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Biofilm structure and influence on biofouling under laminar and turbulent flows

Biofilm structure and influence on biofouling under laminar and turbulent flows
Biofilm structure and influence on biofouling under laminar and turbulent flows
A flow system was designed so that biofilms could be grown simultaneously in parallel flow cells under laminar and turbulent flows using shared nutrients and inocula. The flow cells were made from rectangular glass tubing chosen to simulate flow in industrial pipes. The hydrodynamics in the flow cells were characterized using dye tracers and the relationship between the Fanning friction factor (f) and Reynolds number (Re). Flow was laminar at Re 100 and turbulent at Re 3000. Transition between flows occurred at approximately Re 1000. Biofilms from environmental inocula were grown on tap water or a minimal salts medium with 40 ppm glucose. Biofilms grown under laminar flow were patchy and consisted of cell clusters separated by interstitial voids. Biofilms grown under turbulent flow were filamentous. The filaments had a complex structure and were formed by the colonization of filamentous sheathed bacteria with microcolonies of non-filamentous bacteria. The filamentous bacteria were often tangled together and subsequent colonization by microcolonies resulted in the formation of cohesive structures that we termed “biofilm streamers”. The frictional loss coefficient (kf) across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under turbulent flow was almost twice the kf across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under laminar flow. There was little difference in kf across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under laminar flow and the kf across a clean flow cell.
0854047581
13-24
Royal Society of Chemistry
Stoodley, P.
08614665-92a9-4466-806e-20c6daeb483f
Boyle, J.
90f796e6-45a6-4414-831c-6f7d408ae262
Cunningham, A.B.
05a84d1f-39d0-4551-985b-de81cf27eeba
Dodds, I.
e1f87920-d7ad-4d1b-a53b-878a0a18e47d
Lappin-Scott, H.M.
fa1948ea-97cd-47a8-9fea-4f67567a50c8
Lewandowski, Z.
1f3f2a52-af00-4d39-99b9-cb4a372959ce
Keevil, C.W.
Dow, A.F.
Godfree, A.
Holt, D.
Stoodley, P.
08614665-92a9-4466-806e-20c6daeb483f
Boyle, J.
90f796e6-45a6-4414-831c-6f7d408ae262
Cunningham, A.B.
05a84d1f-39d0-4551-985b-de81cf27eeba
Dodds, I.
e1f87920-d7ad-4d1b-a53b-878a0a18e47d
Lappin-Scott, H.M.
fa1948ea-97cd-47a8-9fea-4f67567a50c8
Lewandowski, Z.
1f3f2a52-af00-4d39-99b9-cb4a372959ce
Keevil, C.W.
Dow, A.F.
Godfree, A.
Holt, D.

Stoodley, P., Boyle, J., Cunningham, A.B., Dodds, I., Lappin-Scott, H.M. and Lewandowski, Z. (1999) Biofilm structure and influence on biofouling under laminar and turbulent flows. In, Keevil, C.W., Dow, A.F., Godfree, A. and Holt, D. (eds.) Biofilms in Aquatic Systems. Cambridge, GB. Royal Society of Chemistry, pp. 13-24.

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

A flow system was designed so that biofilms could be grown simultaneously in parallel flow cells under laminar and turbulent flows using shared nutrients and inocula. The flow cells were made from rectangular glass tubing chosen to simulate flow in industrial pipes. The hydrodynamics in the flow cells were characterized using dye tracers and the relationship between the Fanning friction factor (f) and Reynolds number (Re). Flow was laminar at Re 100 and turbulent at Re 3000. Transition between flows occurred at approximately Re 1000. Biofilms from environmental inocula were grown on tap water or a minimal salts medium with 40 ppm glucose. Biofilms grown under laminar flow were patchy and consisted of cell clusters separated by interstitial voids. Biofilms grown under turbulent flow were filamentous. The filaments had a complex structure and were formed by the colonization of filamentous sheathed bacteria with microcolonies of non-filamentous bacteria. The filamentous bacteria were often tangled together and subsequent colonization by microcolonies resulted in the formation of cohesive structures that we termed “biofilm streamers”. The frictional loss coefficient (kf) across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under turbulent flow was almost twice the kf across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under laminar flow. There was little difference in kf across the flow cell colonized with biofilm grown under laminar flow and the kf across a clean flow cell.

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Published date: 1999
Organisations: Engineering Mats & Surface Engineerg Gp

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 158959
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/158959
ISBN: 0854047581
PURE UUID: f5a2bd00-0616-4f64-9a57-bcf3a2e91877
ORCID for P. Stoodley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-273X

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Date deposited: 24 Jun 2010 13:57
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:55

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Contributors

Author: P. Stoodley ORCID iD
Author: J. Boyle
Author: A.B. Cunningham
Author: I. Dodds
Author: H.M. Lappin-Scott
Author: Z. Lewandowski
Editor: C.W. Keevil
Editor: A.F. Dow
Editor: A. Godfree
Editor: D. Holt

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