Exoelectrogenic biofilm growth in shearing flows

Microbial biofouling occurs when a biofilm adheres to materials involved in liquid transport causing economic loss through corrosion and drag losses on ship hulls, and in oil and food distribution. Microorganisms interacting with surfaces under these open channel flows contend with high shear rates and active transport to the surface. The metallic surfaces they interact with carry charge at various potentials that are little addressed in literature. We demonstrate for the first time that mass transport limiting current, chronoamperometry, and cyclic voltammetry in a rotating disk electrode are ideal for studying adhesion of microbes to metallic surfaces under shear. We study the adhesion of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and 1 μm silica microspheres over a range of shear stresses. Our results agree with literature on red blood cells in rotating disk electrodes and deposition rates of B. subtilis and E. coli from optical systems, and show that we can quantify changes in active electrode area by bacteria adhesion and protein secretion.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Jones, A-Andrew D., III (Akhenaton-Andrew Dhafir)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cullen R. Buie.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115610

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/115610