Biofilm recruitment under nanofiltration conditions: the influence of resident biofilm structural parameters on planktonic cell invasion

Abstract

SummaryIt is now generally accepted that biofouling is inevitable in pressure‐driven membrane processes for water purification. A large number of published articles describe the development of novel membranes in an effort to address biofouling in such systems. It is reasonable to assume that such membranes, even those with antimicrobial properties, when applied in industrial‐scale systems will experience some degree of biofouling. In such a scenario, an understanding of the fate of planktonic cells, such as those entering with the feed water, has important implications with respect to contact killing particularly for membranes with antimicrobial properties. This study thus sought to investigate the fate of planktonic cells in a model nanofiltration biofouling system. Here, the interaction between auto‐fluorescent Pseudomonas putida planktonic cells and 7‐day‐old Pseudomonas fluorescens resident biofilms was studied under permeate flux conditions in a nanofiltration cross flow system. We demonstrate that biofilm cell recruitment during nanofiltration is affected by distinctive biofilm structural parameters such as biofilm depth.

Antimicrobial efficacy ofin-situplasma-generated ozone againstPseudomonas aeruginosabiofilms in drains and water-submerged surfaces

“…section 2.3). A recent work by Habimana and Casey showed that resident biofilm can promote the recruitment and incorporation of planktonic cells into an existing biofilm structure (Habimana and Casey, 2018). Hence, a further benefit of our approach is that plasma generated ozone treatment does not promote biofilm regrowth, in contrast to findings of Liang et al (Liang et al, 2011).…”