Biofilms: Investigative Methods and Applications

by Flemming; Hans-Curt

• ISBN13: 9781566768696
• ISBN10: 1566768691
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-06-23
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

Until now, techniques for studying biofilms- the cellular colonies that live in drinking water systems, wastewater operations, even ground and surface water- have been limited. Yet during the last decade, biofilms have become a critical element in water quality preservation systems, a key component of wastewater treatment biological reactions and the subject of extensive microbiological inquiry. An understanding of biofilm development, structure and dynamics is one condition for improving water supplies and for addressing technical problems such as biofouling, corrosion and bioweathering.Biofilms: Investigative Methods and Applications provides the first in-depth assessment of current and experimental ways to study biofilms, both in sample form and in situ. It shows how sensors, microscopy, lasers, and calorimetry, among other tools, can be used to obtain data on the morphology and metabolism of biofilms. This text is the first to organize and examine the best methods for investigating biofilms. It covers culture-based methods and emerging nondestructive techniques. It also shows how they can be used to characterize biofilms in a variety of manmade settings, such as sewers, wastewater plants, and drinking water distribution systems, as well as in karsts and groundwater sources.In clarifying the way biofilms are studied, the book offers new insights into these living films. It also applies inquiry techniques to the many problems confronting the environmental specialist-corrosion control, biofouling, and the improvement of fixed reactors in wastewater treatment. At the same time it explains technologies for the controlled growth of biofilms and shows how biofilms can be effectively monitored and subjected to quantitative analysis. The technical information in Biofilms: Investigative Methods and Applications is designed to be of use to engineers and researchers and to be helpful in the generation of electronic data.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
List of Contributors	p. xiii
Steps in Biofilm Sampling and Characterization in Biofouling Cases	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Sampling Strategy	p. 2
Field Methods In Situ	p. 3
Laboratory Methods	p. 4
Laboratory Methods to Examine Removed Biofilms	p. 10
Identification	p. 11
Chemical and Biochemical Analysis	p. 13
Genetic Methods	p. 16
Immunological Methods	p. 17
Conclusions and Outlook	p. 17
References	p. 18
Rotating Annular Reactors for Controlled Growth of Biofilms	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Material and Methods	p. 25
Results	p. 29
Discussion	p. 34
References	p. 39
Microcalorimetry for Evaluating Countermeasures Against Biofouling in Water Circulation Systems	p. 41
Introduction	p. 41
Materials and Methods	p. 42
Results and Discussion	p. 44
Conclusions	p. 48
Acknowledgement	p. 49
References	p. 49
Extraction and Quantification of Extracellular Polymeric Substances From Wastewater	p. 51
Introduction	p. 51
Extraction Methods	p. 53
Quantification	p. 57
Cell Lysis	p. 59
Applications	p. 60
Acknowledgements	p. 64
Nomenclature	p. 64
References	p. 65
Cell Biomass Determination in Sewer Biofilms and a Monospecies Pseudomonas Putida Biofilm	p. 69
Introduction	p. 69
Direct Determination	p. 71
Indirect Methods	p. 77
Conclusions	p. 80
References	p. 81
Simultaneous Morphological and Population Analyses of Environmental Biofilms	p. 83
Principle of the Method	p. 83
Range of Applications	p. 84
Methods	p. 85
Results	p. 94
Comparison with Other Methods	p. 98
Discussion	p. 100
Nomenclature	p. 103
Acknowledgements	p. 104
References	p. 104
Development of a New Method to Determine the Metabolic Potential of Bacteria in Drinking Water Biofilms: Probe Active Counts (Pac)	p. 107
Introduction	p. 107
Materials and Methods	p. 108
Results and Discussion	p. 111
References	p. 119
Formation and Bacterial Composition of Young, Natural Biofilms Obtained From Public Bank-Filtered Drinking Water Systems	p. 123
Introduction	p. 123
Materials and Methods	p. 124
Results	p. 128
Discussion	p. 136
Acknowledgements	p. 140
References	p. 140
The Use of Immunological Techniques and Scanning Confocal Laser Microscopy for the Characterization of Agrobacterium Tumefaciens and Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Atrazine-Utilizing Biofilms	p. 143
Introduction	p. 143
Materials and Methods	p. 144
Results	p. 147
Discussion	p. 151
Acknowledgements	p. 152
References	p. 152
The in Situ Detection of a Microbial Biofilm Community on Karst Rock Coupon in a Groundwater Habitat	p. 155
Introduction	p. 155
Materials and Methods	p. 156
Results and Discussion	p. 157
Summary	p. 161
References	p. 162
Investigation of Spatial and Temporal Gradients in Fixed-Bed Biofilm Reactors for Wastewater Treament	p. 165
Introduction	p. 165
Aim of the Study	p. 166
Experimental Setup	p. 167
Chlorophenol Elimination by Biofilms Under Different Operating Conditions	p. 168
Quantitative Determination of Biomass and Biological Activity	p. 171
Investigation of the Bacterial Community of the Biofilm	p. 178
The Protozoa and Metazoa in Biofilms	p. 183
Conclusions	p. 188
Nomenclature	p. 190
Acknowledgements	p. 191
References	p. 191
Quantitative Microscopy in Biofilm Studies	p. 195
Introduction	p. 195
Materials and Methods	p. 195
Results	p. 198
Discussion	p. 208
Acknowledgements	p. 208
References	p. 208
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (Clsm) of Biofilms	p. 211
Introduction	p. 211
Clsm History	p. 212
Confocal Imaging	p. 213
Advantages/Disadvantages	p. 213
Techniques	p. 214
Applications	p. 217
Conclusions	p. 219
Acknowledgement	p. 219
References	p. 219
Microelectrodes and Tube Reactors in Biofilm Research	p. 225
Introduction	p. 225
Materials and Methods	p. 226
Results	p. 231
Discussion	p. 238
References	p. 239
Index	p. 241
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