Biofilms, active substrata, and me.
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| Title: | Biofilms, active substrata, and me. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Rittmann, Bruce E.1 Rittmann@asu.edu |
| Source: | Water Research. Apr2018, Vol. 132, p135-145. 11p. |
| Subjects: | Biofilms -- Environmental aspects, Biofilms testing, Water research, Micropollutants, Membrane reactors, Aquatic microbiology, Bacterial pollution of water research |
| Abstract: | Having worked with biofilms since the 1970s, I know that they are ubiquitous in nature, of great value in water technology, and scientifically fascinating. Biofilms are naturally able to remove BOD, transform N, generate methane, and biodegrade micropollutants. What I also discovered is that biofilms can do a lot more for us in terms of providing environmental services if we give them a bit of help. Here, I explore how we can use active substrata to enable our biofilm partners to provide particularly challenging environmental services. In particular, I delve into three examples in which an active substratum makes it possible for a biofilm to accomplish a task that otherwise seems impossible. The first example is the delivery of hydrogen gas (H 2 ) as an electron donor to drive the reduction and detoxification of the rising number of oxidized contaminant: e.g., perchlorate, selenate, chromate, chlorinated solvents, and more. The active substratum is a gas-transfer membrane that delivers H 2 directly to the biofilm in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), which makes it possible to deliver a low-solubility gaseous substrate with 100% efficiency. The second example is the biofilm anode of a microbial electrochemical cell (MxC). Here, the anode is the electron acceptor for anode-respiring bacteria, which “liberate” electrons from organic compounds and send them ultimately to a cathode, where we can harvest valuable products or services. The anode's potential is a sensitive tool for managing the microbial ecology and reaction kinetics of the biofilm anode. The third example is intimately coupled photobiocatalysis (ICPB), in which we use photocatalysis to enable the biodegradation of intrinsically recalcitrant organic pollutants. Photocatalysis transforms the recalcitrant organics just enough so that the products are rapidly biodegradable substrates for bacteria in a nearby biofilm. The macroporous substratum, which houses the photocatalyst on its exterior, actively provides donor substrate and protects the biofilm from UV light and free radicals in its interior. These three well-developed topics illustrate how and why an active substratum expands the scope of what biofilms can do to enhance water sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Water Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 127758947 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Biofilms, active substrata, and me. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rittmann%2C+Bruce+E%2E%22">Rittmann, Bruce E.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> Rittmann@asu.edu</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Water+Research%22">Water Research</searchLink>. Apr2018, Vol. 132, p135-145. 11p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biofilms+--+Environmental+aspects%22">Biofilms -- Environmental aspects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biofilms+testing%22">Biofilms testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Water+research%22">Water research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Micropollutants%22">Micropollutants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Membrane+reactors%22">Membrane reactors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aquatic+microbiology%22">Aquatic microbiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bacterial+pollution+of+water+research%22">Bacterial pollution of water research</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Having worked with biofilms since the 1970s, I know that they are ubiquitous in nature, of great value in water technology, and scientifically fascinating. Biofilms are naturally able to remove BOD, transform N, generate methane, and biodegrade micropollutants. What I also discovered is that biofilms can do a lot more for us in terms of providing environmental services if we give them a bit of help. Here, I explore how we can use active substrata to enable our biofilm partners to provide particularly challenging environmental services. In particular, I delve into three examples in which an active substratum makes it possible for a biofilm to accomplish a task that otherwise seems impossible. The first example is the delivery of hydrogen gas (H 2 ) as an electron donor to drive the reduction and detoxification of the rising number of oxidized contaminant: e.g., perchlorate, selenate, chromate, chlorinated solvents, and more. The active substratum is a gas-transfer membrane that delivers H 2 directly to the biofilm in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), which makes it possible to deliver a low-solubility gaseous substrate with 100% efficiency. The second example is the biofilm anode of a microbial electrochemical cell (MxC). Here, the anode is the electron acceptor for anode-respiring bacteria, which “liberate” electrons from organic compounds and send them ultimately to a cathode, where we can harvest valuable products or services. The anode's potential is a sensitive tool for managing the microbial ecology and reaction kinetics of the biofilm anode. The third example is intimately coupled photobiocatalysis (ICPB), in which we use photocatalysis to enable the biodegradation of intrinsically recalcitrant organic pollutants. Photocatalysis transforms the recalcitrant organics just enough so that the products are rapidly biodegradable substrates for bacteria in a nearby biofilm. The macroporous substratum, which houses the photocatalyst on its exterior, actively provides donor substrate and protects the biofilm from UV light and free radicals in its interior. These three well-developed topics illustrate how and why an active substratum expands the scope of what biofilms can do to enhance water sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Water Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.12.043 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 11 StartPage: 135 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Biofilms -- Environmental aspects Type: general – SubjectFull: Biofilms testing Type: general – SubjectFull: Water research Type: general – SubjectFull: Micropollutants Type: general – SubjectFull: Membrane reactors Type: general – SubjectFull: Aquatic microbiology Type: general – SubjectFull: Bacterial pollution of water research Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Biofilms, active substrata, and me. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rittmann, Bruce E. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2018 Type: published Y: 2018 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00431354 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 132 Titles: – TitleFull: Water Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
