,max=0.07 1/h. [source] A Kinetic Model for Suspended and Attached Growth of a Defined Mixed CultureBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2005Kawai Tam Kinetic experiments were carried out in a semicontinuous wastewater treatment process called self-cycling fermentation (SCF) using a defined mixed culture and various concentrations of synthetic brewery wastewater. The same consortium, which had been previously identified as Acinetobacter sp., Enterobacter sp., and Candida sp., were used in these experiments. The overall rate of substrate removal was attributable to both suspended microbes and the biofilm that formed during the treatment process. A rate expression was developed for the SCF system for a range of synthetic wastewaters containing glucose and various initial concentrations of ethanol and maltose. The data indicated that substrate removal by the suspended cells was directly related to the biomass concentration. However, substrate removal by the biofilm was apparently not affected by the biofilm thickness and was a function of substrate concentration only. [source] | ||||||||||||||||