Spatial distribution of mechanical properties in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, and their potential impacts on biofilm deformation.

The mechanical properties of biofilms can be used to predict biofilm deformation under external forces, for example, under fluid flow. We used magnetic tweezers to spatially map the compliance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms at the microscale, then applied modeling to assess its effects on biofilm deformation. Biofilms were grown in capillary flow cells with Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 0.28 to 13.9, bulk dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations from 1 mg/L to 8 mg/L, and bulk calcium ion (Ca2+ ) concentrations of 0 and 100 mg CaCl2 /L. Higher Re numbers resulted in more uniform biofilm morphologies. The biofilm was stiffer at the center of the flow cell than near the walls. Lower bulk DO led to more stratified biofilms. Higher Ca2+ concentrations led to increased stiffness and more uniform mechanical properties. Using the experimental mechanical properties, fluid-structure interaction models predicted up to 64% greater deformation for heterogeneous biofilms, compared with a homogeneous biofilms with the same average properties. However, the deviation depended on the biofilm morphology and flow regime. Our results show significant spatial mechanical variability exists at the microscale, and that this variability can potentially affect biofilm deformation. The average biofilm mechanical properties, provided in many studies, should be used with caution when predicting biofilm deformation.

Copper Corrosion and Biocorrosion Events in Premise Plumbing.

Corrosion of copper pipes may release high amounts of copper into the water, exceeding the maximum concentration of copper for drinking water standards. Typically, the events with the highest release of copper into drinking water are related to the presence of biofilms. This article reviews this phenomenon, focusing on copper ingestion and its health impacts, the physicochemical mechanisms and the microbial involvement on copper release, the techniques used to describe and understand this phenomenon, and the hydrodynamic effects. A conceptual model is proposed and the mathematical models are reviewed.

Multicomponent model of deformation and detachment of a biofilm under fluid flow.

A novel biofilm model is described which systemically couples bacteria, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and solvent phases in biofilm. This enables the study of contributions of rheology of individual phases to deformation of biofilm in response to fluid flow as well as interactions between different phases. The model, which is based on first and second laws of thermodynamics, is derived using an energetic variational approach and phase-field method. Phase-field coupling is used to model structural changes of a biofilm. A newly developed unconditionally energy-stable numerical splitting scheme is implemented for computing the numerical solution of the model efficiently. Model simulations predict biofilm cohesive failure for the flow velocity between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] m s(-1) which is consistent with experiments. Simulations predict biofilm deformation resulting in the formation of streamers for EPS exhibiting a viscous-dominated mechanical response and the viscosity of EPS being less than [Formula: see text]. Higher EPS viscosity provides biofilm with greater resistance to deformation and to removal by the flow. Moreover, simulations show that higher EPS elasticity yields the formation of streamers with complex geometries that are more prone to detachment. These model predictions are shown to be in qualitative agreement with experimental observations.

Multi-technique approach to assess the effects of microbial biofilms involved in copper plumbing corrosion.

Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) is recognized as an unusual and severe type of corrosion that causes costly failures around the world. A microbial biofilm could enhance the copper release from copper plumbing into the water by forming a reactive interface. The biofilm increases the corrosion rate, the mobility of labile copper from its matrix and the detachment of particles enriched with copper under variable shear stress due to flow conditions. MIC is currently considered as a series of interdependent processes occurring at the metal-liquid interface. The presence of a biofilm results in the following effects: (a) the formation of localized microenvironments with distinct pH, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and redox conditions; (b) sorption and desorption of labile copper bonded to organic compounds under changing water chemistry conditions; (c) change in morphology by deposition of solid corrosion by-products; (d) diffusive transport of reactive chemical species from or towards the metal surface; and (e) detachment of scale particles under flow conditions. Using a multi-technique approach that combines pipe and coupon experiments this paper reviews the effects of microbial biofilms on the corrosion of copper plumbing systems, and proposes an integrated conceptual model for this phenomenon supported by new experimental data.

Sulfate reduction, molecular diversity, and copper amendment effects in bacterial communities enriched from sediments exposed to copper mining residues.

Sulfate-reducing bacterial communities from coastal sediments with a long-term exposure to copper (Cu)-mining residues were studied in lactate enrichments. The toxicity of excess copper may affect sulfate-reducing bacterial communities. Sulfate reduction was monitored by sulfate and organic acid measurements. Molecular diversity was analyzed by 16S rRNA, dissimilatory sulfate reduction dsrAB, and Cu translocating phospho-type adenosine triphosphatases (P-ATPases) cop-like gene sequence profiling. The influence of Cu amendment was tested in these enrichments. Results showed fast sulfate reduction mostly coupled to incomplete organic carbon oxidation and partial sulfate reduction inhibition due to copper amendment. The 16S rRNA clonal libraries analysis indicated that delta- and gamma-Proteobacteria and Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides dominated the enrichments. The dsrAB libraries revealed the presence of Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfovibrionaceae families-related sequences. Copper produced significant shifts (i.e., a decrease in the relative abundance of sulfate-reducing microorganisms) in the enriched bacterial community structure as determined by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiling and multivariate analyses. Clonal libraries of cop-like sequences showed low richness in the enriched microbial communities, and a strong effect of copper on its relative abundance. Novel Cu-P(IB)-ATPase sequences encoding Cu resistance were detected. The present study indicates that Cu does not significantly affect sulfate reduction and genetic diversity of taxonomic and dissimilatory sulfate-reduction molecular markers. However, the diversity of Cu resistance genetic determinants was strongly modified by this toxic metal.