Title |
Biofilms in 3D porous media: Delineating the influence of the pore network geometry, flow and mass transfer on biofilm development
|
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Published in |
Water Research, February 2018
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DOI | 10.1016/j.watres.2018.01.059 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Maxence Carrel, Verónica L. Morales, Mario A. Beltran, Nicolas Derlon, Rolf Kaufmann, Eberhard Morgenroth, Markus Holzner |
Abstract |
This study investigates the functional correspondence between porescale hydrodynamics, mass transfer, pore structure and biofilm morphology during progressive biofilm colonization of a porous medium. Hydrodynamics and the structure of both the porous medium and the biofilm are experimentally measured with 3D particle tracking velocimetry and micro X-ray Computed Tomography, respectively. The analysis focuses on data obtained in a clean porous medium after 36 h of biofilm growth. Registration of the particle tracking and X-ray data sets allows to delineate the interplay between porous medium geometry, hydrodynamic and mass transfer processes on the morphology of the developing biofilm. A local analysis revealed wide distributions of wall shear stresses and concentration boundary layer thicknesses. The spatial distribution of the biofilm patches uncovered that the wall shear stresses controlled the biofilm development. Neither external nor internal mass transfer limitations were noticeable in the considered system, consistent with the excess supply of nutrient and electron acceptors. The wall shear stress remained constant in the vicinity of the biofilm but increased substantially elsewhere. |
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Malawi | 1 | 14% |
United States | 1 | 14% |
China | 1 | 14% |
Belgium | 1 | 14% |
Unknown | 3 | 43% |
Demographic breakdown
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Members of the public | 3 | 43% |
Scientists | 2 | 29% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 29% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
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Unknown | 123 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 34 | 28% |
Researcher | 20 | 16% |
Student > Master | 15 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 6% |
Student > Bachelor | 6 | 5% |
Other | 16 | 13% |
Unknown | 25 | 20% |
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Environmental Science | 16 | 13% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 8 | 7% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 7 | 6% |
Physics and Astronomy | 6 | 5% |
Other | 21 | 17% |
Unknown | 36 | 29% |