A 2D channel-clogging biofilm model

Abstract

We present a model of biofilm growth in a long channel where the biomass is assumed to have the rheology of a viscous polymer solution. We examine the competition between growth and erosion-like surface detachment due to the flow. A particular focus of our investigation is the effect of the biofilm growth on the fluid flow in the pores, and the issue of whether biomass can grow sufficiently to shut off fluid flow through the pores, thus clogging the pore space. Net biofilm growth is coupled along the pore length via flow rate and nutrient transport in the pore flow. Our 2D model extends existing results on stability of 1D steady state biofilm thicknesses to show that, in the case of flows driven by a fixed pressure drop, full clogging of the pore can indeed happen in certain cases dependent on the functional form of the detachment term.