Biofilm Formation on Membranes in Water and Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2017) | Viewed by 12218

Special Issue Editor

The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
Interests: anti-adhesive surface; reactive surface; antimicrobial surface; surface coating; surface grafting; responsive polymers; responsive surface; antifouling surface; anti-biofouling surface; biopolymers; biofouling; organic fouling
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Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The editorial board of Water cordially invites you to submit an article to a Special Issue on “Biofilm Formation on Membranes in Water and Wastewater Treatment”. Bacteria seldom live and grow as single cells; rather, they usually live in biofilms—self-produced matrixes of extracellular polymeric substances, comprising mainly polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA. In water and wastewater treatment processes, bacterial biofilms dramatically reduce the performance of the various treatment units in a process termed "biofouling". This Special Issue of Water will focus on the development of microbial biofilms on membranes and on their effects on membrane performance. Articles for this interdisciplinary Special Issue should focus on either the fundamental or the applicative aspects of membrane biofouling, including, most prominently, the interactions between the various components of the biofouling layers and the membrane, the mechanisms underlying membrane biofouling, and biofouling control strategies. Manuscripts can include (but are not limited to) studies of the physical–chemical and mechanical (viscoelasticity) characteristics of biofilms, the physiology of the biofouling layers, issues related to microbial ecology, the development and characterization of novel membranes with anti-biofouling properties, the prevention of biofouling by various strategies (such as feed water pre-treatment), and methods for monitoring and cleaning biofilms from membranes. We especially encourage studies that discuss the interrelationships between these issues and membrane performance.

Prof. Dr. Moshe Herzberg
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilms
  • membranes
  • biofouling
  • wastewater treatment
  • desalination

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

3887 KiB  
Article
Effect of Biological Contact Filters (BCFs) on Membrane Fouling in Drinking Water Treatment Systems
by Susumu Hasegawa, Takuya Iwamoto, Taro Miyoshi, Sosuke Onoda, Kazushi Morita, Ryosuke Takagi and Hideto Matsuyama
Water 2017, 9(12), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9120981 - 15 Dec 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5191
Abstract
Membrane fouling is a serious problem in drinking water treatment systems. Biological contact filters (BCFs) are often used as a pretreatment to remove ammonia, dissolved organic matter (DOM), and metal ions such as iron and manganese. In this study, the effect of BCF [...] Read more.
Membrane fouling is a serious problem in drinking water treatment systems. Biological contact filters (BCFs) are often used as a pretreatment to remove ammonia, dissolved organic matter (DOM), and metal ions such as iron and manganese. In this study, the effect of BCF as a pretreatment for membrane fouling was evaluated using a laboratory-scale mini module consisting of a mini BCF column and a mini MF column. Initially, it was confirmed that the main foulant was a biopolymer (at low concentration) in the raw water. Subsequently, the biopolymer concentrations in the BCF influent and effluent were measured with the excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and the liquid chromatograph organic carbon detector (LC-OCD). The fouling potential of the BCF influent and effluent was also measured to evaluate MF membrane fouling rate. The results demonstrate that application of the BCF reduced the biopolymer concentration of the effluent and reduced membrane fouling. The effect of BCF was also established in an actual drinking water treatment plant. It was found that optimizing the contact time of raw water with the BCF was crucial to reduce membrane fouling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation on Membranes in Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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3130 KiB  
Article
A Keystone Methylobacterium Strain in Biofilm Formation in Drinking Water
by Erifyli Tsagkari, Ciara Keating, Jillian M. Couto and William T. Sloan
Water 2017, 9(10), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9100778 - 12 Oct 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5626
Abstract
The structure of biofilms in drinking water systems is influenced by the interplay between biological and physical processes. Bacterial aggregates in bulk fluid are important in seeding biofilm formation on surfaces. In simple pure and co-cultures, certain bacteria, including Methylobacterium, are implicated [...] Read more.
The structure of biofilms in drinking water systems is influenced by the interplay between biological and physical processes. Bacterial aggregates in bulk fluid are important in seeding biofilm formation on surfaces. In simple pure and co-cultures, certain bacteria, including Methylobacterium, are implicated in the formation of aggregates. However, it is unclear whether they help to form aggregates in complex mixed bacterial communities. Furthermore, different flow regimes could affect the formation and destination of aggregates. In this study, real drinking water mixed microbial communities were inoculated with the Methylobacterium strain DSM 18358. The propensity of Methylobacterium to promote aggregation was monitored under both stagnant and flow conditions. Under stagnant conditions, Methylobacterium enhanced bacterial aggregation even when it was inoculated in drinking water at 1% relative abundance. Laminar and turbulent flows were developed in a rotating annular reactor. Methylobacterium was found to promote a higher degree of aggregation in turbulent than laminar flow. Finally, fluorescence in situ hybridisation images revealed that Methylobacterium aggregates had distinct spatial structures under the different flow conditions. Overall, Methylobacterium was found to be a key strain in the formation of aggregates in bulk water and subsequently in the formation of biofilms on surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm Formation on Membranes in Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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